14 DAY TRIAL // 
You can't really mess with the Zelda franchise. And why is that? Zelda is huge. There have been 14 official Zelda games on Nintendo consoles and that's without counting spin-offs. Zelda, Link and other characters have appeared in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. And there's even a crossbow training game for the Wii starring Link. More than 52 million Zelda games have shipped worldwide since the 1986 release of the first game in the series. To add to the legend of Zelda, an animated series was released in 1989 and since 1997, Zelda-based anime is produced in Japan.
The series was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, the driving force behind major Nintendo games like Mario and Donkey Kong. His genius in creating characters and challenges that instantly attract gamers is as evident in the games of the Zelda series as it is in the games of the Mario series. And much of the success of the Zelda franchise is based on the work ethic of Miyamoto, who even insisted in delaying Ocarina of Time for more than 2 years to create the best game possible at the moment. The move succeeded and Ocarina of Time is still seen by many as the best game in the series.
With such a man leading the team, it's highly unlikely that a Zelda game could ever disappoint. So let's take an in-depth look at Phantom Hourglass, the latest installment in the Zelda series.
Story
The game, as all other Zelda games, features a rich story, which can get a bit convoluted at times. Hyrule is covered by water, as per the events in the Wind Waker, the direct predecessor of Phantom Hourglass. Mountains are now islands and sea travel is a necessity. While on a ship with Tetra, who was revealed to actually be Princess Zelda, Link sees the Ghost Ship, which is rumored to be a source of evil in the land... or in the water. Tetra is taken and Link wakes up on a beach. Of course he must go out and save the princess from the ghosts.
To get to the Ghost Ship, Link must find the Spirits of Courage, Wisdom, and Power, using maps and clues hidden in the Temple of the Ocean King, the main dungeon of the game. Finding the Ghost Ship isn't enough, as Tetra is turned into stone and the source of the evil is revealed to be the life-eating monster Bellum, who now resides in the depths of the Temple of the Ocean King. Without spoiling the whole story, let's say that in the end Link gets the girl but there are some rather neat twists and turns of the story, especially in the latter half of the game. And there's some really cool ship to ship action that players will surely like.
The entire gameplay has been adapted for the Nintendo DS. The top screen usually contains the map that puts the world in perspective, while the bottom screen is the place where the action takes place. The map can be brought down to place markers and scribble information on it. The exceptions are the Temple of the Ocean King maps that can't be scribbled upon.
The stylus directs Link on the screen and is used to control all his actions. Attacking is as simple as double tapping an enemy; the same technique is used to pick up rocks and pots along the route. The only move I could constantly pull was the somersault, but that might just be me. Clicking on any object activates it and lets Link use it. Apart from the handy sword, Link also gets access to a boomerang, grappling hook and shovel as well as other various items sold by a merchant or found along the way.
The main gameplay mechanic is the Phantom Hourglass itself. The Temple of the Ocean King is not the most welcoming of places. Even entering it can kill Link, as the air is toxic. But the toxicity doesn't manifest itself while there's still time in the Hourglass. Initially, the player has 10 minutes to complete tasks, but the time can be increased to 25 minutes towards the end of the game. As the Temple is explored, Link will encounter Phantom Guards. They are nearly immune to damage and will attack Link on sight. The main idea is to sneak by them and, if seen, retreat to the so-called "safe zones," where the guards can't touch Link. When in these zones, time from the Phantom Hourglass doesn't run out. So use them as much as possible and don't let the Phantoms get you, as they can subtract time from your reserve.
Moving and attacking with the stylus is very easy and feels extremely natural. No learning curve is involved. There's a certain imprecision but it doesn't affect gameplay. The puzzles in the game are interesting, sometimes repetitive and sometimes pretty tough; however, it never feels like work but rather like simple, clear fun. Also, the boss battles are very nice, taking advantage of the two screens of the DS. They make for some of the most memorable moments in my history with the Nintendo handheld.
The ocean going part of the game is pretty satisfying, too. You have control of the S.S. Linebacker. It's a steamer ship with a crazy ability: it can jump when you press the button at the bottom of the lower screen. And jump you will over obstacles that very often appear in front of the boat. A word of advice: don't move the camera around too much as you travel by boat. I often changed the angle out of boredom only to hit one of the nasty obstacles and lose ship hearts. Plotting courses with the stylus is pretty easy. Controlling the ship camera can be a bit of a hassle but a little practice goes a very long way.
The nice thing about the boat is that it's fully customizable and you can mix and match any parts you like to make it more durable. The game even has Golden Parts that can take the Linebacker to eight hearts health, but I didn't see one gold part during my playtime. Other interesting additions are the Cannon, which you need to advance to some islands and that can be used to take down enemies along the way, and a Salvage Arm that can be used to pick up things from the bottom of the sea. Beware of the mines!
To me, the screen on the Nintendo DS tends to look small at times. I never got the hang of looking at the top screen for the big pictures while watching the lower one for enemies and paths. This has resulted in quite a few moments where I made Link jump in the water and drown.
The game itself looks quite good. The Nintendo DS is not the most powerful platform out there, but visuals do a good job of presenting the environment and pushing the story along. The beaches and dungeons can get a bit repetitive but there's only so much the DS can render. The cut scenes are very nice and they employ the same cartoon-like concept of the whole game.
I for one did not enjoy the music. It's way too repetitive for my tastes and a bit too dramatic when enemies pop up. But that's just a question of taste and there are no clear audio related bugs.
Multiplayer
Phantom Hourglass comes with a multiplayer versus mode, being only the fourth game in the series to do so, after Four Swords, Four Swords Adventures and Windmaker. The battle mode itself is a one-on-one versus concept. In the game arena, one of the battling player takes on the role of Link and plays offense while the other player is on the defensive and takes control of a squad of three Phantom Guardians, which are entirely similar to the ones in the single player game. A variety of power-ups can appear in the battle arena, such as the Pegasus Shoes, a Decoy or a Time Increase.
In the game, Link's goal is to grab a Force Gem from one of the zones and then take it to his own base. The other player is tasked with finding and catching Link before he scores points. When Link is caught, or when the turn-time has passed, players switch places. A game consists of three rounds and, in every round, each player takes a turn at both sides. Usually, such multiplayer games require no more than 12 minutes to get through.
Players can earn Big Plays by doing certain plays in the arena. If they get four Big Plays, they earn a gift in the story mode. Cannon Island is the place to pick up the gift after the postman delivers the letter saying that you got it.
The multiplayer component of the game can be played both locally and online through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Conclusion
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a polished, well-rounded game. It ain't for the hardcore gamer, but I don't think Zelda lovers will find any fault with it. The story is nice, the setting familiar, characters are pretty unidimensional but it doesn't seem to matter. Pick up the game and soon you'll be chasing down clues on the islands, exploring the Temple of the Ocean King and trying to keep pirates at a distance with your handy cannon. You'll be sucked in before you know it and then the urge to finish the game will take over.
