The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

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Description

The Legend of Zelda arrives on the Nintendo DS with The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. This game starts off where the Wind Waker for the GameCube ended. Link, his friend Tetra and her gang of pirates are sailing unexplored seas when they come across a ghost ship. When Tetra wants to explore the ship she disappears and Link, who goes after her, falls into the sea and becomes stranded on an unknown island.

While remaining true to the traditional Legend of Zelda formula, this game's controls are drastically different from other Zelda titles. This time you only use the touch screen to make Link move and attack instead of buttons. For example, swinging your sword is done with a short line horizontally or vertically in front of Link, or by tapping on a specific enemy. Link can somersault forward by having the player draw a small circle on the edge of the screen while running. The boomerang can be thrown in a specific path by drawing its exact route on the touch screen.

You can also use the touch screen to make notes of secret treasures and items on the map simply by writing them down. Sailing across the sea is also done by simply drawing the route on the map. While the route is being traveled, the player can pan the screen around to look out for enemies and other obstacles. The ship's route can also be changed while traveling if something else catches the player's attention. Later on, the player can even go fishing in the sea, using the stylus to pull the rod and reel in their catch.

The game is presented in the same cel-shaded style as the Wind Waker but it is displayed from a classic top-down perspective.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "ゼルダの伝説　夢幻の砂時計" -- Japanese spelling
• "Zelda no Densetsu: Mugen no Sunadokei" -- Japanese title
• "젤다의 전설 몽환의 모래시계" -- Korean spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Games made into comics
• Legend of Zelda series
• Visual technique / style: Cel shaded

User Reviews

When the legend is bigger than the game	Nintendo DS	NeoJ (455)
Fun game, but very long.	Nintendo DS	RussS (819)
Incorporates brilliant touch innovation in classic Zelda gameplay. Get it!	Nintendo DS	Rensch (218)
Fun little game that makes great use of the DS	Nintendo DS	Matthew Melbourne (27)

Critic Reviews

Computer and Video Games (CVG)	Nintendo DS	Jul 04, 2007	10 out of 10	100
The A.V. Club	Nintendo DS	Oct 15, 2007	A	100
USA Today	Nintendo DS	Oct 03, 2007		95
Kombo.com	Nintendo DS	Sep 30, 2007	9.5 out of 10	95
VicioJuegos.com	Nintendo DS	Oct 17, 2007	93 out of 100	93
Gamer 2.0	Nintendo DS	2007	9.3 out of 10	93
Super Play (Sweden)	Nintendo DS	Oct, 2007	9 out of 10	90
JeuxVideoPC.com	Nintendo DS	Oct 18, 2007	17 out of 20	85
Game Captain	Nintendo DS	Jan 07, 2008	85 out of 100	85
Softpedia	Nintendo DS	May 23, 2008	8 out of 10	80

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Trivia

1001 Video Games

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Awards

• GamePro
  • February 2008 (Issue #223) - Best Handheld Game of 2007
• GamePro (Germany)
  • March 28, 2008 - Best Handheld Game in 2007 (Readers' Vote)
• GameSpy
  • 2007 – #10 Game of the Year
  • 2007 – Handheld Game of the Year
  • 2007 – Nintendo DS Game of the Year
  • 2007 – Nintendo DS Game of the Year (Readers' Vote)
  • 2007 – Nintendo DS Action Game of the Year
• Golden Joystick Awards
  • 2008 - Bliss Handheld Game of the Year

Information also contributed by Big John WV.

Related Web Sites

• The Legend of Zelda – Phantom Hourglass (The official game web site by Nintendo of America.)
• UHS - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Hints (Shows hints gradually, so your game isn't spoiled.)