Zelda: Phantom Hourglass - What a Sequel Should Be

I have been a Zelda fan for as long as the series has been in existence. I am also in the minority who didn't mind that cartoon-ish style of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. I was thrilled to find out a sequel was going to be released on the Nintendo DS. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass certainly does the series justice.

Game Play
I won’t reveal too much plot detail. The ghost ship that we encountered in the Wind Waker is back and has taken Tetra/Zelda. Link must use the power of the Phantom Hourglass to rescue her.

The game plays like most Zelda games, but with a twist. The capabilities and design of the DS lend themselves well to a Zelda game. It forces the player to think outside of the box. Even the microphone is used with this game. I also enjoyed the use of the stylus in puzzles. It kept the game from becoming repetitive, both within itself and repeating the same types of puzzles from other games. Once you learn to approach the puzzles with all of the system’s features in mind, they’re a little on the easy side. While I enjoyed the diversity, I felt the game could have been a little more cryptic. Often too many hints were provided in the dialogue, not leaving much to be figured out. It wasn’t that bad, but I wish they had left a little more to my imagination.

Combat in this game is very similar to that of the Wind Waker. You’ll encounter most of the same items, though some are used in new ways. The grappling hook is much more versatile in this than previous Zelda games. The camera angles are controlled by the game, providing a three-quarter view. I never had a problem seeing the action and was very impressed by this design.

Many of the same baddies are back for this installment, but there were a few additions. In the Temple of the Ocean King, where Link spends a great deal of time, there are new phantom guards. They are virtually invincible and are quite intimidating. It resulted in some very stressful moments in the temple. I’m always impressed with a game that can produce that kind of reaction in the player. Boss battles were on the easy side, but were also a lot of fun.

Some interesting new play elements appeared in this game. While there still is a great deal of sea travel in Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, it is very different from what we’re used to. Link can actually customize his ship with various ship parts that are found in treasure chests, by completing tasks, available in the stores, and by finishing mini-games. There are numerous sets to choose from and using pieces from the same set increases your ship’s stamina. Navigating the sea is very engaging, as you are often required to fight off enemies or avoid hazards. Fishing has been added to your while-sailing to-do list. This task takes some getting used to, but can be quite entertaining. The salvage arm is back but much more complicated. You must now follow the arm underwater and guide it to the treasure. I found this to be one of the more grueling tasks, as I often became impatient and sloppy. You can actually break the salvage arm which is fixable, but will cause you the inconvenience of heading back to the ship yard before you retrieve your next treasure.

Three spirits accompany Link in this game and aid him in his efforts. This added an interesting role-playing component to the game. Link must find gems to increase the spirits’ power. He can switch between these spirits to take advantage of different bonuses to his attributes that these spirits provide.

Mini-games are plentiful in Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and much better designed. Only one actually frustrated me. The others were actually enjoyable. Most were a challenge, but not so much so that you devote 3 hours of your playing time to beating it. The prizes are better and far outweigh the costs of each game. That’s a first! Tasks include shooting various targets from your ship, hitting targets in a maze, and target practice with your bow and arrow.

The adventure mode is on the short side, especially for a Zelda game. I’d say it was long, however, for a handheld game. It left me wanting more. I’d rather that than it leave me wanting less.

As a sequel, I’d say this game really shines. It is one of the few sequels that seems to improve upon the first. When a game is a success, as any in the Zelda series will be, the developers take the attitude of “they love us so they’ll buy it no matter what.” This game actually took the player into account and improved upon many aspects of the Wind Waker that were frustrating or lacking. For one, sea travel has been improved immensely. No more wind! This boat has an engine. You don’t have to spend twenty minutes navigating from place to place. You no longer have to steer, either. Once a route is drawn, your ship will follow it. All you have to do is jump and shoot. These changes actually make traveling fun rather than tedious. Eventually the Wind Waker did provide cyclones to get you from place to place quickly, but it was too little too late. The player was already fed up with sea travel. This one provides an easy way to get around much earlier in the game (a slate that allows you a short cut from place to place). Another great change is that it shows enemies on the map, while you’re traveling. This makes moving the camera to find them and defeating them easier. In the previous game, once you defeated an enemy at sea, you had to use your boomerang to retrieve any reward. Now it happens automatically. You no longer have to watch your rupees blink into oblivion why you try to line up your boomerang’s path! Treasure maps have also received a make over. Rather than having to deal with the grueling task of scrolling through tons of treasure maps and comparing them to your sea chart, treasures are automatically marked on your chart upon finding the corresponding treasure map.

A multiplayer battle mode is available. Basically the game is like capture the flag, but with gems. One player controls Link, the other controls the formidable phantom guards. The game consists of five rounds, where the players switch roles when one runs out of time or is hit by their opponent’s phantom guards. Players can achieve “big plays” in this mode which go toward earning special golden ship parts.

Controls
Almost all control in this game is done using the stylus. A few tasks have button short cuts, like activating a weapon or switching to the map. The controls were done very well for the most part. The control scheme was very intuitive and effective. It takes a little getting used to and can be tiresome at times, as it obviously takes more effort than simply pressing a button. Most of the combat was easy, but a few moves were difficult to perform. I had trouble doing a side swipe and making Link do his roll/flip. Both motions were not as distinct as they could have been and often were confused with other motions. For the most part, though, I enjoyed the stylus controls and didn’t find too much that could be improved upon. It added a more realistic element to the game as you actually had to aim with the stylus to use certain weapons. The developers certainly knew it might be a sore spot with some. The game even pokes fun at the frustration of not being able to use the directional pad.

Graphics and Audio
The graphics of the Wind Waker are back on a smaller scale. It was impressive for a hand held, but the cut scenes lacked that animated movie feel that the console game had. I like the cell shading, though. I thought the animations were very good. The movements were realistic and as detailed as they could be. I enjoyed the little details like Link’s footprints in the sand as he walked.

The ambient music was decent throughout the game, but not as memorable as previous installments in the series. Some of the music was kept from the Wind Waker game. The sound effects were good and almost exactly the same as the Wind Waker. The battle mode featured the classic Zelda music.

Conclusion
I was very impressed with this game, even more so because it was on a hand held system. It didn’t feel like a hand held game. Zelda fans should definitely pick this one up. It may not be your favorite game in the series, but it is certainly worth the time to play it through. The incorporation of the unique capabilities of the DS made the game a lot of fun. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a great sequel, being one of the few I’ve played that eliminates some of the frustrations of its predecessor. Well worth the $34.99 it sells for.