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The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: October 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The Legend of zelda series started out in the late 18th's century and now Zelda Phantom Hourglass has come. Is the Hourglass full of sand or will it break. This is the first Zelda game to come to the newest portable consol, the nintendo DS, and it uses all of it's sensitive touch screen. Showing its first appearence in 2006 with it's magneficent trailer, you probably thought you couldn't wait to get your hands on it. Well guess what, your absolutly right. Their have been many negative comments about this game and your not going to read it here. I have been with the franchise since i was 6 years old, have have played this for 8 years and i got to tell this Zelda ain't broke.

Zelda Phantom Hourglass is the sequal of the Wind Waker for the nintendo GamecCube. Tetra (known as zelda) is missing and of course are old friend with the green tunic Link is off again to save her. But this time a strange mysterious ghost ship is in the picture, no spoilers here. Link then finds himself stuck in an island and thats how his adventure starts out. Of course sooner or later you'll be in long dungeons that we all come to know and love. And as your adventure progresses you will be incountering all sourts of new and interesting characters and weapons.

As you can see in the front case of the game theirs our heroec Link and a new character by his side. I'll keep this as a secret until you get the game but i would so called call him as the Captain Jack Sparow. Where Zelda Phantom Hourglass really shines is with it's mechanicle gameplay. Now by far i have loved how nintendo really tried out this new gameplay by using the Ds 's hardware. In the bottom screen you move Link by the stylus in your hand. Not only that you slice, tap, and poke the pen around the screen to make Link swing his sword, talk to character's, use device's and much more.

According to everybody with the game, they have incounterd that the graphics are fantastic. And if you dont think so your colored blind. Nintendo has truly put great detail into the games graphics, with the Ds's 3D perspective. You do not want to go back to the gameboys advances graphics after you played this game. I would have to say that the music is probably the best in any zelda franchise period. The composers truly out done themselfs.

To conclude this review, I would have to say this is the best nintendo DS game out their by far. With it's prescise gameplay control, incredible graphics, and oustanding music, it's hard enough to give this game a low rating. These might not be prescice but im just going to throw some numbers at you, were talking about a 15 to 25 hour game. If you go threw all the side quests and settings such it's new multiplayer function. Don't waste your time listening to us, go play this game for your self.

Gameplay: 9.5

Graphics: 9.7

Music: 10

Presentation: 9.0


9.6

Thanks for reading

True to the Zelda Legacy!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is one of the best games available for the Nintendo DS. It no doubt has the best graphics of any DS game, and is pushing New Super Mario Bros. as the best DS game to date. I am glad I was able to find a copy the day it came out, because this game is a lot of fun. The dungeons are a bit easy for experienced Zelda fans, but it doesn't detract from the fun. I do agree with other reviewers that the touch-screen and microphone use are a bit forced at times, but it is still an A+ game, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy! It may have Windwaker graphic but it stays true to the Zelda legacy, and is spectacular for a handheld!

A welcome debut on the DS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: October 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Like a lot of franchises, the Legend of Zelda tends to add a couple of different gameplay mechanics to make it feel like a different game, but fundamentally you're still getting the same thing. But when you have the "if it ain't broke..." adage fitting perfectly, one can understand Nintendo's reluctance to completely overhaul the series. With Phantom Hourglass, it's kind of like Minish Cap-style presentation with some of the more unique controls found in Twilight Princess. Does it make it a great game? Well it certainly does have the classic gameplay but it might not have the classic status of Ocarina of Time or even an underrated one like the Oracle series.

Story: Taking place a couple months after Wind Waker, Link is onboard the pirate ship with Tetra when they come across a mysterious ghost ship. Mind on treasure, Tetra goes onboard only to disappear and Link thrown overboard. He arrives on an island and with the help of a ship captain, Linebeck and a fairy named Ciela, Link searches for the ship to save his friend.

Graphics: Some might find it similar to Final Fantasy III's DS remake but that doesn't mean the graphics are bad. In fact, this is probably some of the most detailed and lively graphics on the DS. It really does have that kind of "miniature Gamecube" feel in some of the scenes.

Sound/Music: Zelda at times had the best music when it stuck to the familiar themes. Not saying the music's bad here, of course not, but there's times where you like the music playing but there really isn't that distinctive theme until you go "hey wait, is that a remixed version of Zelda's Lullaby?" But maybe it's just me.

Gameplay: Last time it was changing into a wolf, now, um, well there is the titular hourglass. Beating bosses fills up the hourglass a bit which allows more time to complete the dungeon of the Ocean King. Getting more items allows further access into the dungeon. It's a nice idea but it would nice if we didn't feel like going through the floors again in order to get to the next section. There is a halfway point but it would be nice if you can "zap" to the next section.

Along with Twilight Princess, this is probably one of the most different in terms of controlling Link. Done entirely (let me repeat, ENTIRELY, no control pad here) with the stylus, Link at times even controls better. Instead of locking in, you just tap the enemy and Link lunges with his sword; do a swipe and he'll horizontal slash or draw a circle around Link and he'll spin dash. Even using items like boomerangs and bombs are funner to use thanks to user-controlled flight paths for the former or precise throwing for the latter.

It's moving Link around the field that feels unpolished. Have the stylus farther away from Link and he runs, closer and he's slower or draw circles on the outside of the screen and he'll roll. There are times where you fall off cliffs because you pushed too far away, causing a sprint rather than a walk and rolls can be a pain to pull off. There was also a couple times where you have bomb flowers and pointing to them has Link pick them and instead you sword swipe them, causing them to explode in your face.

The sailing's more easier now. You just draw a path on your map and take a breather while firing a cannon now and then at enemies. However, it's this streamlining that might bug players who don't like the decrease in difficulty. Gone are the days of Link to the Past and the Oracle series where you can get easily stomped if you're not careful, Minish and Hourglass have a more accessible difficulty where you're not cursing the game because of one frustrating dungeon - Water Temple, anyone? - but still, the game depends on your skill as a Zelda gamer. Newbies can easily grasp it eventually while veterans might find the lack of difficulty disturbing. (heh heh, Star Wars reference).

If you've beaten Twilight Princess, Phantom Hourglass will easily tide you over. It's fun, not challenging and probably not the best Zelda recently but it's Zelda and that means enjoyable gameplay.

Zelda on DS...it had to happen

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: October 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'm sure Nintendo is feeling pretty safe. Through the years, they've amassed a nice collection of franchises they can bet on to keep people coming back. So here's another entry...The Legend of Zelda on Nintendo DS. Fans of the series should know what to expect, this game is really no different from any of the other ones. What made this one fresh is the fact that it's on one of the most innovative consoles ever, bringing that innovation to the Zelda series.

This is a direct sequel to GameCube's The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. While that game isn't the strongest entry (that honor goes to Ocarina of Time for N64), the cartoon look and humor fits quite nicely with the DS and I personally wouldn't have it any other way. All the usual Zelda elements are there, but this time you control with the stylus, which makes playing it all the more fun. Sword-fighting is done by simply touching the enemy or making a slash mark. The boomerang is used by tracing the path you want it to follow (this is simply ingenious!). Your ship's course is determined by tracing the path you want it to follow. The fact that you can also write notes on the game's map is very useful too.

Story-wise, it's simple and to-the-point. Obviously, Nintendo wanted to focus more on gameplay than story, and that's not a bad thing. The dungeons are rather short, but again, simplicity is rampant in this game. I really like the incorporation of the microphone! While it doesn't have speech recognition, you can simply blow in the mic to make things happen. I'm not a fan of having to do the main dungeon over and over again. That will definitely get tedious. The roll move is somewhat difficult to execute, which takes away from the otherwise brilliant play control.

