History VideoGame / TheLegendOfZeldaFourSwords

The ninth game in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, ''Four Swords'' is actually a multiplayer mode that comes with the 2002 UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance version of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' (though also later released standalone for the [=DSiWare=]). It's the first multiplayer Zelda (and, until the [=DSiWare=] version, it was ''exclusively'' multiplayer) and was also the first game released to use the 2D version of the stylized [[CelShading cel-shaded]] design for Link that would later be used in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' (in Japan, however, ''The Wind Waker'' came out first). It also had a few features to connect to ''A Link to the Past'', such as new sword moves unlocked in ''A Link to the Past'' being transferred to ''Four Swords'', and a secret dungeon in ''A Link to the Past'' upon beating both games.

* SocializationBonus: As it's a UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance game and requires a link cable, you need friends in order to play this game.

* BigBad: Vaati, [[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink the]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening third]] [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask time]] it hasn't been Ganon or someone [[HijackedByGanon hijacked by him]].

* DistantSequel: Set after ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap TheMinishCap]]'', but too far into the future for that game to be the backstory of this one.

* AntiFrustrationFeatures: Switching. This can be a form of loophole abuse, but when you're about to fall into lava or bottomless pit, you can switch to avoid losing hearts. This can be extremely useful on Bosses and Hero's Trials.
%%* BigBad: Vaati.

** Vaati's wind powers.
** The fans at Vaati's Palace and 1-3, 2-3, and 3-3 of Hero's Trials.

* EasyLevelTrick: In 2-2 of Heros Trial, there a skip, though a bit luck dependent, that save lots of tedious grinding. Near the start of the level is a misplaced tunnel that can be blown open with bombs. Luckily, there are bushes nearby, which sometimes spawn bombs. With luck, you can blow up the tunnel and clip onto an upper platform that leads straight to the end of the level. Even better, the chests there contain hearts that can heal any damage sustained at the start of the level. Handy, given a big boss fight is just around the corner.
* EvilSorcerer: Vaati, the Wind Mage/Sorceror.

%%* FacelessEye: Vaati, after the events of Minish Cap.
* FetchQuest: The number of rupees you have to earn in a single run of a level will increase over the game. On silver keys, it's 1000. On golden keys, it's 3000. On Hero's keys, it's 5000.

* HeirInLaw: The plan to take over the kingdom begins with kidnapping Princess Zelda for marriage purposes.

* LaserGuidedAmnesia: According to the Hyrule Historia, the reason Vaati is portrayed differently in this game is because he has lost his memory of his life as a Picori, and his lust for the Light Force.
* LevelGrinding: Of a sort. If you don't get the required amount of rupees to get the key, you'll resort to this. This is especially true for Hero's Keys quests. Because of the randomized nature of the maps, you better hope you find enemies that spawn.
* MesACrowd: All four players play as Link.

* NostalgiaLevel: The Realm of Memories in the [=DSiWare=] version, including stages based on ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening'', and the original ''[[Videogame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Zelda]]''. The graphics and music even change accordingly. The ''Link's Awakening'' levels were even monochrome like the non-DX version though the four Links and rupees had to be kept colored to be distinguished more easily.

** Averted with the free [=DSiWare=] remaster, which includes a single-player mode, but doesn't include ''A Link to the Past'', making it just One Game For The Price Of Zero.
* {{Prequel}}: Set before ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'', according to ''[[AllThereInTheManual Hyrule Historia]]''.
* SaveThePrincess: You save Zelda from Vaati once again.
* SealedEvilInACan: Vaati's sealed within the Four Sword.

* SplitPersonalityTeam: After pulling out the Four Sword, Link is split into four copies of himself, Green, Red, Blue and Purple. In the manga version, the four parts have different personalities: Green is energetic, Red is timid, Blue is hot-headed, and purple, called Vio, short for Violet, is calm and thoughtful.

* UnstableEquilibrium: If you die, you lose all the powerup seeds you've collected up to that point, making it harder to avoid dying again. (And every time you die you lose more rupees than last time.)

* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Since rupees are shared among all players, the death of one player will cause everyone to lose rupees to revive that player, and the penalty to revive him/her starts at 50 rupees-but increases by 50 for every subsequent death; thankfully, it stops at 500 rupees. Should a player go down and he/she doesn't have enough money to get revived, the game will be over for all four of them!

* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Since rupees are shared among all players, the death of one player will cause everyone to lose rupees to revive the player, and the penalty to revive them increases for every death. Should a player go down and doesn't have the money to get revived, everyone gets a game over.

If this word salad confuses you, this [[https://touriantourist.blogspot.com/2011/11/awesome-shortcut-in-heros-trial-door-2.html blog]] might explain it better.

* EasyLevelTrick: In 2-2 of Heros Trial, there a skip, though a bit luck dependent, that save lots of tedious grinding. Near the start of the level is a misplaced tunnel that can be blown open with bombs. Luckily, there are bushes nearby, which sometimes spawn bombs. With luck, you can blow up the tunnel and clip onto an upper platform that leads straight to the end of the level. Ever better, the chests there contain hearts that can heal any damage sustained at the start of the level. Handy, given a big boss fight is just around the corner.

* BrutalBonusLevel: The Anniversary Edition includes the Hero's Trial, a harrowing gauntlet of MalevolentArchitecture and mobs of some of the most unfair enemies in the game. It's particularly murderous in single-player mode, as certain enemy ambushes just weren't designed with only one player in mind. They are Sea of Trees, Talus Caves, Death Mountain and Vaati's Castle amped UpToEleven. Compared to the rest of the game (and including Realm of Memories), this is definitely NintendoHard. It will put veterans of older Zelda games to shame.

