But, for as much as Nintendo has tried to keep the franchise alive and well, The Legend of Zelda games have always maintained a set of core features and values, becoming a bit formulaic lately. Hey, don't get us wrong, we love the games, but you have to admit that it's becoming old hat in the way that they are doing things, always sidetracking you with another task when all you want is entry into one area of the game (see: where you need to go). This "gopher" way of doing things (go for this, then you can go for this) is kind of becoming a problem with the franchise.
One of the ways Wind Waker was better than its predecessors and tried to nip this in the bud a bit was the inclusion of its open seas, allowing the player to go wherever they wanted from the get-go. Sure, the fields and other locales that made up Hyrule proper in these titles (even in Twilight Princess, which released several years after Wind Waker) were accessible and presented an illusion of a game world that was freely navigable from the outset. The reality was, in fact, different.
So, what does this have to do with Phantom Hourglass? Everything.
The game chooses a kind of "Wind Waker Lite" or "Diet Wind Waker" approach, in a way. It allows you to do a lot of the same things that were in the first game, just to a lesser degree. Take, for example, navigating the seas.
One thing Phantom Hourglass has over Wind Waker is the sea-faring vessel. While we love the King of Red Lions, having a boat with an engine is a BIG plus. And, it makes the navigation much easier, as you're no longer dependent on the wind, trading that in for your stylus. In plotting courses on the bottom screen, your ship will follow your line exactly. But, where you might have enjoyed the visual aspect of sailing in Wind Waker, the seas and sky don't look as breathtaking as they did in the GameCube game. But, hey, who wasn't expecting that? But, what we love is that you're free to roam the seas and not limited to going somewhere because you can't bomb a big rock or jump a tall fence with your horse.
The stylus, as you may well know, also heavily influences Link's behavior. It not only commands his movement, but also his combat actions and allows you to scribble on the game's various maps, so that you may remember aspects of puzzles or certain important locations. Slashing the stylus across the screen will task Link with doing the same with his sword. Drawing circles around the little guy will have him perform his spin attack. Drawing small circles at the edge of the touch screen will allow Link to roll, knocking loose goodies from trees if you position yourself correctly. Tapping objects in the environment such as rocks and jars will have Link pick them up. It's an intuitive control set-up and never gets in the way of the game.As with other games bearing the Zelda name, Phantom Hourglass is a large game. There's plenty of dungeons to explore, as well as numerous islands in the game world, ship parts to unlock (the possible combinations are ridiculous), sea charts to find; it's enough to make your head spin. There are also a few different side quests in the game, for good measure. AND, there are tons of different gems to find, which can be taken to a hidden island and traded in for special abilities that are bestowed upon Link. Oh, and salvaging returns from Wind Waker (remember using the grappling hook to hoist treasure from the sea floor?), but it isn't as frequent a thing as it was in Wind Waker. It actually is a good thing, because we can't tell you how many times we had to leave treasure behind because our wallet was full.
Even with all of that, Nintendo saw fit to include multiplayer over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connect, adding even more replay value to the game. Here, players take turns (it's one-on-one) playing as Link or the three Phantoms. As Link, it's your job to grab the pieces laying around the map and drop them on your color zone. Once done, you're awarded points. Also, as Link, you'll find orbs located around that can give you special abilities (faster walk speed, super strength, etc.). As the Phantoms, you draw lines on the game map and try to block Link in or get close enough so that your Phantom will slash Link and let you take over as him. It's incredibly basic, but incredibly fun.
A look at the game's multiplayer action.
Given everything that makes up Phantom Hourglass, it's easily the best game on the DS. Ever. Seriously, for how much we love our DS and the incredible amount of amazing games available for it, Phantom Hourglass bests them all. It's a fully-fledged console title crammed into a tiny cart. Even stacked against some of the other entries in the franchise, it's still arguably one of the best. If you buy yourself one DS game this holiday season, it should be The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Final Score: 9.5/10
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-05-2007 @ 10:21AM
onepointfivevolt said...
