The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (2002)
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords is a 2002 multiplayer-focused action-adventure for the Game Boy Advance, released alongside A Link to the Past. Up to four players team up as different-colored Links, coordinating puzzles and combat across short, replayable stages.
Game Data
| Release Year | 2002 |
| Developer | Nintendo |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platform | Game Boy Advance |
| Genre | Action-Adventure / Multiplayer |
| Players | 1–4 |
| Original Media | Cartridge |
Gameplay:
Up to four Links explore compact stages, solve co-op puzzles (switches, keys, synchronized actions),
and defeat enemies. The pace is faster and more arcade-like than most single-player Zelda entries,
with teamwork (and a little friendly competition) baked in.
Story:
A threat tied to Vaati emerges, and the Four Sword splits Link into multiple heroes. Together, the Links must
push back the danger and restore peace through coordinated dungeon runs.
Trivia:
Four Swords was the first multiplayer Zelda experience built around simultaneous co-op on handhelds,
designed to use Game Boy Advance link cables (and multiple systems).
Four Swords is a milestone because it translates classic Zelda problem-solving into true co-op: puzzles and encounters feel different when four players must coordinate timing, positioning, and resource sharing.
Screenshots
Timeline / Versions
Why Four Swords Was Historically Important
Four Swords helped define what co-op Zelda could be: short, replayable stages built around coordination and shared objectives, paving the way for later multiplayer-focused entries and experiments with cooperative adventure design.
