PSTP Gaming Network

 It’s a Zelda game, does it really matter if I say it’s good or not?

No, of course not. Millions of people will buy this game, and I can’t say I blame them. Nintendo has given us so many great (And horrible) LoZ titles before, that any gamer with half a brain and $30 to spend will buy it. But, the question is, is it worth it?

Yes. Yes, it is.

So, lets get started with the review, shall we?

Story:Phantom Hourglass is a direct sequel to GameCube’s Windwaker. It pretty much takes place right after the WindWaker ended. I won’t spoil anything, but we all know that Zelda is in some kind of Peril, and Link must go on an epic journey to save her. What more do you expect really? The writing is funny at times, while extremely dull at others. While lots of new characters are introduced, only a handful are actually important. One of the more enjoyable characters is Linebeck, Link’s new sidekick and Sea Captain. Ignoring the obvious Captain Jack Sparrow look and feel, Linebeck is a fun new character that doesn’t get too annoying. I wish I could say the same for the Fairy…

Graphics: Following in WindWaker’s artstyle, Phantom Hourglass delivers a bright, colorful, often cutesy look. The cut scenes are pretty good 3D visuals, while the Intro to the story offers a nice paper cutout look. If i had to compare it to something, it reminded me of South Park. It sums up the whole family friendly vibe nicely.

Gameplay: First of all, everything is controlled via the touch screen. No face button support whatsoever. This may sound like a total mistake, but it in fact works very well for the most part. You run, throw, dodge, attack, throw some more, all using the touch screen. If there is only one thing that doesn’t always work the way it should, it is the dodge roll. The manual tells you to “Draw circles on the edge of the screen”, which doesn’t work quite well. I recommend just drawing small lines on the edge, should work just fine. The controls are precise, which is a good thing. The other new addition with the touch screen comes in with the map writing feature. In Phantom Hourglass, you map is displayed on the top screen almost 95% of the time. Now, at anytime in the game you are able to pull down your map to the touch screen and jot down simple notes. This opens up a whole new type of puzzle solving.

Wi-Fi: New in Phantom Hourglass is the 2 -Player Battle Mode. In this mode, your main goal is to fight to see who can collect more Force Gems, and bring them back to their home base. To do this, one player controls Link and goes around the map collecting Force Gems of various sizes, then bringing that gem back to their home base. But, the second player controls 3 Phantoms whos’ main purpose is to stop him at all costs. You control them by drawing each of them their own path using the stylus. It doesn’t quite make sense until you actually play it. It really is quite fun and a nice distraction if you get a bit bored with the main Adventure.

That leads me to the bad…

Difficulty: Easy. There really isn’t another word to describe it. Most of the time, you can breeze by most of the puzzles in a matter of seconds. Sure, being easy doesn’t mean it’s not fun, but it simply is not much of a challenge for the average gamer, let alone the hardcore LoZ fans.

Alright. Now for the worst part of the game… The Temple Of The Ocean King.

This “Temple” is more like a hell. It’s not that it’s extremely difficult, no. It’s just boring and repetitive. For reasons i won’t explain due to possible spoilers, you must go through the exact same Temple 0ver, and over again, going only a few rooms deeper each time with new abilities. And each time you return, you must start back from the very begining until you reach a halfway point later into the game. To make matters worse, the whole thing is timed, hence the name “Phantom Hourglass.” But, don’t let this spoil the rest of the game for you.

Overall: This is a great game, there is no doubt about it. With an average length of at least 20-30 Hours for 100% Completion, this is definitely a great game in any DS Owner’s collection. Even with it’s flaws, it is very enjoyable. Sure, you may stop playing for a while if you get bored with the Ocean King Temple, but you will be back for more. This is a great game. Period.

Story: 7/10

Graphics: 8/10

Gameplay: 9/10

Wi-Fi: 8/10

Difficulty: 6/10

Final Verdict: 8.5/10 (Not an average)

Thanks for reading!

~AlienGuy

Posted in DS, Games