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E3 2015 Preview: The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Ninetendo’s lacklustre direct presentation at this years E3 had very few titles that really interested me. At the very top of that short list was The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes. Nintendo is better than anyone else in the industry at making gamers feel nostalgic and as soon as I saw Tri Force Heroes my childhood memories started flooding back.

Of Course I was thinking of the Four Swords entry in the Zelda series, more specifically the original Gameboy Advance version that was packaged with the re release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. 2002 through to 2003 was an important time for me as a gamer. My two younger brothers were growing up and I was learning to play both cooperatively and competitively. It was time to plug in that second controller rather than lying to them, telling them it’s WaveBird and they were playing even if it felt unresponsive. I was reminiscing with my brother just last week about spending hours playing Super Monkey Ball Jr on the Gameboy advance. We would sit at opposite ends of the hallway and take turns, sliding the GBA along the carpet to each other after every attempt.

The reason I prattle on about why Four Swords conjures up such vivid memories of my childhood is simple. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes has some big shoes to fill, and I’m happy to report it’s a snug fit. Although the concept has been tweaked a little the Four Swords feeling is very much alive in Tri Force Heroes.

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The competitive nature is no longer there but the cooperative game play is strengthened by the introduction of costumes. These allow each character to have a different unique ability that will come in hand when taking on a dungeon. A black costume will allow the player to create bombs while the samurai has an improved spin attack. The most important thing is certain characters will be able to things others can’t. The same goes for some special items given to each player at the start of each dungeon. Each character will be able to perform a certain function that the others can’t. This make the puzzles more challenging as players have to perform a certain role in each puzzle.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds was huge step in the right direction for the old top down style Zelda game because it added a sense of depth. This is a major factor in Tri Force Heroes with the inclusion of the new totem mechanic. Just as it sounds, the players have to jump on each others shoulders to attack enemies or switches that are normally just out of reach. It’s very important that the players are in the right order as the one on the top will be attacking or unlocking the puzzle. If you’re in the wrong order and have to rearrange while on a moving platform you’re sure to loose a few hearts. This is bad for everyone as all players share health, further strengthening the cooperative nature of the game.

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Playing locally is plenty of fun and allows you to talk out the problem of each new puzzle and form a strategy. In true Nintendo style there’s no voice chat available during online play. Sure the main reason is clearly so someone online can’t call you a poop head, leaving you devastated and looking to sue but it presents a strange new way to play. Your only means of communicating with other players is through eight simple emotes on the touch screen. I didn’t play online so I have no way of knowing if it works or how much harder it makes the game but I’m definitely interested in this “difficulty modifier” and cant wait to see it in action.

Tri Force Heroes is a mixture of what worked so well in Four Swords and some new ideas from the success of A Link Between Worlds. Nintendo may not have had all much to show at this years E3 but this is a day one purchase for me. Time to find out my brothers friend codes…

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes will be available latter this year for the 3DS.


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About the author

Shane Wall

I'm just a simple man trying to make my way in the universe. A game geek turned audio engineer/musician. Shane's life is a delicate balance of video games, music and science fiction.