The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Review

By Tom Bramwell Published 17 October, 2007

About time.

Version tested: DS

If you've already slogged your way through Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, you might imagine that you've seen enough bombs, boomerangs, bows and hookshots to last a lifetime. Well, you haven't, so sit down and stop sulking.

Nintendo adventures, and Zelda games in particular, are always very precise tangles, designed to be navigated in a certain way. It's that precision more than anything that excites our gaming senses. When it all comes together, and the jingle plays, it's hard not to smile to yourself. If Phantom Hourglass is the cleverest yet, and I think it probably is, it's because it does so much to convince you it's gone beyond that, even though it's basically the same old idea.

It feels like you're adventuring. You're marking charts. You're picking up clues. When you realise how to startle a big-eared enemy, or you work out how to transfer a symbol from the top screen to the bottom, you didn't really do much to figure it out, but the illusion is impeccable, and drives you onward to the next.

Phantom Hourglass doesn't just remake Zelda's controls to fit the DS, it remakes Zelda to fit the DS. The basics - pointing the stylus in the direction you want Link to go, jabbing and slashing to attack, and prodding the point on the screen you want a thrown bomb to land - are well known (and the simple elegance with which Nintendo wields the DS' many "things" ought to be a lesson to other developers), but the way they're applied across the game world to solve puzzles is enthralling in charmingly new ways.

Even the most obvious revisions - like realising you can activate a switch around the corner by drawing a line for your boomerang to travel along, or blowing into the microphone to put out candles - will sweep you up. As you wander around the game's dungeons - the usual, multi-storey death-traps - looking for clues, dodging flames and seeking out keys, you will find the experience more enjoyable on their account. But they're the thin end.

Take the map (and if you're making an action adventure game on the DS from now on, you probably will). By the simple act of drawing on it, you can always keep track of what you have and haven't done, the order you're meant to pull switches, or what kind of key you need. When you're not annotating the map, it sits on the top screen, reminding you where you're going.

'The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass' Screenshot 1

Linebeck, who accompanies you on your journey, is an amusing coward.

It's not all "1, 2, 3, 4, I deserve an open door", either. One puzzle involves drawing lines between four tablets to find a hole in the ground where they intersect. This being a direct sequel to Wind Waker (it doesn't matter if you haven't played it), you also do a lot of sailing between islands, and in order to overcome one hurdle you have to hunt down a lost map to chart a path through hidden obstacles. Having to actually copy this onto your charts by hand automatically makes this the best pirate game ever.

In total there are six main dungeons, and each is as alive with new ideas and "Zelda moments" as the last. You've done a certain amount of it before, but it always plays so nicely with the bits you haven't. By the time you get to the boss that asks you to combine third- and second-person perspectives to unlock its weakness, you won't be able to stop until the end.

Rounding things out, and drawing the story together, is a seventh construction, the Temple of the Ocean King, which you revisit at intervals to probe further, and this is where the Phantom Hourglass itself comes into use. Literally an hourglass, it protects you from the poisonous atmosphere for as long as there's sand in the top, before it needs to go outside and see the sun again to recharge. While the timer ticks down, you have to navigate corridors patrolled by rock-hard phantom knights, using safe zones to stop the clock and escape their murderous gaze, while solving puzzles to make further progress.

The Temple of the Ocean King is the most divisive bit of the game, largely on account of the necessary repetition, which feels out of place. New equipment allows you to take shortcuts, but not enough. Every other dungeon opens a portal back to the start before you reach the boss chamber. Why couldn't this one do something similar before you reach each objective?

There are other question marks, but they are few, and they carry less weight against the whole. Sailing still takes a while, but is simpler than it was in Wind Waker, and offers you more of a chance to explore, seeking out uncharted islands, and using the salvage arm to play the UFO Catcher mini-game for sunken goodies (and at better odds).

'The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass' Screenshot 2

Although it's almost exclusively stylus-based, you can hold the shoulder button to switch to item-use, which works very well.

