"Don't let the hourglass run out, you NEED to play this game! (9.5)"

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass marks the fifth entry into the series highly successful portable universe. Set after the transpirations of The Wind Waker, Link and Tetra encounter a mysterious ghost ship while sailing the high seas. When Tetra boards the ship in search of treasure, and mysteriously disappears, it's up to Link to (you guessed it) pry her from the hands of evil and save a land whose very existence is threatened.

A Tale of the Tides

As stated before, Tetra has been kidnapped, and our hero, clad in green, is the only one who can save her. What begins as a simple rescue mission becomes a classic struggle between good and evil, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. During his first rescue attempt, Link is sent into the ocean, only to awake on a foreign island, with no clue as to Tetra's whereabouts. It is here that he encounters a mysterious old man and the eerie and dilapidated Temple of the Ocean King. Interestingly enough, much of Link's adventure revolves around this temple. Initially, you can only journey in a little ways. As Link's acquires additional items, more floors of the temple become accessible.

After acquiring sea charts from the temple, Link sets sail with Linebeck, a knowledgeable, if cowardly, treasure seeker. Each sea chart reveals new islands, many of which contain new dungeons to explore. Inevitably, Link will explore each dungeon, obtain a key item, and slay a horrific beast. Using the newly found item, Link can delve deeper into The Temple of the Ocean King, where a new chart can be obtained, and the process begins anew. Ultimately Link will reach the bottom of the temple, and discover the root of evil that's tainting the sea. If the whole game sounds tiresome and boring, rest assured that it is anything but. There are a wealth of different locales to explore and puzzles to solve, and any monotony is quickly dispelled by a trip on the blue sea. Throw in hidden islands and sunken treasure and you have one of the finest Zelda titles ever conceived. For a game seemingly so light-hearted in nature, it truly takes on an epic feel.

The Shimmer on the Water

Phantom Hourglass is the spiritual successor to The Wind Waker, and as such uses the same cel-shaded style that gave TWW a truly distinctive look. Link appears a diminutive and colorful young boy. The other characters follow the same art direction, sporting exaggerated features and a genuinely comical and cartoony look. Defeated enemies explode in an array of bright colors. The dungeons are well detailed, and you'll never be at a loss at to what's going on. As for the ocean, let's just say that the high seas never looked so inviting; what it lacks in realism is more than made up for by the soothing blue, endless expanse. The draw distance is excellent for a DS game; islands and ships become visible well before you reach them. The entire game is a visual utopia. Everything is bright, colorful, and intricately detailed. Phantom Hourglass is one of the finest examples of the DS's raw power, and it's one of the most visually pleasing games in recent memory.

An Ocean's Whispers

The Zelda series has always been renowned for its top notch soundtrack; unfortunately Phantom Hourglass falls just a bit short. All the familiar Zelda sounds are present: Link's grunts and groans, the shattering of pots, and of course the infamous “puzzle solved” chime. You'll hear seagull chatter and waves crashing against the boat. All of that is well and good, but it's the lack of traditional music that is troubling. That's not to say that a few of the series legendary scores aren't present, but they're few and far between. The music is the same in every dungeon, and it's rather dull at best. On the plus side, the ocean sailing track is especially good and does a great job setting a relaxing mood. The soundtrack as a whole isn't bad; it just fails to be memorable like virtually every other game in the series.

The Pen IS the sword?!

Phantom Hourglass completely shatters the norm for how a Zelda game is played. Everything, and I do mean everything, is done via the touchscreen. While this may spark apprehension in traditionalists, rest assured, this game features some of the most precise controls ever before seen. Movement is handled simply by touching the spot you want to walk towards, and walking speed is determined by how far away the stylus is from the character.

Combat is incredibly simple. Tapping the enemy will execute Link's patented jump attack. Simply draw a short line away from Link to perform a thrust, while drawing a dividing line between Link and the enemy results in a slash. The spin attack is as simple as drawing a small circle around Link. Items are used by tapping the spot you wish to aim for. The boomerang, in particular, has been completely overhauled. You can now trace a flight path for it, targeting multiple enemies in one throw. This new found method creates a basis for some truly innovative puzzles, and breathes a little life into a series that has admittedly gotten just a bit stale.

Sailing the ocean blue has never before been so easy. Simply trace a path on the sea chart, and the ship will follow that course. If at any time you wish to change your destination, you can simply draw a new path. Vanquishing enemies is as simple as tapping the touch screen where you want to fire the ship's cannon. Sailing is so intuitive compared to the Wind Waker, that it's actually quite enjoyable.

Also brand new to the series, is the ability to take notes on a map. Ever been in the midst of a tough dungeon and discovered an important clue, only to forget it when the moment of truth arrived? Well, no more. Just pull up the dungeon map, make a note, and you're all set. This new skill becomes critically important as you journey into the Temple of the Ocean King. Each time you enter the temple, the mysterious Phantom Hourglass begins counting down toward zero. When it runs dry, the temple will suck the life out of Link and ultimately kill him. Each time you exit the temple, all puzzles you have completed will be reset. Since time is of the utmost importance, making notes on the map becomes essential to your survival. You won't want to waste precious seconds trying to solve a puzzle that you've already done before. Suffice it to say, the controls are second to none. It can be occasionally difficult to execute a particular move, but these instances are infrequent enough, that they don't detract much from the overall game. Many will find it hard to play a traditional Zelda after experiencing this gem.

Zelda On-line?

Phantom Hourglass marks the series debut into the online fray. The concept is simple. Players take turns controlling Link, while the other player controls three phantoms. Link's mission is simple: grab force gems that are randomly scattered about the playing field, and return them to your safe zone to score points. Of course the phantoms have other ideas. On their side, you will draw patrol routes on the map, and try to stop Link from retrieving any force gems. If a phantom manages to hit Link, then the turn ends, otherwise Link has two full minutes to do his worst. Whoever collects more force gems, and ultimately more points at the end of three turns, will be declared the winner. It's a nice diversion from the main quest, and it runs relatively lag free. More modes would have been welcomed, but what's there is plenty fun and adds even more longevity to the game.

Odds and Ends

In addition to the main quest, Phantom Hourglass offers a good number of sidequests and items to discover. There are opportunities to fish, recover treasure from the ocean floor with the salvage arm, customize your ship with an array of different ship parts, and there are a whole host of items to discover. There are no heart pieces, just full heart containers. Other items include rare treasures, which can be sold for great profit, larger bomb bags and quivers, and 20 spirit gems for each of three spirit fairies. While the main quest is slightly shorter than most, the sheer amount of exploration and collectibles make up for it.

The Final Verdict

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is one of the finest titles to grace the DS. It combines an entertaining story, with lush and pleasing graphics, and a truly innovative and second-to-none control scheme. Repeated visits to the Temple of the Ocean King will frustrate some, the music is a little sub-par, and the main quest is a little on the short side. A plethora of sidequests and an online mode help disrupt the monotony. All in all Phantom Hourglass is a landmark game that showcases both the capabilities of the DS, as well as the luster of the Zelda series. No Zelda fan or adventure aficionado should miss this one.

Final Score: 9.5 (rounded to 9 for gamefaqs)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/04/08

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