The Legend Of Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition Rom
Valda Atkeson
In the hubbub, hype and over-excitement of E3 2011, some gamers would have been particularly delighted by a DSiWare announcement from Nintendo: while that seems unlikely, it does reflect the dedication of fans and their love for the Zelda series. After a relatively short wait, the much anticipated The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition is now available for free download on the DSi or 3DS.
This Four Swords anniversary edition is a remake of the title that was included with the Game Boy Advance version of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past: it was an additional multi-player only game that utilised the GBA link cable and played with the same 2D top-down perspective as the main game on the cart. It must be clarified that this new edition is not a simple port, but a new version with additional stages and a single-player mode. The developer given the task was Grezzo, that brought us The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, and this is another example of a remake constructed with loving care, attention to detail and quality craftsmanship.
We completed a playthrough of the game in around three hours in multiplayer, with one player using a DSi and the other using a 3DS. In terms of the performance of the game, it was excellent overall. On a couple of occasions there was a brief moment of lag that quickly passed, while the music between the devices would occasionally go out of sync. That aside, it was smooth running, and it's clear that the levels work best in the multiplayer format. Not only were some stages slightly different and, in some ways, more engaging, but those frustrating boss fights from the single player were easier to defeat. This is, simply, the best way to enjoy this title.
You're being awfully kind to the single player mode. Yes, it's nice of them to add it considering this is a straight remake of a game that originally didn't have one, but the game is clearly not designed to be played this way, and the mode suffers as a result.
The GC Four Swords game was intended to be played in both single and multiplayer from the get-go - play a couple stages from that in single player with the Dsiware game fresh in your mind to see what a huge difference that makes.
You forgot to mention the extremely difficult Hero's Trail, it takes 30000 to get to it or from what I hear 5 medals, warning it makes things very difficult. Also you didn't mention the power ups, they are under help/manual. Great review though, 9 fits well with the writing. Though I think it's perfect.
I've downloaded it on my old DSi and my 3DS, which makes for a great ready-made two player setup... but when I convinced a friend to have a go, we ran into an unfortunate problem. We played through a long level, having a great time, and then a 'communication error' occurred and destroyed all our progress, straight back to the menu as if we hadn't been playing : /
We were sitting side my side, but I wonder if having the systems too close could actually cause a wireless error; I believe I was leaning in to see her screen and had the systems within a few inches when the error came up. Oh well.
@Aqueous - You're right on both points The power-ups are useful for improving the speed, defence and power of the Link characters, though I suspect most will just grab them automatically alongside the rupees without thinking twice about it!
@warioswoods - That's unfortunate, I didn't encounter any issues when I tried out multiplayer. I understand from comments on the forums that the wireless can struggle if there are a lot of signals bouncing around, but our phones and wireless router didn't seem to cause any issues. We were sitting right next to each other and, apart from a couple of moments of lag, it went off without a hitch. Unless you had the game paused or in suspend state for a long time I guess it was down to a technical hitch and bad luck
I've thoroughly enjoyed this game, particularly in the multiplayer. Opinion will vary, but I personally think it's pretty generous of Nintendo to give this away for free, as it has a lot of play-time as well as the gameplay being top-notch. A real step-up from previous freebies such as the Excitebike 3D Classic.
Yeah, the Hero's Trial should be somewhere mentioned in this review. This is the hardest **** in any Zelda game yet! Even Zelda II is a walk in the park compared to this stage. It blows tons of enemies at you with the nastiest combinations (Ice Wizrobes and B+C Troopers, anyone?), it's cheap, it's cruel, it's never ending and it will kill you many, many times. I haven't even cleared all of the Hero's Trial yet, but I already need therapy. Zelda fans were asking for some challenge since years now and this one offers enough challenge for a life time.
@ThomasBW84 - I was thinking along the lines of the master sword and hurricane spin (which I am yet to get despite clearing everything else, that last part of the hero trail's third level is extremely difficult) power ups, but those help too.
