Those who have been playing Legend of Zelda games would probably expect this to happen, as it has always been the same since God knows when. Legend of Zelda games is always about Link saving Princess Zelda, using his trusty boomerang, bow & arrow, shovel and any other ‘utensils’ Link can dig up. Let’s not forget the pointy green hat, a shield, a sword and the tri-force symbol. Heck there’s a lot more recycled stuff but I’m just gonna stop here.

Before I go any further, I’m just going to say that Phantom Hourglass is the second Legend of Zelda games I ever touch in my life. First one is Twilight Princess and yes I never touched the previous games before. Most of the information and tricks I know is taken from my girlfriend. She has been playing Zelda games since the NES era.

I manage to picked up Phantom Hourglass last Saturday and have been playing it everyday (throwing aside my PSP and Jeanne D’Arc). One great thing about Zelda games is that, you don’t have to play the previous games in order to know the game. However knowing previous games might give you a bit of advantage since you will probably recognize some of the old tricks presented. Regardless whether you are old school or new comer, you can jump right into the game.

The story in Phantom Hourglass continues straight from where Wind Waker (Nintendo Gamecube) left off and this time we see Princess Zelda being captured by a Ghost Ship. It’s up to good for nothing and goofy Link to save her. I’m not really sure he’s this goofy in Wind Waker but he is in Phantom Hourglass. It’s not bad of course. It feels fresh to play Link in a comedy personality unlike the seriousness in Twilight Princess.

You control Link’s every movement by using the stylus and only the stylus. There’s no option available to switch to D-pad and the buttons (including the D-pad) are used as short-cut keys to call up the main menu and items menu. Using the stylus for so many actions might seem tedious for an action RPG but to be honest, I wouldn’t ask for any other controls. It feels really natural and Link’s attacks are easily performed by moving the stylus in a certain motion.

Graphically Phantom Hourglass looks good, pretty similar to Final Fantasy 3 DS. However it feels a lot better here because Nintendo knows how to fully utilize both screens (Square-Enix, you better not make the same mistake for Final Fantasy 4 DS). The top screen shows the map while the action is on the bottom screen. Any event triggered will be shown on the map, making it less tedious to search an item that has just dropped or a door that has been unlocked. Another great feature is the ability to jot down notes on your map at anytime (other than some restricted areas). Kudos to Nintendo for being environmental friendly. That’s a lot of trees saved folks.

Overall Phantom Hourglass is a great game and worthy of the name Legend of Zelda. Gameplay is great, storyline is both comical & entertaining, and a control system that works really well. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t pick up this game. You can get it now at your local game store or you can buy it from Play-Asia (Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass)

Picture Source: IGN.com

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