The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition

 DS
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 74
  2. Mixed: 23 out of 74
  3. Negative: 7 out of 74

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  1. Skyward_Hearts
    Nov 13, 2011
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. An amazing game, especially for free. I would give it an 8, but because it was free I'll give it a 9. It's a pretty good game, the combat is very similar to A Link to the Past and Minish Cap, but the puzzles are all about working together, which is the really unique part of this game.

    Gameplay:

    Every dungeon is randomly generated, so each time you play you'll get puzzles and map layouts that you've never seen before. This adds great replay value as you can keep playing and still enjoy it. In Zelda standards, the puzzles are extremely simple, but the combat is still very fun. The game was made for multiplayer, having you not only work together with a friend, but also battle them for rupees. Unfortunately it's not online, but the single player mode is still really fun, having you control two Links at once. The game is mostly easy, but has an extremely challenging dungeon called the Hero's Trial, which is unlocked after getting enough Rupees in total. This dungeon took me many tries. The Hero's Trial adds a fine challenge for Zelda veterans and Realm of Memories adds a lot of nostalgia to the game, as well as being a pretty cool novelty level.

    Graphics: Nothing special, although the colours are bright and vibrant and the scenery is nice to look at. Animations look pretty smooth. Good for a gameboy advanced game, but nothing special when put on DS/3DS.

    Sound:

    Personally, the sound effects are great, but I'm not too keen on the music. It's just not up to Zelda standards. That said, it's not bad and it does go nicely with the scenery.

    Replayability:

    As mentioned before, levels are randomly generated, so you can keep playing and playing and getting something new out of this. Replayability is increased if you have friends to play with, but the game isn't online so if you don't, too bad. The goal is to gather as many rupees as possible, you will get three keys to get to Vaati's palace, once you have done this and have slain Vaati, the game doesn't end. You can then replay the levels (which will feel new due to random generation), and try to get more rupees for stronger keys. In order to fully complete the game you must gather a large amount of rupees during levels, which takes quite a few attempts, but stays fun. It took me a total of 22 hours to get the strongest keys and get through the 12-floored final Vaati Palace.


    All in all, this is a great game, you'll have at least 10 hours of fun. If you're a big Zelda fan, you'll probably be able to get 20+ hours of fun out of this game, and even more if you have friends to play with. There's no point in not downloading this, it's free and well worth your time!

    Great game, music could be better and could have benefitted from online. But you can't grumble as not only is this free, but it's a great game with a lot of added new features since the original version, it's not a simple port, it's a full blown remake.

    9/10    … Expand
  2. snordorm
    Oct 29, 2011
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. My experience with this game was as follows: I was playing with a friend, and after about an hour of play, we beat Vaati. We were fairly disappointed with how short the game was, but then we unlocked an area called the "Realm of Memories." We then proceeded to enter this area, and we were immediately greeted with original Link to the Past music and graphics in Hyrule Castle. Then, we started yelling and shouting how amazing this was for about 10 minutes until we started playing again and went through levels in the original NES Zelda, and the Game Boy Color games. This game not only brings back memories of playing Four Swords on the GBA, but also memories of every other 2D Zelda game save for Zelda II and the DS games and packs it all together in one great big tidal wave of nostalgia. However, the fond memories this game brings back are not the only good aspects of it. The gameplay is solid, and managed to retain the same fun as the original, while adding a few new twists. I would have liked to see more new items, however. The only new item there was is a Minish Cap which lets you turn small. Also, while going through the Link to the Past area, me and my friend came across a bug where I got stuck in an area and couldn't get out, so we had to redo the entire area again. Besides these minor gripes, however, this game is still a great experience and I'm glad they made it. It's obvious that they were really trying to bring back memories of old games, which fits since it's the 25th anniversary.… Expand
  3. BlogDog123
    Oct 14, 2011
    9
    This is a fun entry into the Zelda series. Although it is fairly short and not all that challenging, this game is not to be missed, especially since it is available for free.
  4. Happymonk
    Nov 23, 2011
    9
    Why would you give this game anything under an 8 out of ten? Firstly, it's free. Secondly it's great. I really don't see how anybody on this site could give it negative reviews! unless they are trolls (or something like that). Seriously, just download it, even if it does disappoint, it's free (until February next year of course).
  5. metabrownieboy
    Jan 29, 2012
    8
    This game is pretty good when you play it alone. After awhile, it can get annoying having to switch back and forth, especially in the Vaati fight. However, if you have a friend with a 3DS/DS, than this is a must have. I LOVE the multiplayer option. And it's free! I mean, why not!
  6. Luigibarqs
    Dec 26, 2011
    9
    The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition for DSiWare is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the Gameboy Advanced (The game was packaged with Legend of Zelda: Link To The Past for Gameboy Advanced). This game is the prequel to Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure for Gamecube and the storyline sequel to Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap for Gameboy Advanced. The gameThe Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition for DSiWare is a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for the Gameboy Advanced (The game was packaged with Legend of Zelda: Link To The Past for Gameboy Advanced). This game is the prequel to Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure for Gamecube and the storyline sequel to Legend of Zelda: Minish Cap for Gameboy Advanced. The game consists of multiple Links working together with different items and utilites to beat enemies, gather a large amount of rupees, complete stages and challenge bosses. The main game is the multiplayer mode where you and 2-4 of your friends use local link feature of the DSi or 3DS (Wifi multiplayer isn't available) to work together to complete levels while also competing for the highest total rupees at the same time. When a Link is KOed, they need to pay a fee to continue playing and the fee will continue to increase to a higher ammount on each death. If the fee can not be payed, it is game over for everyone. New to this version is a Single Player campaign in which one person swaps between two Links. The unactive Link in Single Player is invincible and this tactic can be used to lure enemies or distract them. Some puzzles are modified in Single Player to make them possible to complete and in certain situations where both Links need to be controlled simultaneously, the artificial intelligence will take over the second Link and help you. There are multiple stages and levels with varying themes and difficulties. Abilities, new levels and achievements can can be unlocked by completing certain stages or gaining a high enough rupee total at the end of a set of maps. There is also a tutorial area for newcomers to practice and hone their skills on game mechanics, items and utilities. This game is it definitely high quality for a free release and a great way of celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda series. Some fans of The Legend of Zelda series might be turned off by the drastically different feel of this game compared to other games in the series but this free multiplayer and single player experience is worth trying out while it is still available, you don't lose anything by trying it out so why not?… Expand
  7. Teliiii
    Nov 16, 2011
    8
    An amazing game (considering it's free for now). Although there are plenty of levels to compete against with your friends, it is just a little too boring playing by yourself, which could be a bad thing for some. A must-have for any Dsi/3DS or Zelda fan!!
  8. CodeMonkey
    Nov 13, 2011
    8
    It may not be the best game out there, but it's fun and it's free. The puzzles are quite simple for the most part, but I found the ones with the Magnetic Glove to be pretty enjoyable. Randomly-generated levels provide lots of replay value, as do challenges like getting 5,000 Rupees in each stage. The graphics aren't top-of-the-line for 3DS/DSi, but they're colorful and clear. The musicIt may not be the best game out there, but it's fun and it's free. The puzzles are quite simple for the most part, but I found the ones with the Magnetic Glove to be pretty enjoyable. Randomly-generated levels provide lots of replay value, as do challenges like getting 5,000 Rupees in each stage. The graphics aren't top-of-the-line for 3DS/DSi, but they're colorful and clear. The music gets a bit repetitive after a while, especially if you spend a long time in a level. Since I knew this game was originally multiplayer only, I expected the single-player mode to be a bit awkward--but once I started playing I never had any problems with it. Actually, I think that single-player may be easier, since you don't have to worry about one of your friends running off to grab rupees instead of stepping on the switch you need to progress :)