A bigger problem, arguably, is the game's maddening reluctance to let you figure things out for yourself. The clues are too bold (and highlighted), and the fairy on your stylus tip is too helpful. The illusion of adventure is seldom threatened, thankfully, and the alternative is quite possibly unreasonable frustration, but the balance struck is perhaps too close to prompting - and too often when you don't need help, and the lack of it would make the solution sweeter.

Forgiving these flaws is easy, though, and not just because everything is such a lovely riddle to solve, but because it's all framed so magnificently, harnessing the already lovely Wind Waker artwork with more charm and humour than anything else in Zelda's canon. When Link opens a chest and realises it's empty; when your sailor pal hides in a basket; when a new fairy friend dances around you, it's a cure for even the harshest grumps. When you recover a diary meant for a captain's son, undiscovered yards from his home, and realise he will never be the man his dad hoped he'd become, it's even poignant.

When it's over, you're left to turn to a surprisingly engaging throwaway multiplayer game, where one player tries to collect force gems and the other plots the path for roaming phantoms. You can play this over the Internet or locally, and it even links back to the story mode with its prizes. You could argue, if you wanted to, that it makes up for the main quest's briefness - a trifle at less than 20 hours. But in practise you don't really have to.

Even among Nintendo's best, Zelda games have a unique ability to capture the imagination in ways that you'll lie in bed and think about, echoing themselves without becoming repetitive, and while this one might be over sooner than you expect, you won't forget it in a hurry, and you won't be left wishing that it lasted longer, but rather that more games were as well attuned to their host console's abilities, and so completely magical. Simply one of the DS' best.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (85) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • DonnieDarko333 #1 4 years ago

    YEAH! Wonderful game, deserves a 9! and yes i have it!

    First post (hopefully). :-D

  • decibel #2 4 years ago

    Wooooohoooo :D

  • UncleLou #3 4 years ago

    Great, will pick this up this week.

    Why Nintendo release three major games now within 2-3 weeks when people have been waiting for a great first party-release for either platform for almost a year only they know, but whatever.

  • Carlo #4 4 years ago

    Why change it? It's what we want!

  • mechamonkey #5 4 years ago

    NickM40A3
    This Zelda does feel fresh and the puzzles are quite different, you should try it before being so negative.
    I was tired of Zelda but this is absolutely brilliant.

  • sabreman #6 4 years ago

    First game in years where I am aching to play it when I am at work...
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 14:17

  • Tiiti #7 4 years ago

    Yea they might be the same old formula over and over again but I still enjoy them for 10 hours :)

    Is this avaible to pick up anywhere yet? Sodding typical I'm flying out the country Thursday night. This would have been perfect to take with me :(
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 14:18

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #8 4 years ago

    "I was tired of Zelda but this is absolutely brilliant."

    Exactly!

  • asphaltcowboy #9 4 years ago

    Awesome, quite like the sound of it hand-holding a bit more than previous games - Minish Cap was HARD!

  • Wayne #10 4 years ago

    Started to read. Seems quite spoilery so had to stop.

  • Cloudane #11 4 years ago

    I haven't touched my DS since Hotel Dusk came out early this year (US import) so I welcome this game in open arms after experiencing a barren 8 months of leaving my DS unplayed.

    I loved Wind Waker so I should be right at home with this!

  • Tomnd #12 4 years ago

    am going through it right now, i think the phantom dungeon is slightly unbalanced compared to the normal dungeons. It is the time limit thingy but then i have always hated time limit pressure...

  • GingerNathan #13 4 years ago

    "Every Zelda game is the same, find pots, potions, the same weapons every game, the same puzzles every game, same story every game.

    Change it, it's old and boring."

    You've made that point twice now, why repeat yourself? Although saying that I've noticed that in every Nintendo based thread I've read there's some comment from you moaning or being negative.

    I'm thinking of a word, rhymes with pole, and roll. :/

    Nice review by the way, I'm sure the comments section will end up being a stark contrast to it.