I agree with the score - the single player is a 7 or 8 out of ten, and the multiplayer is a definite 10/10. Which is why it spawned Four Swords Adventures, which I'd also rate 9/10 - that had stronger single player, and whist the multiplayer was simply unmatched, it did come with quite a heavy hardware price tag (even if all your friends had GBAs, they still needed the GBA-GCN cables). So Four Swords DSiWare definitely gets a 9/10 from me too.
Single player worked much better than I expected it to, I haven't had the problems with the bosses you mention. My problem with the mode lies in the competitive nature of the level design, it simply doesn't make sense to lone players.
I guess the fun increases with the number of players. Having played the game with only my brother, I would probably have given it an 8, but if I had more players available I could see myself giving it a 9 or even a 10.
Even if it wasn't free, even if I'd paid $5 for it, I would have given it a 10/10. Great game! A great example of what Nintendo has to offer, and it's even more wonderful for FREE I actually love playing it by myself, it's a great game either way.
It's funny when a joke of a game like this gets a 9/10 just because it's a Zelda game. And it's maddening to think that a masterpiece like Breath of Fire 2 only got a 8/10, which means that there really are idiots who consider this the better game? Just no.
It's a very good game for what it's worth. The single player is a very nice touch and it just goes to show that Nintendo will sometimes go the extra miles for its fans (sometimes....). And yes, the Hero's Trail made me rage quit quite a few times, and that's something I NEVER do. I want to see the person that was able to beat all of it, because he is clearly a massochist
Having never played it before this week and only having played single player, I'd give this game a 6. Compared to other brilliant Zelda games (see Minish Cap and the DS series) the level design wasn't too great and the first play-through was almost mind-numbingly boring. The only reason I even completed the first play-through is because I have nothing else to play on my 3DS. Even if the stages change or increase in difficulty, there is no real incentive to continue. I imagine this game would be much more fun with co-op, but I don't have the means for that. Overall I think this may have been great when it was released, but if it hadn't have been free I would be very dissatisfied with the download.
I understand why some people are questioning the score, this title probably doesn't have the story element of other zelda games, it's basically just hack and slash. But still good fun none-the-less, I wish I could experience it multiplayer.
I would probably score it a tad lower, because 1) no online multiplayer (really kills the multiplayer experience for most) and 2) no save state on going to the home menu for single player people. With those 2 features this would be a 9 or 10, but either way, it is still a great game, AND IT'S FREE!
Wow I'm seriously suprised this didn't get 10/10 simply because it's free. They're giving it away, I don't see how we can demand more from Nintendo. & the fact I've encountered no bugs in any of my playthrough, it's perfectly awesome in my eyes
I had the same problem that warioswoods did. The communication cut out right as my brother and I were about to finish the boss of that ice level and we had to do the whole level again. It wasn't so bad, though, since the dungeon we went through on our second try had a completely different layout. It didn't happen again for the rest of our play time, which consisted of 3 other levels.
I haven't played in single player at all, and don't plan to. I figure that the game being free will mean that more people will have it and be able to play. So based on the multiplayer alone, a 9 seems right to me. The way that the Zelda mechanics I know and love have been translated so naturally into a multiplayer game is just ingenious.
Seriously, though. Online would SUCK here. If you say this game needs it, you obviously haven't played multiplayer yet. I've gotten my two cousins, sister, and I to play it together. Them hearing you scream "STAND ON THE FREAKIN' BUTTON" is vital.
I gave the original 4 Swords a 5/10, so I doubt they fixed all the problems it had to make it a 9. But I know I'm in the minority. It's a free download, so I won't complain, and I'll start playing it eventually. Glad it doesn't cost money though.
@phoenix: I disagree. A higher price should mean higher quality. If this were $15 I'd give it a lower score based on my expectations for a typical $15 game. Since it's free I have very little expectations yet it was still fun and worth the no price tag
@expa0 It's maddening to think that there are idiots who whine about the difference between an eight and a nine. What's the next score after 8? Here's a hint: it's 9. Both mean the reviewer considers it a great game.
So the first time (especially as a new comer) you need to play for like 1 hour to get to the save point. It's really horrible in design. Even more so if you consider this is a handheld title, meaning most game sessions consist out of little bursts.
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