THE GOOD:-Touch Screen is utilized flawlessly
-Many collectibles and sidequests
-Good dungeons
THE BAD:
-Battle system is subpar
-Sailing gets boring
-Some things require a day to pass in real time
SUMMARY:
Link returns to the Great Sea in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass! Tetra has landed herself in trouble once again and it's up to Link and new allies Captain Linebeck, Ciela, and Oshus to help. Although this is a direct sequel to The Wind Waker, the Great Sea has changed dramatically from the past iteration. Let's see, shall we?
One of the major breakthroughs in Phantom Hourglass is the control scheme. Link is controlled by moving the stylus where you want. He'll run toward it. This means no more fiddling with buttons. Slashes and stabs with the sword are made with sweeping motions and all of Link's items can be utilized with a touch in the menu screen.
Speaking of the items, there aren't a lot of them this time around. However, they are utilized very frequently, usually a puzzle can be solved using your items. The classic Bombs and Boomerang are back along with a few new items for good measure.
The dungeons are short, there is no doubt about it. On a handheld, this is unavoidable. However, they are fun for their size and some of them can get pretty complex. Don't expect to spend too much time in them however.
Combat is subpar, however, even for a Zelda game. Most enemies can be killed with one or two slices of the sword. Bosses are quite simple as well. Each one has a distinct pattern that must be exploited repeatedly. There are no advanced jump-roll-slash combo tactics like in some of the console games.
One of the great features of the game is the ability to customize your ship with the various ship parts in the game. There are seven sets of eight ship parts each, as well as a special set of golden parts. Your ship starts with four hearts; take damage at sea from enemies or crashing into rocks and explosive barrels and your health goes down until your ship sinks. However, for every three ship parts of the same kind you collect, your ship's health goes up by one heart. A fully synchronized ship will have seven hearts of health. Also, for the rare golden pieces, every two will grant an additional heart. This customization not only personalizes your ship, but allows you to survive longer at sea as well, handy for long voyages.
And the voyages do get long sometimes. The docks can be placed in inconvenient locations, and unless you get a special item that makes traveling easier, you're sometimes forced to traverse whole quadrants on your own. However, this is a minor point and doesn't get in the way of the action too much.
One aspect of the game that must be touched on is that some sidequests require a day to pass on the DS's internal clock. This can be a pain, but it doesn't happen too often.
Overall, the game is wonderful, a must buy for any Zelda fan, DS owner, or general gamer. Phantom Hourglass is groundbreaking for its touch screen control alone, but as you play through the game, it becomes that and so much more.
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