The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords [Anniversary Edition] is the 2011 DSiWare version of Four Swords, not the full Game Boy Advance cartridge that paired Four Swords with A Link to the Past. It was a special, limited-time download for Nintendo DSi and Nintendo 3DS, so today it is best treated as a game for people who already have access on original hardware.
The big Anniversary Edition difference is that you can play alone. Solo play gives you two Links to manage, while multiplayer keeps the shared puzzle-and-combat structure that Four Swords was built around. Either way, the game rewards clean teamwork, smart item use, and steady Rupee collection more than rushing.
Essential Tips
1. Remember Which Four Swords This Is
Start by setting your expectations around the Anniversary Edition. This is not Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, it is not the standalone A Link to the Past adventure, and it is not the GameCube game Four Swords Adventures. It is a top-down co-op Zelda built around small stages, switches, shared item logic, Rupee totals, and Link teamwork.
That matters because habits from other Zelda games can mislead you. You are not exploring one giant overworld with permanent dungeon items. You are clearing stage challenges, using what the room gives you, and trying to reach the goal with enough Rupees and key progress to open later paths.
2. Use Solo Mode Like a Two-Link Puzzle
In single-player, Green Link works with a second Link whose color you choose. Think of the partner as a puzzle tool, not just a helper. Many rooms ask you to separate the Links, leave one on a switch, move the other through a newly opened path, then reunite before the next fight.
Do not drag both Links together through every screen by habit. If a bridge, switch, locked block, or enemy wave seems impossible, ask whether one Link should hold position while the other acts. Solo mode becomes much easier when you treat switching and separating as normal movement, not as emergency options.
3. Call Your Partner Back Before Combat Gets Messy
Splitting the Links solves puzzles, but leaving the partner far away can make the next enemy room awkward. Before stepping into suspicious open space, crossing a threshold, or opening a chest in a locked arena, reunite the Links unless a switch clearly needs to stay pressed.
This gives you a cleaner start if Stalfoses, Zols, Gels, Octorocks, Tektites, Moblins, or other enemies appear. You can still separate again when the room asks for it, but beginning fights with both Links nearby reduces needless scrambling.
4. Collect Rupees With a Goal in Mind
Rupees are not just score dressing in Four Swords Anniversary Edition. Stage clears, key progress, and the optional Hero’s Trial reward path all push you to care about your total. Hero’s Trial has a major Rupee requirement, so casual play can leave you short if you ignore chests, mushrooms, enemy drops, and side pockets.
Move quickly when a room is simple, but slow down when you see an obvious reward cluster. A few extra seconds spent checking chests or bouncing across a Rupee route can save later grinding, especially if you are aiming for every Anniversary Edition reward.
5. Do Not Waste Keys on Panic Movement
Keys and locked blocks are common progress checks. When a key drops, clear the immediate danger first, then carry it deliberately to the lock. Many rooms mix keys with holes, fire, moving platforms, floor tiles, or enemies, and rushing the last few steps can turn a solved room into a repeat.
If the room has two Links split across switches, confirm which Link should move and which one should stay. The mistake is often not missing the key; it is abandoning a switch or bridge before the key carrier has a clean route.
6. Treat Items as Room Answers
Anniversary Edition stages lean heavily on temporary item logic. Bombs clear cracked blocks and can damage enemies. Bow and Arrows handle targets such as Eyegores from a safer angle. The Magnetic Glove, Gnat Hat, Roc’s Cape, Pegasus Shoes or Dash Boots, and Shield all change how a room can be crossed or solved.
When you find an item pedestal, pause for a moment and scan the room. Cracked walls, distant eyes, narrow routes, high gaps, moving platforms, and shieldable hazards usually point to the intended tool. If a route feels blocked, the answer is often nearby rather than hidden in an old inventory.
