As part of Zelda's 25th Anniversary celebrations, Nintendo announced that they'd be releasing a classic GameCube game, Zelda: Four Swords as a free download for the DSi, DSi XL and 3DS. Fast forward a few months, and the game's finally been uploaded to the online store today - and here's how you get your hands on it.
What is The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary
Originally released as a bonus multiplayer adventure on the Game Boy Advance release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary is a bit different to your usual Zelda adventure. A top-down, four player co-op adventure, Four Swords saw you and three friends battling your way across the land of Hyrule, entering dungeons, solving puzzles, and eventually coming face to face with the evil Vaati, who's been terrorising the land. As a primarily multiplayer game, rather than a single player adventure, it was a different, though welcome direction for the series to take.
How to download
DSi/DSi XLIf you've got a DSi, or a DSi XL, the downloading process will be the same. First of all, you'll need to make sure your console's set up to access the internet - if you've ever successfully used the web browser or browsed the store, you can be sure everything's in working order. If a white light isn't showing to the left of the screen (below the wireless signal icon), you'll need to go into the settings, then Wireless Communication, and turn it on. Then, return to the main DSi menu, and scroll across to the DSi Shop (represented by a shopping bag), and select it.
The store will then attempt to connect to the internet, at which point, if you haven't used the store in a while, it'll have to perform a System Update. Luckily, everything's done for you, and all you have to do is touch OK a few times, then wait for it to download. Once it's finished, it'll turn off, and then, annoyingly enough, won't turn itself back on again. That's for you to do.
Once your console's all up to date, all you have to do is to scroll across to the DSi Shop, and now, after a brief moment, it should connect to the internet, and show you the contents of the store. Should you access it today, it's the first title in the Recommended Titles.
In future, you'll be able to find it by touching Start Shopping, then DSi Ware, and then Free. From there, all you have to do is scroll through the pages until you find The Legend of Zelda; Four Swords Anniversary Edition. Touch the box to select it, then touch the massive blue box in the middle of the screen that says free, and (so long as you have enough space), the download will commence.
3DS
On the 3DS, things are a little bit easier. First of all, you'll need to make sure your system's fully updated, which you can tell by checking whether you have the eShop in your list of applications. If you don't, you'll need to connect your 3DS to the internet, and download the latest update, by scrolling across to System Settings, opening it, and then going to other settings, and scrolling along until you reach the last screen, where you'll find System Update.
Once that's done (or if you already have the eShop), all you have to do is scroll along, open it, and click on Zelda 25th Anniversary, which is, at the time of writing, the second icon along. Here you'll find the Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary available for download. Touch the icon, and it'll give you the option to download. Then you're away!
In future, the game will be able to be found by entering "four swords" in the search box at the bottom of the page.
----
So there you have it. No matter what console you're on (so long as it's not an original DS or DS Lite), you've now got a lovely slice of Zelda to play on the move - and with your friends! Enjoy - and make sure you spread the word!
