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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords

May 05, 2023

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords[a] is a compilation of two action-adventure games co-developed by Nintendo EAD and Capcom and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The game was released in December 2002 in North America and in March 2003 in Japan and Europe. The cartridge contains a modified port of A Link to the Past, originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991, and an original multiplayer-only game titled Four Swords, which serves as the 9th installment in The Legend of Zelda series.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Four Swords
North American box art
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)
Producer(s)
Designer(s)
  • Hidemaro Fujibayashi
  • Su Chol Lee
  • Mitsuaki Araki
  • Joko Kazuki
Artist(s)Haruki Suetsugu
Writer(s)Kensuke Tanabe
Composer(s)
Yuko Takehara
SeriesThe Legend of Zelda
Platform(s)
Release
December 2, 2002
  • Game Boy Advance
    • NA: December 2, 2002
    • JP: March 14, 2003
    • EU: March 28, 2003
  • DSiWare (Four Swords Anniv. Ed.)
    • WW: September 28, 2011
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)
Single-player, multiplayer

A stand-alone port of Four Swords was released for a limited time on Nintendo's DSiWare service as The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition[b] on September 28, 2011, which includes new content, such as a single-player mode and additional areas.[1][2] It was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for a limited time from January 31 to February 2, 2014, in celebration of their then latest released game, A Link Between Worlds.[3][4]

Gameplay

A Link to the Past

Main article: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past gameplay
 
Gameplay of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The game has received little modification from the original Super NES version.

Four Swords

 
Four Swords is the first Zelda game with a multiplayer element.

Four Swords is the multiplayer portion of the cartridge. Four Swords features gameplay similar to A Link to the Past, with a focus on multiplayer; in it, two to four players must cooperatively work through a series of puzzle-laden dungeons, while competing to collect rupees. The player with the most rupees at the end of a level wins a special prize, though all rupees are shared together in the long run. All players are given respective colors – player one is green, player two is red, player three is blue, and player four is purple. Once all players are connected, player one chooses one of the four stages available to play on. All dungeons are randomized before play. The dungeons have three levels to them, with a portal at the end of each level; the first to reach it will be rewarded with a Heart Container, an item that increases the player's health meter. The third level is not a traditional dungeon, but rather a boss battle. Once defeated, they will return to the hub area.

Unlike in A Link to the Past where Link has an inventory of items he has collected, Four Swords only allows a player to have one item at any given time, switching them out at item pedestals. An original item called the Gnat Hat appears, causing Link to shrink and be able to access areas he could not normally reach. This idea was expanded on in the form of a talking hat named Ezlo in a later game, The Minish Cap. Creating a file for the Game Boy Advance game will give players a profile in both A Link to the Past and Four Swords. Some features are linked between the two games. For example, when players learn a new sword move, it is transferred between games. When both games are completed, players may access a dungeon called "Palace of the Four Sword" in A Link to the Past.

Plot

Further information: Fictional chronology of The Legend of Zelda

A Link to the Past

Further information: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past § Story

The plot of A Link to the Past is the same as the original Super NES version, in which the player assumes the role of Link as he journeys to save Hyrule, defeat the wizard Agahnim and the demon king Ganon, and claim the Triforce to rescue Princess Zelda and the descendants of the Seven Sages.

Four Swords

Taking place before the events of Ocarina of Time, the prologue shows Link and Zelda approaching a sword in a pedestal, called the Four Sword. After Zelda explains its history and the creature sealed within it, the creature named Vaati breaks free, capturing Zelda to marry her. Link is encountered by three fairies who instruct Link to pull the Four Sword out. Link pulls the Four Sword out, inadvertently creating three copies of himself that fight alongside him. As the game begins, the four Links are tasked with finding three Great Fairies, who together will grant them access to Vaati's palace. After finding the three Great Fairies and entering the palace the Links battle Vaati. After Vaati is thoroughly weakened, he is trapped in the Four Sword. Zelda and Link return the Four Sword back in its pedestal.

