There is a one-player mode, but it’s a completely different experience, and not in the best way. You control all four Links and use the regular controller, removing the two quirks this title has going for it. If you only have two players, you'll control two Links apiece that are forever joined at the hip. It's a sacrificial way to play, but going solo is just not a recommended option. Two or four players really is the only way to go. There's no other experience like four people playing the same game, each looking at their own Game Boy screen when they break away from the group.
The major faults here are the graphics and sound, which look like they crawled right off the Game Boy Advance. Simple graphics, however, let there be nearly a hundred enemies on the screen and there's plenty of colorful, Wind Waker-inspired smoke snaking across the battlefield. Either way, every so often you'll remember, "Hey ... this is on the GameCube," and wonder why the visuals couldn't stand to be a little better.