A look at the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

[thunderhero4]

Here's a link to Mack's thread for convenience: http://nsf.projectfcd.com/index.php?topic=24402.0

I am here to review the game the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS!

Ill start with a simple summary of the game:

Link has saved his sister, defeated Ganondorf, and escaped from the plunged Hyrule we once knew in WindWaker! Now, he is on his way out to open sea with the band of pirates he knew! He is enjoying it well, until he sees a ghost ship in the distance and the next thing you know is that Tetra has disappeared! What to do! What to do! Link struggles to save her but slips into the ocean, and is left to drown...

He wakes up on a beach in a place he had never seen by a fairy ,that looks identical to Navi, named Ceila. She helps Link get around the island, and seems to suffer from amnesia. After obtaining his Sword, he sets off to find Tetra! But on the way he meets a stingy, money loving man named Linebeck who is a sailor at heart. Together the 3 heroes set off to find Link's lost friend, in an ALMOST worthy sequel to the great WindWaker!

Gameplay ups and downs:

The gameplay in this game is brand new for a Zelda game! It involves using the Stylus for EVERYTHING there is to do! At first, you would think id rather play with a control pad or stick" but as you progress, it grows on you. All you must do to attack is tap an enemy with the Stylus, and Link will spring into action! You control by touching any part of the screen besides on Link, he will move in that direction. Now this new style is innovative, but there are some downsides: Rolling can be difficult to use unless you do it perfectly, your hand will sometimes get in the way (lol happened to me), and some close ranged attacks are hard for the game to recognize, often doing something you didn't want it to do.

Its fun and easy to use, but can be a little unresponsive at times, I give the controls an 8/10!

1p Story Mechanics in a nutshell

This game is also very unique to other games in the series because you are allowed to build and customize a boat using pieces you find during the game! It doesn't go into alot of depth, but collecting boat parts is a fun activity that will make the game last ages longer! The story mode itself is fairly long for a game on this platform, go island hopping doing a new dungeon for each island! Some extra islands have some interesting activities, but not enough to last you a long time! The graphics are amazing for a system so small! It looks better than an N64 game, and just below a gamecube game! WOW! Cel Shading looks good on a DS!

You are controlled from a top-down prospective giving you a mostly Birdseye view of link and his surroundings. This means there are never any camera problems because you can view all the things at one time! The storyline is very interesting and well thought out! Worthy of the Zelda name (I wont go into details on that)! Dungeons are a little bit on the easy side for the franchise, and it's missing some of the series' most fan-loved characters (Tingle, Ganondorf, ect.) but fan base should never turn you away from it!

Sailing is much easier than it was in WindWaker too! All you must do is plot a course from your current location to another and watch your boat as it goes there, protecting it using your cannons. Fans of the simulation of sailing out at sea might be a little disappointed, but I don't think it would work well on the DS anyway...

So this is the single-player component, aka the main part of the game! Its no WindWaker, but with some side quests, a pretty lengthy story, and collectible ship parts, I give it an 8/10!

Multiplayer in a nutshell

This is currently the first "storyline" Zelda game to include online multiplayer! What it pretty much is is a game of CTF mixed with Hide and go Seek. One player controls the beloved Link in a temple with safe zones and a few triforce type pieces. His goal is to get those pieces into his base without getting attacked by player 2! Each piece is bigger than another and will give Link a hard time due to heaviness. He is slowed down by holding a piece.

Player 2 controls 3 Phantoms (guards that will kill him in one hit) and must strategically use them to corner Link and prevent him from getting points. They can see Link if he is not in a safe zone on the map, so there is no hiding places! However, Link can see them at all times and is able to avoid them if need be! It can be addicting, but not for very long, and the game is fine without it...

I give the Multiplayer section of the game a 5/10 for not having much depth

This has been a review of the game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, I have gone over everything a buyer will need to know and my final score is...

7/10! The game is fun! Alot of fun, but it's not as big or as adventurous as the previous games on the consoles, especially it's predecessor WindWaker. But for a handheld, you pretty much get your money's worth of a good DS game ($34.99). I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good adventure, a DS styled game, or any Hardcore Zelda fans! Thanks for reading!

~This has been a Thunderhero4 review, none of the information you see here has been copied or "googled", its all from experience~

[Professor Layton]

Pictures will improve you review. :P

[thunderhero4]

Im good at wording, not finding pictures :P