I'm having flashbacks to Mario Kart DS, where everyone else in the whole entire world thinks it's the cat's ass, and I'm left saying "...huh? It's GOOD, but not the best." Phantom Hourglass is REEEALLY GOOD, but I'd hardly call it the best game on the system. It is one of the best games of the franchise, at least. It was too easy. WAY too easy. The last boss was so cake, it was insane. The abundance of minigames does not equal sidequests to me. They're not quests. They're minigames. Take the space on the cart you're using for minigames and turn it into real actual gameplay, and I'd be happier. I'd rather be rewarded for actually doing something related to the game than shooting arrows or cannons or driving Gongoron around.
Okay, enough complaining from me. No one agrees anyway!
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 10:40AM
Quaddw said...
The only thing that I dislike about this game is the temple that you have to keep returning to in order to get the new sea charts and so forth, to me doing that was just annoying in addition to the other annoyances located in the temple.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 11:50AM
keebler138 said...
I feel the same way, onepointfivevolt. I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone and I'm the only one who can see what's going on. Does anyone else here miss using buttons? Does anyone else miss ... god forbid... using the D-PAD to move?
Don't get me wrong, I think some of the uses for the stylus are alright. Moving around is pretty intuitive, drawing on the maps for some of the puzzles was kinda cool. But sword fighting wasn't exact, rolling into objects was REALLY annoying to get just right, and I didn't like feeling limited to having to draw out my route when navigating the seas.
I miss playing games like "Oracle of Seasons/Ages" and "A Link to the Past".
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 12:24PM
InspDim said...
Temple of the Ocean King = SUCK. And I agree that the final boss was way too easy. But I loved everything else about this game--especially the controls, which were easy to get used to and made a whole lot of sense. I hope more DS games in the future make this kind of excellent use of the touchscreen.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 12:36PM
AmishPhysicist said...
The things that bummed me out in this game were the fact that I probably got 10-20 repeat ship pieces and never actually completed the set, and the fact that they let you get through the whole game without having to find all 20 of each spirit stone. I mean, just give me some sort of metal-detector thingie near the end or something so I don't have to go through the whole damn game again with a walkthrough trying to figure out which one I missed. oi vey.
The completionist in me is crying out, here, people.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 12:47PM
mechevar21 said...
Bought this for my girlfriend and I'm playing along. Though we haven't completed the game yet I agree with all the positive point brought up in the review. The game is definitely fresh and innovative with the stylus controls. But yes, the game is very easy and does not punish the gamer at all for playing poorly. Bear in mind I'm the kind of gamer that buys Mega Man and Castlevania games just play them on "hard" mode. There are pots with hearts around every turn and if you die in a dungeon without saving, you don't lose any items (you just warp back to the beginning of the dungeon). That "mainstream" gripe aside, the journey is very fun and fresh.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 1:04PM
Finny388 said...
I agree it is a wonderful game.
But I just get annoyed with the saving system. What am I saving if I can't load? What is the diff between this and autosave? i.e. die?
I am trying to get the bomb over to the rocks to get to Eddo's house for a cannon and everytime I die I have to start all the way back on another (Mercis?) island. Sheesh.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 1:10PM
Hirsbrunner said...
Agree w/2. & 4. Having to go back through the Temple is very annoying. I'm not having as much fun w/this Zelda entry as I had hoped/anticipated.
Still a good game, though.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 1:51PM
jeff said...
I like it pretty good, but I HATE how people can disconnect from a multi-player battle without penalty. I've had a majority of my wins taken away this way.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 2:10PM
Eddie said...
I so agree with what many of you said. That Temple I had to keep going through was sooooo annoying. But there was a whole lot of very cool, very creative additions to the game too. I really like how they put the mic, and the touch screen to use in some of the puzzels. The part where you had to close the DS was awesome!
