The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS Review) by Austin D.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
System: Nintendo DS
Release: October 1, 2007

December 4, 2010, by Austin D. - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the first Zelda title to be released on the Nintendo DS. It provides full usage of the DS' hardware, including the touch screen and WiFi capabilities. It takes place after The Wind Waker and even uses the same cell-shaded graphical style. However, does it live up to the franchise's high expectations?

Phantom Hourglass's story is set a few years after the events that occurred in the Wind Waker. You start out on a pirate ship chasing down a ghost ship that has reportedly been kidnapping residents of the surrounding islands. Tetra boards the ship and as Link is trying to follow her, he ends up falling into the ocean and waking up on an island sometime thereafter.

Eventually you learn that the main antagonist of the game is the evil Bellum and that to defeat him you need to get the powers of the Phantom Sword. However, obtaining said Phantom Sword is no easy task. Amongst the many dungeons and temples that Link must best in order to proceed to the required 'Pure Metals' that are needed to forge the Phantom Sword, are several bosses that frequent the series in one form or another.

The gameplay mechanics are implemented rather flawlessly other than Link's roll. In order to accomplish this, players must draw circles repeatedly on the edge of the touch screen in the direction you want Link to roll. Often times, Link may perform some type of sword attack or other undesirable action. Another flaw is the repetitive nature of the Temple of the Ocean King since you must navigate through it several times throughout the game in order to proceed any farther. This flaw, however, does not necessarily take away from the overall appeal of the game as there are many other contributing factors that encompass said appeal.

One of these factors is the many items and weapons that Link attains throughout his perilous journey to save his dear friend Tetra. The familiar Bow & Arrows see their much welcoming appearance and not without being is Zelda fashion either as they become a much desired weapon throughout the game. Several other items standard to the series sees their return as well. Some include: the Bombchu, Boomerang, Fishing Rod, and the Bombs.

The graphical style of the game is very similar to that used in previous title, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. The style is rather 'cartoony' and provides a nice overall atmosphere to the game.

Phantom Hourglass was also the first game in the series to feature a WiFi multiplayer experience. Players play as either Link or the Phantom. While playing as Link, one must try to collect as many Triforce shards as they can to gather up points while the other player controls three Phantoms trying to conquer Link in his adventure to snatch up as many shards as possible. There are many maps to choose from and this feature provides hours of extra gameplay as well as secrets for the single player adventure as well.

Link's ship, the S.S. Lineback, features the ability to be customized with various parts found throughout the game. Several pieces can be found in chests or pulled up as treasure with the crane that is attached to the boat. In order to fully acquire all of the ship's pieces, though, one must accomplish many tasks in the aforementioned multiplayer mode. The pieces obtained from multiplayer are none other then the 'Golden' ship parts. So with the many possible things one can do in the game, it proves it be a wonderful experience to any fan of the series or of gaming in general.



The Verdict

Sound
10/15 - Phantom Hourglass features a well structured soundtrack albeit it was slightly repetitive and of a lower musical quality then previous titles in the series. Some of the songs used throughout the game provided a delightful atmosphere for the context it was used while others were seemingly 'blah' with relation to how it was presented.

Graphics
20/20 - While the soundtrack may have been lacking in excellence, the graphics show no premise of blemishes in the quality department. They look stunning for the DS and had a nice feel and atmosphere to them.

Appeal
20/25 - The game has a great replay value with it being the first in the series to feature WiFi capabilities. The multiplayer provides loads of challenges. The single player adventure is no different; it features a good amount of side quests that add to the overall fun-factor.

Gameplay
36/40 - Phantom Hourglass has a great control scheme overall but it lacks in some departments. The way you make Link perform a 'roll' is somewhat odd and can cause a little confusion. There are, however, many features and items that overcome that drawback and help to propel this game as one of the more memorable in the series for me.

Overall
86/100 - Overall, the game is sure to provide hours of fun for those searching for just the necessary elements required to progress the story. If you are like me though, the game will provide countless hours of play due to the many side-quests and objectives there are to complete as well as the fantastic strategy-styled multiplayer.