The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Review
A grand adventure on two small screens
by AlmightyMax
reviewed on NDS
Dungeons, Puzzles and Bosses (cntd.)
The dungeon plays sort of like a timed Metal Gear solid; while progressing, you encounter a number of invincible enemies called Phantoms that will drain your time if you are caught. You need to avoid them to progress in the dungeon, and you can distract them by being noisy (hitting stuff with a sword etc.). The puzzles themselves are extremely well crafted; I might go out on a limb and say they’re the best puzzles in Zelda history. The only real complaint for this temple is that the puzzles do not stay solved after you exit, but this can be overlooked because the new weapons you get throughout your journey open up numerous new shortcuts, making the descent mostly painless.
At the end of every temple, in classic Zelda fashion, you will face off against a larger-than-life boss. These bouts, which usually take full advantage of the two screens, are wildly imaginative. They are easily the best on the DS and some of the best bosses of any game this year. While every boss is quite unique, they are all similar in that they make you use the skills you needed for the dungeon as well as your new weapons in creative ways. One may face you off against a crab-like monster that can turn invisible, and you’ll need to figure out his location using the top-screen, which is viewed first-person from the boss’s perspective. The final boss bouts (which are undoubtedly the best) will give you the ability to stop time and have you wait for the opportune moment to do so. Like the rest of the game, however, the bosses are too easy, and while still a blast will probably leave the more hardcore wanting more.
Battle Mode
After finishing the main quest (which should take around fifteen hours), you can come back for the robust Battle Mode, a 2-player game heavy on strategy but not much in the way of fighting - what’s up with that, anyways? Instead of the action the name implies, Battle Mode is a sort of capture-the-flag game inspired by the Temple of the Ocean King which pits you against an opponent in a race to capture as many Force Gems as possible. Player One controls a completely defenseless Link, who scrambles around the field picking up Force Gems and returning them to his base, and P2 manages three Phantoms, drawing paths for them in hopes of stopping Link from claiming the gems as his own. Other little quirks, like some cool power-ups, map mechanics and more are great benefits for the design, and the end result is a quite enjoyable experience. The game can be played online or via local wireless, and while not being a Four Swords caliber multiplayer, it’s still quite entertaining and will greatly lengthen the games replay value.
Console Quality
One thing evident about Phantom Hourglass from the get-go is that it really feels like a console game, albeit one on a four-inch screen. The game offers full-motion cutscenes which bring the majestic Zelda tale to life, a stellar achievement as many console games are still evolving past slideshow cinemas. Hourglass also offers graphics which look simply phenomenal for a DS game, which keep with the Wind Waker trend of extremely expressive characters, and beautifully animating bosses and other NPCs. Despite some slightly pixilated backgrounds, this is easily the best-looking game on the DS. The score is also quite good, remixing classic tunes to make them fit the extremely lighthearted feel of the game. The opening tune is my favorite; a remix of all the notable tunes from Wind Waker done on the flute.
Phantom Hourglass is truly a game of console quality; but just happens to have been built from the ground up for the DS. While longtime fans may dismiss it as too easy or casual, it can stand tall with the Zelda greats as one of the best games of all time. The great touch-screen controls, excellent visual design and wildly imaginative boss bouts make it an obligatory purchase for DS owners, and one of the best games of the year.
9.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