Development

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords was a collaborative development effort between Nintendo and Capcom,[5] the process supervised by Minoru Narita, Yoichi Yamada, Takashi Tezuka and Yoshikazu Yamashita from Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development.[6][7] The A Link to the Past portion re-used the art assets from the Super NES version. Alterations include tweaks to item locations to prevent exploiting the game, a reduction of the viewable playing area, and the inclusion of voice samples from Ocarina of Time.[8] Capcom had begun development of The Minish Cap in 2001, but temporarily suspended it to free up resources for the Four Swords multiplayer component.[9] The company designed the multiplayer portion to force cooperation between players in order to progress.[10] The developers designed the levels to adjust the puzzles to the number of players participating; if two or four players are connected, then a puzzle will require two and four characters, respectively, to complete it. Four Swords differs graphically from the other portion and features a style similar to The Wind Waker, which was released around the same time.[8] Though Four Swords was not initially planned as the first title in a subseries, the story, intended to be the earliest in the series' chronology at the time of its release,[6] was already considered to influence future games.[11]

Promotion and release

The game was first revealed at E3 2002 by series developer Shigeru Miyamoto, who demonstrated the multiplayer mode along with Capcom's Yoshiki Okamoto, Namco Bandai's (formerly Namco) Kaneto Shiozawa, and Toshihiro Nagoshi of the now defunct Amusement Vision. It was tentatively titled The Legend of Zelda GBA.[12] In January 2003, the game was displayed at the Osaka World Hobby Convention as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords.[13] It was initially released in North America on December 2, 2002, while it was released the next year in Japan and Europe, on March 14 and 28 respectively.[14] Shigeru Miyamoto made a public appearance in Europe in February 2003, in which he signed Nintendo products and gave away ten signed copies of A Link to the Past & Four Swords a month before it came out in the UK.[15] Following the Japanese release, Nintendo displayed the game at TV Kumamoto's TKU 15th Day (第15回TKUの日, Dai Juugoe TKU no Hi), an annual event hosted by the Japanese TV station in Kumamoto Prefecture.[16] In 2006, it was re-released in Nintendo's second run of Player's Choice titles at a reduced price.[17]

Reception

Pre-release

Nintendo World Report's Max Lake called the announcement of a multiplayer mode "exciting".[12] In IGN's Best of E3 awards for the Game Boy Advance, they named it the runner-up to Best of Show below Metroid Fusion, calling it a "close one", but ultimately gave the award to Fusion due to it not being a remake. They described the multiplayer component as resembling Diablo or Gauntlet. They gave it the award for Biggest Surprise, citing its multiplayer mode, calling it a "brilliant addition" and "well worth the price of four Legend of Zelda cartridges".[18] IGN's Craig Harris, in his preview of the game, called the port of A Link to the Past "faithful". Although he noted that the controls would have to be modified due to the GBA's lack of two buttons that were both used in the Super NES version, he found the new controls to be adequate and praised the visuals for holding up well.[19] IGN reported that based on their then new wishlist tool, A Link to the Past & Four Swords was consistently the second most anticipated Game Boy Advance game for the five weeks before its release.[20][21][22][23][24]

Post-release

Since its release, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords has been met with highly positive reception. It holds an aggregate score of 91.70% and 95 at GameRankings and Metacritic respectively, indicating "universal acclaim".[27][28] It is the highest rated Game Boy Advance game on the sites. The game was a top seller in Japan following its release. It was the second highest title in number of sales the week of its release, and was number six the following week with 0.04 million units.[29] It sold 1.63 million copies in North America as of December 2007, and 0.29 million in Japan as of December 2009.[30][31] GamePro's Star Dingo called it a "masterpiece", as well as an "important part of the Grand Renaissance of the Second Dimension". He praised the overworld for its secrets and "quirky random characters", adding that playing it required patience and exploring.[32] G4TV praised it for being good for anyone anticipating The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.[28] IGN's Craig Harris praised the game, giving the gameplay and lasting appeal perfect scores. They praised both modes' puzzle designs, calling the Super NES game the best 2D video game ever, while praising the replay value for offering unlockables to keep players playing.[8]