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 2:48PM
stedaman said...
the score is spot on...the game is amazing...not Galaxy amazing but 9.5 is so right.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 7:03PM
JayDee said...
It strange. I thought the game was far, too short and far, far too easy. But when I was playing the game, it didn't bother me in the slightest, only after I'd finished.
Loved the controls, and the graphics. I really enjoyed the way the dungeons were designed as one space rather than little rooms. I loved the main temple dungeon, and the stealth (which I hated in WW.) I just found myself wishing there was another game, using exactly the same system, that was painfully difficult. A Zelda game for the hardcore only. Sigh. I guess casual demographic > hardcore demographic.
@jeff: Isn't there meant to be a way to recognize people who drop out? Their little link face gets angry or something? At least, it was mentioned in the book, haven't been online yet.
Reply
11-05-2007 @ 7:56PM
crock said...
Great review guys. I'd have to say I agree with your review a hundred percent. I loved this game it's a tie between this and twilight princess as my second favorite zelda title.
Reply
11-06-2007 @ 2:41AM
Kefka said...
Too easy: agreed, very much so.
Returning to the ocean king temple: I didn't mind it too much, since every time you returned, you had a new item or two which would allow you to take shortcuts and access areas/chests that you couldn't previously.
Stealth: Liked it a lot more in this than in WW. It isn't hard to stun Phantoms with your sword or bow, and there's always plenty of safe zones.
My only problem with this review is that you're praising the game for being "open". It isn't. You get an illusion of freedom by being able to sail around at will, but there's very very little of any consequence that you can actually DO unless it's you're meant to do it at that time.
And more so, some of the reasons reek of "you cant do this because the game doesnt want you to". Sure there's a few optional things and things you can do earlier or later depending on how much you like to explore, but they're minor overall.
In the end, I gave up (a bit) on my "do everything else possible before next story objective" style of play because I was sick of getting shot down with weak excuses.
I still love the game, but it's very linear.
Reply
11-10-2007 @ 12:52AM
Brello said...
I actually set my game down after getting the last sea chart and really haven't felt like picking it up again yet. There's so much time spent on sailing, navigating the temple, and running around with far too little fighting monsters. I'm also getting tired of solving every dungeon with the item you find in said dungeon. I know they've been using this style for quite some time, but it really takes the "puzzle" out of the puzzle. Still a decent game, I'll finish it eventually. Every new zelda that uses the topdown, get every item then finish the game I'll probably avoid from now on. New Marios work, because platforming is always fun. Topdown just doesn't have the same stale-proof factor. I keep getting that "been there, done that" feeling. That withstanding, still a decent game.
Reply
12-11-2007 @ 11:46PM
manaman said...
Interesting, because I actually was glad to see the return to top-down. Seems there's too much focus on the 3D these days. Meh, oh well. To each his own.
11-10-2007 @ 1:00AM
Brello said...
@1 While I do think Mario Kart DS is the cat's ass, I don't think a lot of people would disagree with you on those points. Those are the most common gripes, it seems. In addition to all that, I would have liked more combat.
Reply
12-11-2007 @ 11:44PM
manaman said...
Yeah,
My only complaint is that I wish there was room for one more save slot. It seems like this is the first "Zelda" game that doesn't have that. Or is it me? Anyway, I miss it because I don't like deleting my data until I go through another time and collect better data. The problem? My wife has her game on the second save slot. So, I have to delete my data and possibly lose all my sets of ship parts.
Minor detail. Otherwise, I found this very enjoyable and might pick up a walkthrough just so I can find everything else.
This would be my pick for game of the year--but I'm biased.
Later,
manaman
Reply
1-28-2008 @ 7:45AM
manaman said...
Never mind,
I was just going back and playing "Majora's Mask" and remembered it only has two save slots as well--I suspect because of cartridge storage issues? . . .
Anyway, I still wish there were three in "Phantom Hourglass,"
manaman