In the distant past, an evil sorcerer started abducting young maidens from the kingdom of Hyrule. Vaati was the sorcerer’s name, and it appeared that no one could stop him from casting his spells. At some point, an adventuring hero showed up who could triumph over Vaati. This adventurer carried with him the four swords, which caused him to be split into four beings. These four beings could seal Vaati deep within the earth by working together, and the adventurer who carried the four swords could do so as well. However, Vaati has managed to evade capture at this point, and it is up to Link to defeat him once more!
The perspective shifts from the top down to the bottom up as you play through this action-adventure game. In addition to the many foes to defeat, the game features several environments, many resembling mazes, and can be found both above and below ground. Because Link now possesses all four swords, the screen has four Links. For the four Links to complete the many stages, they will frequently need to cooperate to overcome the numerous challenges and foes they will face. The four connections can take on a variety of shapes, such as a line or a square, depending on the configuration chosen. The formations allow the Links to accomplish tasks that would be impossible for just one of them, such as moving heavy objects or defeating many foes. It is necessary to acquire force gems to restore the power of the four swords, which are depleted at the beginning of each stage (which can be found hidden in various locations or by defeating enemies). There is a barrier made of dark magic at the end of each step, and the only way to overcome it is with a four-sided sword that has had its power fully restored. The game can be played by anywhere from one to four people at once, but there will never be more than four links displayed on the screen at any given time. When playing a game with multiple players, each participant will take control of one of the Links. They will also need to connect with a Game Boy Advance, which serves two purposes: it allows the game to be controlled and gives each participant their display when their Link is inside a building or a cave.
In addition to the adventure mode, there is a multiplayer battle mode where up to four Links can compete against one another to see who comes out on top.
