The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Reviews

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is ranked in the 51st percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
VG247
Top Critic
Oct 26, 2015

Nintendo had a fantastic idea with Tri Force Heroes, but the premise is underserved and undermined by some fundamental design issues and shaky online infrastructure. It's nothing short of a tragedy to wait a whole decade for another multiplayer Zelda and receive what feels like a largely unfinished idea with great potential.

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USgamer
Top Critic
Oct 26, 2015

Nintendo had a fantastic idea with Tri Force Heroes, but the premise is underserved and undermined by some fundamental design issues and shaky online infrastructure. It's nothing short of a tragedy to wait a whole decade for another multiplayer Zelda and receive what feels like a largely unfinished idea with great potential.

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45 / 100
Dec 11, 2015

[Y]et the most frustrating thing about Heroes is that the problem it addresses doesn't even need to be solved. Zelda's solitariness isn't lonely. It's directly in line with the tradition of the epic (if somewhat scaled back for our postmodern skepticism of metanarrative).

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5 / 10.0
Oct 21, 2015

With a story that often wanders off, design that never really comes into formation for single players, and a really weird lean into fashion, The Legend of Zelda: Tri-Force Heroes is a new idea that just doesn't gain any traction.

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5 / 10
Oct 21, 2015

The newest installment in the storied franchise tries a lot of new things, but accomplishes only a few.

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Cubed3
Top Critic
6 / 10
Oct 30, 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a disappointing entry in the long-running series. It looks great, and sounds great, and it is even incredibly fluid (so long as the online mode isn't played), plus has some well designed puzzles and boss fights. The wide variety of costumes that have their perks is a very Zelda-like idea and works out fine, but having some permanently stuck behind the friend token barrier will put many off. The best way to play this is with others locally, since online compromises the smoothness and solo just is not the way the game was designed to be played. When it works, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes can be fun. They say clothes make the man - in Tri Force Heroes's case, it is only dressed for gatherings and not for adventuring alone.

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3 / 5.0
Oct 26, 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a game that leaves you wanting more, for better or worse. You want more loot, or at least confirmation that when you go through the same tedious level again, you'll find exactly the item you need waiting at the end. You want more of a balanced challenge, with a single player that feels like it could be handled alone or a multiplayer that performs perfectly under any condition and is worth replaying. Most importantly, you want a real reason to keep returning to the game and not just a prospect of a pretty new look for the Link-alike. As is, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes feels like something you play, beat, then only return to if you're certain two people you know genuinely need aid to acquire necessary materials.

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Ray Carsillo
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Oct 21, 2015

Tri Force Heroes is a Zelda game in name only. When you dig just past the surface, poor gameplay mechanics and key missing elements for a Zelda title tarnish what is otherwise a serviceable adventure game.

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6 / 10
Oct 21, 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a mixed bag, though still exudes the charm of the franchise while throwing in some delightful features all of its own. Outfits are a high point, as are the presentation and soundtrack, and there are moments of wonder when level design and teamwork come together in harmony. There are weak points, however, with uneven stage design, poor communication options in multiplayer and a single player experience that's a mere afterthought. Tri Force Heroes isn't a bad game, but it's not on the same level as its illustrious predecessors.

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DualShockers
AJ Moser
Top Critic
6.5 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2015

Tri-Force Heroes shares a similar visual style to the 3DS' excellent A Link Between Worlds but the comparisons end there. For a handheld Zelda, this latest installment is serviceable and shallow in light of what the series has provided before.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 9, 2015

Zelda Tri Force Heroes isn't your typical Zelda outing, boasting the franchises most eccentric story and some fabulous graphics and that's not just about the clothing. Multiplayer is without doubt the best way to experience the land of Hytopia, just be wary that communication is restricted when playing online and single player feels like an afterthought. Tri Force Heroes is a fun experience that anyone can get into but because it's essentially a mini game spin-off title it may lose some of the diehard fans who are eagerly awaiting the next big instalment

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3.5 / 5.0
Oct 28, 2015

Tri Force Heroes is not the Zelda we've come to expect and certainly not the experience we're all so agonizingly, painstakingly looking forward to seeing more of (whatever platform it'll be built for).

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7 / 10.0
Dec 10, 2015

Classic Zelda puzzle-dungeons in a simple, in-and-out format.

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7 / 10
Nov 16, 2015

This Zelda spin-off is successful when you can get three players together, but feels much more empty solo.

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Oct 21, 2015

Triforce Heroes is very likable. It's hard to say whether the game will hold up to endless repetition without the deep upgrade systems of a Destiny or hack-and-slash RPG, but it's a fantastic, fun co-op game in short bursts. It also has a multiplayer Colloseum mode where you can battle it out against friends or strangers, with different gadgets to fight with in each compact stage. It still feels, however, a little Zelda-lite, and you really have to ask yourself whether you'll be able to play the game with mates rather than a random pick-up group. If the answer's yes, then dive on in. If not, prepare to take the rough with the smooth.

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7 / 10
Oct 20, 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes follows the footsteps of Four Swords Adventures and brings forth a very well designed multiplayer experience, whether local or online, and a significant degree of challenge, even for experienced players. While it seems odd that a Zelda title dispenses with the eponymous princess and with Link, Tri Force Heroes does its job in an irrepressible manner.

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Oct 29, 2015

There are glimpses of a fantastic game in The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, but you'll have to play under specific circumstances in order to experience it.

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7 / 10.0
Oct 29, 2015

Barely Zelda, but reasonably fun – assuming you have a Wifi hotspot connection or a couple of pals with whom to play

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7 / 10
Oct 21, 2015

A very good offshoot for the Zelda series, it's best – and in many ways should only be – played with friends. Fun, but a little shallow.

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Oct 31, 2015

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is an enjoyable multiplayer Zelda experience, but one that has trouble holding up too well over the long haul. Single player is a bit of a disaster, offering little more than tedium and frustration, so if you don't have some friends to play with you might want to avoid this game. Even without them though you can hop online, which works extremely well when all three players are invested. Overall, if you enjoyed Four Swords then you'll find something to like here, but casual fans might struggle.

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