* UnwinnableByMistake: The maps are semi-randomly generated. It's entirely possible to get put on a map where you literally cannot advance beyond a certain point no matter what you try to do. All you can do is go back to stage select. Not fun if you get stuck on the 2nd map of the area.

* BonusDungeon: You need to beat it in order to unlock the bonus dungeon of ''A Link to the Past.'' If you don't have any friends who also have this game, you may be tempted to invest in an Action Replay or just [[GoodBadBugs walk through the walls.]]

* BubblyClouds: The Palace of Winds. Renamed Vaati's Castle in the Anniversary Edition.

* BigBad: Vaati.

* FacelessEye: Vaati, after the events of Minish Cap.

The story for the game, [[ExcusePlot though not terribly important]], involved the wind sorcerer Vaati, who had been sealed away before, escaping from his seal and capturing Princess Zelda. Link obtains the Four Sword and uses its magic powers to split into four copies of himself (green, red, blue, and purple). The four Links must work together to defeat their foes in the various areas and make their way to the final fight against Vaati. Of course, there's plenty of room for competition as well as cooperation.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_fs_3717.jpg]]

* CoOpMultiplayer: The first to feature 4-player co-op, nut you need 4 [=GBAs=] to do so.

The ninth game in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, ''Four Swords'' is actually a multiplayer mode that comes with the 2002 UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance version of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' (though also later released standalone for the [=DSiWare=]). It's the first multiplayer Zelda (and, until the [=DSiWare=] version, it was ''exclusively'' multiplayer) and was also the first game released to use the 2D version of the stylized [[CelShading cel-shaded]] design for Link that would later be used in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''. It also had a few features to connect to ''A Link to the Past'', such as new sword moves unlocked in ''A Link to the Past'' being transferred to ''Four Swords'', and a secret dungeon in ''A Link to the Past'' upon beating both games.

* BlowYouAway: Vaati's wind powers.

* CoOpMultiplayer: The first to feature 4-player co-op, nut you need 4 GBAs to do so.

The ninth game in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' series, ''Four Swords'' is actually a multiplayer mode that comes with the 2002 GameBoyAdvance version of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast A Link to the Past]]'' (though also later released standalone for the [=DSiWare=]). It's the first multiplayer Zelda (and, until the [=DSiWare=] version, it was ''exclusively'' multiplayer) and was also the first game released to use the 2D version of the stylized [[CelShading cel-shaded]] design for Link that would later be used in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]''. It also had a few features to connect to ''A Link to the Past'', such as new sword moves unlocked in ''A Link to the Past'' being transferred to ''Four Swords'', and a secret dungeon in ''A Link to the Past'' upon beating both games.

* SocializationBonus: As it's a GameBoyAdvance game and requires a link cable, you need friends in order to play this game.
** The method of obtaining the Sword Beam and Hurricane Slash in the original version inverts this -- they require getting the Master Sword and learning the Hurricane Slash skill in ''A Link to the Past'', which is single-player, with the latter skill being new to the GameBoyAdvance version. This is not the case in the [=DSiWare=] version, however, which added bonus dungeons that unlock those skills once completed.

* OneGameForThePriceOfTwo: Literally, it's impossible to play the game past the opening cutscene and title screen without at least two copies of the game. ''Very'' frustrating if you want to see the Four-Swords-dependent bonus features in the ''A Link To The Past'' remaster on the same Game Pack. Yes, this is a combination of OneGameForThePriceOfTwo and Two Games For The Price Of One. You may pick your jaw up now.

* LostForever: The [=DSiWare=] ''Anniversary Edition'', for those who did not download it before February 20, 2012. Fortunately, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes you can just buy a used [=DSi=] or 3DS with it already downloaded if that's a problem, due to the shop accounts being bound to hardware.]]

** The [=DSiWare=] remake added a couple to ''Four Swords'' itself; the [[NostalgiaLevel Realm of Memories]] and the Hero's Trial are two bonus dungeons you can unlock. The rewards for completing these dungeons were previously available in the original, but getting them required progress in ''A Link to the Past'' to unlock them. [[note]] The first reward, the Beam Sword, was acquired by obtaining the Master Sword during standard gameplay; the second, the Hurricane Spin, required completion of a sidequest that required 10 Medals of Courage from ''Four Swords'' to even ''initiate''.[[/note]]

* OneGameForThePriceOfTwo: Literally, it's impossible to play the game past the opening cutscene and title screen without at least two copies of the game. ''Very'' frustrating if you want to see the Four-Swords-dependent bonus features in the ''A Link To The Past'' remake on the same Game Pack. Yes, this is a combination of OneGameForThePriceOfTwo and Two Games For The Price Of One. You may pick your jaw up now.
** Averted with the free [=DSiWare=] remake, which includes a single-player mode, but doesn't include ''A Link to the Past'', making it just One Game For The Price Of Zero.

** Averted with the free [=DSiWare=] remake, which can be played in Multiplayer AND solo. Of course, the more players you have, the more fun you will have, and now it's possible to team up with your friends to get the special skills that previously could only be obtained alone. Or if your L/R buttons don't work, you're going to pray you have someone to partner with, especially with the harder levels.

* UpdatedRerelease: The [=DSiWare=] remake. While it lacks ''A Link to the Past'', it makes up for it by being free, including a single-player mode, making the multiplayer mode wireless, and having two bonus dungeons (one of which is a NostalgiaLevel).

* MesACrowd: All four plyers play as Link.