Tri Force Heroes splits The Legend of Zelda series star Link into three separate heroes, who must team up to slay enemies and cooperatively solve puzzles throughout the game’s many included levels.
Announced at E3 in June, Tri Force Heroes lets up to three players tackle a shared quest over 3DS download play, local wireless, and online multiplayer sessions. Players receive an array of new items and equipment throughout each stage, requiring experimentation and cooperation in order to progress.
In addition to its multiplayer options, Tri Force Heroes features a single-player mode in which Link’s partners are replaced with paper dolls that can be used to solve puzzles that ordinarily require multiple heroes. Veteran players can also tackle a series of Challenge Courses, which increase the difficulty in previously cleared areas with deadlier enemies and fewer defensive options.
Tri Force Heroes additionally boasts character customization features and unlockable costumes, giving each in-game hero a unique appearance on the battlefield. Players who would rather compete than cooperate can take on their friends in the head-to-head Coliseum mode.
Tri Force Heroes shares a premise with 2004’s The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, a multiplayer Nintendo GameCube release that allowed players to team up in asynchronous gameplay sessions using linked Game Boy Advance systems. Four Swords Adventures originated as a bonus multiplayer mode featured in the 2002 Game Boy Advance remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
Nintendo later re-released the original Four Swords adventure as The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition, a free downloadable title for Nintendo DSi and 3DS platforms. The game has since been pulled from Nintendo’s eShop, and is no longer available for download.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes premieres digitally and at retail in North America and Europe on October 23.