  • Triggerhappytel #14 4 years ago

    Whilst I don't think the series is old and tired, I do agree with with NickM4OA3 in that certain elements really need updating (first and foremost - it's long overdue that Link developed a personality).

    I finished Twilight Princess on Monday, and whilst I did really enjoy it, much of it was so similar to Ocarina that it was almost a high-res update.

    EDIT - and I agree with Koopa ^^. A Link to the Past is still the series high-point.
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 14:29

  • Tonka #15 4 years ago

    I have the US version and I love it. It is the same old Zelda but fresh. I'm in the TP was too much fanservice camp but PH reinvigorates the series in a brilliant way.

  • IAmBatman #16 4 years ago

    It is very good, but I still find myself wanting to be able to use buttons for movement and combat a lot of the time.

  • themerlin13 #17 4 years ago

    ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzelda whatever ZZzz

  • mazzl #18 4 years ago

    this looks absolutely horrible. common it's 2007!!! i'm, not a big graphics whore, but this is just a supernes game with a stylus control..... yak

  • FaceOmeter #19 4 years ago

    ohmigodohmigodohmigod YES can't wait

  • IAmBatman #20 4 years ago

    > i'm, not a big graphics whore

    I'm not surprised, you seem to be blind.

  • legendmir #21 4 years ago

    so.. not as good as halo 3 then?

    tee hee

  • agentq #22 4 years ago

    I really can't wait for this to arrive in the post. I've already played the first hour or so and it seemed fantastic. Some of the graphics are the best I've seen on the DS.

  • benuaq #23 4 years ago

    I agree with Nick, I loved Zelda on the SNES, and then Ocarina of time, but I've just gotten bored with the same identical weapons and puzzles in the series since then.

    While the plot and settings changes, doing a temple that revolves around how I can slingshot my way across stuff gets old after the first couple of times.

    I'll pass this one and pick up something actually innovative instead.

  • Darren #24 4 years ago

    @NickM40A3 - I'm the complete opposite to you. Didn't particularly enjoy Majora's Mask all that much (adored Ocarina of Time though) but I loved The Wind Waker and Twilight Princess.

  • kincaide #25 4 years ago

    I bet NickM40A3's favourite game is FIFA

  • pink_dolphin #26 4 years ago

    I well think this game deserves an nine (although maybe it should be a 10 according to eurogammers silly surge of 10's IMO).

    Personally this is my faviurite zelda since a link to the past, it my even become my faviurite zelda ever (Yeah I know loads of people say oot is the best game ever). but personally I find this game chilled and realaxing I even taking it to work and uni with me.
    Edited by 2 at 17/10/07 @ 15:13

  • UncleLou #27 4 years ago

    Well, I am a big, PC-gaming graphics whore, and I think this looks ace.

    Besides, DS games, and 3d games in particular, always look a lot better on the real thing than on screenshots.

  • Mun #28 4 years ago

    Didnt you say the same about metroid -" its old, boring, change it"?
    No wait, even better "they changed it too much, put it back" lol confused.
    Methinks you have "grown" out of nintendo, and I wish you god's speed.
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 15:15

  • RedPanda #29 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 14:31:59 28-01-2012

  • pink_dolphin #30 4 years ago

    I think like realistic graphics are cool in games like project gotham 4, but like UncleLou I'm also impressed with the graphics in this game I think they got the graphics right for game.

  • rashes #31 4 years ago

    I've never played a Zelda game... can I still jump in to this?

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #32 4 years ago

    Aye, each Zelda game is completely independent.

  • pink_dolphin #33 4 years ago

    I would say defintley yes, It's rather straightforward really, but alot of fun IMO.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #34 4 years ago

    Those complaining that this is the same old Zelda, I recommend giving this a look rather than dismissing it out of hand. The new control, the map doodling and the style make this feel quite fresh, imho.

  • mcwildcard #35 4 years ago

    I hate Zelda on all systems except SNES and handhelds.
    I am EAGER for this.

  • Trane #36 4 years ago

    You hated Ocarina of time? =(

    Damn this is the first DS game that REALLY makes me wanna buy one, how long for an emulation? :p

  • tomkuryakin #37 4 years ago

    A trifle at 20 hours?

