Zelda Phantom Hourglass I would say was my least favorite Zelda title out of the Zelda franchise.

User Rating: 7.5 | Zelda no Densetsu: Mugen no Sunadokei DS

It was around October 1st of 2009 that I remember this game being launched. Again I wasn't actually happy about Toon Link making his return but I was excited none the less about this Zelda title coming to the DS. I remember hanging around the launch center and adding my 2 cents about what I expected out of Phantom Hourglass. I didn't actually purchase this game until my birthday came around which was in November. But when I bought the game I didn't buy it brand new, I bought it used! I was alittle curious to know why Phantom Hourglass ended up pre-owned so quickly but I believe my review might somwhat be what the other person might have thought.



Storyline: Zelda Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to Zelda Windwaker. The story is explained in a series of cardboard cut outs that picture events that happened previously in Windwaker. Tetra meets Toon Link on Outset Island and much later he finds out that Tetra was actually princess Zelda! The evil king Ganondorf who had been looking for the other piece of the triforce kidnaps princess Zelda in the hopes of getting his wish to gain control back over Hyrule! After Toon Link is chosen by the triforce of courage and the Master Sword he eventually fights Ganondorf and defeats him. Afterwards the two set sail together to discover new lands! That is, until Tetra gets sidetracked being the pirate that she is and decides to hunt down a Ghost Ship rumored to have mountains of treasure! Tetra obviously forgets she's princess Zelda by making the huge mistake of boarding a Ghost Ship rumored to also be CURSED! Then a strange bolt of lightning strikes her causing her to scream out in terror and vanish into the fog. So basically, all that trouble you went through trying to save her from Ganondorf she appearantly flips you off for and decides to do the exact opposite by literally putting herself in harms way? Screw you Tetra!




Gameplay: In Phantom Hourglass you meet up with a fairy named Ciela who has lost her memory and will also be your Navi through out the entire game. By using the touch screen with your stylus you follow her because that is your only means of moving through out the whole game. You will meet Oshus and he will tell you that the only way to get Tetra back from the Ghost Ship is to find Linebeck and eventually have to break the curse on the Temple of the Ocean King. But that is easier said than done because this requires you to get the Phantom Hourglass and go through the hell of working your way to the bottom sneaking past all the phantoms and racing against the sands of hours before you meet your death! Once you get to a certain floor you will find a map that reveals a new area in the sea and the whereabouts of a dungeon and possibly where the Ghost Ship may be hiding. In Phantom Hourglass though I had a problem with the dungeons, they were TOO damn easy! I won't get into much detail about the dungeons but the fire dungeon was really only two rooms! I didn't feel challenged at all I just only felt annoyed at the easiness of this game's dungeons. The majority of Phantom Hourglass revolves around Mercay Island and that blasted Temple of the Ocean King! EVERY time I completed one of those short easy dungeons I had to SAIL all the way back and go FURTHER down into the nightmare that was that temple! I know you might be thinking that the Sands of Hours you get when you beat the dungeon boss exstends the time period you have down there but to me it made NO difference. I hated how the entire game was focused on you working your way to the bottom of that place under a time limit and I dreaded it each and every time I went in there!





Graphics: The graphics were nice and it really brought out the DS's full potential but I'm not rating this game soley on the graphics. The gameplay could have used some improvement when it came to the dungeons. Not only that, after playing through Spirit Tracks I found that this game had a very weak plot and musical score. The same repetitive "cave " music plays throughout each and every dungeon! Not to mention also that the various islands scattered across the Great Sea in this game lack any interest in personality and atmosphere.




Value: It's a Zelda game I know, but this game lacks something I look for in Zelda titles and that would be Zelda! I never saw her at all I just only saw her alter ego which was Tetra. Sometimes I believe that they should have just titled this game Legend of Tetra because it seems so fitting since she prefers to rather be a pirate than princess now. This game has Wi-fi also but its really nothing I found of interest.



Overall: If you are a Zelda fan then go ahead and get it anyway. It's a "good" game but certainly not great and I strongly believe that this game is the overrated Zelda game out of the bunch but I know others that would disagree with me. This game was missing that essence of gold that I love about Zelda and that disappoints me a bit. Zelda Phantom Hourglass I would say was my least favorite Zelda title out of the Zelda franchise. Because once I beat it I dreaded going back to playing it again.











Uh... Link will win. This review was brought to you by Wolflink001.