The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

"The fun of Zelda......with your friends."

Zelda, one of the most popular and beloved gaming series of all, has made epic progress into our "Next Generation." Within this span of time, Zelda has made some of the most enjoyable gaming experiences known to man. Ever. Not only that, but these seemingly flawless games in the franchise have all been quite good. Quite good? Why, the gameplay itself is a masterpiece of its own. So here and now, we get Nintendo's next Zelda title, Four Swords Adventure (The Legend of Zelda.....duh), which is OBVIOUSLY the center of my "talk." Therefore, I'll just get down to brass tacks right now about Nintendo's exciting new multiplayer game.

Gameplay: 10

I know I say this plenty of times, but gameplay is what counts. Period. The "meat and potatoes" of any GOOD game. And I will reiterate it if I have to. In Four Swords, the multiplayer delivers more than enough to keep your friends laughing, crying, and coming back for more. The game runs quickly and intelligently and there is enough action and rewards for...almost everybody (this game can also get extremely competitive and hilariously ridiculous at that). The cooperation necessary to solve a puzzle or pass an area is exceptionally fresh, new, and innovative. The game takes WELL over 15 hours to complete, and even with that, every level could be an hour-long escapade, which is always good. The challenge is always high and the playability is superb, not to mention the sadistic shadow battle and the "perfect" Tingle minigames to relax after a couple hard adventures. Unfortunately, everything up to this point is from the MULTIPLAYER aspect of the game. The single player, which quite frankly does not "suffer" as much as people think, lacks, nevertheless, the "absolutely necessary" addition of 1, 2, or 3 buddies, for that is sort of the pinnacle of the entire game. The single player, although filled with great thrills and new twists, does not even come close to par with the intensely innovative multiplayer mode. Some of you out there may ask, "Then why did you give gameplay a 10 if single player sucks." Other than correcting you on the fact of it sucking, I would tell you that the multiplayer aspect, EVEN WITH the GBA and link necessity (which....by the way......makes the game sooo much cooler) , the Four Swords Adventure is at its finest with friends and, therefore, covers up for anything missing from the single player experience.

Graphics: 10

A 2-D Zelda game on the Gamecube.....with GOOD graphics? No way, right? Wrong. Not only is this game an improvement from the GBA and SNES, but it features amazing special effects and beautiful environments, not to mention good-looking character models. And this game runs very fast too. When someone goes from the TV to the GBA, however, the graphics decline some, which is fine considering it looks great on a GBA's standards anyways. All-in-all though, this game looks beautiful for what it is and runs without the slightest hesitation.

Sound: 9

I, being a huge fan of Koji Kondo and the entire Zelda music team, adore the simple but, dare I say it, "cheesy" music style. Alot of classic Zelda themes and songs can be recognized and enjoyed. I became a tad bit disappointed, though, because of Nintendo's choice as a MIDI soundtrack. It's not bad, don't get me wrong, but the REAL effect of Four Swords could have been portrayed with a small ensemble, or several remixes, or a small band, etc. The sound effects are nice as well, and have a nice quality to them for what Nintendo might've been trying to attain: a nostalgic, SNES feel. Every clash, scratch, cut, swipe, bomb, roll, hurl, fall, and more, have been made to that exact effect. Quite nice as the music and the sounds are, I only feel as if one thing could've been done to level it up with a higher standard that Nintendo is almost too familiar with.

Replayability: 10

This game at its fullest potential (with 3 other Nintendo faithful buddies, 4 sp's, 4 links, and hours of fun) will grab and glue anyone and keep 'em comin' for more. The battle mode can be enjoyed perpetually, as well as most of Tingle's minigames (they ARE good....I promise). Sadly, the one-player experience may not be nearly as fulfilling or as replayable. Nevertheless, this game cannot be ranked by the unfortunate absence of GBA's or friends.

Final Thoughts:

I would recommend this game to any group of 2-4 people with GBA's and proper links in a heartbeat. This game will give you what you give for its money and much much more. Any Zelda fan should own this game anyways. However, if you are a loner or you do not have GBA hook-up, you should consider this title and buy it with caution, for although it may be a new and fun Zelda for you, it IS really and truly the next best thing as Zelda.....with your friends.

Game Score: 10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/10/04