The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
| Format | DS |
|---|---|
| Year Released | 2007 |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Genre | Action |
| ESRB Age Rating | Everyone |
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TVG Rating: 9.0
User Reviews
Average User Rating: None
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Product Description
Many months have passed since the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Link, Tetra and Tetra`s band of pirates have set sail in search of new lands. They come across a patch of ocean covered in a dense fog, in which they discover an abandoned ship. Tetra falls into danger when she explores the ship alone, and Link falls into the ocean when he attempts to rescue her. When he washes up unconscious on the shores of a mysterious island, he is awakened by the sound of a fairy`s voice. With the aid of this fairy, he sets off to find Tetra - and his way back to the seas he once knew
- The stylus makes controlling Link easier than ever. Tap on the screen to make Link move, or sweep the stylus around him to swing the sword. Players can even draw a path for his boomerang and send it flying into hard-to-reach targets.
- Players can stash the map on the top screen for quick reference or drop it to the touch screen to make notes, study enemies, or chart a path for their boat to follow while they man the cannons.
- Compete with a friend over a local wireless connection - guide Link through special dungeons to capture the Triforce, or command the forces that oppose him.
Amazon.co.uk Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 4.5
Mediocre for Zelda, good overall
As an avid Zelda fan, I recommend getting the sequel, Spirit Tracks. While good game overall, it lacks the edge that other Zeldas possess. But comparisons aside, this game also has several merits:
- Stylus controls are fluid and natural
- The game is long enough, and it has enough content
- The pacing of the story works well enough
- It has some very nice ways to alter teh main route of the game (eg. visiting the temples in other way than intended)
However, it also has several shortcomings, most notably:
- The sailing has lost all of the charm it had in Wind Waker, mostly because of the less-than-superb soundtrack
- It is too easy overall. It lacks the difficulty of Spirit Tracks puzzles, and the difficulty of A Link to the Pasts action scenes. Now, I'm not exactly fan of murderously hard games (My favourite game is still Wind Waker which is recognized as a mostly easy game) but I still want that bit of challenge that makes me enthrilled by all the action.
- The game repeatedly forces you to rub the screen in high speed. It makes sense in the context of the battles, but nevertheless it tires the screen.
- The plot and characters are not to the level of other Zelda games, such as Wind Waker (Sorry for me to compare to this so often, but it is by far the only game I know enough to make such comprisons).
All in all, it is a fairly good game, and definately top notch for DS game. However, If you haven't bought Spirit Tracks, get it before this. If you have ST, then go ahead and get this. My review may make it sound bad, but it is really good. Zelda-series just has very high standards which is the reason I play Zelda: the guarantee that you will receive a good game in the package.
Rating: 4 Buy from amazon.co.uk
an amazing game for the DS
As this is the first Zelda game I have played, I can't judge it based on terms of series, so I will judge it purely on it's own merit.
The opening was really long, but once you get past the cutscenes and the annoying animation style of most of the characters, this is a very clever and fun game!
There are so many great aspects to this game, from simple whack-until-it's-dead monsters, to puzzles that have to be solved by hitting switches at the correct time. It uses so many features of the DS, and is really rather intuative at times. There are times where you have to blow into the mic to make candles go out, or even close the DS over to simulate transferring a stamp! I never would have thought to do something like that in a game, so kudos to the designers!
The storyline itself is pretty good but it's the usual princess gets kidnapped, go on a stupidly long quest to save the stupid princess. But hey! Some of the best games are based on this principle so don't knock it!
I love the details in this game, like using a boomerang to collect and hit things from a distance that you can't otherwise reach, or even navigating the ocean using a map and pen. This is a really well thought out game that I recommend to anyone! It's by no means easy, and will take some time to get through, but it's brilliant and worth the effort!
Rating: 5 Buy from amazon.co.uk
The legend of zelda-phantom hourglass
My daughter loves it! The game arrived well before the estimated arrival date and she was thrilled.
Rating: 5 Buy from amazon.co.uk
Brilliant!
My favourite SNES games was Zelda, so when I found out there was a Zelda game for the DS I had to have it.
It's pure genius! It surpassed by expectations. Having to do the main dungeon over and over again gets a bit annoying, but it's forgiveable because it's such a good game!
Get it! You owe it to yourself.
And get Spirit Tracks, too, while you're at it!
Rating: 5 Buy from amazon.co.uk
A few shortcomings but I love it
I'll keep this short since it's an old game, but basically this game is great fun. It's relatively easy, and good to pick up and play for a few minutes. The controls and puzzles are innovative, and all easy to pick up.
My main problem with the game is that you have to keep going back to the Temple of the Ocean King, each time getting deeper and deeper down...This wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have to repeat all the floors you've already done each time you revisited it, but as it stands that's how the game works.
It's certainly not one of the best Zelda games, but it is great if you see it as a standalone title.
Rating: 4 Buy from amazon.co.uk
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