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Full Review for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass by mitsu

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Introduction

I am a huge fan of LoZ series, and I have to say, against my own will, that I am a little nonplussed with this installment.

Ahh, the story line starts like a kid's film... I guess I was well prepared then, for waht was to follow. I found this game to be much hollower than other zelda titles, it seems to be just tacked onto the end of the story, and there were no stand-out characters to love in this game, like in past titles. And the story itself started out kinda slow and boring... I was expecting a much bigger story, but got a kind of tacked on to the end of another story kind of feel from it. I just feel that for all the hype and time it took to get this game onto shelves, it really didnt meet the mark compared to what I have come to love and expect in a zelda title.

So all in all, it was an ok, play, but certainly not my favourite LoZ title.

Graphics

I think anyone who hated the graphics on windwaker will have a field day on this one... It's kind of irritating, but I still enjoyed it. It is definitely not Twilight Princess, or even Ocarina of Time,and it appears aimed at a younger LoZ market, against Twilight Princess which seems for a much older audience.

Sound

Many of the well know zelda sounds are here, with a few new ones plonked in here... I still recognise Navi's voice anytime Ciela speaks... But the music doesnt seem to grab me as much as some earlier titles of LoZ have. I still feel that this is aimed at a younger market.

Gameplay

I found the controls a little hard to get used to but when I did, they are very fun to use... Except, if you are like me, and enjoy extended gameplay, after an hour or so, my arm was getting very sore!

I really enjoyed the self steering boat, which was a fair improvement on this game's direct predecessor (WindWaker) but I found the ocean voyaging still to be a little annoying.

Whilst the idea of the timed dungeons in the form of the hourglass is innovative, within this very game I encountered, as part of the main gameplay itself, one of my HUGE pet HATES in a game... REPETITIVE BACKTRACKING!!! ARGH, I can't stand doing a dungeon over and over again when I stuff it up, let alone not having any choice in the temple of the sea-god... No matter how good you do! There is so much repeating parts of this same dungeon, that I really felt like tossing the gem out the window it got to be so un-fun. But that is just me. I hate repetition, and it motivates me to get it right the first time... And for those like me, you will come to hate seeing those dungeon rooms and traps that you MUST go through time and time again (it is part of the game, as new parts open up to you in that temple, that you must re-go through the first rooms)When eventually you are rewarded with a dungeon warp, you are penalised time off your hourglass, and to get a better time, you must yet-again repeat the dungeon.

Also, in this game, the dungeons are much smaller, and very different... This just didn't have quite the feel of your usual Zelda game, and for the die-hard fans, I think it might be a little too different.

A good thing about this game, is that the bosses, while still being your stock standard zelda bosses (you know how to kill 'em, just use whatever item you found in the dungeon) but the DS's dual screen and touch technology does change the usual way you might tackle a boss, thus making it more challenging. This goes for the puzzles in some dungeons, some are really sneaky!

Lastability

I think Perhaps that the makers have gone for a different angle with this game, aiming for a younger market, and while the game is cartoonish, the puzzles, although few, are still satisfyingly tricky.

I think for those who enjoy it, it will be an oft played game, but not as fondly played as some of the larger loZ games of yore.

Overall

That said, it is a LoZ game. I have always felt that each new title adds something to the'Zelda' Legend, wether it be the Gorons and the Zoras from Ocarina, to the seafaring fun of windwaker, Or even the miniature fun of Minish cap... I feel this game tended to borrow bits and pieces from every other game to come before it. It never seemed to find it's own 'thing' to offer to the LoZ legacy, and I think in terms of memorable LoZ games, this will be the oft forgot cousin of some of the giants in this series.

Which is sad to say, since I love LoZ...