Gossip Stone: Does the Four Swords Saga Deserve Another Installment?

Tri Force Heroes is coming out soon, and all the people who are already Zelda fans that first find out about the game, always seem to compare it to Zelda’s previous multiplayer games, the Four Swords titles. It is not surprising, as Zelda is most notably a single-player series, but people only make this comparison due to how memorable those games are. Tri Force Heroes could very well end up extremely successful. The previous 3DS Zelda proved that a lesser-hyped game can take us by surprise, after all. So perhaps more multiplayer Zelda’s could be released later, perhaps even a new game in the Four Swords trilogy.

Join the discussion after the jump!

One thing that could really make a new Four Swords great would be proper online multiplayer systems. Imagine the past Four Swords games, which many played with their friends, but with the ability to jump online and have others player with you at any time. Sounds great, but there are problems with this idea. Not because of the game, but regrettably, because of Nintendo. We are all aware of many people’s… disappointment, when it comes to Nintendo’s multiplayer options these days. Region locking aside, they refuse to allow voice chat, or other simple methods of interactivity. Tri Force Heroes tries fixing this problem, but with little more than a few on-screen notices from other players, which usually just get in the way of the player’s view. If Nintendo could finally accept that today’s multiplayer games should almost always have proper online interaction between players, a new Four Swords game, could have much more complex and challenging puzzles, since people could discuss them and swap ideas through speech, rather than using limited on-screen prompts. It could work, but Nintendo needs to stop being so old-fashioned first. As for local multiplayer, the 3DS, and even the Wii U, really, have clearly superior connection methods than the Gamecube and the Gameboy Advance before them. No longer would people need to get GBA to GBA, or Gamecube to GBA, connector cables. Just turn on the game and you’re good to go!Oh, and I’m sure we are well-past the days of the original Four Swords’ “multiplayer only” concept. Curse those days.

Now, what about new stories? The Minish Cap, predecessor to the Four Swords games, proved that, though removing the multiplayer aspect, the story behind Four Swords was deeper than “mage kidnaps princess”. The world was much more familiar than in the past Four Swords titles, with a less linear type of gameplay, and a more Zelda-esque system of dungeon crawling and world exploring. This is not to say that Four Swords‘ varying levels were not fun, or that Four Swords Adventures did not have a cool and pleasantly simple method of progression, but The Minish Cap really brought the world to life, and gave the actual Four Sword some context and origin. There is likely still room for more plot lines, and I have faith in Nintendo’s ability to think of something new. Then, of course, the villain. The last we saw of the trilogy’s villains – last in the timeline, I mean – a totally new Ganon was sealed within the Four Sword. We could very well have a new game appear in a place on the timeline after this game, in which case, Ganon escaping the sword would make sense. Either he is freed, or we see the return of Vaati (we have not forgotten you, mighty Wind Mage!) If people’s noticeable wish for Vaati to make a comeback in Hyrule Warriors is any indication, people really miss him, and his respective series. The Minish Cap gave him an origin story, and showed the true extent of his power. It made clear how worthy he is of being the second-most recurring series villain, and how cool it would be for him to return once more.

What do you guys think? Should the Four Swords sub-series continue? Do you think Tri Force Heroes will prove that more multiplayer games are worth a chance? Drop a comment!