    Anyway, it's free, so unless you're almost out of memory blocks on your DS, there's no reason not to download it.    … Expand
  9. BasilZero
    May 22, 2019
    8
    Game: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition
    Genre: Action Adventure
    Developer: Grezzo Publisher: Nintendo System: Nintendo 3DS (3DS) Year of Release: 2011 Length of Playthrough: 6 Hours Total Score: 78/100 Value Score: 7.8/10 • Story: 5/10 • Characters: 6/10 • GamePlay: 10/10 • Graphics: 9/10 • Sound: 10/10 • Music: 8/10 • Length: 3/10 • Replay Value:    Game: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition
    Genre: Action Adventure
    Developer: Grezzo
    Publisher: Nintendo
    System: Nintendo 3DS (3DS)
    Year of Release: 2011
    Length of Playthrough: 6 Hours

    Total Score: 78/100
    Value Score: 7.8/10

    • Story: 5/10
    • Characters: 6/10
    • GamePlay: 10/10
    • Graphics: 9/10
    • Sound: 10/10
    • Music: 8/10
    • Length: 3/10
    • Replay Value: 10/10
    • Player Value: 7/10

    Pros
    +Single player mode added
    +Exclusive to the Anniversary edition is Realm of Memories and Hero's Trial which includes additional stages
    +Multiplayer centered Zelda with up to 4 playable characters via wireless play
    +Sound effects enhanced due to no longer being limited to the GBA's soundchip

    Cons
    -No online MP support
    -Very short
    -Story is weak with little to no cutscenes
    -Additional content has no bosses    … Expand
  10. Hylian_Hero
    Dec 18, 2011
    10
    This is a great game for any Legend of Zelda fan and is perfect for The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary. I was unable to play the original Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventure bundled with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the GameBoy Advance, so this was a welcomed release. This game is fun and easy to play, but does have some challenging puzzles later on. If you have a friendThis is a great game for any Legend of Zelda fan and is perfect for The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary. I was unable to play the original Legend of Zelda Four Swords Adventure bundled with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past for the GameBoy Advance, so this was a welcomed release. This game is fun and easy to play, but does have some challenging puzzles later on. If you have a friend with a DSi or 3DS and this game, it is even more fun with the multiplayer mode! You can't beat the price either: FREE! :-)… Expand
  11. MIDP
    Aug 4, 2013
    9
    Why this game isnt out in the E-Shop any more confuses me beyond belief.

    This might be one of the best Zelda games. It leaves a lot of untouched potential, like online play, and maybe more levels. But it is still amazing! It is Zelda, with emphasis on multiplayer! No online, few levels, the game not being available anymore, along with levels maybe being a little bit to long    Why this game isnt out in the E-Shop any more confuses me beyond belief.

    This might be one of the best Zelda games. It leaves a lot of untouched potential, like online play, and maybe more levels. But it is still amazing!

    It is Zelda, with emphasis on multiplayer!

    No online, few levels, the game not being available anymore, along with levels maybe being a little bit to long without possibility to save bring the game down from 10 to 9 in my opinion.
    Stlll a MUST HAVE!

    9 out of 10    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best DS Game of 2011
11
#11 Most Discussed DS Game of 2011
8
#8 Most Shared DS Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 0 out of 13
  1. Cubed3
    Dec 2, 2011
    80
    Nintendo made a terrific decision bringing in Grezzo once more to work on The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition, since the additions introduced have made for a lot of replay value to a game that you might not have picked up again for a while after beating it.
    Read full review
  2. Games Master UK
    Nov 20, 2011
    90
    Essential. [Christmas 2011, p.89]
  3. N-Europe
    Oct 29, 2011
    80
    The break from the single player Zelda norm that we never knew we wanted.
    Read full review
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