Hi everyone, this is my first Review. I will be reviewing The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. If you think I'm being too generous giving out scores or being just plain-out lousy, just remember the key word (first) and cut me some slack. By the way, the Review will be based on a 1-5 star scale.
Story: ****
Like all Zelda games, the storyline is excellent. It continues the story of Tetra, you, and the band of pirates. Tetra is out looking for the Ghost Ship, a haunted ship that abducts other people. (In)Conveniently the Ghost Ship appears out of nowhere. Tetra grabs onto it and climbs aboard. You hear a scream. You try to grab on, too, but fall off and sink into the ocean. You are woken up by a fairy named Ciela, and she takes you to Oshus, who teaches you how to use a sword. I'm not gonna explain the whole thing, but let's just say you meet up with a captain named Linebeck and he "helps" you search for fairies to unlock the Temple of the Ocean King to save Tetra and find the Ghost Ship.
Characters: ***1/2
Lessee... You've got yourself, Linebeck, Tetra, Ciela, the three spirits, new bosses, and a bunch of other characters. I knocked off that one and a half star because a whole bunch of other characters are optional to meet, and only a few characters actually play a big role in the game. Notice I'm saying “you”, which means you can name your character in the beginning.
Gameplay: I'm going to divide this section.
Controls: ****
Let me just say, the controls are excellent. They are touch-controlled, which makes the game unique. At first I was nervous the feel of the game would be ruined by the controls. When I started playing, it was all so simple. You hold your stylus on a place on the screen and the green-capped hero runs there. Tap an enemy to lock on to them and strike it with your sword. Make a straight line in front of you to make a regular slash. For the signature spin attack, you make a big circle around yourself. To roll, run while making a tiny scribble on the edge of the screen. Jumping is automatic. There are also ship controls. Touch the bottom half of the screen to change camera view while sailing, and touch anywhere else to launch a cannonball. When you play the game, the controls feel very natural. One star off because sometimes rolling is difficult, and the ship controls are just decent.
Adventure: *****
The adventure is good for the most part. It utilizes almost every function of the DS. The game heavily relies on writing notes on your map, which can be used by pressing the B button. You do not need to use a camera, the game is from a low bird's eye view. Use the mic to blow out things, use the stylus for attacking, and there's even a part that makes you close the DS and open it again. I'm giving out this perfect score for a reason.
Graphics: ?
The graphics depend entirely on your opinion. The game uses cel-shaded graphics. If you like those, you'll like the graphics. If you don't, you won't.
Difficulty: Varies
I personally found this game hard and easy. The bosses are simple, and generally the whole thing is simple. Some puzzles require a good brain-whacking. Zelda games are known for their puzzles, but PH is a bit simpler than the other Zelda games out there. If you're new to the Zelda series, this is a good start.
Fun Factor!: ****
This game is very, very fun. Some puzzles may be pressing you into giving up, but besides that you'll whack enemies, travel through dungeons, and just flat-out have a good time. There's also multiplayer, but it's not that deep and is a Link vs. Phantoms game where you must collect Force Gems while the second player controls your enemies.
Overall: ****
This game truly deserves that spot on the DS Game of the Year. It's almost like the DS was meant for games like this. If the graphics really get you, rent it. But this is definitely worth a buy.
| If you would like to send some feedback
to the author of this submission, please complete this form.
What's your name?
What's your Email address?
How do you rate this submission?
Does this submission belong in Little
Lemmy's Land?
Would you like to see more from this author? Comments and suggestions:
|
