Pretty good. definitely worth a try, even if it looks wrong.
In Phantom Hourglass, the game takes full control of the touch screen and some of the other abilities of the DS that I had not seen before, such as closing the clam shape to press two objects together, or the great ways that the small but useful arsenal are used. Experienced Zelda players may find this game on the easy side, but it is still worth the buy, because of all the features it possess. One of the issues that will probably be discussed is the fact that there is an element of repetitiveness in one of the dungeon's you must face, the Temple of the Ocean King. It surprised me because I heard many groans about it's repetitiveness, but I found it actually somewhat pleasing, as every time you return, you come bearing new tools, which shorten or change the path you take to descend deeper into the temple, so I felt it intelligent, to say in the least, if still missing the mark a bit.
Every Dungeon is as brilliant as ever, even if they are on the short side, taking a half hour to complete at max, excluding the rare parts that you get stuck on. The boss fights take full use of both screens, executing some very intuitive battles.
The story seems to be a bit lacking, as of the fact that is a little too linear. There are only a few surprises that catch you off guard. After defeating the spectacular final boss, like Minish cap, it puts you just before the last boss fight, as if it never happened. This formula is a little annoying if you got really into the plot, as you may feel as if you were cheated by in a way not counting your progress, though it does. There is still some replay value, but not all too much to get overly exited about. There are minigames splattered over the islands here and there, and some hidden treasures and fully upgradable fairies to obtain, but it still seems to be a bit lacking, like a game that you would feel a need to finish, even if it does not affect anything.
All-in-all, the game is a pretty good fit. I admit to coming to the game as a suspecting non-believer, but I found out quickly that a touch screen based Zelda game CAN be achieved, and a good one at that. Still, I was a little disappointed in the fact being that there is lacking complex combat, and that the Ocean King's Temple can be repetitive. It was linear and basic, and still had a competent enough story that it captured my attention. The Ship Building is alright, although you feel a low level of initiative to finish it, as it affects little of the game value. Still, even if it looks bad, or you feel repelled by pushing link around of a top down 3D map, it's still worth a try. How much value you get out of this game is really your choice.