IGN included it in their Game Boy Advance Holiday Buyers Guide for 2002, calling its inclusion of multiplayer a "big deal" and that it was the most requested Super NES port for the Game Boy Advance.[33] IGN named it the third best Game Boy Advance game, praising the Game Boy Advance for handling the game so well, and citing the multiplayer component for making the game "truly awesome".[34] They included it on their list of most-wanted Nintendo DSi Virtual Console games, a hypothetical service that in IGN's view would offer handheld games similar to the Wii's Virtual Console. They once again praised the multiplayer mode, questioning why Nintendo has yet to make a follow-up game on the Nintendo DS or DSiWare.[35] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell praised it, commenting that the port held up over the years, calling it "amazingly deep" and a "gateway drug into the genre". In reviewing the multiplayer component, he commented that while it was not as good as A Link to the Past, it was still remarkable, but he found fault in the difficulty of finding three other players with Game Boy Advances and copies of the game to play it with.[36]

Audiovisuals

GamePro's Star Dingo praised the port of A Link to the Past's ability to retain its visuals. He specifically praised its "clean sprites", calling its overworld a "colorful, happy place", sarcastically calling it "kiddy".[32] Writing for IGN, Craig Harris praised Four Swords' visuals and further called The Legend of Zelda's overture "breathtaking", applauding the Game Boy Advance for recreating the graphics and audio for A Link to the Past from the original Super NES game.[8] He gave praise to the music of the multiplayer mode as well, calling the compositions of A Link to the Past's music superior.[8] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell commented that while the graphics do not stand up against fellow Game Boy Advance game Golden Sun, they were a better precursor to the then-upcoming The Wind Waker than visuals similar to Ocarina of Time, citing its cartoon lining. He praised it for ensuring that the changes to adjust to the Game Boy Advance's smaller screen were unnoticeable.[36] Dingo called the sound effects "indelible", though he noted that they were "a little dated".[32] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell criticized the audio, calling the sound tinnier than the Super NES version, and specifically describing Link's voice as "contemptible".[36]

Legacy

Four Swords was followed in 2004 by a GameCube sequel, Four Swords Adventures, which continued the story and expanded upon the gameplay concepts while including a single-player adventure.[10] In 2005, the Four Swords prequel The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance became the next handheld Zelda game, also co-developed with Capcom.[9] A sequel was announced for the Nintendo DS entitled The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords DS,[37] but was cancelled and replaced by Phantom Hourglass.[38]

Enhanced port

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series, Nintendo rereleased The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition on DSiWare as a free limited-time only download for the Nintendo DSi and 3DS users between September 28, 2011, and February 20, 2012.[39] The game was later briefly available for download in North America for the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS between January 31 and February 2, 2014.[40]

Developed by Grezzo, this enhanced port of the once multiplayer-only game includes a new single-player mode where players have the ability to control two Links and switch between them to progress through the levels. There are two new areas that can be unlocked: the "Realm of Memories", which features levels resembling those in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, and Link's Awakening, and the Hero's Trial, which features harder difficulty.[2]

As previously with Ocarina of Time 3D, to promote the game, commercials were made featuring actor and comedian Robin Williams with his daughter Zelda Williams.[41]

Notes

  1. ^ Known in Japan as Zeruda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Toraifōsu ando Yotsu no Tsurugi (ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース&4つの剣, lit. The Legend of Zelda: Triforce of the Gods & Four Swords).
  2. ^ Known in Japan as Zeruda no Densetsu: Yotsu no Tsurugi 25 Shūnen Kinen Edishon (ゼルダの伝説 4つの剣 25周年記念エディション, lit. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords 25th Anniversary Edition).

References

  1. ^ Holmes, Jonathan (June 9, 2011). "E3: Four Swords DSiWare is a GBA port, online in question". Destructoid. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Davison, Pete (September 13, 2011). . GamePro. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2013.
  3. ^ Tach, Dave (January 30, 2014). "Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition free on 3DS through Feb. 2". Polygon. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  4. ^ "Nintendo of America on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  5. ^ Nintendo; Capcom Co., Ltd. (December 2, 2002). The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords. Nintendo of America, Inc. Scene: startup screen.
  6. ^ a b Berghammer, Billy (May 17, 2004). . Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  7. ^ Nintendo; Capcom Co., Ltd. (December 2, 2002). The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords. Nintendo of America, Inc. Scene: staff credits.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Harris, Craig (December 3, 2002). "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past w/ Four Swords Review". IGN. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  9. ^ a b Staff (February 24, 2003). "Miyamoto Confirms New Zelda". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  10. ^ a b Staff (April 7, 2004). "Legend of Zelda: Sword-to-Sword". IGN. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  11. ^ "Interview with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi – The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap". Nintendo Power. No. 189. Nintendo of America, Inc. March 2005. p. 73.
  12. ^ a b Max Lake (May 21, 2002). "Preview – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past + Four Swords Preview". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  13. ^ Staff (January 19, 2003). "『F-ZERO GC(仮題)』が次世代ワールドホビーフェアで初お披露目！" (in Japanese). Famitsu. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  14. ^ Staff. . GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 25, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  15. ^ IGN Staff (February 4, 2003). "Miyamoto Goes Public". IGN. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  16. ^ Staff (March 26, 2003). テレビ熊本のイベントに任天堂が参加！ (in Japanese). Famitsu. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  17. ^ Harris, Craig (July 27, 2006). "Player's Choice, Round Two – GBA News at IGN". IGN. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  18. ^ "IGNpocket's Best of E3 2002 Awards". IGN. May 29, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Craig Harris (September 6, 2002). "Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past". IGN. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
  20. ^ "Top 10 GBA Most Wanted". IGN. October 8, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  21. ^ "Top 10 GBA Most Wanted". IGN. October 18, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  22. ^ "Top 10 GBA Most Wanted". IGN. October 28, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  23. ^ "Top 10 GBA Most Wanted". IGN. November 5, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  24. ^ "Top 10 GBA Most Wanted". IGN. November 18, 2002. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  25. ^ 1UP Staff (January 1, 2000). . 1UP.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2005. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  26. ^ Gerstmann, Jeff (December 10, 2002). "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Review". GameSpot. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  27. ^ a b . GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  28. ^ a b c . Metacritic. Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  29. ^ Staff (April 4, 2003). "【ゲームソフト販売ランキング TOP30】 集計期間:2003年3月17日～2003年3月23日". Famitsu. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
  30. ^ Chris Tang (December 27, 2007). "US Platinum Chart Games". The Magic Box. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  31. ^ . Japan-gamecharts.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  32. ^ a b c Dingo, Star (December 13, 2002). . GamePro. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  33. ^ Harris, Craig (November 15, 2002). "Game Boy Advance Holiday Buyers Guide". IGN. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  34. ^ Harris, Craig (March 16, 2007). "Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time". IGN. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  35. ^ Thomas, Lucas M. (August 17, 2009). "The DSi Virtual Console Wishlist". IGN. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  36. ^ a b c Tom Bramwell (March 27, 2003). "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past GameBoy Advance Review – Page 1". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  37. ^ Craig Harris (July 23, 2004). "Zelda DS Will Be Four Swords Sequel". IGN. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
  38. ^ . nindori.com. Nintendo DREAM. August 2007. Archived from the original on September 13, 2007. Retrieved May 30, 2010. 岩本開発当初は『4つの剣＋』からの流れで、コネクティビティ的な2画面の使い方というようなテーマでやっていたんですけど、そのうちに青沼が「もう、そういうのはやめようよ」と言い出したんです。 / At first we worked on creating a game that followed the connectivity style of Four Swords Adventures with the two screens, but then Mr. Aonuma suggested we didn't continue with that.
  39. ^ . GameTrailers. June 2011. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2013. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords will release later this year as a free download on DSi systems in November.
  40. ^ Otero, Jose (January 30, 2014). "Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition Back on eShop, Free until Feb 2". IGN.
  41. ^ McWhertor, Michael (October 4, 2011). "Zelda Lessons Learned: Never Bet Your Beard Against Zelda Williams". Kotaku.

External links

May 05, 2023
legend, zelda, link, past, four, swords, compilation, action, adventure, games, developed, nintendo, capcom, published, nintendo, game, advance, game, released, december, 2002, north, america, march, 2003, japan, europe, cartridge, contains, modified, port, li. The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past and Four Swords a is a compilation of two action adventure games co developed by Nintendo EAD and Capcom and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance The game was released in December 2002 in North America and in March 2003 in Japan and Europe The cartridge contains a modified port of A Link to the Past originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1991 and an original multiplayer only game titled Four Swords which serves as the 9th installment in The Legend of Zelda series The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past and Four SwordsNorth American box artDeveloper s Nintendo EAD CapcomPublisher s NintendoDirector s Yoichi Yamada Hidemaro FujibayashiProducer s Takashi Tezuka Noritaka Funamizu Katsuhiro SudoDesigner s Hidemaro Fujibayashi Su Chol Lee Mitsuaki Araki Joko KazukiArtist s Haruki SuetsuguWriter s Kensuke TanabeComposer s Yuko TakeharaSeriesThe Legend of ZeldaPlatform s Game Boy Advance DSiWare Four Swords Anniv Ed ReleaseDecember 2 2002 Game Boy AdvanceNA December 2 2002JP March 14 2003EU March 28 2003DSiWare Four Swords Anniv Ed WW September 28 2011Genre s Action adventureMode s Single player multiplayerA stand alone port of Four Swords was released for a limited time on Nintendo s DSiWare service as The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition b on September 28 2011 which includes new content such as a single player mode and additional areas 1 2 It was re released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for a limited time from January 31 to February 2 2014 in celebration of their then latest released game A Link Between Worlds 3 4 Contents 1 Gameplay 1 1 A Link to the Past 1 2 Four Swords 2 Plot 2 1 A Link to the Past 2 2 Four Swords 3 Development 4 Promotion and release 5 Reception 5 1 Pre release 5 2 Post release 5 3 Audiovisuals 6 Legacy 6 1 Enhanced port 7 Notes 8 References 9 External linksGameplay EditA Link to the Past Edit Main article The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past gameplay Gameplay of The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past The game has received little modification from the original Super NES version Four Swords Edit Four Swords is the first Zelda game with a multiplayer element Four Swords is the multiplayer portion of the cartridge Four Swords features gameplay similar to A Link to the Past with a focus on multiplayer in it two to four players must cooperatively work through a series of puzzle laden dungeons while competing to collect rupees The player with the most rupees at the end of a level wins a special prize though all rupees are shared together in the long run All players are given respective colors player one is green player two is red player three is blue and player four is purple Once all players are connected player one chooses one of the four stages available to play on All dungeons are randomized before play The dungeons have three levels to them with a portal at the end of each level the first to reach it will be rewarded with a Heart Container an item that increases the player s health meter The third level is not a traditional dungeon but rather a boss battle Once defeated they will return to the hub area Unlike in A Link to the Past where Link has an inventory of items he has collected Four Swords only allows a player to have one item at any given time switching them out at item pedestals An original item called the Gnat Hat appears causing Link to shrink and be able to access areas he could not normally reach This idea was expanded on in the form of a talking hat named Ezlo in a later game The Minish Cap Creating a file for the Game Boy Advance game will give players a profile in both A Link to the Past and Four Swords Some features are linked between the two games For example when players learn a new sword move it is transferred between games When both games are completed players may access a dungeon called Palace of the Four Sword in A Link to the Past Plot EditFurther information Fictional chronology of The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Edit Further information The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Story The plot of A Link to the Past is the same as the original Super NES version in which the player assumes the role of Link as he journeys to save Hyrule defeat the wizard Agahnim and the demon king Ganon and claim the Triforce to rescue Princess Zelda and the descendants of the Seven Sages Four Swords Edit Taking place before the events of Ocarina of Time the prologue shows Link and Zelda approaching a sword in a pedestal called the Four Sword After Zelda explains its history and the creature sealed within it the creature named Vaati breaks free capturing Zelda to marry her Link is encountered by three fairies who instruct Link to pull the Four Sword out Link pulls the Four Sword out inadvertently creating three copies of himself that fight alongside him As the game begins the four Links are tasked with finding three Great Fairies who together will grant them access to Vaati s palace After finding the three Great Fairies and entering the palace the Links battle Vaati After Vaati is thoroughly weakened he is trapped in the Four Sword Zelda and Link return the Four Sword back in its pedestal Development EditThe Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords was a collaborative development effort between Nintendo and Capcom 5 the process supervised by Minoru Narita Yoichi Yamada Takashi Tezuka and Yoshikazu Yamashita from Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development 6 7 The A Link to the Past portion re used the art assets from the Super NES version Alterations include tweaks to item locations to prevent exploiting the game a reduction of the viewable playing area and the inclusion of voice samples from Ocarina of Time 8 Capcom had begun development of The Minish Cap in 2001 but temporarily suspended it to free up resources for the Four Swords multiplayer component 9 The company designed the multiplayer portion to force cooperation between players in order to progress 10 The developers designed the levels to adjust the puzzles to the number of players participating if two or four players are connected then a puzzle will require two and four characters respectively to complete it Four Swords differs graphically from the other portion and features a style similar to The Wind Waker which was released around the same time 8 Though Four Swords was not initially planned as the first title in a subseries the story intended to be the earliest in the series chronology at the time of its release 6 was already considered to influence future games 11 Promotion and release EditThe game was first revealed at E3 2002 by series developer Shigeru Miyamoto who demonstrated the multiplayer mode along with Capcom s Yoshiki Okamoto Namco Bandai s formerly Namco Kaneto Shiozawa and Toshihiro Nagoshi of the now defunct Amusement Vision It was tentatively titled The Legend of Zelda GBA 12 In January 2003 the game was displayed at the Osaka World Hobby Convention as The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords 13 It was initially released in North America on December 2 2002 while it was released the next year in Japan and Europe on March 14 and 28 respectively 14 Shigeru Miyamoto made a public appearance in Europe in February 2003 in which he signed Nintendo products and gave away ten signed copies of A Link to the Past amp Four Swords a month before it came out in the UK 15 Following the Japanese release Nintendo displayed the game at TV Kumamoto s TKU 15th Day 第15回TKUの日 Dai Juugoe TKU no Hi an annual event hosted by the Japanese TV station in Kumamoto Prefecture 16 In 2006 it was re released in Nintendo s second run of Player s Choice titles at a reduced price 17 Reception EditPre release Edit Nintendo World Report s Max Lake called the announcement of a multiplayer mode exciting 12 In IGN s Best of E3 awards for the Game Boy Advance they named it the runner up to Best of Show below Metroid Fusion calling it a close one but ultimately gave the award to Fusion due to it not being a remake They described the multiplayer component as resembling Diablo or Gauntlet They gave it the award for Biggest Surprise citing its multiplayer mode calling it a brilliant addition and well worth the price of four Legend of Zelda cartridges 18 IGN s Craig Harris in his preview of the game called the port of A Link to the Past faithful Although he noted that the controls would have to be modified due to the GBA s lack of two buttons that were both used in the Super NES version he found the new controls to be adequate and praised the visuals for holding up well 19 IGN reported that based on their then new wishlist tool A Link to the Past amp Four Swords was consistently the second most anticipated Game Boy Advance game for the five weeks before its release 20 21 22 23 24 Post release Edit ReceptionAggregate scoresAggregatorScoreGameRankings91 70 27 Metacritic95 100 28 Review scoresPublicationScore1Up comA 25 GameSpot9 2 10 26 IGN9 7 10 8 Since its release The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords has been met with highly positive reception It holds an aggregate score of 91 70 and 95 at GameRankings and Metacritic respectively indicating universal acclaim 27 28 It is the highest rated Game Boy Advance game on the sites The game was a top seller in Japan following its release It was the second highest title in number of sales the week of its release and was number six the following week with 0 04 million units 29 It sold 1 63 million copies in North America as of December 2007 and 0 29 million in Japan as of December 2009 30 31 GamePro s Star Dingo called it a masterpiece as well as an important part of the Grand Renaissance of the Second Dimension He praised the overworld for its secrets and quirky random characters adding that playing it required patience and exploring 32 G4TV praised it for being good for anyone anticipating The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker 28 IGN s Craig Harris praised the game giving the gameplay and lasting appeal perfect scores They praised both modes puzzle designs calling the Super NES game the best 2D video game ever while praising the replay value for offering unlockables to keep players playing 8 IGN included it in their Game Boy Advance Holiday Buyers Guide for 2002 calling its inclusion of multiplayer a big deal and that it was the most requested Super NES port for the Game Boy Advance 33 IGN named it the third best Game Boy Advance game praising the Game Boy Advance for handling the game so well and citing the multiplayer component for making the game truly awesome 34 They included it on their list of most wanted Nintendo DSi Virtual Console games a hypothetical service that in IGN s view would offer handheld games similar to the Wii s Virtual Console They once again praised the multiplayer mode questioning why Nintendo has yet to make a follow up game on the Nintendo DS or DSiWare 35 Eurogamer s Tom Bramwell praised it commenting that the port held up over the years calling it amazingly deep and a gateway drug into the genre In reviewing the multiplayer component he commented that while it was not as good as A Link to the Past it was still remarkable but he found fault in the difficulty of finding three other players with Game Boy Advances and copies of the game to play it with 36 Audiovisuals Edit GamePro s Star Dingo praised the port of A Link to the Past s ability to retain its visuals He specifically praised its clean sprites calling its overworld a colorful happy place sarcastically calling it kiddy 32 Writing for IGN Craig Harris praised Four Swords visuals and further called The Legend of Zelda s overture breathtaking applauding the Game Boy Advance for recreating the graphics and audio for A Link to the Past from the original Super NES game 8 He gave praise to the music of the multiplayer mode as well calling the compositions of A Link to the Past s music superior 8 Eurogamer s Tom Bramwell commented that while the graphics do not stand up against fellow Game Boy Advance game Golden Sun they were a better precursor to the then upcoming The Wind Waker than visuals similar to Ocarina of Time citing its cartoon lining He praised it for ensuring that the changes to adjust to the Game Boy Advance s smaller screen were unnoticeable 36 Dingo called the sound effects indelible though he noted that they were a little dated 32 Eurogamer s Tom Bramwell criticized the audio calling the sound tinnier than the Super NES version and specifically describing Link s voice as contemptible 36 Legacy EditFour Swords was followed in 2004 by a GameCube sequel Four Swords Adventures which continued the story and expanded upon the gameplay concepts while including a single player adventure 10 In 2005 the Four Swords prequel The Minish Cap for the Game Boy Advance became the next handheld Zelda game also co developed with Capcom 9 A sequel was announced for the Nintendo DS entitled The Legend of Zelda Four Swords DS 37 but was cancelled and replaced by Phantom Hourglass 38 Enhanced port Edit To celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series Nintendo rereleased The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition on DSiWare as a free limited time only download for the Nintendo DSi and 3DS users between September 28 2011 and February 20 2012 39 The game was later briefly available for download in North America for the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS between January 31 and February 2 2014 40 Developed by Grezzo this enhanced port of the once multiplayer only game includes a new single player mode where players have the ability to control two Links and switch between them to progress through the levels There are two new areas that can be unlocked the Realm of Memories which features levels resembling those in The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past and Link s Awakening and the Hero s Trial which features harder difficulty 2 As previously with Ocarina of Time 3D to promote the game commercials were made featuring actor and comedian Robin Williams with his daughter Zelda Williams 41 Notes Edit Known in Japan as Zeruda no Densetsu Kamigami no Toraifōsu ando Yotsu no Tsurugi ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース amp 4つの剣 lit The Legend of Zelda Triforce of the Gods amp Four Swords Known in Japan as Zeruda no Densetsu Yotsu no Tsurugi 25 Shunen Kinen Edishon ゼルダの伝説 4つの剣 25周年記念エディション lit The Legend of Zelda Four Swords 25th Anniversary Edition References Edit Holmes Jonathan June 9 2011 E3 Four Swords DSiWare is a GBA port online in question Destructoid Retrieved July 13 2013 a b Davison Pete September 13 2011 The Legend of Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition Available for Free from September 28 GamePro Archived from the original on October 15 2011 Retrieved July 13 2013 Tach Dave January 30 2014 Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition free on 3DS through Feb 2 Polygon Retrieved April 16 2018 Nintendo of America on Twitter Twitter Retrieved