Connectivity has been a big selling point for the Gamecube. Nintendo promised that the being able to use the GBA as a controller would allow them to create revolutionary new games. Pacman VS was an amusing diversion, and the use of the GBA for inventory space in Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles was nice, but neither really sold the connectivity issue. Zelda: Four Swords Adventure realizes a much more seamless marriage of Gamecube and GBA, using both to create one of, if not the best multiplayer experience you can have on the Gamecube.
In story mode, an evil sorcerer named Vaati kidnaps Princess Zelda and the 6 Crystal Maidens, leaving behind the sword that was once used to seal him, the Four Sword. Link takes up the sword and splits into four copies of himself. Each can be controlled by a different player, or if you lack four players you can snatch the left over Links and have them follow you around. This makes play without a full group, and even single play possible. While you compete with your other selves for power ups such a new hearts, secondary weapons, and Power Crystals which make your attacks more potent, there's a strong element of teamwork and at the end of each level everyone is reset down to the basics, so everyone has a level playing field.
The GBA comes in to play frequently. Any time you enter a building or a cave an obnoxious alert sound lets you know that it's time to look down at your screen. Conversations are also played out on the GBA, leaving other players free to chop things down or throw each other while you talk to someone. The privacy of the GBA also allows for secret votes and individual exploration of dungeons. Whenever you leave a cave or house and reappear on the TV the same annoying alert sound lets you know that it's time to switch your focus. This can be disorienting at first, but the transition becomes easy once you get the hang of it.
In a move that worried some of those focused mostly on graphics, the game looks much like a GBA game even when displayed on the Gamecube. While it won't be winning any awards for technical achievement in the field of polygons, this was actually a very smart move. Having similar graphics on the TV and the GBA makes moving your attention from one to the other much easier. It also gives the game a big of a nostalgic feel which is amplified by the music.
The real genius in Four Swords Adventure is that it creates the perfect blend of teamwork, competition, and sadism. All four Links have to work together to do things like stand on pressure plates and move rocks, and the puzzles all require the Links to work together, but this doesn't make it a happy love fest. The competition can get fierce for Power crystals and secondary weapons, letting you play against as well as with your friends. And if one just keeps hogging all the Power Crystals you can always pick him up and throw him, or simply cut him down to size. It gives a nice, in-game resolution system that both lets you mess around with your friends and still keep progressing in game. If things get too heated, there's even a game mode where you can enter a Link vs. Link duel to the death in a dungeon full of diabolical traps.
While Four Swords Adventure could be played as a single player game, doing so guts a lot of what is enjoyable about the game. Without friendly rivalries and having to work together with other people you have a quirky adventure with four Links -- enough for many people, but still missing the charm of cooperative play. The amount of hardware required to get a full game going, four GBAs and four link cables, may be daunting to some people. However, for people looking for a fun, competitive and cooperative game to play with friends, it's hard to think of anything more satisfying than Zelda: Four Swords Adventure.
