The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass Review

By Lord Shyguy

 
This is Nintendo’s most recent installment of the Zelda series. It is similar to The Windwaker in many respects. Since the beginning is a bit hard to explain (for me of course) I am going to copy it straight from the manual.

“White birds soar freely in the skies above the vast blue ocean. A pirate ship sails along, cutting through the waves. On deck is a crew of pirates and their leader Tetra, a brave and brash girl. Traveling with them is Link, the boy in green. Tetra and Link met for the first time not long before our story begins. Link discovered that Tetra was princess of Hyrule, an ancient kingdom destroyed long ago. After Tetra was taken away by an evil king, Link set out on a perilous journey to find her. He slew many monsters and found powerful weapons. Link became a true hero and rescued the princess from the evil king. Afterward, the pair set out to explore together. This time, they happen upon seas protected by a great spirit, the Ocean King. In these seas, the locals whisper rumors of a mysterious Ghost Ship. Suddenly a thick fog surrounds Tetra’s vessel and the pirates spot a creepy, rickety old ship. Brave Tetra leaps on board to investigate, but the Ghost Ship begins to sail away. Link makes a valiant attempt to follow Tetra onto the Ghost Ship, but he loses his grip and plunges into the ocean. He awakens later on an unfamiliar island with a curious fairy fluttering over head. And that is where Link’s new adventure begins.”

I am going to rate on a scale of 1-10. Now on with the Review!

Rating: Everyone (fantasy violence)
System: DS

Story: 9.0
As far as storylines go, this one is pretty interesting. You still are trying to save Zelda, but this time, she isn't kidnapped. Kind of. She jumps on the Ghost Ship and when you rescue her from the ship, she is turned to stone. After you rescue her, you have to forge a special sword using three special metals to slay the main game boss. But, since there is a hint of a feeling that you have already seen this type of storyline before- you know, rescue the princess, find special objects to help- a point is taken away in retaliation. But it gives a nice twist to the normal story.

Controls: 8.5
Two words, touch screen. The touch screen controls almost everything: movement, menu, items, and talking to people. The buttons do control the game somewhat, though. The A button brings up the inventory menu, the B button brings down the map you can scribble\write clues on, Y brings up the collection screen, L and R use the equipped item, Start pauses the game, and the D-Pad does what A, B, and Y do. Of course, the touch screen can do all of that except pause it, but sometimes it can be easier to use the buttons. It was hard sometimes to use the touch screen on bosses and such, but most of the time, it is pretty helpful.

Graphics: 8.0
Pretty much the same as The Windwaker. The people are kind of choppy, and so are the phantoms and the like, but the scenery and the bosses are just great! I especially enjoyed the second to last boss; resembling a machine, you could see the details really well. But, the choppy things took the rest of the points away.

Characters: 10.0
Wow! The only characters I have seen before in this game were Link, Tetra, the pirates, and the Gorons! Not counting the enemies of course, but there were quite a few newbies in that field too! There are so many new characters, there is no telling what will show up next! They're all so different!

Items: 7.5
Lack of originality here. Out of all the items you obtain, the boomerang, bombs, bow and arrows, bombchus, grappling hook, the hammer, and the shovel, the shovel is the only one I haven't seen before. The hammer just has a different name. They're still cool, though. The other items include heart containers (no heart pieces this time), spirit gems, treasure charts, treasure, ship parts, a fishing rod, and many others.

Music: 8.0
Nothing much to say here. The music is pretty average, but it doesn’t make your ears bleed. The boss music is probably the best. It’s fun and exciting to listen to. But other than that, the music is pretty average.

Difficulty: 9.5
Holy cow! The dungeons in this game can be really hard if you don't know what to do. Especially the Temple of the Ocean King. Those phantoms are so annoying! The fact that you are timed doesn't help the matter. Okay, you're not really timed, but if the clock runs out, you start losing health if you are not in a safe zone. To sum it up, the game is nice and hard, but short.

Replayability: 6.5
After you beat the game, there isn't really anything for you to do. You can collect the rest of the ship parts and spirit gems, but that is about it. It is fun to just mess around if you are bored though.

Fun Factor!: 10.0
This is a REALLY fun game while you are playing it. It may be a tad bit short, but it keeps you entertained. It’s really fun to make the chickens mad, because they turn red and send an army of chickens to kill you. But to get to the point, this game is awesome. It’s fun, it’s interactive, and it’s a must-have for any Zelda or even non-Zelda fan. Very enjoyable.

Total Score: 77 out of 90
Grade: B

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