An epic adventure with memorable characters, right in your pocket.
The first thing you will notice upon starting out upon your adventure is, of course, the graphics. The visual style in Phantom Hourglass is quite similar to the cel-shaded style of Wind Waker. Suffice it to say, it looks phenomenal. It is remarkable how Nintendo seems to have been able to take Wind Waker and cram it onto the DS with very little difference, besides a lower resolution, of course. The environments are colorful and gorgeous, and despite some muddy textures when up close, the game as a whole is beautiful.
The very next thing that you'll notice are the controls. Link is moved by placing the stylus at any point on the screen, at which point he will run towards it. This can be likened to the method of movement in Animal Crossing: Wild World. Your attacks are handled using one of two methods; you can either tap an enemy, which causes Link to attack it, or you can make a swiping motion across the touch screen, at which point Link will swipe with his sword. Link's trademark spin attack is accomplished by quickly drawing a large circle around Link, and drawing a loop-de-loop or zigzag at the edges of the screen results in a roll or somersault. The controls were no doubt a point of apprehension for longtime fans of the series, but I can safely say that they work impeccably. At first it may seem that the spin attack and roll are not quite as responsive as they should be, but after a little practice it becomes apparent that this is not true.
The gameplay manages to feel fresh and new, yet at the same time retains all the qualities that make Zelda "Zelda." The game is layed out vastly the same as all previous Zelda titles; Link must rescue Zelda, so he journeys through dungeons, fighting a boss at the end of each, and acquiring weapons and items that get him closer towards his goal. Those who believe that the Zelda series is getting formulaic, and those who found Twilight Princess stale are probably groaning at this point, but fear not! While the core design of Phantom Hourglass hasn't changed, the experience as a whole feels incredibly fresh and new. A good illustration of this point lies within the weapon set of this game. While all the weapons in the game will feel familiar to veterans of the series, the ways in which you use them are completely unique, and utilize the DS's touch screen controls in a marvelous way. For example: I don't feel I spoil too much when I say that Link will acquire a boomerang in this game. However, the ability to draw out the exact path the boomerang will follow on the touch screen gives rise to some far more complex puzzles than were possible with the boomerang before.
Of course, no Zelda game would be complete without a plethora of puzzles to solve, and no review of a Zelda game would be complete without discussing said puzzles. I personally feel that the puzzles in this game are the strongest puzzles the Zelda series has ever seen, and arguably the best puzzles in any game, period. They are absolutely brilliant, and some of them are pure genius. No puzzles in the game are as simple as "hit this switch" or "push this block." Although you will do plenty of block pushing and switch hitting throughout your quest, all of these activities are part of a larger puzzle that almost always requires you to think harder than most recent Zelda puzzles. Some of the puzzles in the game require you to think far beyond the traditional limits of video game puzzles, and leave you scratching you head until you figure it out, at which point the sheer brilliance of the design hits you.
An element that goes hand-in-hand with puzzles in Zelda games would obviously be the bosses. Phantom Hourglass has some of the most memorable boss fights of the series. I don't want to spoil any of them for you, but I will say that almost all of the boss fights use both of the DS's screens in some very interesting ways. None of them are particularly hard, but this can be forgiven because of the pure ingenuity and singularity of these fights.
Another facet of Zelda games is the map. Usually it's nothing too remarkable; just a device to help you know where to go. Thanks to the unique features of the DS, however, it has been completely rethought. Rather than simply looking at your map for direction, it becomes an integral part of the gameplay. You are able, at any time, to bring the map down from the top screen and scribble anything on it that you wish. At first it may seem like a mere distraction, until you realize just how vital it is. The vast majority of the puzzles in the game require that you write something down on the map for use later.
A first for the Zelda series is the inclusion of a two player multiplayer mode. It is no more than a distraction, although it certainly is a fun distraction. In this mode, one player takes the role of Link, and the other plays as the invincible Phantoms. Link must try to get Force Gems back to his base, while the Phantoms attempt to stop him. There is a good bit of strategy involved, and it's worth trying out. Nintendo Wifi Connection multiplayer support is also an added bonus for this mode.
As you would expect, the production values are through the roof. The entire game is impressive, and sailing around on the Great Sea, blasting seagulls out of the sky (yes, you can shoot the seagulls) accompanied by a great musical score can't help but bring a smile to your face.
The main game is fairly lengthy, and will most likely take the average gamer around 15 hours to complete, although there are a fair amount of collectibles and minigames to go back to once the main quest is finished. It's a shame that they aren't more compelling though; there is little reason to go back to them besides novelty (which isn't a bad reason for this game).
There are, of course some small flaws in the game. One of the negative views you will probably hear most often is in regards to the Temple of the Ocean King. This temple is one that you frequently visit, around five or six times throughout the course of the adventure. The problem lies in the fact that each time, you must go through the puzzles and areas of the dungeon that you went through before to get to somewhere new. It is also timed, so you won't have all the time in the world to navigate this dungeon. Fortunately, it's not all that bad. There are numerous shortcuts you can find that allow you to go through much quicker each subsequent time than you could the first, so, although the temple isn't that terrible, it is redundant, and I believe another, more streamlined solution could have been found.
Also, your arsenal of weapons in this game is really on the small side. Although all of the weapons are unique, none of them are new. I believe that Nintendo could have incorporated some brand new weapons that demonstrate the touch screen controls of the DS just as well as the old mainstays.
None of the islands you come across are very large either. This may seem like a minor complaint, and, indeed, it is, but personally, I would have liked some meatier islands to explore.
Don't allow these few flaws to discourage you, as this is certainly one of the best games that the DS has to offer, which is a considerable statement considering the systems vast library of great games.
Overall, the game is awesome. Great pacing, level/dungeon design, bosses, controls, graphics, and production values make this one of, if not the best games on the DS, and nothing should stop you from purchasing it.