Four Swords Adventures offered players asymmetric multiplayer before the Wii U and, ironically, did it better than most Wii U games. Some sequences required players to look from the GBA screen to the TV in order to coordinate certain actions, like lining up an arrow from the Game Boy to the TV. They each offer a mission-based structure and take advantage of every player having their own screen. What Makes Multiplayer Zelda Games Uniqueįour Swords and Four Swords Adventures might be obnoxious to set up, but once it happens, the result is unlike any other Zelda title. Furthermore, the original Four Swords was multiplayer-only, and Four Swords Adventures was much better with friends than alone. Even back in the day, when these devices and games were still readily available, it was expensive to acquire all the necessary pieces to get the games running, since both required specialized cables and at least one GBA per player. Setting all of this up is inconvenient, to say the least, which may explain the multiplayer Zelda games' lack of popularity. Related: Why Legend of Zelda LEGO Sets Could Be Coming Next In this version, players connected GBAs to the GameCube, allowing the handhelds to be used as controllers and 'second screens.' Later, on the multiplayer-centric GameCube, fans were treated to Four Swords Adventures, a full-length game that focused on refining the core concept of the previous Four Swords game. This worked by linking multiple GBA systems together so that everyone had their own screen and controller. At first glance, the game seems to be a simple port of A Link to the Past, but Four Swords was added to the package as a new multiplayer mode. The first multiplayer Zelda title was A Link to The Past & Four Swords on the Game Boy Advance. However, The Legend of Zelda's multiplayer games are frequently considered some of the worst in the series, which is a shame, given they offer unique experiences that can't be found elsewhere. It's easily one of the studio's most popular single-player franchises, but there are a handful of games in its lineup with substantial multiplayer modes. So many of Nintendo's biggest series, like Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon, heavily revolve around multiplayer, but the main outlier in this trend is The Legend of Zelda. Ever since classic multiplayer titles like Mario Kart 64 and GoldenEye 007 released on the N64, Nintendo has reigned supreme as the ultimate couch co-op game developer.

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