My biggest complaints stem from aspects that have been done before in other games. The fairy that accompanies Link speaks for him and also suffers from memory loss, which is identical to Tippi the Pixl from Super Paper Mario (they even look similar). Also, in the main dungeon, Link's life will slowly drain unless he's in designated "Safe Zones", which is straight out of Dark Aether from Metroid Prime 2. Sure they change that up slightly with the use of the Phantom Hourglass, but that just serves to make the game somewhat on the easy side. Incidentally, Metroid Prime 2 borrowed part of its gameplay (light and dark worlds) from Zelda: A Link To The Past, so I guess the favor is returned?

Overall, however, this is probably one of the best games for the DS. It certainly will keep you occupied and coming back for more. While those looking for an expansive Zelda epic like Twilight Princess will undoubtedly be disappointed, this wasn't the point of Phantom Hourglass and it should still satisfy fans. It's a strong entry in the Legend of Zelda series.

Review by my 8 year old- Akshay

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 8
Date: October 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I just bought the game. It is very cool. I like it more than Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. I like it more than New Super Mario Bros too.

This game is about Zeld'a adventure. She has to fight some monsters and bad guys to go through various levels, before going through the final level. It includes some writing too. Graphics is pretty good. It is a little violent, but it is OK.

You could do WIC connection. My brother also enjoys it. We look forward to the adventure everday day. Or whenever my dad allows me to play.

Buy this game you won't be disappointed.

Not my favorite Zelda game, but still pretty awesome

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: October 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I figured I would get the bad out of the way first. I'm sure that there will be a lot of other reviews out there that will applaud the good points in the game, and while I feel that this game deserves such accolades I feel I must also caution other buyers about its downfalls, however few they may be:

- Maneuvering with the touch screen is innovative, fun, and, sometimes, a real pain in the rear. Your hand will sometimes obscure your view as you drag Link around the screen. There is no D-pad functionality; while that wasn't disappointing per se, I felt that it could have helped players if they at least had the option. Furthermore, certain functions (like rolling on the ground) become difficult because the game has a hard time differentiating your motions. Another challenge is when you're on your boat and you have to turn your view to see any enemies or obstacles, but the camera refuses to cooperate; it'll jerkily move over, or sometimes it won't move at all and you'll have to try it again at a slightly different angle to budge it. In that time frame the enemy could already have attacked you and left, or you could've run head-first into the obstacle without even seeing it. All in all these are relatively minor annoyances that don't seriously impact gameplay, but are little quirks that you begin to notice if you play for long periods of time.

- The graphics are superb for a handheld title, but I can't help but notice the blockiness as I play. I realize that the GameCube has superior hardware to the DS and can therefore crank out better graphics, but I miss the rounded, cleaner look of Wind Waker. Actually, I really miss the 2D look that Capcom had with the Minish Cap title, but that's just my personal preference. The game doesn't quite capture the cartoony look that WW had, and I'm not sure if it's because of hardware constraints or because of the top-down perspective (typical of all Zelda handheld titles). I can't quite put my finger on it.

- If you're planning on buying multiple copies of the game for the sake of multiplayer (à la Four Swords), don't. While the game does have multiplayer, you can just use the DS Download function. I bought an additional copy for my sister and I regret it, because the multiplayer function is a separate thing, kind of like a mini-game spinoff of one of the main dungeons in the game, and DOES NOT affect your actual game save. Furthermore, as I said, you can just use DS Download and you'll get basically the same thing. I wish I had saved my money and just bought one cartridge for the two of us to share. This isn't a very important point if you're just buying it for yourself. I recommend the multiplayer game because it's very fun, but it's definitely no Four Swords.

- The sound is REALLY soft. Even if I have the volume all the way up and I'm in a relatively quiet environment, I usually can't really make out the background music, I can only hear the sound effects. I'm not really sure why it's so quiet, especially since the tunes are kind of cute and pleasant. If you're really into game music I recommend playing with headphones, because otherwise you'll miss out on a great score.

