"You Never Really Know Until You Try"

Summary
Ah, the Legend of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was released in late 2007, and is currently the only Zelda game on the Nintendo DS. It is a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, released in 2003 for the Nintendo GameCube. This is a timeless game, with about as many pros as there are cons, but Phantom Hourglass is a Zelda game, for which you have to respect.

If you have never played The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, but you have played other Zelda games, this might clear up a bit of confusion. This land is NOT Hyrule. This is an entirely different land of what many of you may know as Hyrule. Hyrule has been buried under The Great Sea, and is to be lost forever.

Introduction
Ever wondered what it was like to hold a sword and shield, defeat monsters, and wear a green tunic? Well, if so, you might want to try The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Or any other Zelda game for that matter). If you are not familiar with The Wind Waker, Niko, a deck swabbie gives you a run-down on Link's adventure in the previous installment, and leads up to how he has gotten to where he is now. Well Link and Tetra is off to find treasure in the mysterious Ghost Ship.

So as they approach the ship, Tetra jumps on, but suddenly, a lightning bolt hits the ship, and you hear Tetra scream. Link jumps into action, but he can't manage to pull himself up onto the ship, and goes plummeting into the cold, murky waters below…

Link finds himself on an island with a fairy fluttering above him, who's name is revealed as Ciela, who takes Link to “Grandpa's house”, also know as Oshus. He tells you to go meet a sailor called Linebeck, and that is where Link's adventure begins.

What Do You Do?
The just of this game is either sailing, on an island, or going through and through again The Temple of the Ocean King. What is The Temple of the Ocean King you may ask? Well, basically it is a very large temple in which many treasures reside and are being guarded by the Phantoms, and you need to go through it multiple times, each time with a new item, to get farther in.
If you have played The Wind Waker, you know that you sail a lot over the Great Sea. That is done also in this game. You need to sail to many islands, collecting items, and gaining the necessities you need to get beck Tetra. You have to fight your way through multiple dungeons to acquire your items and defeat the boss to get the grand prize. This covers the main points in what you do in Phantom Hourglass.

How Is This Game?
Well, this is the main point for you to read this review, right, to see if you want to get this game or not? Well, this game is incredibly easy. Once you have gotten your sword, all you have to is tap an enemy, and Link runs up, hits it once, and it dies. That is basically all there is to it. On top of that, once you have gotten your shield, you can defend against most attacks, by merely standing in front of the enemy with your sword out. That's the combat for you, so don't expect much of a challenge combat-wise.

Well, it keeps going down hill, the game is short, and it really does not make you want to keep playing. A large sum of the game revolves around you going to an island, getting an item, running to The Temple of the Ocean King, getting something important, repeat. It gets quite dull after the first couple of dungeons, and honestly, it does not get so much better. But some of you are hard-core Zelda fans, like myself, so you will pull yourself through, but those with a small amount of patients, be warned.

On a more positive note, the characters are very well done, their emotions are much like real people, and they are very easy to relate to. On the other hand, there are not too many to relate to. But aside from that, Linebeck is hilarious, and you can feel how he gains more and more respect for Link (Even though he does not show it much) as the story progresses. The characters and the dialogue between them is fantastic, and is a definite plus for Phantom Hourglass.

Music
This is a Zelda game, need I say more? The music was great as always, but their was not much variety. It never really differed much from island to island, as it did in The Wind Waker, and the dungeon theme was repetitive. The sound comes out great on the DS, and it is better than most DS games, but they could have done more to keep up the fame of Zelda with some of the best and most recognizable tunes.

Graphics
Alright, this is what made The Wind Waker famous. First a little back-round information on The Wind Waker. It was made with graphics that were much different then most, it is called cel-shaded. Everything is bright and detailed, which got The Wind Waker labeled as a “kiddy game”. This is the same for in Phantom Hourglass. I don't know about you, but I get a fuzzy feeling every time a Bombchu goes off and you see the wisps of smoke. So label this what you will, but in mine, and many other's opinions, the graphics are amazing, and does not mean the game is “kiddy“ one bit.

Game Length
Well, really, this game is not very long. It takes maybe 20 hours tops, which really is not too bad for a DS game, but during that time, a majority will be spent in The Temple of the Ocean King, which gets really old really fast. Sure, you can get all the Power/Wisdom/Courage gems, collect the boat parts, get the treasure buried under the sea, and collect the heart pieces. But, in my opinion, it does not feel like much of an accomplishment, as it did in The Wind Waker, except that it puts 30 or more hours of your life down the drain.

Nintendo Wi-Fi
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the first ever Zelda game to go online. In this fun little attachment you can get on Nintendo Wi-Fi, and play people all around the world. There are two parts to it, during half the battle you will be Link, and the objective is to collect as many Force Gems as you can and get them inside your base within the time limit. During that time you will be pursued by the Phantoms, who if they get to you, and hit you with their massive sword, the battle immediately ends and you change positions.

As the Phantoms, your objective is to get Link as soon as possible. You control three different Phantoms, and draw their path on the bottom screen, and all you need to do is catch Link. Sound simple? Wrong. There are many places Link can hide which are known as “Safety Zones”, and once he is in there, no Phantom can harm him. There are many different secrets you will learn while battling over Wi-Fi, so the more you play, the better you will get.

And In Conclusion…
I would have to say that The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is just decent. The game itself is short and lagging in depth, but the characters are outstanding. This game does not meet all the so called “standards” for a Zelda game. This is the kind of game that goes both ways, so I would definitely try it out before you buy it. You never really know until you try.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/04/07, Updated 12/29/07

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