"What is Zelda? It's the reason the DS was made, that's what it is."

I always purchase any Nintendo console or handheld that is released, and there is one game series that is the reason for that. No, it's not Nintendo's flagship Mario series. On the contrary, the main system-seller for a Nintendo console for me is the Zelda series—a series that has never failed to entertain and impress me over the years.

Being a sequel to the Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass keeps the sailing gimmick that was present in that amazing GameCube title, but greatly improves it. If you remember, one of Wind Waker's major flaws was the need to constantly change wind directions and having to travel throughout that over-sized ocean. Taking advantage of the touch-screen features on the DS, Phantom Hourglass lets you chart your sailing course (which is much easier since it's not a freaking sailboat any longer and wind isn't a factor) by drawing a line from your ship to the place you want to go to. Of course, this is not a perfect system, as you will at times need to change course drastically, but it's made easier to swallow due to Nintendo trading that insane ocean grid in favor for a smaller, four-part ocean.

While traveling from island to island, enemies will attempt to take you, which gives you two options: you can simply dodge their attacks by jumping over them or sailing away from them or you can kill the enemies with your cannon. Using the cannon is also done by the touch-screen, with a simple tap causing your cannon balls to fly in that direction. However, for some odd reason, the cannon sometimes shoots behind you, even if you tapped at the sky in front of it, which can cause some minor annoyances but isn't a prominent enough problem to have the game's entertainment value docked.

Something new is the ability to customize your ship with various parts you can find on the ocean floor, in dungeons, or that you can buy from shops. By combining parts that compliment one another you can increase your boat's speed and how much hearts it has. However, unless you go out of your way, you won't come across very many different ship parts in the game, and it'd be a good idea to obtain them via the Tag Mode (a mode that is sort of irritating I would say).

Of course, the entirety of Phantom Hourglass does not revolve around the boat portions of the title. On land, Link is able to use all of his classic items and execute all of his classic moves, except with a new DS-spin on things. Instead of playing with the D-Pad, you move Link around just by touching the touch-screen. At first glance, this may seem like it will take getting used to (I can name a few titles that attempted this but failed miserably), but it's a very natural feeling.

If I had to pick one feature present in Phantom Hourglass that would attract gamers that haven't been introduced to the Zelda franchise yet, it would have to be the fact that not only do you move using the touch-screen and stylus, but you always swing your sword via the touch-screen and stylus. A simple swipe makes your sword swipe, a thrust makes you sword thrust, and spinning in a circle makes Link perform his signature spinning move. There were some instances when the DS mistook me trying to slash my sword as me trying to move (which would cause a couple cheap deaths), but overall, the combat system is an amazingly fluid and responsive, and I hope it is reused for the DS games to come.

Though I won't ruin exactly what items you will come across throughout your adventure, I can assure you that almost all of these take advantage of the touch-screen and stylus, which actually makes using them a lot more fun than it was in previous Zelda titles. My personal opinion is that Phantom Hourglass takes the best advantage of the DS's unique features, including the microphone (which you use to tell at some NPCs and maybe blow out some candles), and it actually uses the two-screen feature effectively, a feat that has been done poorly by some other titles in the past.

One complaint I've always had about the Zelda series is that some puzzles become terribly irritating due to the fact that you may have to backtrack to constantly get the information you need, but Phantom Hourglass fixes this problem by letting you take notes on the map, which doesn't make puzzles necessarily easier, but eliminates unneeded frustration that they may cause. This note-taking system can also be used as a helpful reminder to yourself about what you're supposed to be doing if you put the game down for a while (which I doubt you'd be able to do).

All of these aforementioned gameplay elements were simply addicting and made the experience more enjoyable than some Zelda adventures. Honestly, I haven't been this addicted to a handheld game since Pokemon Diamond, and that is something to brag about, Nintendo.

The acclaimed puzzle-elements from all of the Zelda games are present in this title, though the puzzles aren't as difficult as in previous titles. Some of the puzzles are simply annoying because they base their properties on the player's conception of placements of objects and how they connect, which may cause some problems.

Like I mentioned before, you can buy items at shops like always, but in this title, rupees are much more prominent, and you don't really have a limit on how much rupees can fit into your wallet (though there could be, I just never reached it). There are also some new rupees that debut in this game, as well as some new side-quests (some of which are actually entertaining, something I'm not that used to from a Zelda game).

