Nintendo is steadily bringing its library of classic titles to itsNintendo Switch Onlineservice, and now with the addition of Game Boy and Game Boy Advance games, the door has been opened for some of the company’s essential handheld titles to find new life on a modern console. While popular Game Boy Advance games likeMetroid Fusion,The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, andMario & Luigi: Superstar Sagaare already available on the service,Nintendo Switch Onlineshouldn’t miss out on bringing the often overlooked two-pack ofThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past + Four Swordsto the service as well.
TheGame Boy Advancewas no stranger to special treatment as it saw titles likeSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3as a remaster of the NES game, andFinal Fantasy 1 and 2: Dawn of Souls, a compilation of the first twoFinal Fantasygames. The iterations of these games made perfect additions to the Game Boy Advance’s library as they could now be played on the go thanks to the handheld system’s portability. WithSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3already available through Nintendo Switch Online, thisLegend of Zeldaseries compilationseems like another worthy addition.
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The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past + Four SwordsWould Be the Perfect Co-op Throwback
Originally released in 1991,The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Pastwasported to the Game Boy Advance in 2002 along with the brand-new title,The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. Although it mostly remained the same as its original SNES release,A Link to the Pastdid receive some visual and gameplay modifications to better suit the handheld console. It also included some bonus content not found in the SNES version, such as a new dungeon that was unlockable after beating the game andFour Swords.
While having this classic title in a portable format was nice, the real draw to the pack was the new, multiplayer-centric titleThe Legend of Zelda: Four Swords. This game took the puzzle-solving, dungeon-crawling aspects ofsingle-playerThe Legend of Zeldatitlesand translated them into a co-op experience for 2-to-4 players. Working together to complete each dungeon, players must think strategically with their partners to solve puzzles in randomized dungeons while only being able to hold one item at a time. This gameplay setup forced players to rely on one another in order to succeed and help lay the foundation for several future titles in the series.
Although the ultimate goal was to complete the dungeon co-operatively, the player with the most rupees by the end of each dungeon would be rewarded, and the first to reach the goal would also be granted a Heart Container. This system created an element of friendly competition among teammates that helped keep the gameplay fresh and exciting. Nintendo titles that came after would featurecompetitive co-op like inSuper Mario 3D World, continuing the tradition of pitting friends against one another in what should otherwise be a co-op experience.
Even though the SNES version ofThe Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Pastis already available on Nintendo Switch Online, that doesn’t mean the Game Boy Advance version along withFour Swordsshould be disqualified. As an online service, having an online co-op forFour Swordsseems like a no-brainer whenGoldenEye 007features online multiplayervia the service. Plus, the existence ofSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3in addition to the NES version ofSuper Mario Bros. 3on the service shows there’s precedent for remasters and ports of games previously available to join the library ofNintendo Switch Onlinetitles.
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