The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS Review) by Zeypher

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the first Zelda title to release on the Nintendo DS, and it takes full usage of the DS' hardware, including the touche screen and Wifi capabilities. The game picks up where The Wind Waker leaves off, and uses the same cel-shaded style of graphics.

Gameplay 9/10
Phantom Hourglass is unique from other Zelda titles in terms of controlling Link. Players control our favorite Hylian completely with the touch screen, instead of with the D-pad. Moving the stylus across the screen will cause Celia to move, and Link follows her. Combat is also different from traditional Zelda games. Instead of using A or B to attack, players tap enemies with the stylus to make Link slash his sword. A 360 drag around Link will result in a spin attack. Secondary items can be selected from the touche screen, and have very nice functionality, such as the Boomerang and Bow.

Story 8/10
The game picks up right where The Wind Waker leaves off. Link, Tetra, and the band of pirates are looking for a new land to be Hyrule. After months on the sea, they come across the dreaded Ghost Ship. Tetra jumps aboard the ship to explore, and moments later her scream is heard by Link and the pirates. Link immediately runs and jumps to the Ghost Ship to save her, but falls into the sea. He is woken on an island by a fairy named Celia. She takes Link to go see the elder, where he is told about Tetra being captured on the Ghost Ship. The story unfolds as you go through the game, but it isn't as in-depth as other Zelda titles.

Graphics 9/10
The graphics look really nice for a DS game. They're cel-shaded like The Wind Waker, only with less polish of course due to hardware limitations, but still very good looking. Top down camera angles work really well just like classic Zelda games.

Sound 6.5/10
The soundtrack for Phantom Hourglass is lackluster at best. There are some bright spots, such as boss battles, but dungeon themes get extremely boring. Overworld themes are OK, but nothing amazing.

Single-Player 7.5/10
The main adventure in Phantom Hourglass is a tad bit short, and in all honesty, easy. Players can breeze through the game in 7-8 hours if they don't mess around with extras. There are some nice puzzles in the game, but nothing too hard. The main downfall, though, is the Temple of the Ocean King. Its extremely repetitive and long. Even worse, players have to travel through it with added floors after each dungeon. If you're like me and enjoy extras, then you're in luck. There are numerous minigames found throughout the various islands, fishing, treasure hunting, customizable ship, and a trading sequence.

Multi-Player 10/10
Phantom Hourglass is the first Zelda game to feature Wifi multiplayer. It keeps track of your win/loss record, and there's even a good number of challenges to unlock, which reward players with ship parts in the main game! Battling is a lot of fun, too. Players take turn controlling Link and the Phantoms. When controlling Link, the goal is to collect Triforce Shards and put them in your respective safe area, and/or steal your opponents. The objective while controlling the Phantoms is to go after Link and attack him. One hit on Link will kill him, and then players switch sides. Phantoms are controlled with the touch screen and are moved around, kind of like Chess. Very fun and challenging. Best 2 of 3 wins.

Secrets/Unlockables 9/10
Various hidden islands in the main game, along with a trading sequence. Wifi play has a lot of challenges to unlock, which give ship parts in the main game.

Replay Value 9/10
The main game is fun the first time around, but you probably won't have much fun doing a second playthrough due to the Temple of the Ocean King. There are quite a lot of extras in the game, as stated above. Multiplayer will also keep you entertained.

Phantom Hourglass is a great game. While it lacks an in-depth story like previous Zelda games, along with a challenging adventure, it is a ton of fun to play with the exception of the Temple of the Ocean King. As said numerous times before, multiplayer is lots of fun and will keep you playing for weeks if not months

9.0/10