The underappreciated Wind Waker gets an upgrade in this innovative sequel that makes the most of the DS's capabilitiess
Wind Waker was such a departure from the current look of Zelda, and yet, it fit perfectly into the world. It was simplistic, full of colorful characters and wide open spaces with so much to explore. And while sailing did get incredibly monotonous, the improvements to the attack systems (which were upgraded in TP) and the vast amount of sidequests made Wind Waker a sheer delight for me to play.
I was put off by what I called the "Saturday Morning Cartoon" style animation at first, but I grew to love it, so when I saw that a sequel was being made for DS, I was extremely excited.
Phantom Hourglass picks up where Wind Waker left off, with Link and Tetra sailing into adventure, pursuing the treasure-laden Ghost Ship. However, Tetra is kidnapped by the mysterious vessel, and Link, being the Hero that he is, dives after her. He ends up washed up on a beach, awakened by a fairy named Ciela, and his quest is clear. Find the Ghost Ship and rescue Tetra.
Ciela is by far a much less annoying fairy than her predecessors *cough*Navi*cough*. This is probably because your other companion, a sailor named Linebeck, is extremely useless and irritating, but a source for slight humor in the banter with Ciela. Oh, and he can read the maps you collect. Yeah. The other characters you come across are as varied and creative as those in Wind Waker, including Oshus (aka Grandpa), some friendly Gorons (yay Gorons!), the frost-dwelling Anouki (who are too cute) and a feisty lady-sailor named Jolene (reminiscent of the Gerudos in OoT).
By far the best thing about Phantom Hourglass is the play-style. The Stylus is your joystick, d-pad, buttons, and target all at once. Simply drag the stylus along the screen to move in that direction. Tap an enemy to attack it. Equip the boomerang and trace out its path freeform across the screen. In this manner it feels a lot like a combination of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess (Wii version) because you've taken the guess work out of aiming. Also new to the DS version is the ability to write notes on your maps - especially useful in places that you must visit repeatedly. Speaking of repeatedly, Phantom Hourglass presents us with a unique temple area - the Temple of the Ocean King. The curse on the temple only allows you to enter it for a certain amount of time, and the lower levels only become accessible after you have gained new abilities, powers, weapons, and time from defeating the temple bosses. It does get a little frustrating having to go through the same levels over and over, but each time it gets easier, because new shortcuts are available to you once you have aquired a new weapon or technique. Eventually you have the ability to save your time and return to the halfway point of the temple instead of having to go through the first few levels every time. As far as temples, levels and bosses go, Phantom Hourglass is structured in the same way as every other Zelda game. You must complete three tasks first, then you find out what is REALLY going down, and you have to complete another several tasks. In this case, you track down the three Fairies, then you must gather the three pure metals to make a special new sword. Strangely enough, for the entire first half of the game, only half of the world is open to exploration, but it doesn't feel small. There's lots to do and explore. Baddies and Bosses are once again recognizable, your old friends from Wind Waker are back - Keese and Miniblins, Chu-Chus and skulls, with a few new additions. The dungeon bosses are all unique, but Zelda fans will immediately recognize the similarities to past bosses like Twinrova, King Dodongo, and others whose names I can't remember.
So, strong points again, the play style, the graphics (which fit so perfectly for the DS) and the overall charm. Did I mention the play style? I'll say it again. Other cool points include the ability to customize Linebeck's ship by collecting ship parts from various treasure chests and minigames. Also added to this installment is an actual process/game to hauling treasure. Rather than just stopping at an "X" and dropping your salvage arm you actually have to maneuver around octorocks to pick up your chest (and some rupees along the way) without causing too much damage to the arm.
And I will transition that into what I think is one of Phantom Hourglass's few weak points - the sheer linearity of the story. There isn't nearly the opportunity for exploration and sidequests as in Wind Waker and other Zelda installments. This was one of the great things about Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker - there was so much to DO outside of the main storyline. However, because this is for a handheld and not a major system, this is undertandable. The minigames available are fun and semi-rewarding, so that is something.
Otherwise, the only weaknesses in Phantom Hourglass are ones that come simply because this is a game designed for a hand-held, not a classic controller-styled game. Switching between equipped items becomes a hassle, but to make up for it you have a never-ending supply of pots (they reset when you reenter a room, and still contain stuff! so no matter how many times you crack that pot in the entry chamber, it still has a heart!). Sailing is a pain, as in Wind Waker, but the size of the map makes it a lot faster, plus strategically placed warp points make it almost easy. And again, by the time you have entered Basement level 3 of the Temple of the Ocean King for the third time, you have the layout memorized, but this time you have bombs, which makes getting that small key a piece of cake.
Overall, I think Phantom Hourglass is by far the best hand-held Zelda game ever, and ranks pretty high among its regular console fellows. Speaking as someone who has not had a DS for long, it's nice to finally have a game that isn't full of puzzles or minigames designed for someone under the age of eight. A must-have for any DS owner and Zelda fan - and definitely worth checking out if you've got a DS but weren't into the series before. We'll make Hyrulians of you yet!