#178: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords (2002, GBA)

The idea behind Four Swords, turning the top-down Zelda titles we've always loved into a cooperative/competitive game, is so strongly compelling that it is a wonder that it didn't come sooner. The idea is that you, as Link, work with the other 3 Links to work through the dungeon while simultaneously competing for rupees. The answer to why this never took off as it should have may have something to do with the sort of technical restraints required to make it work. As presented/designed in this instance, the players cannot quite share the same screen - the competitive aspect requires that players be able to act in semi-secrecy at least occasionally. This also rules out split-screen, forcing us onto whatever platform most easily provides individual screens. Enter the Game Boy Advance, where this works perfectly. The problem with the GBA, however, is the barrier to entry - a system, cable, and game ~ some $160 in 2003 dollars.

Nintendo nearly fixed this with the GameCube's Four Swords Adventures, which put the action on a single screen... until a cave is entered, which then requires everyone playing to have a GBA and a GCN-GBA link cable, the same barrier to entry then presents itself (a barrier which sank the otherwise promising GCN-GBA venture entirely).



These barriers meant I was only able to play Four Swords enough to complete all 4 of the available dungeons once. What I could see, however, left me feeling pretty bad that this would, by its nature, never be able to become what it should have been. It isn't the only properly harmed in this way - the aforementioned Four Swords Adventures was, as was the excellent Pac-Man Vs. - all of them leave one wondering what would have happened had the GBA/GameCube had WiFi built in like the DS/Wii do (ironically, we still need to wonder, as the GBA/GCN debacle seems to have scared Nintendo off of ever utilizing the DS/Wii in the same way).

[The single-player portion of this title, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, is reviewed here - this score reflects both halves of this title]

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo R&D2 / Flagship
Released: 12/2/1992
Obtained: Christmas 2002 (Gift)

9.0/10