The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords

2002

puzzle
adventure
action
fantasy
single player
multiplayer
co-operative

The story

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords features two games, a port of the SNES game The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and a new multiplayer adventure called Four Swords.

What it’s like

Top-down pixel art on the Game Boy Advance's small, warm screen: sun-dappled meadows, gloomy dungeon stone lit by torchlight, and the bright, saturated palette of Hyrule's villages, all rendered in crisp sprites that feel tactile in the hands. The sound is the series' signature orchestral-chiptune theme, with rustling grass, chimes on item pickups and a heavy, rhythmic dungeon tension that settles into long stretches of quiet exploration. The first half is a patient, self-paced quest through overworld and dark-world regions, where the pleasure lies in wandering, backtracking and cracking puzzles without rush; the second half, Four Swords, switches to brisk, co-operative room-by-room action with up to four linked players, bright and playful in tone. Emotional register stays light and adventurous, a comfortable warm nostalgia rather than grief, with a loose arc of a young hero reclaiming a shattered kingdom. Intensity is mild: cartoonish slashing and defeated enemies that vanish in puffs, no gore, no sexual content, and only occasional tension in boss fights. Ideal for a rainy-afternoon handheld session, a comfort replay, or a shared evening with friends, for players who want gentle challenge, lush old-school atmosphere and low-stakes fantasy.

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