The Definitive Ranking of Four Swords Adventures

We are back with a new entry in our definitive ranking series! Join hosts Mases and Gooey as they tackle the forgotten Nintendo GameCube gem Four Swords Adventures.

In September, the two covered Link’s Awakening DX and scored that game fairly high on their respective lists. How will the multiplayer and mission-oriented Four Swords Adventures stand up under similar scrutiny? Did these changes to the standard Zelda format help or hurt the experience? Was it nice to see fan-favorite villain Vaati on the big screen? Those are the sort of questions our intrepid duo will answer as they rank Four Swords Adventures in ten categories: world, art style, story, pacing & progression, gameplay & combat, items & abilities, dungeons, enemies & bosses, side content & extras, and music & sound.

Zelda Dungeon’s staff and community were more generous to the game than our hosts in the overall rankings. Mases expressed frustration that Four Swords Adventures‘ story was disjointed and spread over too many missions. Gooey defended the game’s length by pointing out that the story needed to be long to overcome the original Four Swords‘ short run time in order to accommodate a console release.

Mases did have some positive things to say about the use of Four Swords Adventures‘ items. He found their use to add significantly to the gameplay experience by introducing an element of variety and strategy. Gooey was pleased with the side content included in Four Swords Adventures‘ multiplayer. While both hosts agreed that the game offers some fun modes to play with friends, they concurred that the multiplayer was particularly difficult to set up thanks to the required Game Boy Advance consoles and link cables.

Do you agree with Four Swords Adventures‘ placement in the rankings? What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments.