Makes excellent use of the DS's features. I became a fan of the series after playing.
Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to Wind Waker for the gamecube. As such, the story takes place where the latter game left off. Link (or whatever you name your character), Tetra (Zelda), and the pirate crew are out exploring the seas in search of the legendary ghost ship, which is rumored to have a vast treasure. The ship soon appears, and Tetra goes off to explore it. Upon hearing a scream, Link tries to get aboard the ghost ship only to end up in the water. He washes up on a populated island, meets a Navi-like fairy named Ciela, teams up with treasure hunter Linebeck in order to use his ship, and the adventure begins. The overall plot is fairly simple minus a few surprises near the end, but the humor is fantastic. From slapstick comedy (e.g. Linebeck shaking Link until the latter's eys turn dizzy) to witty remarks (e.g. Linebeck and Ciela's constant bickering), there are plenty of hilarious moments in Phantom Hourglass. Plus, the characters are well developed. By the end of the game, I felt an emotional attachment to the characters not unlike that commonly seen in books and movies.
Everything in Phantom Hourglass is controlled entirely with the stylus. Tap an enemy to attack. Make a small stroke to slash. Hold down in an area to make Link move toward it. Draw a path for your boomerang then release to throw it. Etc., etc. On paper, this sounds like an unneeded gimmick that is a failed attempt at innovation. Granted the controls might rub some the wrong way at first, but it doesn't take long to get used them. After a bit, one is glad the control scheme was designed this way. There are surprisingly few instances of when the controls do something unintended, and all of these instances are minor. A vast majority of the time, the controls make playing Phantom Hourglass a fresh, new experience. The stylus isn't the only DS feature used to its fullest. The upper screen of the system displays a map of your current surroundings. If you click "map" on the menu, it will lower to the bottom screen. Here, you can make notes on it before you raise it back to the top screen, where the notes remain visible. These ubiquitous maps and notes help solve puzzles and lower the chances of getting lost (thus lowering the chances of getting frustrated). Last and least, the mic is also used. This one doesn't appear often, as no one wants to constantly spit into their screens, but it does appear just enough to add a little more variety to the game.
Of course, good controls and story wouldn't amount anything if the gameplay was poor. Fortunately, the gameplay here is brilliant; the same stuff you would expect from a Zelda title. The only thing that is a real change from gameplay is the difficulty. This difficulty, which is a touch easy, might disappoint hardcore Zelda fans looking for another challenge, but it also helps make the game accessible to all, especially those who have never completed a Zelda game before (like myself). In case you are unfamiliar with Zelda gameplay, you travel from dungeon to dungeon solving interesting puzzles in each one. Each dungeon introduces a new item. The puzzles in that dungeon typically use that item more than any other one, and you use that same item to fight the dungeon's boss. Some bosses are cool, but others range from dull to frustrating.
There is one dungeon called the Temple of the Ocean King. It is the biggest and most challenging (in a good way) dungeon in the game, but it also one of the game's biggest weaknesses. You see, you must repeatedly return to this temple multiple times, going further and further into it with each visit. There is only one checkpoint in it, so you have to solve the same puzzles again and again. This isn't an abomination, as each repeat visit gets faster thanks to gaining new abilities each time, but it does make the game boring sometimes since you have seen the puzzles all before.
In order to get from island to island in order to explore its dungeon, Link uses Linebeck's aforementioned ship. I never experienced Wind Waker's ship myself, but I have heard that it was a huge flaw of the game. Sailing in Phantom Hourglass, on the other hand, is simple: just draw your path and the ship will go there. You won't spend too much time on the water, and you can even teleport to certain locations if you hunt down these golden frogs. The ship also comes with some fun minigames (fishing and treasure salvages) that provide a nice break from the action without being forced onto the player.
Graphically, the game looks simple fantastic. Even if you don't prefer the whole "cell-shaded" artsyle, you must admit that it is amazing how Nintendo shrunk the world of Wind Waker into the DS. Granted, some sacrifices had to be made (slightly blurry textures), but this is still one of the best looking games for the console. Sadly, the audio aspect does not match the graphics. The sound effects are great and classic, but the music is a bit bland and repetitive. The tunes certainly aren't horrible, but they are entirely forgettable. Phantom Hourglass takes about fifteen hours to complete, and the side quests add another five to ten hours. Sure, it's on the short side, but I'm all for quality over quantity.
CLOSING COMMENTS: Phantom Hourglass is truly one of the best games on the DS. It manages to create both a new and a classic experience that sucks you in. Funny writing, innovative controls, interesting characters, great puzzles, and amazing art outweigh the game's few, if noticeable, flaws. So, I can highly recommend it to any Nintendo fan looking for a solid DS title.