Daily Debate: Would the Four Swords Format Work in an Open-World, 3D Zelda Title?
Posted on March 22 2025 by Nicole Scott
The most famous multiplayer experiences in the Zelda series are in Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and Tri Force Heroes. A recent replay of the original Four Swords had me thinking about what it would look like if four, colorful Links had ran to the edge of the Great Plateau and overlooked Hyrule like our solo hero did so famously eight years ago.
When you think about it, the original Four Swords is linear in its progression but drops players in the level in a similar way to the original The Legend of Zelda and the open-air games. You go where you want, and exploration is the only way you’ll find what you need to do next. Players have more guidance and railroading in Four Swords Adventures, but it has the advantage of NPCs and a slightly more interesting story. The games’ strengths could combine to create a playful, multiplayer landscape with the 3D formula, especially given Nintendo’s penchant for unique gameplay designs. It could have a shot at being effective but only if the gameplay loop was able to restrict freedom in some areas to force multiplayer interactivity.
I think the best reference point for this are Shrines. These microenvironments exist in the open-world Era of the Wild, yet narrow the scope of Link’s toolkit to encourage the use of specific strategies, weapons, or abilities. I don’t think an open-world Four Swords title should use Shrines exactly, but they are a blueprint of how Nintendo could facilitate complex problem-solving with a two- to four-player solution. The ways the series has innovated its puzzles in recent history shows a little ingenuity could go a long way into forging scenarios perfect for sandbox-style experiences, while expanding it into the 3D landscape multiplayer Zelda, quite frankly, deserves.
Do you think there is a way to bridge the ideas presented in the older multiplayer titles with the playstyle the Zelda series has seen in the last decade? Let us know in comments below!
Nicole Scott is writer for Zelda Dungeon from suburban Appalachia. She loves drinking espresso, seeing live music, building LEGO sets, being a completionist, and snuggling her two probably-alien cats, Tizo and Alarielle.
