The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords
Back in 1992, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the Super Nintendo, which revived the Zelda series after the failure of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. Over the years, A Link to Past has withstood the test of time and is still regarded as one of the greatest games ever made. Now, more than ten years after the original release of the game, Nintendo brings it back for the Gameboy Advance. However, unlike most of the other games that Nintendo has re-released for the GBA, this one comes with an entirely new adventure as well. Up to four players will be able to compete against each other using their GBA link cables, in an adventure known as Four Swords.

Graphics:

The graphics in A Link to the Past are exactly as they were in the SNES version, without a single change having been made to them. The NEW graphics are seen during Four Swords, where the characters are modeled after the cel-shaded look of The Wind Waker. Although they take on the cartoony look, it's not hard to see that Capcom pushed the GBA to its graphical limit. Everything in the game looks as good as it did on the SNES, and in Four Sword's case, even better!

Sound and Music:

Yes! I'm really happy about giving this area a high score. A Link to the Past contains all those classic Zelda tunes you've come to know and love, especially the Dark World theme. It is also the first Zelda game in which the current themes for Ganon and Zelda were heard. If you've played Ocarina of Time, which I'm sure a lot of you have, most of the tunes in ALTTP will sound familiar. As for the music in Four Swords, there are only about four or five different songs, one for each level. All of which are spectacular. The sound effects in both games are the same quality you would expect from any other Zelda game. As always, swords go swish and bombs go boom. Nothing to complain about in this category.

Storyline:

Yet again, the storyline revolves around a hero named Link who must face the evil forces of the great King of Evil, Ganon. However, this time Ganon has the help of an evil wizard by the name of Agahnim. Agahnim's plan is to capture the descendants of the seven sages and use them to break the seal on the Dark World, where the Triforce lay hidden.  Throughout the game, the storyline is progressed by using the original game dialogue, along with some new dialogue that was added in to help tie more of the game into Ocarina of Time. As for Four Swords, the storyline is a little less in depth than that of A Link to the Past. It revolves around a blade known as the Four Sword, which has the ability to split whoever wields it into four different heroes. At the shrine where the sword rests is an imprisoned wind mage known as Vaati. When Princess Zelda senses something unusual occurring at the shrine, she asks Link to accompany her there. As expected, something unusual WAS happening. Vaati has now broken the seal and taken Zelda prisoner. Link then takes the Four Sword, splits into multiple heroes, and begins his journey. While the storyline to Four Swords doesn't exactly fit anywhere in the Zelda timeline, it is nonetheless a fun and interesting one.

Gameplay:

The gameplay in ALTTP is much like that of the original Zelda game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is an overhead view the entire time, with Link moving from dungeon to dungeon battling Ganon's minions and collecting different things. In the first half of the game, you will travel around in the Light World, which is normal Hyrule. There, you will move through three different dungeons and collect the Spiritual Stones. Once you have collected all three spiritual stones, you will have access to the Master Sword. After you beat Agahnim for the first time, he drags you into the Dark World with him. The Dark World is where the Triforce lay hidden. It used to be a bright and wonderful land, but once Ganon touched the Triforce, it turned into a land of despair. IN the Dark World, you will go through different dungeons in an attempt to save the seven maidens, along with Zelda, from the clutches of Agahnim. ALTTP offers old school Zelda gameplay, reminiscent of the original Zelda and its SNES counterpart. Four Swords however requires at least two players to link up their GBAs in order to play. In your quest to rescue Princess Zelda and defeat Vaati, you will have to work together to accomplish your goals, while also competing against each other to see who can collect the most rupees. Four Swords offers some pretty addicting gameplay, so be sure to encourage your friends to purchase it.

Controls:

The controls are fairly straightforward. A and B serve the same purpose they did in the SNES version of the game, while the L and R buttons take the place of the X and Y buttons. One button slashes, another uses items, and the other buttons do various other things. This applies to both ALTTP and Four Swords. There is nothing wrong with any part of the control scheme in this game.

Replayability:

A Link to the Past offers the usual replay elements of any Zelda game. Collect limited upgrades along with those pesky heart pieces that you're always looking for. Also, after beating Four Swords with a friend, you unlock a hidden dungeon that was added to ALTTP. In the dungeon, you will face four previous bosses. Once they are defeated, you will proceed to fighting four copies of yourself. After beating the secret dungeon, you will unveil a secret ending to the game which depicts new scenes and quest information, such as how many times you swung your sword or how many arrows you used. On the Four Swords end, the replay is practically endless. Any time you feel free to, you can hook up your copy of the game with your friends and go on a quest to defeat the evil wind mage Vaati.

Overall, A Link to the Past/Four Swords offers the flawless gameplay of ALTTP with the greatness of a multiplayer Zelda title. Don't be surprised if you find yourself going through both games multiple times just for fun. Four Swords succeeds at bringing the Zelda series into the multiplayer arena, and even after ten years, A Link to the Past remains one of the greatest games ever made. It's no wonder that The Legend of Zelda remains the most popular video game series of all time.
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sound and Music: 9.7/10
Storyline: 9.0/10
Gameplay: 9.6/10
Controls: 10/10
Replayability: 9.0/10
9.9
Out of 10