Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass :: DS Game Review

Link's off to save Zelda again in this new fantasy adventure game for the Nintendo DS. Gary grabbed it and here's his game review!

Courtesy of Nintendo

Link has a new adventure for the Nintendo DS! It starts off after The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker as Princess Zelda disappears on a mysterious ghost ship and Link falls into the ocean - waking up alone on a beach with a fairy to guide him. Gary grabbed a copy of this new game and dove right into a pile of fantasy adventure, puzzles and even some pirate fun. Here's his Legend of Zelda game review!

Touching

Link's new adventure has gone 3D, but it doesn't use any of the DS buttons! That's right - you bash monsters, use items, solve puzzles, explore the world and battle massive bosses, all with the stylus. It's a weird twist, but it's really fun and lets you do some awesome stuff. Other than that, the game is a pretty standard, and really good, Zelda game. One thing that sets it apart is its shard-collecting, ghost-dodging multiplayer mode you can play across the internet.

Good Touch

The best news is that all the touch screen controls work. They're easy to learn, easy to use and the game difficulty is toned down to make it easy enough for younger gamers to have fun. The puzzles are a bit easier too, and the ability to write notes on the maps is fantastic! You also spend a lot of time sailing the ocean with a sailor named Linebeck, he's a jerk but it's fun pretending to be a pirate!

Bad Touch

For the first few hours you'll be twitching with the urge to tap on the rest of the DS buttons - thankfully that fades! Having to constantly go through the Temple of the Ocean King over and over and over again is a bit of a pain, but it gets easier each time and you can save halfway through so it's not too bad.

Good or Gimmick?

Unlike some games, *cough*Pokemon Dash*cough*, the touch screen controls really work in this game. It also has an excellent adventure full of boss battles, puzzles and fun. There's even a multiplayer mode for when you've finished it off! The Phantom Hourglass is a winner for anyone with a DS.

Thumbs Up:

Cool touch-screen controls.

The puzzles aren't too hard!

You get to be a pirate - yarrr!

Internet multiplayer mode - gather shards and dodge phantoms!

Wicked boss battles!

Thumbs Down:

Going back to the Temple of the Ocean King again and again and again and again....

You'll be itching to use the regular buttons to play for the first few hours!

Game Rating: