Product Description

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker closed with Link and Tetra setting sail for waters unknown... but their story was just beginning, and it continues on the Nintendo DS. When a mysterious fog waylays their band of pirates and leaves Link alone on a strange island, an all-new adventure begins! ** Get in touch! All game control is via the Touch Screen, and the stylus makes controlling Link more natural than ever. Touch the screen to guide Link through the world, or sweep the stylus around him to swing his sword. You can even make notes on your map, chart routes for your boat, or draw paths for your boomerang! ** Adventure time! With Tetra missing, Link must enlist the aid of several fairies as he explores dangerous wilds, uncharted seas, and baffling dungeons. As he does, he meets an array of fascinating characters, hunts for powerful weapons, and collects sand for a mysterious artifact called the Phantom Hourglass. Over time, it will enable him to progress deeper and deeper into the ultimate dungeon. ** Link with a pal! Compete with a friend over local wireless or Nintendo WFC as you guide Link through special battle stages to capture Force Gems or command the forces that oppose him!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #420 in Video Games
• Brand: Nintendo
• Published on: 2007-10
• Released on: 2007-10-01
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Nintendo DS
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .63" h x 4.97" w x 5.73" l, .25 pounds

Features

• 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.

Customer Reviews

Fun sequel to one of the previous best
***Note: Some spoilers within***

It's been a while since I enjoyed a Zelda title on a handheld. This selection doesn't disappoint.

I'm only a few hours in and I'm hooked. The story line, graphics, music and the characters are all excellent. This title, like Wind Waker, uses the cartoonish/younger set of characters versus the young adult set from Twilight Princess.

For now, here is what I like and don't like. Of course, I'll update the review as I get deeper into the game.

Pros:

- Picks up where Wind Waker left off. A great story!
- Having the map on the second screen is brilliant. Being able to jot down notes on it is even better. This is by far the most useful tool in the game.
- You can save at any point in the game.
- Puzzle mix is pretty balanced. Nothing too simple and nothing aggravating to the point I want to put the game down. I really dig some of the creative elements they've added to the dungeons. That's all I'm saying; I don't want to give away any spoilers. :)
- The boomerang. I love drawing the path out on the screen. Not only is it used to complete certain actions/puzzles, it's a vital tool in fights. Tip #1: Go slow when drawing the path. If you hit walls or obstacles, the throw is not completed. Tip #2: You can hold down the left shoulder button to instantly switch to the boomerang. This is a great way to quickly arm it.


Cons:

- I feel like I'm always running out of "screen". This just boils down to the stylus control and limited real estate of the DS.
- Getting Link to "roll" is quite difficult for me. Others may have this move down. I'm still struggling.
- You can "fall" into water (you lose a heart piece) and off of cliffs. One stylus touch too far and Link can be sent flying off a cliff forcing you to start a map from where you landed. For me, that always seems to be the beginning. :)
- Other than accessing menus and flipping the screens, the direction pad is pretty much unused. In similar games, I prefer to use it for "moving" characters on screen. It was a little disappointing to see this left out. Not a deal-breaker, just nice to have.
- Using the microphone. I don't think you need to incorporate this into every game. It's great for its intended purpose, but frankly, I don't want to have to blow on my DS to make candles go out as part of a puzzle. Is there a button that will do the same? If there is, I haven't found it yet. I'm still blowing. Just a minor annoyance.

So far this game is a lot of fun; more to come soon, if I ever put this thing down.

***UPDATE 10/08/07***

The game continues to rock. The story is getting deeper and I've very into it. I also like how the ocean-going portion of the game is panning out. (E.g. Upgrading the ship, plotting courses, ocean battles, etc.) The addition of "treasure hunting" or "salvaging" is like a mini-game in itself.

The versatility of the items you acquire continues to impress.

Examples:

- The bombs (oh, how I love the bombs) can obviously be used to blow up enemies, but they are equally useful in blowing up crates and walls so you can gain access to new areas and treasure.
- The bow and arrow (my new favorite) is not only a fast and accurate weapon, but a vital tool fot activating dungeon "eyeball" switches.

***UPDATE 10/14/07***

More great items, more great adventure.

Here are some highlights from the last week (hopefully I don't spoil anything).

- Fishing is great. I found myself a fishing rod. Well, I was actually given it. It is little hard to control at first, but once getting the hang of it, provides a lot of fun and there is a nice surprise waiting for you if you "catch 'em all".
- I'm hooked on the Grappling Hook! Like the boomerang, it's a vital tool and is used for much more than just grappling. One great example, think "Human Slingshot."
- I finally died (fire and ice dragons were tough until I figured out what to do). It was nice that all I had to do was walk back through the blue portal and I was right back to the boss fight again. Thank goodness I didn't have to do the entire dungeon again.

***UPDATE 10/28/07***

I finished the game on a flight to LA this weekend.

- The storyline continued to develop and really kept me interested; all the way to the end.
- The new items (especially the hammer) were perfect additions to the already creative arsenal. (Hint: Be sure to hold down the stylus for a second or two and the hammer doubles in size and punch)
- A couple of the boss-fights were actually in 3D-mode versus top-down 3rd person. The graphics during these sequences looked great.
- There were even some really funny moments towards the end. When G'Pa snatched the hourglass from Link mid-spin, I cracked up.
- Lastly, the final boss fight was excellent. Not too hard, multi-leveled (literally) and actually really fun. No frustration.

Kudos to Nintendo for making one of the best games I've ever played on the DS. Thank you!

What a DS RPG should be!
Let me say, that I'm a HUGE Final Fantasy fan, and have only played two other Zelda games EVER, and never to completion. So it is with some surprise that I say "The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass" stands the model upon which all future DS RPGs should be. It has replaced Final Fantasy III as my new favorite DS RPG and it was no contest.

The graphics are second-to-none for the system. I thought FFIII and Chocobo Tales were good, but this takes what the system can do to another level. It's colorful, bright, cute, and stylish. For a game on such a small screen, the detail is wonderful.

And while some may pass off the stylus-only gameplay as gimmicky, I felt that the tight integration gave me a feeling of being more involved with the game, as opposed to simple button-mashing. The ability to control Link's speed with your stylus is a very clever take, and I actually prefer it to the usual "Hold down B to run." I also like being able to plot the path of my boomerang with the stylus. A very nice touch that adds to the fun of the game.

I enjoy the puzzles and the "time limit" set by the Phantom Hourglass is a great way to keep players on their toes in dungeons. The puzzles, while not overly difficult, offer enough challenge to be fun and not frustrating. And if you can find the hints to solve the puzzles (which are usually scattered somewhere), almost no thought is needed at all.

The story is engaging (this is a sequel, tho' you don't need to have played "The Wind Waker" to understand what's going on) and the characters likable. I also found the music and sound effects to be pleasant and very good for a game that already packs so much into such a small cartridge.

There's so much to LoZ:PH, that I haven't even had a chance to try the multiplayer mode, though it seems to be a watered-down version of Four Swords. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Four Swords is universally considered the pinnacle of multiplayer Zelda, so if it's anything like that, PH is definitely headed in the right direction in that department.

This is a great game for players of any level. Hardcore gamers will appreciate the innovative gameplay and great graphics, and casual gamers will like the challenge and interesting story. Kids will like the bright, colorful graphics and slick fighting/boomerang moves, while adults will like the story and puzzle-solving. This is what a DS RPG should be. Heck, this is what ANY game should aspire to be!

Big adventure
In this episode of Zelda (my first one ever) Link has to save Zelda after yet another unfortunate encounter with a villain. This time she is kidnapped by a Ghost ship, Link falls from his ship and washes up on the shore of Mercay island, where he meets his companion for this trip: the fairy Ciela. Together they have to defeat a whole array of increasingly scarier monsters before they can truely free Zelda.

I admit it: I'm 44 and new to gaming. This game is rated as 7+ in the Netherlands (even though there are very few 7 year olds than can already read English), so I was kind of anxious about the childishness of the game, but, boy, did I have fun! Yes, I agree with some reviewers that it is tedious to return to the Temple of the Ocean King all the time, but that is made more than made up for by shooting, stabbing, hooking and bombing all the very ingeniously invented monsters of the various temples and islands. But apart from that you can also fish, trade, dig up rupees, pimp up your boat, fly with chicken. And you have to solve some riddles that are difficult, but not impossible.

Some people claim that they went through this game in 12 hours. I have no idea how they did that: the final fight alone took me all in all almost 3 hours (and some less-than-polite language) to complete. And apart from the game proper there are a number of side-quests or you can just go treasure hunting or shoot seagulls, all according to your preferences. And their is a multi-player mode that I have not even explored yet...

The graphics are amazing for such a little screen and after a while you actually start to like Link, the little green fellow with the tight pants and the big eyes that is your alter ego in this game.