Sometimes you have to shake things up with a game series in order to innovate. It’s what helps it mature. Metroid, for example, was simply known as a side-scrolling series before Retro Studios came up with the bold (yet controversial) idea of creating a first person shooter series – and the awesome Metroid Prime trilogy was born. And recently, Activision made a fresh start for its Guitar Hero franchise with Live, opting out of the DLC plan in favor of streaming channels and changing the guitar design almost entirely. And it paid off too.
For its latest Zelda game, Tri-Force Heroes, Nintendo decided against following formula that worked so well with 2011’s A Link Between Worlds and instead followed a pattern similar to its free Four Swords adventure, where multiple characters join in for the adventure. It’s definitely got some pieces of Zelda spirit here and there, but, sadly, this is one revamped idea that never really gets off the ground.
Princess Styla’s in harm’s way in the land of Hytopia, as a witch has given her some weird outfit as part of a curse. Yep, she didn’t change her into an animal or risk her life, she just made a fashion choice. So the king calls for heroes to break the curse, and that’s where the multiple Links come into play.
This tale is fashion oriented for some reason, so those of you who prefer to change over into different outfits to see what they do within the game will be pleased with that particular choice. But while the game is loaded with plenty of puzzles and combat arenas to take part in, the fashion part of it just never clicks. What’s more, it introduces some of the weaker characters and story arcs introduced to the series very weakly – and as a result, it never matches the exquisiteness that A Link Between Worlds provided many years ago.
Some of these outfits are useful, like a Goron costume that lets you wade through lava (never mind your skin can still melt) or even Kokiri outfits that enable better arrow firing capability. It’s just getting to these that’s a pain in the neck, and by then, you’ve pretty much lost any inspiration to use them in the first place.
That’s mainly due to the game’s bland design. The dungeons do provide a great deal of mystery at first, but then they run their course, looking just about the same each time and only offering the occasional wrinkle in puzzles to keep things interesting. Even Legend of Zelda veterans who swear that every dungeon has its reward will find this game has so few – especially considering their awkwardly short length. I think the longest dungeon I found here clocked in at around 16 minutes, at best. And considering how epic previous dungeons were in the past, there’s no reason for that.
The idea of using multiple characters and throwing them around (via a Totem system) is neat, and having them attack bosses as a group is pretty sweet at times as well. But the whole co-op concept is hard to handle in single player mode, mainly because of having to switch between parties instead of putting a system in play that made Four Swords work so well. Puzzles can be hard to struggle with, and the lack of personality is easily noticeable.
But multiplayer has its moments, as you can team up with others in co-op to tackle the game. This is probably when Tri-Force Heroes is at its best, as you can work collectively as a group to accomplish a lot in each level. That still doesn’t make up for the sometimes sluggish level design or weird fashion choices, but it’s certainly better than nothing. And there are more than enough players out there who will want to engage in a Zelda adventure – even a lacking one such as this.
The presentation isn’t bad as far as music is concerned. It’s classic Zelda throughout, and the themes will remind you of better games of old. The presentation, however, is mixed, between awkward outfits, some painful level designs (again, those dungeons…) and minimal animations. Some fans probably won’t mind all of this, but there are some who will no doubt pine for Four Swords instead. Or, for that matter, A Link Between Worlds.
With a story that often wanders off, design that never really comes into formation for single players, and a really weird lean into fashion, The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes is a new idea that just doesn’t gain any traction. It has some Zelda essence, and with the right group of people, it can make for an acceptable evening of gaming, but this is one instance where innovation didn’t quite flourish as planned. If you must have an ideal Zelda experience, perhaps you should consider a Link to the past…
