The Legend of Zelda – Tri Force Heroes

The Legend of Zelda – Tri Force Heroes is a 2015 action-adventure game developed by Nintendo EPD and Grezzo and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The second original Nintendo 3DS entry in The Legend of Zelda series after A Link Between Worlds, this game is the third installment in the franchise to prominently feature a multiplayer campaign after Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures, albeit this time with only three players as opposed to four, wireless and online connectivity as opposed to the prior games’ use of link cables, and a stronger emphasis on cooperation rather than competition.

Tri Force Heroes is set several years after A Link Between Worlds and centers on Link, who was originally planned on appearing with the same design as the protagonist of A Link Between Worlds. This was ultimately replaced with the “Toon Link” design in the final version, as the developers felt it made the models easier to see on the smaller screens of the 3DS. However the Tri Force Heroes protagonist and the A Link Between Worlds protagonist are still the same Link.

In the series’ official timeline, Tri Force Heroes takes place in an alternative timeline that results from the Hero of Time’s potential failure in Ocarina of Time, leading to the events of A Link to the Past. It is the fifth title on this timeline branch (the Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages as a joint title), taking place between A Link Between Worlds and the beginning of a part of this timeline called the “Era of Decline”, which involves the events of The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.

It is the eighteenth title in The Legend of Zelda chronology. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a cooperative action-adventure game in which three players control differently colored versions of series protagonist Link and join forces to fight enemies and solve puzzles. Similar to previous multiplayer Zelda titles, such as Four Swords Adventures, players must work together, using the items they receive at the start of each level to help each other progress.

One of the key puzzle-solving techniques is stacking the three player characters in a totem pole, allowing the top player to reach higher elevations, attack enemies, be thrown across gaps, and perform other actions. Another game mechanic involves collecting items in order to craft outfits that grant the characters various abilities. Players share a heart meter, with all players losing one of their life fairies should the meter run out.