The Legend of Zelda is an awesome franchise, but it isn't without its flops. While the majority of its games have been hits, there are a few hidden in the shadows of Link's pots -- and Four Swords for Gameboy Advance (and its DSiWare Anniversary Edition) is one of them. Few people have played this title, not just because of its limited availability across two releases, but because it was a multiplayer game ahead of its time.

In theory, a co-op Zelda title sounds like it could be a lot of fun. The problem is that this idea manifested back in 2002 on the GBA, a handheld console that still relied on the relic Gameboy Link Cable. The Anniversary Edition re-released on the DSi's online store, but few used this feature and it was only out for a limited time. Since the DS store is long gone, finding this game is a rarity.

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Four Swords first released paired with the A Link to the Past enhanced GBA port, which was what most fans were more interested in. The Four Swords multiplayer adventure was sort of an add-on that required people to play with friends provided they had two games, two systems and one or more Link Cables.

It made the game nearly unplayable, because Zelda is a series established as a single-player experience, not a multiplayer one. Even Pokémonwith games which likely got the most use out of the Link Cable for trading and battling, allowed players to enjoy the main game in single-player. Unfortunately, playing Four Swords unlocked extra features in A Link to the Past, which sadly many missed out on. Four Swords left a bad mark on what was supposed to be a great remaster.

Oddly enough, the game is still considered canonical to the Zelda universe, despite few having played it. The game tasks Link with defeating a powerful wind sorcerer named Vaati who has awakened and kidnapped Princess Zelda. Rather than the standard Master Sword, Link uses the Four Sword, which creates three copies of him and sets out to save the Princess. It's a fairly standard Zelda story, minus Ganon and the Triforce -- although that part of the story was continued in Four Swords Adventures on the GameCube.

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As part of The Legend of Zelda's 25th anniversary, Four Swords received a stand-alone, digital anniversary edition that was available on the DSi Shop and Nintendo eShop for the 3DS between September 2011 and February 2012. Nintendo fixed the initial issue with the game by adding a single-player mode where only two Links were used, making the game playable for most.

However, this meant the player had to babysit the alter-Link as the gameplay still requires teamwork. Despite the game being intended for multiplayer, it didn't support it online meaning players still had to be together to play. While the main problem with the game was solved, its short release window meant most never downloaded it.

Later in 2014, for a single week between January and February, the game was made free for download through the Nintendo eShop on 3DS once again to promote A Link Between Worlds. Unfortunately, Four Swords just never had the timing to be a viable, multiplayer Zelda game.

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