Got Game?

by Wilma Jandoc

The Legend of Zelda:
A Link to the Past

Platform: Gameboy Advance Genre: Role-playing Manufacturer: Nintendo ESRB rating: Everyone Grade: A

We've all probably thought this unconsciously at one time or another: There is no way that Nintendo's Legend of Zelda game series -- so far a one-player, action-adventure role-playing game -- can ever go multiplayer.

We'll have to retract those words, because Zelda can and Zelda has.

The Super Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past -- a name often shorthanded to LTTP by gamers -- has been remade for the Gameboy Advance and includes a multiplayer mode called "Four Swords."

The remake pulls elements from other games in the series. While the main game is from the SNES, some new sound effects are from the Nintendo 64's Zelda games.

And "Four Swords" uses character designs from the upcoming Zelda release for the GameCube, with items from the Oracle games for the Gameboy Color.

COURTESY OF NINTENDO The Legend of Zelda: A Like to the Past includes a multiplayer mode called "Four Swords." However, if you are more of the loner type, the game can be enjoyed on your own. Above, don't forget to look for the secret passages.

In LTTP you play the hero, Link, and explore two worlds to stop the evil wizard Agahnim (and, ultimately, the series' original bad boy, Ganon) from controlling the powerful Triforce, which can grant the wishes of the one who possesses it.

Most of the changes in the GBA game are cosmetic and would be too tedious to list here, although those who have played the original will notice some right off the bat. Most obvious is that Link now has a voice, the same one used in the N64's Ocarina of Time.

Another big addition is the ability to continue playing from the exact position you saved. And the GBA's different controller design -- the SNES controller had six buttons, while the GBA has only four -- switches some controls, most of which are explained by the guards at the beginning of the game.

In "Four Swords," two to four players go through several levels in three areas to save Princess Zelda from Vaati, the wind sorcerer. The game requires one cartridge per player.

Not only do you compete with everyone for rupees (the game's money) and quest-aiding items, you often must cooperate with everyone to solve a puzzle.

Most times, this means using everyone's combined strength to push boulders or switches, but there are much trickier challenges. Expect to do a lot of talking to coordinate your plans of attack.

The cooperative puzzles automatically adjust to the number of players, so you won't necessarily need all four to complete the quest.

Gamers who have played the Oracle series will have a head start on the more challenging items in "Four Swords," such as the roc's cape and magnetic glove. There is a training stage to help players get up to speed on using the various items.

Each level's goal is a warp zone, which transports players to the next level. Defeat the area's boss to gain a key to Vaati's palace.

Whoever collects the most rupees at the end of an area earns a medal. Bushes, grass, rocks and even flames hide rupees, so be sure to check everywhere.

Cooperation is built into "Four Swords" from the outset: All players must stand in the warp zone to advance. But there are plenty of opportunities for "friendly" competition.

You can do some really fun things to mess up other players. Toss a pot onto someone's head, for example, and that player's screen will go black and sounds will be muffled until some outside action breaks the pot. (Sorry, we haven't figured out how to break the pot yourself.)

You can also pick up and toss other players, an action sometimes needed to get everyone across chasms. Or, you can be mean and simply throw people into chasms.

But don't get carried away. If a player dies and there aren't enough rupees to resurrect him, the game is over.

Levels are somewhat short -- two players can finish one in about 10 minutes -- but they're randomly generated, so the landscape changes each time you enter. Different keys can be collected depending on how many rupees you pick up in an area. And the more you play and the more keys you gain, the more difficult the levels become.

In addition, things you do in one game will affect the other. Certain sword attacks in LTTP will carry over to "Four Swords." Beating both games opens a special dungeon in LTTP, and earning 10 medals in "Four Swords" unlocks a side quest in LTTP.

Link to the Past is great in itself for GBA players looking for a good game, and "Four Swords" makes it worth purchasing for more than just nostalgic gamers. The links between the games will have you playing and replaying for a long while.

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Wilma Jandoc covers the universe
of video games, anime, and manga for
the Star-Bulletin. She can be e-mailed at
wjandoc@starbulletin.com