Phantom Hourglass is another timeless entry in the Zelda series that is sure to impress, both in design and fun factor.
But enough about the visuals, after all it’s the gameplay you’re interested in, right? Well, you need not worry, because Phantom Hourglass keeps that traditional formula we’ve come to expect and added a few twists as always into the mix as well. Perhaps the largest of those twists has absolutely nothing to do with the gameplay itself, but rather how you control the game altogether. Nintendo has ditched the directional pad in favor of an entirely touch controlled Zelda adventure. Sounds risky at first, but once you get your hands on the game I can assure you that it feels more natural and responsive than you could possibly imagine. You’ll drag your stylus across the lower screen to move Link in 360 degrees, swipe your stylus to slash your sword, and use the touch screen in various different ways to control the many items you gather throughout the game (ie. To throw your boomerang, you’ll simply draw your path using your stylus). Using these innovative controls, you’ll easily find your way around Phantom Hourglass’ breathtaking world, and into the dangerous dungeons you’ll wonder upon throughout the experience. Dungeons do of course return, and unfortunately that is where some of Phantom Hourglass’ flaws start to show. Without a doubt many of these dungeons are creative and a lot of fun to play through, but they are simply too short and too linear, especially in comparison to previous Zelda titles. Most likely this small downgrade is partly due to Nintendo’s recent “casual revolution” in the video game industry, or in other words, Nintendo’s new focus on non-gamers and casual players. In addition to this, several key extra items from the franchise are noticeably absent from Phantom Hourglass. Thankfully however, they have included some replacement collectibles in the form of treasure, which consists of things like jewels and ship parts. While it’s not of the caliber that heart containers and bottles are, it does make up for the lack of other collectibles in the game. It also adds a bit of length and challenge to the game that otherwise may not be found. Regardless, Phantom Hourglass still produces challenge, even if it’s not as hefty of a challenge as you might expect. You’ll still be getting stumped on a few tricky puzzles that might take you a few minutes to solve, and you’ll still have that occasional boss battle that you’ll have to redo once or twice, just don’t expect to see that happen as often.
Aside from the depth of on ground combat and puzzle solving, the sailing feature also makes a strong return in Phantom Hourglass. If you felt that the sailing found in WindWaker was at all tedious, than breathe a sigh of relief, because Nintendo has drastically improved the sailing feature. No longer will you have to fiddle with the direction of the wind when sailing, or spend several minutes of monotonous, eventless sailing. In Phantom Hourglass, you’ll simply draw your path on your sea chart (new charts are found within the Temple of the Ocean King, which you’ll frequently be visiting in the game) and be on your way. In the process of sailing, you’ll find treasure amidst the seas, enemies to shoot down with your canon, and uncharted islands to discover and explore (a few cameo appearances found while sailing are sure to give you a laugh). Surprisingly, you still maintain that sense of freedom on the seas as well, despite the fact that you aren’t actually controlling the ship while sailing. This is in fact one of the most improved features found in Phantom Hourglass. Now, it’s time to get to the reasoning for the subtitle “Phantom Hourglass”. Early on in the game, you’ll discover the Temple of the Ocean King, in which you’ll indeed find this time counting gadget. Don’t assume that’s all the hourglass is for, however, because while inside of this temple the hourglass counts down continuously, and when the last sand reaches the bottom of the hourglass then your game is over. While it’s a simple concept, it adds a new twist to the game, since you’ll be revisiting the temple multiple times during the game. You’ll eventually come to see just how key the Phantom Hourglass is to the plot of the game, which creates an immersive story you’re bound to enjoy, no matter how young or old you are. As far as replay value is concerned, Nintendo has added in a small multiplayer mode to play with once you’ve finished your quest. While it is not overly complex, it does have enough depth to it to keep you entertained for awhile, especially since it is available for single card, multi-card, and Wi-Fi play. The concept of the feature is to gather points by collecting triforce shards on one of eight maps without getting attacked by one of the phantoms, which is controlled by the opposing player. Once you are eventually attacked, players switch roles, and then the process repeats for two more times. It’s definitely more enjoyable than you would think, and the online play is a nice touch. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better Zelda adventure on the Nintendo DS. While the sound is fairly inconsistent in quality at times (although still very catchy and enjoyable), and the difficulty could have been bumped up just a notch, those two things are very minute in the overall scheme of things, because what you’ll find in this game cannot be matched on any other platform, handheld or console. This is the true portable Zelda experience you’ve been waiting for these past few years, and with a lengthy, immersive adventure and a fun small online multiplayer component to boot, you’re bound to be playing this game for hours upon hours without ever coming upon a moment where you’re not having pure fun. Thanks to Phantom Hourglass' unique presentation and innovative control scheme, this portable adventure breathes new life into the Zelda franchise.