insomniacsquare's review against another edition
5.0
I never played the game before reading the manga. The game is considered on the weaker side of the Zelda games; however, this was magnificent. It follows the typical Zelda story of good versus evil. The main difference is the four sword splits Link into four different people. It would be east to copy and paste Link, but each Link shows a different personality. You have: regular, aggressive, sensitive, and calm. Each has to overcome their weakness and need to work together. For a short read they handle the character development really well and stands out. Out of the 5 legendary editions of Zelda mang, this was my favorite.
lordherdier's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
justinlewry's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I finally decided to read this manga after owning it for almost two years (I can thank an impulse pandemic decision for that). Having read the other four Zelda legendary edition mangas, I went into this knowing exactly what to expect.
I'm glad that the story of Four Swords was fleshed out fully across this book, rather than having to share its length with a second game adaptation (like in previous book releases where two games were crammed into the same number of pages). This allows the story to feel more fully realised.
This story was definitely the lightest in the series, and whilst I appreciated that events weren't rushed through in as little time as previous books, I could never shake the feeling that I was reading a Saturday morning cartoon. It's breezy, it's easy to read, but ultimately it's fairly forgettable.
I'm glad that the story of Four Swords was fleshed out fully across this book, rather than having to share its length with a second game adaptation (like in previous book releases where two games were crammed into the same number of pages). This allows the story to feel more fully realised.
This story was definitely the lightest in the series, and whilst I appreciated that events weren't rushed through in as little time as previous books, I could never shake the feeling that I was reading a Saturday morning cartoon. It's breezy, it's easy to read, but ultimately it's fairly forgettable.
livelymon's review against another edition
5.0
I think this may have been my favourite of the Zelda mangas to read thus far.
This story has a fun set up, with Link preferring to work alone, only having to learn how to work with himself when he's split in four by the Four Sword. Each Link feels very distinct and it's fun to see them interact with each other as well as Shadow Link. It's very character driven, and it does so well. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Also the interview at the end of the Legendary Edition with the creators is a joy to read. I always enjoy getting insight into the creators minds.
This story has a fun set up, with Link preferring to work alone, only having to learn how to work with himself when he's split in four by the Four Sword. Each Link feels very distinct and it's fun to see them interact with each other as well as Shadow Link. It's very character driven, and it does so well. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Also the interview at the end of the Legendary Edition with the creators is a joy to read. I always enjoy getting insight into the creators minds.
tobitast's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
blainembentley's review against another edition
5.0
This legendary edition combines part 1 and part 2 of the Four Swords Manga. As both volumes combined in this edition makes a whole cohesive story, I won’t talk about each book separately in my review and instead talk about both together.
To start off, my only complaint is that this book wasn’t in full color. With Link separating into four different Links and the only differentiation is the color of their clothes, it would have been nice to have it in color to visually see who was who. The manga did a great job of giving each Link a different personality, so it was easier to differentiate in the dialogue and facial expressions of the Links. However, it still would have been really beneficial to have more of a visual indicator of color.
I really liked this one when you look at it from an adaptation perspective. In past ones it was fun to have them incorporate the dungeons/bosses into the story. However, these felt very rushed in general. Other stories had tried to cut out the dungeons from the story, but they suffered from not having Link grow/progress. Link was just stronger at the end with no show of his progression. In this story, I feel they did a great job of leaving out the dungeons, which kept the pacing perfect for the story. At the same time, they added in their own elements that allowed Link to grow and progress and we could see that progression/growth. I think having the Links separate, although not in the game, so beneficial for the story and it really made a better story in my opinion. I also loved the idea that shadow Link would try to convince one of the Links to go evil. Overall this made for a really compelling story and it didn’t feel like I was reading a video game, as the others have.
mosspierrot's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
grace_reads13's review against another edition
5.0
I really loved the character development all the different Link's went through. From Red, to Blue, to Green(the og), to Purple/Vio, and even Shadow Link. I was kinda hoping to see more with Shadow Link and Zelda because I thought there was SOME tension/angst between them. But then again, it is Legend of Zelda and that kinda of plot point isn't the main part of the story(but darn I wish it was...) This was very character driven and I loved every second of it!
ducky's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5