The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the direct sequel to The Wind Waker and was followed up in 2009 by Spirit Tracks.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Take control of Link in an epic new adventure!
Protagonist(s): Link Genre(s): Action-Adventure Platform(s): Nintendo DS Release Date: JP: June 23, 2007 NA: October 1, 2007 AU: October 11, 2007 EU: October 19, 2007 KOR: April 3, 2008 Developer(s): Nintendo Publisher(s): Nintendo Country: Japan Series: The Legend of Zelda Predecessor: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (chronologically) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (by release date) Successor: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Why It Travels By Sea

1. Like its predecessor, the game is divided into two major sections: sailing between islands by boat and exploring said islands and their dungeons on foot.
2. Since this is a direct sequel to Wind Waker, the art style and graphics use the same "Toon Link" style as that game, but... (see BQ #3)
   • The game noticeably uses 3D graphics with a top-down perspective, which will also be used for Spirit Tracks, A Link Between Worlds, Tri Force Heroes, the remake of Link's Awakening, and Echoes of Wisdom.
3. The DS's hardware is taken to its fullest in this game, as most actions (basic movement, attacking, etc.) are done using the Touch Screen and stylus while the Microphone is used to blow out fires or get characters' attention.
   • Important locations and notes can be drawn on the map using the stylus.
   • Once you obtain the Sea Slate, you can learn the Golden Frogs' symbols to fast-travel to specific areas of the sea.
   • At one point, you even have to close the DS's clamshell to place Farore's Symbol onto your map.
4. Good locations, such as Mercay Island, the three islands where the Pure Metals are located (Goron Island, Isle of Frost, and Mutoh's Island), Ember Island, and the Ghost Ship (where Tetra is being held captive). One island named Dee Ess Island even takes the shape of a Nintendo DS!
5. You can fully customize your ship with Ship Parts, such as cannons, decks, Salvaging Arms, etc. This allows for various combinations that can be adjusted to one's liking.
   • Once you obtain a Salvaging Arm, you can then use them to salvage treasures on the ocean floor.
6. Good soundtrack composed by Kenta Nagata and Toru Minegishi.
7. The old characters (Link, Tetra/Zelda, etc.) are still their likable selves, while the new characters are amazing additions to the franchise.
   • Linebeck, the deuteragonist of the game, seems like a lazy, cowardly fraud at first, but
   • Ciela, Leaf and Neri are the three fairy companions and guide characters, and are much more useful than Navi (from Ocarina of Time) and to a lesser extent, Tatl (from Majora's Mask). Their powers can also be upgraded by the King of Cyclos once you collect enough Courage, Power and Wisdom Gems.
   • Oshus, Linebeck's grandpa, is a sagely character who guides Link on his journey, and also shows Ciela her true powers.
   • Jolene the She-Pirate is a good rival for Linebeck (and also his ex-girlfriend), and puts up a good fight whenever she catches up to your ship.
   • Bellum is a decent main antagonist, being responsible for turning Tetra to stone, and his boss fight is nothing short of epic.
   • This game introduces the Anouki, a species that lives in cold areas; they have cute designs and help Link find the Azurine if he tracks down the Impostor Yook who is impersonating Aroo.
8. Impressive boss fights that often utilize both screens, such as Gleeok, the Cubus Sisters, Eox, and of course, Bellum himself.
9. Fun minigames, such as the shooting galleries, the Maze Island, fishing, and the multiplayer battle modes.
10. It was the first Zelda game to have online multiplayer, that being for the battle modes.

Bad Qualities

1. The Temple of the Ocean King, the dungeon where you find the sea charts, is quite possibly the most infamous dungeon in this game and perhaps the entire series. This is primarily because the titular Phantom Hourglass can only protect you from the temple's curse for the amount of sand in it, and you'll lose a minute if the Phantoms catch you.
   • As if the time limit wasn't bad enough, you have to visit this dungeon six times (five if you're fast enough to retrieve the last two sea charts), making it extremely repetitive to revisit each floor multiple times, just with new items to create shortcuts.
   • The final visit does alleviate the problems due to the Phantom Sword allowing Link to kill Phantoms.
2. It can take some time to get used to the stylus controls.
3. While the graphics are the same as Wind Waker, they aren't very impressive by today's standards, likely due to being downscaled for the DS.
4. While the Phantom Sword looks impressive and allows you to kill Phantoms themselves, it has the same attack power as Oshu's Sword.
5. Sadly, due to Nintendo Wi-Fi shutting down in 2014, you can no longer play online at all.

Reception

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass received critical acclaim from critics (scoring 90/100 on Metacritic) and generally favorable reviews from users (scoring 7.9/10), with many deeming it a worthy successor to Wind Waker. Critics praised the game's control scheme, story and world design, while criticizing its online features (which were believed to be too simple).

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