The Legend of Zelda has experimented with a lot of genres over the years. Hyrule Warriors is a good example of a successful experiment, adopting the Dynasty Warriors style and letting fans enjoy large-scale war and tactics in Hyrule, playing as some of their favorite characters other than Link. In contrast, Link's Crossbow Training is a weirder and less well-remembered genre exploration on the Wii, offering a motion control-based shooting gallery. The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is an especially weird title: the Link from A Link Between Worlds comes to a new kingdom and ends up in a multiplayer, fashion-themed romp on a quest to cure a princess from a curse.
Tri Force Heroes can't be faulted for experimenting. It served as a spiritual successor to the Four Swords games by means of three-player multiplayer with cooperative combat and puzzle solving. Years later, players remember this Nintendo 3DS title with admittedly mixed feelings. While its concept was unique and offered some great multiplayer moments, there's plenty about Tri Force Heroes that Nintendo could fix. That's why it ought to come to Switch. There's some important flaws in the game that Nintendo could address on the new console, especially with the help of the Nintendo Switch OLED.
The Legacy of Tri Force Heroes
There are a few things that Tri Force Heroes did really well. For instance, collecting materials to craft into outfits with the help of Madame Couture proved to be a very rewarding mechanic. Each of the dozens of outfits that Madame Couture can make for Link give him valuable passive abilities that help him out across the diverse levels in Tri Force Heroes. Players were encouraged to tactically coordinate outfits before starting a level, giving them a diverse set of skills that make the level easier. Tri Force Heroes did well to design puzzles that made use of the odd three-player multiplayer, including introducing the Totem mechanic where Links stack to gain a height advantage and toss each other around.
In spite of these clever and approachable mechanics, Tri Force Heroes had some significant flaws. Local multiplayer worked great, but the online multiplayer left something to be desired. Lots of Tri Force Heroes players either got disconnected during online matches, or saw their teammates get disconnected. Players had no real recourse for situations like this. Tri Force Heroes demanded three players to work together at every section of every level, so a single disconnect naturally makes the game more difficult to play. There also wasn't any system built in to make up for disconnecting players, so losing a player could feel like a waste of time.
The unreliability of the Nintendo 3DS's online network paired with a lackluster single-player and some repetitive game elements mar the memory of Tri Force Heroes. What could have been a gem as far as Zelda side games are concerned is instead remembered uneasily. That's the reason Nintendo should take another swing at it, as a wonderful idea for a multiplayer game lies at the heart of Tri Force Heroes, but it needs some adjustments before it can really shine.
How a Switch Port Could Help
A new version of Tri Force Heroes on the Switch could address a ton of complaints about the game. For instance, Nintendo could take the time to reexamine the single player, changing the way that Link's Doppels behave and potentially replacing the inanimate puppets with alternate Links that have some level of NPC intelligence. It'd definitely be more fun to get the help of extra Links rather than needing to shuffle the Doppels around by hand. Nintendo could take another crack at some of the level design too, introducing a little more variety.
The main thing that another version of the game can fix is online connectivity. Although some Switch users have their doubts about Nintendo Switch Online, it's reliable enough that it could perform better than 3DS online play, and it's possible to use ethernet - albeit with an extra attachment. The newly introduced Switch OLED is a particularly good reason for a Tri Force Heroes port. In contrast to the Switch's somewhat limited wired Internet, the Switch OLED has an ethernet port built into its dock, which could make a massive difference in terms of connection stability. The 3DS certainly had no ethernet option, so the Switch has a huge leg up as a platform for the title.
Nintendo is busy on the Zelda front thanks to next year's Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. A Tri Force Heroes reboot probably isn't a priority for Nintendo, but that's okay. The Switch OLED proves that the Switch line of consoles is here to stay for a few more years, so a second version of Tri Force Heroes could serve as a late addition to the console family's library that's largely geared toward Switch OLED users. It doesn't hurt that the OLED screen and the improved audio would work wonders for Tri Force Heroes' charming, colorful visuals and solid soundtrack.
Tri Force Heroes is Worth Revisiting
There's an argument to be made against giving Tri Force Heroes another chance. Some might feel that feelings about the game are too mixed to make it worth revisiting. However, that's exactly why Nintendo should give it a remaster. Within the same franchise, there's an excellent example to be made in Skyward Sword HD. The original Skyward Sword wasn't beloved by everyone, but Nintendo is still bringing it to Switch with a ton of adjustments and improvements. Early reviews of Skyward Sword HD look favorable, with critics admitting that the game is better in a lot of ways, even if other flaws remain.
Tri Force Heroes could easily get the same treatment, and it ought to. It was an interesting new take on The Legend of Zelda and specifically the Four Swords concept of a multiplayer Zelda game, thanks to Tri Force Heroes' three-player mode and equipment system. The Switch and the new Switch OLED have plenty of tools that'll help the game out. The Switch has sold so well that multiplayer is very accessible too, which sets Tri Force Heroes up for success. Hopefully Nintendo realizes that there's still some potential left in the game.
The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is available now for Nintendo 3DS.