Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild brought new life to the franchise, fans have been calling for more Zelda content in whatever way they can get it. It makes sense, then, that a rerelease of The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures would go over very well with the franchise's community. For Nintendo, the second half of 2021 might just be the perfect time to give the game an HD rerelease.
First released in 2004 on the GameCube, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures is a multiplayer-focused version of the traditional top-down Zelda format. Up to four players can get together to clear dungeons and explore the land of Hyrule. It was received well when it first released but didn't quite grab the same attention in terms of sales as other mainline Zelda games on the GameCube. As Nintendo continues to release their older titles on the Switch in the form of HD remasters, Four Swords should definitely get the treatment next. Now is an excellent time for a rerelease due to the way that Nintendo has set up the rest of 2021.
The New Switch OLED's Ethernet Connection
Despite not being the rumored "Switch Pro" that many Nintendo fans were wanting, there's still plenty of merit to purchasing the newest Switch model, the Switch OLED. The OLED's bigger and brighter screen is nice enough on its own to warrant a purchase, however, the Switch OLED's best feature might just be the new Ethernet port that allows for a wired internet connection. This new feature might seem relatively small, but for those looking to play more games online with the Switch, the ability to have a LAN connection is huge. There's no better game to show off just how responsive the Switch's internet connection can now be than a Four Swords Adventures HD rerelease.
As a four-player co-op game, Four Swords Adventures needs to be pretty responsive for the game to work. When it was originally released on the GameCube, it was only able to be played through local co-op, so the game didn't need to worry about internet connection to be enjoyed by four players. Up until the release of the Switch OLED, the Switch's relationship to internet connection was often shakey as it was exclusively handled by WiFi. Because of this, online multiplayer games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Splatoon 2 felt somewhat unreliable as they were often not as responsive as players wanted them to be.
Now that Nintendo systems are able to connect to the internet in a much more reliable way thanks to the Switch OLED's Ethernet port, online multiplayer-focused games like The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures are going to work with much more consistency. Four Swords Adventures seems like the perfect game to test the company's newest hardware as it would likely sell and review well.
Celebrating Zelda's 35th Anniversary With More Games
Nintendo did quite a lot in 2020 to celebrate Mario's 35th anniversary, so Zelda fans were excited to see what the company had in store for 2021 when The Legend of Zelda also turned 35. Unfortunately, there wasn't a whole lot in terms of new Zelda content for fans to really sink their teeth into. While the HD rereleased version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was a welcome addition to the Switch's library, it being the sole HD remaster coming to the Switch felt a little underwhelming. This lack of Switch ports could be slightly remedied if Nintendo decided to rerelease Four Swords Adventures alongside the Switch OLED. For the reasons detailed above, releasing alongside the Switch OLED makes a lot of sense, but 2021, in particular, is such an important year for the Zelda series because of its anniversary.
As the excitement for the currently untitled Breath of the Wild sequel continues to ramp up, the Zelda series seems to be at the peak of its popularity. Breath of the Wild remains one of the best-selling Switch games more than four years after its debut, so there seems to be a whole new generation of Zelda fans who might not have ever even heard of Four Swords Adventures. The game would be a no-brainer purchase for anyone looking to get into the series while waiting for more information on Breath of the Wild's sequel.
Expanding the Switch's Co-Op Library
As Microsoft and Sony seem to be moving away from couch co-op in favor of competitive multiplayer or single-player-driven experiences, Nintendo has always paid some attention to couch co-op games. The Switch itself is a testament to that as its colorful joy-cons are made to be shared as demonstrated in most of the console's marketing. With games such as Overcooked, Stardew Valley, and Luigi's Mansion 3 being some of the most popular on the system, it's clear that there will always be a market for split-screen co-op on the Switch. If not played online, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures would be another excellent addition to the Switch's co-op catalog.
With more couch co-op games coming to the Switch later this year like WarioWare Get It Together and Super Mario Party Superstars, adding a co-op Zelda title to the mix would continue cementing the Switch as one of the best places to experience couch co-op titles. As most Zelda games are single-player experiences, bringing back the GameCube classic could bring even more potential fans to the series and allow current fans to enjoy it together.
There's been no indication from Nintendo that any more HD Zelda remasters are on the way for the rest of 2021, however, there's just too much going for Four Swords Adventures at this time to give up hope for an HD rerelease entirely. So far, many fans have felt that Zelda's 35th anniversary hasn't gotten the attention from Nintendo that it should, so providing fans with more in the form of a GameCube remaster seems like the least that the company could do to honor The Legend of Zelda's storied history.