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October 22, 2007
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Well it finally came out!
I've only been waiting for Phantom Hourglass to come out since about the time Minish Cap hit the scene. Despite that, I didn't get my copy until the Friday after it was released. I had a great deal of things going on that required my full attention and I didn't want to be tempted to ignore them in favor of playing a new Zelda (a real hazard). Now I've been playing it for more than a week and I have to report on my impressions thus far.
I'm getting close to the end. I have all of the sea charts, all of the spirits, all of the pure metals, and the Phantom Sword. Based on the dialog from certain characters, it sounds like I just have to beat the main villain and I'm done. Actually I could already be done with that, but I have decided to take a break from the main adventure and collect as many of the ship parts as possible. This is basically the only collection aspect of the game. So, I think I'm still short 3 hearts so I'm looking around a little. I've seen what there is to see and can make a faithful report.
The Good
First off, I was a little uncertain about using the stylus/touchscreen for almost everything. However, this actually works really well with the game. It takes a little getting used to, but once you do, you can manipulate Link in every fashion you could with a D-pad and buttons and more. There are some quick buttons that are helpful though. The left and right triggers pull out your secondary weapon. This is particularly useful with the Boomerang. The D-pad and buttons will pull up the map screen, item list or menu list depending on which direction or button you select. This makes it convenient whether you use the DS right-handed or left-handed.
The boomerang and the hammer are extremely useful with the stylus. The hammer can be used at a distance (in a straight line with no objects in the way). The boomerang follows a path made by drawing with the stylus. This allows you to set a long path for hitting buttons or enemies in hard to reach places. I have done a great deal of experimenting with the boomerang and have become a fast draw with it using the trigger. This would not have been easy to do without the stylus.
The story so far is really good. It picks up right after Windwaker and builds upon that story line. Link and Tetra are traveling on the pirate ship when they run afoul of a ghost ship. Tetra boards the ghost ship just as it disappears and Link must save her. Then the usual Zelda actions follow. You have to collect spirits, sea charts and eventually pure metals to save Tetra and the world. Basically, Zelda as usual, so fans won't be disappointed.
The Bad
One of the difficulties of using the stylus for movement is the roll. It is very tricky at first and even after practicing it for a while, I'm still not guaranteed to do it successfully every time. This is about the only thing I wish there was a button for (like in every other Zelda).
The exchange quest is very short. Probably the shortest one ever. Not really much of a problem for casual players, but long time Zelda-fans will be surprised at how quickly they complete it if they do it late in the game like I did.
Some pundits won't like the interconnection with Windwaker. Personally, I like Windwaker, but if you didn't like the sailing aspect in that game then you might not like it in Phantom Hourglass. And you will sail quite a bit in this game.
The Ugly
There are no totally negative aspects to this game. I may be biased on that considering how much of a Zelda fan I am, though. ;)
Summary
I've been very pleased with this game and anticipate finishing it soon. I'm still collecting ship parts, but I may just finish it up soon and move on. I don't think collecting them will have any further benefit for me in the game at this point.
All in all I'd give it a 9.0 out of 10.
Posted by Kaishaku at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)