One of those side-quests is really worth it, and that is the collection of Power Gems, red, blue, and green gems that can be found throughout the world that can power-up your fairies. I'm not going to ruin the results of collecting enough of those Power Gems, but I can assure you, you'll gamer's heart will squeal with some of the results.

About a year ago, I reviewed The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and it received a perfect score, and for a couple of hours into Phantom Hourglass, I assumed that I would be rewarding this title with a similar accolade, but sadly the game was one margin away from obtaining that perfect gaming ecstasy. The main reason for this I would say would be the dungeon that you have to revisit more than once, and that dungeon is the Temple of the Ocean King. There is a time limit in this dungeon, and if the time runs out, your life begins to drain, unless you are in colored “safe zones.” The only problem with this is that almost every time you go through the dungeon, you have to redo some of the puzzles you did the other times, and those Zelda puzzles are fun only once, going through them multiple times can really grind on your nerves.

What I've noticed in most DS games is that for their Wi-Fi capabilities, they usually fall drastically short of other online games. Sure it's free and easy to do, but there are just games that have the Wi-Fi capabilities, but just simply do not utilize them to their full potential. Phantom Hourglass doesn't do as much as it could, but I was still very impressed with the online, and I'd have to say that Phantom Hourglass has the best online features of any DS title that I've gotten my hands on so far. The multiplayer is fun, but sometimes the simple fact of whether you're first player or second player can cause some tilting towards another player's favor, but besides that it's pretty well-rounded. Single-card play isn't as tempting because it does not help your rank at all and you cannot earn Big Plays (Zelda's form of achievements, though for every four Big Plays you complete you earn special parts for your ship), but it's still pretty fun especially if you don't feel like dishing out the clams for two copies of the same game. I also have to point out that only allowing two players does take away some of the entertainment that was possible (could you believe a four player bout of this kind of multiplayer? The thought makes my heart jump). The basic form of the game is that there are three rounds, for one half of the round, one player plays Link, and he tries to take Force Gems (gold things that look like parts of the Triforce for some reason) back to their base. The other player controls the Phantoms which are armored and invincible beasts that are controlled by drawing lines, and their job is to kill Link. When Link is killed or the time runs out, then the players switch characters, and goes on like this for three rounds.

Twilight Princess brought the Zelda series a much better storyline, something that I noticed was relatively absent in most of the other titles. I haven't met one gamer who wasn't totally blown away with the final moments of Twilight Princess with that epic duel between Link and Ganondorf. Sadly, Phantom Hourglass does not have a storyline as epic as the one in Twilight Princess (mostly due to the absence of the main antagonist throughout most of the game), but the storyline is still pretty decent and there are some relatively good twists as well as some pretty hilarious moments.

Phantom Hourglass is probably the best-looking game the DS has to offer. The cel-shaded style from Wind Waker returns, and it just fits with the DS so well. It's hard not to be blown away with the power this small handheld device can generate, and it's rather impressive when you consider that its predecessor was the Game Boy Advance.

Audio wise, Phantom Hourglass does not disappoint. Touting the tunes from all the past Zelda games is not a bad thing, especially since this tune is probably one of the most recognized background sounds from any video game series ever (maybe a hair behind that of Mario's). Of course, there still is very little voice-acting, which may cause some character confusion during cut-scenes, but the Zelda games are a lot more entertaining without the voice-acting, and I'm glad Nintendo hasn't tried to implement voice-acting in the Zelda franchise.

Now, the replayability is another thing that keeps Phantom Hourglass from achieving perfection. I'm not saying that there is no replayability, there is, but I found it annoying that once the game is completed you can only start back to right before the final boss fight. This is irritating, as it steals the game's sense of finality and holds it back from its true potential, but the multiplayer should keep you occupied with the title for a little while longer after you've trekked through the adventure mode.

Phantom Hourglass has the potential to beat out Pokemon Diamond as the best DS game so far, and it is an exceptional installment in the long-running Zelda franchise. Phantom Hourglass will remind you why you bought a DS, and will remind other gamers why the Zelda series is the best gaming series to ever be created. Whether it's the difficult puzzles, the new and interesting control scheme, or the sheer Zelda style that attracts you, there will be something for every gamer in Link's latest handheld adventure.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/22/07

Game Release: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (US, 10/01/07)