The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Preview
Link continues adventuring on the DS
by Dynamo
previewed on NDS
New Adventure
The Legend of Zelda series have long been amongst the best that gaming has to offer. The latest instalment in Nintendo’s illustrious franchise is the Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, a direct sequel to The Wind Waker.
The Phantom Hourglass takes place shortly after The Wind Waker. Link sets out with Tetra (Princess Zelda) and her crew to look into a disturbance on the ocean. Apparently a phantom ship has been roaming the waters kidnapping people. Tetra, convinced that this phantom ship is nothing less than a group of low-life pirates is planning on putting an end to the disturbances. She jumps onto the ship, amidst a thick fog, when it begins to pull away. Link, who fails in his attempt to jump after her, finds himself washed up on a strange island with nothing but his trusty green tunic. Upon meeting the amnesic fairy Shierra, similar to those in the 64 titles, the adventure begins.
This game plays differently than the other games. Rather than completing a set of dungeons before being able to enter the final dungeon, players have access to the last area of the game, the Sea King’s Temple, from the beginning. However players are only to make limited progress in this large temple; to get all the way through the dungeon, players must complete the other dungeons. With each dungeon completed, Link is able to progress a little in the Sea King’s Temple. Littering the temple are Phantom Guardians: invincible, hard-hitting enemies that chase after Link.
Controls
The Phantom Hourglass departs from the traditional control style, opting for a stylus-controlled game. Pretty much everything makes use of the touch screen (or microphone). It’ll take players a few minutes to reacquaint themselves with the new control scheme because it is non-negotiable. Players hoping to use the D-Pad and face buttons are out of luck.
The game, though rendered in 3D, keeps the (somewhat) overhead perspective common with the 2D Zelda’s. Players maneuver Link by clicking where they want him to move. Additionally, tapping the edges of the screen causes Link to roll in that direction. Interactions with NPCs are executed by tapping them as well. Likewise, items as vases, rocks and chests are accessed via the stylus.
Link’s trusty sword is also controlled via the touch screen; drawing a semi-circle over an enemy will cause Link to slash out at them while tapping them will cause Link to stab with his sword. The stylus-based controls give players greater precision when controlling items such as the boomerang and Bombchus (walking bombs in the shape of a Chu). The player draws a path that the projectile will follow, opening the way for more advanced puzzles as well as new uses for certain items. Other items, such as bombs and arrows require the player to tap their target.
In addition, Phantom Hourglass includes a nice feature that should be in every role-playing or adventure DS game. It allows player to pull down the map (usually located on the top screen) and scribble over it with the stylus. Very handy to circle places of interest or to jot down answers to the games many puzzles.