With all that said and done, you must think I hated this game! On the contrary, I think it's the definitive game for the DS: it utilizes all of its features (even the weird ones like the mic and closing the cover) and does it in a way that isn't gimmicky but genuinely engaging. These are, as I said, minor nitpickings on a superb game. If you own a DS, do yourself a favor and pick this one up. It's worth it playing at least once with an open mind.

zelda phantom hourglass

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

great game.. I got it the first day it came out. I like that you get more freedom controlling the boomerang. You have to collect sea charts to go the next dungeon across the sea. Wit hthe use of the ship, you can explore many islands. Overall perfect game.

Beautiful and Intuitive, Zelda delivers

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that this is the most beautiful game on the DS to date. Zelda has always been a game I loved, I never played it till the N64 version of Zelda:OOT was released and It quickly became my favorite. I have played every Zelda game since then. A few months ago, I finished the newest Zelda for the Wii, Twilight Princess, and although it was a very good game I felt that the Wii controls was just added for the sake of it as you could play the Gamecube version with a regular controller and it wouldn't change the experience. I can't say the same for the Phantom Hourglass, the stylus controls gives the game a whole new perspective. It's not perfect but the way Nintendo incorporated the stylus is just brilliant, you really have to think out of the box in order to solve some puzzles. It might take a while before you get use to the controls but its definitely something DS owners should experience.

Fun, but falls short...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: December 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User

First off, this is a Zelda game. That means it's a good purchase and you should get it. However, this was easily my least favorite game in the entire franchise (WindWaker is my top in the series for comparison).

This game could have been really great but for one thing. The main attraction in a Zelda game in in the intricate dungeons and this game is severely lacking. There are a good number of dungeons... that's not the problem. But When playing a Zelda game, entering a new dungeon should evoke excitement and adventure. It should make you think, "whew... here we go!". Getting the new item in a dungeon should make you go "Aaaaah! Now I know how to get through those last 10 rooms!" and should be exciting.

This game had none of this feeling. Every dungeon but one seemed very short and was more like simply traveling through a cave with embellishments rather than a full-blown dungeon. Some of the bosses were cool, but you would reach them so quickly after entering a dungeon that they didn't have time to build up the suspense.

Honestly, if this game were not part of the Zelda franchise, I would have given it 4 stars, but being Zelda I really did have higher expectations. Still worth buying, but not worthy of the name "Zelda".

The Legend of Zelda; Phantom Hourglass (9/10)

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For all intents and purposes this is how a Zelda game should be on the Nintendo DS.

The story is the usual save the princess, deafeat the bad guy, but instead of the normal castle, she is held prisoner on a ghost ship, which makes sense for this more pirate and oceanic world themed game. As a sequal to the Wind Waker it just doesn't seem as epic. I liked the story line but didn't feel as attached to a lot of the characters like in previous games. In my opinion this is the games weakpoint. I'd give it a good 7/10

The controlls are wonderfully incorporated using the touch screen to its fullest potential to solve all sorts of interesting puzzles, engaging combat, ocean navigation, using your weapons, navigating the menus, and simply moving. Also the abillity to write on the map is one of the best ideas I've ever seen in a zelda game. There are also puzzles that involve the use of all the other features of the DS including the microphone and folding the Dual Screens together. These are the most intuitive controls I've ever played with. Controlls are perfect so I'll give it a 10/10

For the DS, the 3D graphics while you navigate the ocean are great. While during dungeons and island hopping you still get the classic top down view, enhanced by the great cell shaded visuals. On top of that the second screen has an ever present map which is very very usefull. Graphics are excellent but could be slightly better 9/10

Sound is good, using some of the same musical themes and sounds from the Wind Waker while adding some new ones as well. Sound effects are pretty good. Overall sound is 8/10

So to recap:
Story: 7/10
Controlls: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 8/10
OVERALL: 9/10

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