Shadow Battle

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures featured a multiplayer Battle Mode. The battles differ from the main Hyrulean Adventures mode in that the Links will fight one another, rather than the cooperative gameplay. This aspect of Four Swords Adventures is only playable with 2-4 players; all of which must be using a Gameboy Advance.

Optional Rules
The following handicaps and rules can be enabled to balance gameplay for players of differing experience levels.

Stages
All of the Battle Arenas are small areas with a few Gameboy Advance specific areas as well as a central screen. More stages are unlocked with further progression in the Hyrulean Adventures mode. The unlocked dark versions of each stage is similar to its counterpart, but the field of view is much smaller. Also there are minor differences in Environmental Hazards between versions.

The Field
The central area for this stage consists of a grass covered shore side field. A single hut and a cave along the cliff edge serve as sanctuary from the larger arena. Switches found in high grassy areas can open trapdoors, surround items with bombs, or summon monsters. Other effective considerations are that ramming the house will summon 3 soldiers, ramming the tree will arouse its bees, and provoking the cuccos will cause an angry swarm to descend on Links left outside.

The Field (Dark) is the same area, the one difference is that switches are relocated.

Tower of Flames
As its name suggests, this stage is dominated by lava, fireballs, and explosives. Rooms at the north and south walls, as well as a sub-floor room provide the safety from the central area hazards. Raging fires and a mad chain reaction with the bombs lining the lava make this the most chaotic stage of all.

Tower of Flames (Dark), in addition to the limited visibility, the switches drop bombs even in the offshooting rooms.

Tower of Winds
The sole 2D split screen stage to battle in. The stage is set up as a network of doors and ladders. The doors are portals to a Dark World version of the stage. The Dark World allows for a few nasty antics such as dropping a Big Bomb on screen.

Tower of Winds (Dark) offers more switches and a rain of bombs attack.

Hyrule Castle
This stage is a simple courtyard. Or not, as soldiers patrol the grounds. The Dark World portals are time limited areas. Link will warp back to the Light World after 10 seconds are up. Grabbing items and tossing other Links into harms way are the best use of the portal.

Hyrule Castle (Dark), offers more switches to unleash a swarm of bombchu to the Light World.

Above the Clouds
This stage is a rectangular cloud with an obvious falling hazard. Rotating flame pillars and color specific tiles make this stage the slowest to traverse. A room below the cloud contains a switch to reverse the fiery arms rotation and a cannon to launch a menacing down thrust from.

Above the Clouds (Dark) gives the pillars 4 arms instead of 2, but no other differences.