Gaming Generations :: Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Sabetsu · Posted: Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject:

LEGEND OF ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS

Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: 10/1/2007
Official Website: http://www.zelda.com/phantomhourglass/
Genre: Adventure
Number of Players: 1
ESRB Rating: (E) Everyone
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REVIEW

The Legend of Zelda series has always been regarded as the utmost adventure game by long-time gamers since 1987. Now, twenty-one years later, the Legend of Zelda series is as popular as ever, and rightfully so, owing to the newest installment in said series and the innovative controls implemented through the Nintendo DS stylus and touchscreen. This next installment in the Zelda series, a direct sequel to Wind Waker (GameCube) is far from a disappointment.

GRAPHICS
Considering that this title is on the Nintendo DS, you are not going to be finding next-gen graphics in this hand held game. However, Phantom Hourglass has bright, eye-catching colors in the same style of animation, called cell shading, used in Wind Waker. During cut scenes, the graphics do take one for the team, as they tend to be slightly pixel lated and less detail-intensive for the close-up shots.

PLOT
Phantom Hourglass begins with Tetra, Link, and the pirate crew on board their pirate ship. When Tetra's ship encounters the Ghost Ship, a much-feared pirate vessel that has been purportedly kidnapping residents of nearby islands, Tetra jumps onto the Ghost Ship to explore and disappears, engulfed in a mysterious fog. Link attempts to follow Tetra, but instead falls off the ship and ends up stranded.

When Link awakes on a beach in an unknown location, he meets a fairy named Ciela, who has some form of amnesia and can't remember who it (she?) is. Ciela leads Link to her â€œgrandfatherâ€, an old, hunched-over man named Oshus, who will help Link on his quest to find the Ghost Ship and reunite with Tetra.

SETTING
In Wind Waker, Hyrule, the land in which Link lives, was covered in a thick rain and subsequently flooded. Only the peaks of the highest mountains are still accessible in Phantom Hourglass, however, Link is in another part of Hyrule which is under control by the Ocean King. There are four pieces of a map of the Great Sea, which, upon retrieval, allows Link to travel to these quadrants. In order to visit neighboring and distant islands alike, sea navigation is required.

GAMEPLAY
The most appealing characteristic of Phantom Hourglass is, by far, the highly intuitive controls. Everything is controlled by the touch-sensitive screen on the DS, sorry, directional pad lovers. In order to control Link, the player must simply drag the stylus where they want him to go. Battle is simple but fun and employs three methods with the sword; tap on an enemy to approach and obliterate it, swipe the stylus across the screen for Link to slash his sword where he stands, or draw a circle around Link to perform a 360Â° attack where he stands. Customary with Zelda games, you also receive a boomerang (which is especially fun to use), bombs, and crossbow. Not only do you use these items to attack enemies, you also use them to solve puzzles. As for the actual game play, Phantom Hourglass begins as a very easy game in order to acclimate the user with the controls and story, but later on becomes more difficult, especially in the puzzle realm of the game. In fact, some of the puzzles are as innovative to even use the microphone, and the system itself. However, this game remains appealing to just about anyone.

After awhile of playing the game, you will appreciate the fluidity and simplicity of the controls, as well as its ergonomic and entertainment values. Your hands are much less tired after three or so hours of playing than they would be if you had to use the directional pad and face buttons. Maps are always displayed on the top DS screen, which can be written on to discern locations from one another or mark down puzzles or symbols. In addition, each dungeon or temple has its own theme, and the way the player controls Link changes depending on his surroundings. Every level is unique.

In order to navigate the Great Sea, the player draws a line, directing the ship to other ports, which can be redrawn at any point. The player is responsible for making sure the ship arrives at each port safely, protecting the ship from enemies and rocks alike. Exploring the Great Sea is as important as exploring the islands in Phantom Hourglass.

SOUND
The sound in Phantom Hourglass is crisp and clear. The music does not have a MIDI-like sound to it, and some of the songs (especially the Great Sea song) are pretty catchy. The characters do not speak, as customary, but instead speak through text. Sometimes, characters make noises, such as Ciela the fairy, to alert the player.

MULTIPLAYER
In the multiplayer of Phantom Hourglass, one player gets to choose a dungeon level. There are separate teams, with what looks like Triforce shards in the center. Each player gets one turn to be Link and retrieve these shards and place them into their designated area, and four turns as guards that are attempting to take Link down. The two forms of play are pretty different. Link is controlled as normal, but when playing as the guards, the player must draw lines through the map on the lower screen in order to foil the other player's attempt to retrieve Triforce shards. Whenever Link is holding one of these shards, his player can see the location of the guards on their map, but if they put it down, the guards are once again hidden. There are a limited amount of Triforce shards, so when the second player gets a chance to be Link, there is a high probability they will need to steal the shards from the first player's designated area.

While the multiplayer mode tends to get quite competitive, it is not innovative nor especially entertaining compared to the rest of the game.

SUMMARY
Phantom Hourglass is quite a different game compared to the rest of the Zelda series. The story is easy to understand, and the controls show one just how innovative and powerful the DS can be, allowing for nearly every DS owner to cherish this title. The sound is crisp, the colors are vivid, and the puzzles leave the player feeling accomplished once completing them. The ability to manipulate every tool in the game through the touch screen makes it amazing and a new classic title, pushing the envelope even farther for new Zelda games to come.
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Pictures courtesy of GameSpot.com
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SABETSU
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