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| Phantom Hourglass Review by Edge578; Score: 8/10 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jul 3 2008, 10:53 PM (810 Views) | |
| Deleted User | Jul 3 2008, 10:53 PM Post #1 |
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Deleted User
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This review was originally written in October 2007, originally on gamefaqs.com. Introduction When Nintendo announced that the new Zelda game was using only touch screen controls, people were pretty skeptical. They thought that it would be too hard to control link, and doing everyday things like killing monsters, solving puzzles, or defeating evil wizards will be a hassle. I admit, I was pretty apprehensive myself. I was going to buy it anyway, because I can always trust that a Zelda game will be great. Controls 9/10 For this game specifically, the controls are the most important factor. This is the most drastic control change to the Zelda games ever. They did a great job nonetheless. Instead of pressing down a button to swing your sword in the older Zelda games, you either draw a line on where you want the path of your sword to go, or more simply, you can just tap the enemy with your stylus. Items are used completely differently too. My favorite change is how the boomerang and the bombchus work ( portable bombs that move by themselves). Instead of just pressing down the button to send an item in a predetermined path, now you actually draw the path of the item on your touch screen. This gives you great control. This new control scheme opens a new path for these items, especially the bombchus. In the older Zelda games, the bombchu was kind of an extra item to use for fun, not really in combat. Now you can move bombchus through small holes in walls to hit switches, enemies, etc. You also use the other items differently too. The whole orientation for the bow is different. It gives a much more precise control than in the other 2-d Zelda games. The hammer is used differently too. Instead of Link holding the hammer, the fairy holds it. ( must be pretty strong ). You can hit stuff at faraway distances now that you have the free range of Link's fairy. The items aren't the only thing that changed. You now use the stylus to tell link where to go. Link's fairy is now your cursor, and Link follows the fairy. If you want Link to run, you put the cursor far away from him, and if you want him to walk slowly, you put it close to him. If you have ever played Animal Crossing: Wild World for the DS, then you'll be familiar with the controls. Story 7/10 The story in this game has a slight twist to the usual “Princess gets captured and you have to save her” template. It has the same basic storyline as other Zelda games. This game takes place after the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker for the Gamecube. You and Tetra ( who is actually princess Zelda ) are searching for a legendary ghost ship that is said to hold treasure. When you find it, Tetra hops on and her scream is heard by Link. Link tries to jump on the ship and save her, but he misses and lands in the ocean, and washes up on an island. The familiar sounds of “Hey! Hey! Hey!” enter your ears as you start the game. No this fairy isn't Navi (even though the look exactly alike) but it is another fairy named Ciela who has lost her memory. She takes you to this old man on the island. You tell him about your lost friend Tetra. He advises to go seek the advice of Linebeck, A sailor who lives on the island. It turns out that he's on a temple on the top of the island. You rescue him, and your quest begins. Gameplay 9/10 You can do a variety of different things corresponding to the DS's features in this game. In dungeons and other areas, you can write on your map to point out certain critical points in puzzles. This opens a new door for puzzles. You can also do a variety of stuff with the microphone. I won't get to much into it there (Don't wanna spoil the game for you) In my opinion, the main flaw in this game is the short length. You have 6 dungeons to complete, which is standard for Zelda, but the difference is that there is very little things to do in between the dungeons. Some dungeons may seem consecutive, one coming right after another. Another added feature in this game is the “master dungeon”, The Temple of the Ocean King. You go here 5 times during your quest and you progress a farther each time you go, with your newly acquired items. At the end, you find the sea chart which contains all the map information of the area you explore next. The main flaw in this dungeon is that in some parts, you have to go through the parts you missed. This can get very tedious at times. In the previous installment to this game, sailing got quite tedious at times. You had to change the wind direction frequently, and the world was huge, taking a long time to get from one edge of the map to another. They eliminated the “tediousness” in this game. You know operate a steamboat, which runs on mechanical energy, not relying on wind. All you have to do now is draw a path from where you are to where you want to go. Music/Sound 7/10 There isn't much to say about the sound in this game. It's the same ol'. Not to say that is bad, though. The music in this game is very adventurous and catchy, making you feel ready to save the world. The sound is fine too. When you swing the sword, you hear a swipe. When you blow off a bomb, you hear an explosion. Zelda games have always excelled in this level, and they always will. Replay Value 7/10 In all of the Zelda games since Link to the Past in 1991, you collect heart pieces throughout your quest to increase the maximum capacity of your life energy. In this game, they removed that. This has been somewhat a tradition for the Zelda series, and I'm surprised they removed it. That doesn't mean there isn't stuff to collect though. Throughout your adventure, you find treasures such as rare zora scales or coral bits that can sell for a LOT of money. You also find things called gems, which are divided into three types: Power, Courage, and Wisdom. If you collect all of these, they give you special abilities that make life easier. Final Score: 8/10 |
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| Balore | Jul 4 2008, 12:37 AM Post #2 |
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King of Kings
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Good review. My only complaints about this game are that The Temple Of The Ocean King was boring as ass, it was far too easy, and if I played it longer than an hour, I usually found myself getting very bored and tired. |
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| Deleted User | Aug 5 2008, 12:44 PM Post #3 |
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Deleted User
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I agree with Balore. Good game, but TOTOC was boring. This game didn't really draw me in, either. There was basically no immersion. |
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| Deleted User | Jun 10 2009, 01:35 PM Post #4 |
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Deleted User
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I liked this game quite a bit; the Temple of the Ocean King wasn't too bad, but at some points it was annoying. |
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| Juggernaut | Jun 10 2009, 01:44 PM Post #5 |
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Omnibus Locis Fit Caedes
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The only thing I didn't like about the Temple of the Ocean King is how repetitive it got further into the game, but I guess that's the basic complaint with it =/ |
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| Deleted User | Jun 10 2009, 01:44 PM Post #6 |
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Deleted User
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I'm sure it is the basic complaint. You had to do everything over and over again, no? |
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| Juggernaut | Jun 10 2009, 01:53 PM Post #7 |
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Omnibus Locis Fit Caedes
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That's pretty much how I remember it. You did the previous challenge over again (though, it was usually a little easier, either because of an increase of Link's overall health or the acquirement of a new item that allowed shortcuts to be accessed), and then you had a new part to do, and that was usually what got exhaustive, as you were already ready to quit from completing the last part. It got progressively worse as the temple got longer, needless to say. |
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