[1][2] It was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS eShop for a limited time from January 31 to February 2, 2014, in celebration of their then latest released game, A Link Between Worlds.

Four Swords features gameplay similar to A Link to the Past, with a focus on multiplayer; in it, two to four players must cooperatively work through a series of puzzle-laden dungeons, while competing to collect rupees.

An original item called the Gnat Hat appears, causing Link to shrink and be able to access areas he could not normally reach.

The plot of A Link to the Past is the same as the original Super NES version, in which the player assumes the role of Link as he journeys to save Hyrule, defeat the wizard Agahnim and the demon king Ganon, and claim the Triforce to rescue Princess Zelda and the descendants of the Seven Sages.

As the game begins, the four Links are tasked with finding three Great Fairies, who together will grant them access to Vaati's palace.

Alterations include tweaks to item locations to prevent exploiting the game, a reduction of the viewable playing area, and the inclusion of voice samples from Ocarina of Time.

[8] Capcom had begun development of The Minish Cap in 2001, but temporarily suspended it to free up resources for the Four Swords multiplayer component.

Four Swords differs graphically from the other portion and features a style similar to The Wind Waker, which was released around the same time.

[8] Though Four Swords was not initially planned as the first title in a subseries, the story, intended to be the earliest in the series' chronology at the time of its release,[6] was already considered to influence future games.

[12] In January 2003, the game was displayed at the Osaka World Hobby Convention as The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords.

They gave it the award for Biggest Surprise, citing its multiplayer mode, calling it a "brilliant addition" and "well worth the price of four Legend of Zelda cartridges".

He praised the overworld for its secrets and "quirky random characters", adding that playing it required patience and exploring.

[30] IGN's Craig Harris praised the game, giving the gameplay and lasting appeal perfect scores.

[37] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell praised it, commenting that the port held up over the years, calling it "amazingly deep" and a "gateway drug into the genre".

[34] Writing for IGN, Craig Harris praised Four Swords' visuals and further called The Legend of Zelda's overture "breathtaking", applauding the Game Boy Advance for recreating the graphics and audio for A Link to the Past from the original Super NES game.

[34] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell criticized the audio, calling the sound tinnier than the Super NES version, and specifically describing Link's voice as "contemptible".

[43] Developed by Grezzo, this enhanced port of the once multiplayer-only game includes a new single-player mode where players have the ability to control two Links and switch between them to progress through the levels.