It's time for the underrated co-op Zelda game from 2004 to blossom

Nintendo has the perfect opportunity to revive the underappreciated The Legend of Zelda title Four Swords of Adventure now that the Switch 2 could make it more accessible. While The Legend of Zelda might be notorious for sticking to the same formula, he wasn't afraid to occasionally experiment with some features, even before Breath of the Wild broke things wide open. Four Swords of Adventure was one of those experiments.

Big news in Zelda space is a live-action movie right now, set to premiere in 2027, but it would be a shame to see 2026 come and go without any movement. after all The Legend of Zelda celebrates its 40th birthday this year, and the Switch 2 breathes new life into the GameCube era through an expanded Nintendo Classics game. Fans have been begging for remasters or at least modern ports of several older ones Zelda games for a while, but there's a reason for the oft-overlooked co-op Four Swords of Adventure also get some love.

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The Switch 2's multiplayer is great for four-sword adventures

Today's fans can quote Four Swords of Adventure like C-tier Zelda game, but that's not exactly indicative of the game's quality. There's a lot to love about the title, with the multiplayer element adding a unique twist to the classic Zelda solving puzzles. Unlike its predecessor, the GBA's Four swordsit can also be played solo, although the real fun is in working together to navigate dungeons or getting in each other's way. The big problem is that the hardware at the time wasn't suitable for this multiplayer experience, but that wouldn't be a problem on the Switch 2.

On the GameCube, Four Swords of Adventure required players to use a Link Cable, with each player using a separate Game Boy Advance as a controller. That meant four GBAs and four interconnect cables to get the full experience, which isn't the most convenient setup to say the least. These unusual hardware requirements are what put many off Four Swords of Adventure when it first came out, but the Switch 2 port could replace it with standard local co-op or even online play. It's a simple change that would immediately fix the biggest negative of this underrated title.

Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.

Easy (5) Medium (7) Hard (10)

There is already a precedent for justifying a Four Swords of Adventure revival too. Nintendo released the original Four swords to the Switch Online Expansion Pack in 2024, which will replace the GBA's Link Cables with online multiplayer functionality. It was a great first step, but Four Swords of Adventure took the basic concept of its predecessor to new heights, so it deserves the same treatment. 3DS' Three Force Heroes is another cooperation Zelda no modern port, but it's also a much newer game. Nintendo would be wise to bring DS and 3DS games to NSO at some point, but they already have a growing library of GameCube titles, so Four Swords of Adventure it wouldn't be a big leap to Switch 2.

The four protagonists raise their swords in Four Swords

Four Swords of Adventure could also take advantage of one of Switch 2's best multiplayer features. GameShare on the Switch 2 works like the DS's Download Play, allowing multiple users to play a game that only one person owns a copy of. Like Download Play before it, GameShare is a huge win for accessibility and multiplayer fun as it makes it much easier for a group of friends to play together. It's a nifty local alternative for games without any split-screen functionality, which is in line with the Four Swords of Adventure experience. Everyone would play on their Switch 2, as they would play on individual GBAs with the original, but only one of them would have to own the game, and LANs would replace Link Cables.

Fans may be clamoring Princess Twilight finally come to Switch or the HD version for Wii U The Wind Wakerbut some of the less revered entries in the series shouldn't be overlooked either. Will Nintendo give Four Swords of Adventure its maturity is anyone's guess, but it's a great time.