April 16 2018 Nintendo Capcom Co Ltd December 2 2002 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords Nintendo of America Inc Scene startup screen a b Berghammer Billy May 17 2004 A Legend Of Zelda The Eiji Aonuma Interview Game Informer Archived from the original on May 7 2008 Retrieved January 13 2011 Nintendo Capcom Co Ltd December 2 2002 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords Nintendo of America Inc Scene staff credits a b c d e f Harris Craig December 3 2002 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past w Four Swords Review IGN Retrieved December 21 2010 a b Staff February 24 2003 Miyamoto Confirms New Zelda IGN Retrieved January 13 2011 a b Staff April 7 2004 Legend of Zelda Sword to Sword IGN Retrieved January 13 2011 Interview with Eiji Aonuma and Hidemaro Fujibayashi The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap Nintendo Power No 189 Nintendo of America Inc March 2005 p 73 a b Max Lake May 21 2002 Preview The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Four Swords Preview Nintendo World Report Retrieved January 20 2011 Staff January 19 2003 F ZERO GC 仮題 が次世代ワールドホビーフェアで初お披露目 in Japanese Famitsu Retrieved January 12 2011 Staff The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past for Game Boy Advance Release Summary GameSpot Archived from the original on December 25 2009 Retrieved January 12 2011 IGN Staff February 4 2003 Miyamoto Goes Public IGN Retrieved January 12 2011 Staff March 26 2003 テレビ熊本のイベントに任天堂が参加 in Japanese Famitsu Retrieved January 12 2011 Harris Craig July 27 2006 Player s Choice Round Two GBA News at IGN IGN Retrieved October 21 2021 IGNpocket s Best of E3 2002 Awards IGN May 29 2002 Retrieved October 21 2021 Craig Harris September 6 2002 Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past IGN Retrieved October 21 2021 Top 10 GBA Most Wanted IGN October 8 2002 Retrieved January 20 2011 Top 10 GBA Most Wanted IGN October 18 2002 Retrieved January 20 2011 Top 10 GBA Most Wanted IGN October 28 2002 Retrieved January 20 2011 Top 10 GBA Most Wanted IGN November 5 2002 Retrieved January 20 2011 Top 10 GBA Most Wanted IGN November 18 2002 Retrieved January 20 2011 1UP Staff January 1 2000 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords Review for the Game Boy Advance from 1UP com 1UP com Archived from the original on January 29 2005 Retrieved December 21 2010 Gerstmann Jeff December 10 2002 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Review GameSpot Retrieved December 21 2010 a b The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past amp Four Swords Reviews GameRankings Archived from the original on December 9 2019 Retrieved December 21 2010 a b c Legend Of Zelda A Link to the Past The gba 2002 Reviews Metacritic Archived from the original on June 4 2008 Retrieved January 20 2011 Staff April 4 2003 ゲームソフト販売ランキング TOP30 集計期間 2003年3月17日 2003年3月23日 Famitsu Retrieved January 12 2011 Chris Tang December 27 2007 US Platinum Chart Games The Magic Box Retrieved January 20 2011 Nintendo GBA Japanese Ranking Japan gamecharts com Archived from the original on July 10 2008 Retrieved January 20 2011 a b c Dingo Star December 13 2002 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past Review from GamePro Archived from the original on August 15 2010 Retrieved January 20 2011 Harris Craig November 15 2002 Game Boy Advance Holiday Buyers Guide IGN Retrieved January 20 2011 Harris Craig March 16 2007 Top 25 Game Boy Advance Games of All Time IGN Retrieved January 20 2011 Thomas Lucas M August 17 2009 The DSi Virtual Console Wishlist IGN Retrieved January 20 2011 a b c Tom Bramwell March 27 2003 The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past GameBoy Advance Review Page 1 Eurogamer net Retrieved January 20 2011 Craig Harris July 23 2004 Zelda DS Will Be Four Swords Sequel IGN Retrieved January 20 2011 The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass development staff interview nindori com Nintendo DREAM August 2007 Archived from the original on September 13 2007 Retrieved May 30 2010 岩本開発当初は 4つの剣 からの流れで コネクティビティ的な2画面の使い方というようなテーマでやっていたんですけど そのうちに青沼が もう そういうのはやめようよ と言い出したんです At first we worked on creating a game that followed the connectivity style of Four Swords Adventures with the two screens but then Mr Aonuma suggested we didn t continue with that Zelda Hits Handhelds with Link s Awakening and Four Swords GameTrailers June 2011 Archived from the original on June 12 2011 Retrieved July 14 2013 The Legend of Zelda Four Swords will release later this year as a free download on DSi systems in November Otero Jose January 30 2014 Zelda Four Swords Anniversary Edition Back on eShop Free until Feb 2 IGN McWhertor Michael October 4 2011 Zelda Lessons Learned Never Bet Your Beard Against Zelda Williams Kotaku External links EditOfficial website Archive copy of Four Swords Anniversary Edition s official website at the Wayback Machine archive index Portals Video games Japan Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past and Four Swords amp oldid 1153084247, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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