The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

Technology has finally caught up with Nintendo's trailblazing co-op adventure – so where is it?

- BY ABBIE STONE

Developer/publisher Nintendo Format GameCube Release 2004

Sometimes, when you’re trying to sell the world on new ideas, the perfect game is enough. Guided by an icon around smoothly in Mario 64 and the analogue stick instantly becomes the standard for 3D movement. Play tennis by swinging the Remote and suddenly Wii’s hard-to-explain motion controls are a global sensation. Experience the struggle of multiplayer local co-op play in The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures with a GameCube, four friends, four Game Boy Advances, four Game Boy-Advance-to-GameCube link cables, a copy of the game, and… well, good luck to everyone.

Exploring Hyrule with up to three friends in co-op is a killer pitch, but one that was hampered by the decision to shackle a hit handheld to a struggling home console. It’s a barrier to entry that could make Half-Life: Alyx blush. No wonder the game is often omitted from otherwise comprehensive Zelda rankings. So, could Four Swords Adventure be the most underrated instalment in the series?

Picking it up now, it’s immediately clear how much multiplayer has to offer Zelda, with some of the series’ most tired tropes being given a fresh lick of paint. No longer the boring boomerang just for hitting distant switches – now you can use it to snatch other players and then throw them at, you know, against their will. A boss battle where you play pong with an enemy projectile was novel in 2004. The thrill of playing Zelda after Four Swords Adventures revitalises it by forcing players to work together to projectile for a deadly round of mixed doubles.