The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past [GBA]

The secondary game option, Four Swords is an absolute must-play. Anyone who puts this cartridge away after completing A Link to the Past will be missing out on one of the best system link games ever created, and it's this mode that will set the watermark for what the GBA's game link support can pull off. Four Swords isn't a simple rehash of A Link to the Past's graphic engine in a multiplayer deathmatch, no sir. This is a completely separate game development that shares only the cartridge in which A Link to the Past sits. Four Swords occurs during the same time structure as the upcoming Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the GameCube, which explains the completely changed character sprite structure of Four Swords. In the game, players must rescue Zelda from the clutches of the evil wind sorceror Vaati. But the challenges ahead are impossible for a single adventurer; to assist Link in his quest to rescue the princess, fairies use the power of the Four Swords to duplicate the hero...four times the Link. Silly premise, I know, but all you have to know is that each player controls a different colored Link.

The Four Swords is essentially broken up into four different areas, each with its own network of dungeons. The first dungeon is an expansive tutorial area that explains the varying items and how they work in the other three different areas. The level design Four Swords varies between standard Zelda fare to absolutely brilliant use of cooperative gameplay mechanics; this isn't a simple Gauntlet clone. Game designers have worked in many of the ideas from past Zelda games, from triggering pressure switches to shoving statues and lifting boulders. But many elements must be done in unison with one, two, or three other Links. Massive boulders blocking the way, for example, require all Links to work together to lift and move off to the side. Some creatures can only be destroyed if two players work together -- one cool creature in particular must be pulled apart to eliminate, with a Link on either side yanking in opposite directions. There are several items in the game that must be utilized to get through, and players can only hold and utilize one item at a time; whatever item they were holding at the time they picked up a different item is dropped in place of the new item. Magnet Gloves can get players across chasms if they aim at a magnetic block...and they can even grab onto distant Links by latching onto their magnetic Shields, pulling them across the hole as well. And the Gnat Hat is an interesting addition, as players who wear the hat will shrink to the size of a bug (basically a couple of pixels tall on-screen) in order to pass through tiny tunnels or across bridges and platforms that a normal Link couldn't fit. The game's full of all sorts of objects that require solo as well as cooperative techniques to get through the extensive challenges. What's more, the game design is intelligent enough to only offer dungeon designs with the amount of players in the network in mind. So, even though the game allows for up to four players to cooperate and compete in the dungeons, the designers realized that this wouldn't always be the case; if only two or three players are in the current network, it will only put forth challenges that only two players need to cooperate...which means, no four-player puzzle elements will enter into play.

This mode is where most of the development time obviously went, because everything about it, from the graphics, sound, gameplay, and interface, are done superbly. This multiplayer mode even incorporates extras that are earned in A Link to the Past; if a special sword technique is earned in the main single-player adventure, it can be used by that player in Four Swords. And those that complete the entire Four Swords adventure can unlock original dungeons and mini-quests in A Link to the Past, unique to the GBA game. So, if the fantastic multiplayer gameplay isn't enough encouragement, the extra quests in the single player adventure should seal the deal.

The link support is near flawless; it keeps track of all four players in the chain no matter how far back or ahead of the pack they go, and it also allows for a decent number of enemies to appear on-screen at once. The action will slow down on occasion when rupees spill onto the screen in a large amount, but from a technical standpoint occasional slowdown in a four player chain during not-so-intense moments is perfectly acceptable. It's an amazingly fun multiplayer experience, even if it tries the patience of everyone in the network chain. Everyone will be yelling at each other from not working together, or accidentally knocking someone off the ledge, or stealing each other's rupees. Even though players will be working together to complete the dungeons, ultimately, they're working against each other to earn the most rupees to collect the level's medallions. And as chaotic as that sounds, this element is one of the many reasons that makes Four Swords such an awesome mode that should not be missed by anyone.

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