7. Play Co-op Like a Team, Not a Race
Multiplayer can make Four Swords faster and funnier, but it also creates more ways to waste time. Agree quickly on who grabs which item, who stands on switches, and who carries keys. If everyone chases Rupees independently, the group may leave puzzle pieces half-finished.
Use the whistle/call function and lower-screen information to stay oriented. The best groups still compete for treasure, but they solve the room first. A player parked on a switch is doing real work, even if someone else is collecting the visible rewards.
8. Clear Vaati’s Palace Before Chasing Bonus Goals
The Anniversary Edition adds famous extra content, but the clean route is to focus on the main stages and Vaati’s Palace first. Realm of Memories opens after Vaati’s Palace has been completed once, and it is built as a more advanced set of themed challenges.
Do not bounce between every side objective too early. Learn the normal stage rhythm first: enter, identify the room’s item logic, manage the Links, collect Rupees, earn keys, and reach the goal. That foundation carries into the bonus doors.
9. Enter Realm of Memories Ready for Longer Rooms
Realm of Memories is a highlight of this edition because it revisits areas inspired by earlier Zelda games, including The Legend of Zelda, Link’s Awakening, and A Link to the Past. The nostalgia is part of the fun, but the rooms are longer and a little tougher than the main stages.
Expect non-randomized door routes, more layered item puzzles, and no boss at the end of those sections. The challenge is reading each floor cleanly: which Link should stand where, which item solves the next obstacle, and when it is time to reunite before moving on.
10. Save Hero’s Trial for a Prepared File
Hero’s Trial is optional and demanding. It opens through a large Rupee milestone and is structured around three doors that build on each other. It throws more enemies at you than ordinary stages, with puzzle floors instead of a traditional boss.
Go in after you are comfortable with switching, item recognition, key carrying, and enemy cleanup. The reward, Hurricane Spin, is useful in both solo and multiplayer, but the path is meant to test your control of the game’s core systems.
11. Keep Availability in Mind Before Planning a Group Night
Because this was a limited DSiWare and 3DS eShop release, not everyone can simply download it now. Before planning a multiplayer session, confirm that every player has access on compatible hardware and can connect locally.
That practical check matters more for this title than for most Zelda games. A lot of confusion comes from people mixing up the Anniversary Edition with the Game Boy Advance release, the GameCube sequel, or later Zelda re-releases.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not assume this includes A Link to the Past - The Anniversary Edition is the Four Swords portion with its own added solo mode and bonus areas.
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Do not leave your partner behind after every switch - Reunite before fights or transitions unless the room clearly needs one Link parked.
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Do not treat Rupees as optional sparkle - Big unlock goals make steady collection worthwhile across repeated clears.
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Do not grab items without checking the room - The nearby obstacle usually tells you whether you need Bombs, Bow and Arrows, Shield, Roc’s Cape, Gnat Hat, or another tool.
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Do not rush key drops through hazards - Clear enemies, watch holes and fire, and keep any bridge or switch active until the carrier is safe.
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Do not enter Realm of Memories like a normal early stage - Its routes are longer, more deliberate, and built for players who already understand the basics.
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Do not start Hero’s Trial underprepared - Practice enemy cleanup and two-Link positioning before chasing the Hurricane Spin reward.
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Do not plan multiplayer without checking access first - The special download history makes local co-op setup the first real hurdle.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Edition | Treat this as the 2011 DSiWare Anniversary Edition, not the full GBA bundle |
| Solo Play | Use the second Link for switches, bridges, and split-room routing |
| Co-op | Assign item, switch, and key jobs before everyone chases treasure |
| Rupees | Collect steadily because optional unlocks demand a large total |
| Keys | Clear hazards and preserve switch positions before moving to locked blocks |
| Items | Let each room’s obstacle tell you which temporary tool matters |
| Realm of Memories | Expect longer, themed, boss-free challenge routes after Vaati’s Palace |
| Hero’s Trial | Prepare for enemy-heavy puzzle floors and the Hurricane Spin reward |
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6 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords [Anniversary Edition].
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