The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords+/Four Swords Adventures is a 2004 video game for the Nintendo GameCube. Its main gimmick is use of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance as a controller rather than the Nintendo GameCube Controller. The Game Boy Advance is connected to the GameCube via the Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable.
The game is the third entry in the Four Swords line of The Legend of Zelda games according to the official timeline (following The Minish Cap and Four Swords).
In this entry, Link must rescue Princess Zelda and the Shrine Maidens after they are kidnapped by Shadow Link, Link's doppelgänger created by Ganon.
To do this, Link must use the legendary Four Sword, which splits its wielder into four identical copies of themself.
Hyrulean Adventure is the story mode of Four Swords Adventures. It can be played with one player using a GameCube Controller or multiple players using Game Boy Advances.
Any game with more than one player is treated as a competition between players to see who can collect the most Force Gems during a stage. Losing lives causes players to lose Force Gems during the final tally, while superlatives such as defeating the most monsters allotted extra Force Gems for the tally.
Players share their total Force Gem count in order to power up the Four Sword to its true potential.
When powered-up, the blade can create a beam of light (when the user has full health) as well as break the seals set by Vaati at the end of each stage.
In both single-player and multi-player games, the Four Sword must be powered-up by the time the end of the stage is reached.
If this condition is not met, the Four Sword allows Link to travel through time and go back to the beginning of the stage to collect more Force Gems before returning to the present.
For his efforts to thwart darkness, the Link in this game is called the Hero of Light (similar to how the Link in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is called the Hero of Time).
In games with 3 or 4 players, the player who is voted most helpful after each stage is called the Hero of Light, while the player who is voted least helpful is called the Hero of Darkness.
Shadow Battle is a competitive battle mode requiring 2 or more players, who must all use Game Boy Advances.
In this mode, four Shadow Links who appear similar to the four copies of Link from Hyrulean Adventure battle to be the last Shadow Link standing.
Multiple stages are available for this mode but must be unlocked by playing certain stages in Hyrulean Adventure.
The mode has no bearing on Hyrulean Adventure and is not considered canon.
Items appear in stages for this mode to help players gain more kills. These items are typically obtained through crytal balls which, when picked up and thrown, reward the player with a random item.
Navi Trackers is a mode exclusive to the Japanese and Korean versions of Four Swords Adventures. It can be played with one player or multiple players. All players must use a Game Boy Advance, even if there is only one player.
This mode utilizes the graphics of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and features Link, Tetra, and Tetra's pirate crew.
In this mode, Tetra invites Link (as well as three identical copies of him) to gather coins from her crew while racing around a map. Whoever collects the most coins from the crew by the time a timer ends is the winner.
The game is largely seen as a party mode.
It is theorized that the mode was removed from versions of the game other than the Japanese and Korean versions due to the voice acting in the mode, which would need to be redubbed into other languages.
This mode has no bearing on Hyrulean Adventure and is not considered canon.