The Legend of Zelda : Phantom Hourglass - 10/10

Storyline

The story starts where the Windwaker finishes, with Link and Tetra setting off sailing in search of new adventure. Along their travels, they hear of a ghost ship that is capturing sailors and set off in search. Once they find the Ghost ship, Tetra jumps on board, but as soon as she does, the Ghost ship takes off. Our courageous Link dives for the ship, but falls off seconds later. He ends up washed ashore a new island, and so the adventure starts.....

If you haven't played the Windwaker before, I would assume that it would be very easy to get familiar with the storyline, as Nintendo had no problem reminding us in the opening dialog that Tetra is actually Princess Zelda, and that yet again, she needs rescuing.


Game play



It's very different to any DS game I've played. Which is a good thing.

The stylus is the main control element in controlling Link. You use it to walk around with, and to draw hints and memos on maps that you acquire. You also use it with certain items, so for the boomerang, you draw where you want it to fly, and it then follows you path. You also use the stylus for swordplay, tapping a enemy does a jump attack, short lines swing the sword, and drawing circles around link makes him do multiple spin attacks. Do too many and you get dizzy!

Another cool feature is the fact that you blow into the microphone to blow out torches, or spin windmills. You even use it to call people in one stage. Nintendo have really though about the DS hardware when developing this game, as they usually do when releasing their own titles. Who else would think of incorporating closing the DS and reopening it as part of the game?

The game play as a whole is very similar to all Zelda top view games (a la LTTP or LA), and the dungeons are very puzzle orientated.

One thing that will stand out though, is that it's almost impossible to die. It's almost a little too easy...


Graphics



The visuals are a dead match for Windwaker, and look very pretty. Most basic enemies are from Windwaker. It uses the same cell shading approach that it's Gamecube predecessor used. Now I was actually a fan of the Windwaker's visuals, but many people weren't (expecting TP visuals). I really like the cartoon look, but it's done with great effort, as explosions and bomb smoke are all extremely well animated. Because our little green hero doesn't talk, Nintendo have done a great job with animating his facial expressions, and getting the character to show emotion.


Sound



The sounds are also very similar to WW, with the usual grunts and 'Hey' as Link leaps, attacks and slashes. The music is orchestrated well as Zelda titles are, music speeds up time runs out, Boss battles have a urgency about them, and it all slows down when things are safe again. But it's the little things that are done well to set it apart, from waves breaking on the beach to the seagulls flying overhead when in the vessel that make you realise how much work has gone into the little things as well. But then again, you would expect no less from a Zelda game.


WIFI



Included with the game is a battle mode. You play as either Link or as a Phantom knight.

As Link you need to collect pieces of Triforce and place them on your base without getting hit from a Phantom. The bigger the piece, the more value it is, but the slower you will go. You can steal pieces from you oppoents base for yourself, or place is on the 'Phantom hiding tiles' to reset it back to neutral.

As the phantom, you control 3 knights that you use to draw lines to steer their path, much like the boomerang.

After about 10 games of this, your either going to love it or loathe it. For me, it's a nice side game, but it's not enough for this pure Zelda fan. You sort of get the feeling that it's was a bit rushed in development. GBA's Four Swords was much better.


Replay value



Hard question. If you are a perfectionist, then collecting all the bits and pieces may take you some time. If not, then from all reports the game is a bit short. Great, but short.


Summary



Producing a title that uses the DS hardware to it's maximum potential was a job that Nintendo were only going to be capable of. And Zelda fans can rejoice, because it's all done in the Phantom Hourglass. There are few games on the DS that take advantage of the touch-screen, and this is a must for any DS owner. You owe it to yourself to at least try it.

I'm giving this game a 10 because it's beautifully presented and uses the DS hardware to it's full advantage.

Submitted by SLVR 03/10/2007 41 10

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More Info:

Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, The

Other Reviews:

• SLVR Review 10/10 by SLVR
• jcadiram Review 10/10 by jcadiram
• insectoid Review 9/10 by insectoid
• Sumguy0 Review 9/10 by Sumguy0
• viperz Review 9/10 by viperz

Related News:

• Nintendo Awarded at GDC'08 27 Feb 2008 2
• Zelda makes Times top ten list 12 Dec 2007 10
• Phantom Hourglass wins Handheld GOTY 10 Dec 2007 4

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• Feature Review: The Legend of Zelda - Phantom Hourglass 27 Oct 2007 7

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