    Maybe years ago, when I had no job or girlfriend, that would've been just two days gaming. These day, now that I have a life, 20 hours could be ten weeks gaming.

  • Triggerhappytel #38 4 years ago

    MattDamon - "Links not spose to have a personality, the thinking behind that being that you should see yourself as being Link. That's why they kept voices off of Twilight Princess."

    But I think that's bullshit, and really doesn't cut it any more. The Zelda games are becoming increasingly plot-heavy, and Link just comes across as a gormless simpleton given he doesn't respond in conversations and can't actually engage with other characters.

    Four, eight, ten years ago this was forgivable. Now I just think it's archaic. I think he needs to develop a personality, and he needs to do it in time for the next home console Zelda title.

  • Mysjkin7 #39 4 years ago

    I wonder about fresh, though... some parts really make you GIGGLE, like the mic puzzles and some of the self-conscious humour ("Hit these four switches in the right order. Or else.";). But the formula is really getting weary. There are a lot of filler quests, and to maintain the illusion of adventure you would need at least _some_ kind of challenge. Doesn't do you much good to upgrade your ship to perfection if the enemies die almost instantly by your standard cannon. Plus, I had higher expectations for the melodies.

  • Mysjkin7 #40 4 years ago

    Triggerhappytel: Agreed. That's the kind of thinking you could apply to Mario games. Here, it starts to get embarassing when all the other characters are colorful and have interesting goals to pursue. Was I the only one slightly offended by the even more archaic "Save me... Save me... " - cut-scene? Don't tell the feminists, lol.

  • ProtoformX #41 4 years ago

    So I have to finish Super Paper Mario by Friday, then finish this and The Orange Box in a week so I can get cracking on Jericho and Metroid Prime 3. As well as east, sleep and go to work.

    Bugger.

  • Pac-man-ate-my-wife #42 4 years ago

    Giving Link a personality is a horrible idea. Have you never seen the cartoon?!

    /shudders at memory

    Seriously though, the idea is that it's NOT Link, it's you which is why you can change the name at the start. Obviously all purists play as "Link" though.

    Many games are fine/better for an abscene of personality in the lead character. Half Life and Halo are two which spring to mind.

    EDIT: ...as MattDamon also points out.
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 16:27

  • Tomnd #43 4 years ago

    [link url=http://www. 1up.com/do/feature?cId=3163610
    ]http://www. 1up.com/do/feature?cId=3163610
    [/link]
    interview with the director of some of them (but not this one according to the manual!)

  • Nithron #44 4 years ago

    @MattDamon:
    I think Leon Kennedy was a bad example, dude, the guy actually talks a lot and has well... A Personality.

    To make matters even worse he does actually invite someone to the pub in his latest game.
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 16:34

  • Triggerhappytel #45 4 years ago

    @ MattDamon

    As long as he's friendly and likeable, it doesn't matter.

    Make him happy, make him pessimistic, make him witty, make him confident... Anything. Just change him from the mute dimwit he is now. As the cutscenes become more and more prevalent I see this as becoming more and more of an issue.

  • Schiraman #46 4 years ago

    Sounds like a good game, another reason to think about buying a DS.

    Still, I do agree with people who're saying that Zelda could do with some more substantial updates - unlocking all the same items and abilities in every single game and having every one of those games follow the same basic format is pretty uninspired. A real Mario 64-style reinvention of the formula is long overdue IMO.

    Metroid suffers from exactly the same problem incidentally, not to mention the fact that Zelda and Metroid are actually extremely similar games anyway once you scratch the surface.

  • Killerbee #47 4 years ago

    Sounds great. Definitely a buy for me.

    I absolutely loved Twilight Princess - the introduction of the Wii controls actually made the game feel fresher to me (maybe it was the "new console" factor as well... I don't know) so a proper DS Zelda that actually seems to make proper use of the hardware is very welcome indeed.

    And I don't feel too upset that they might have added in a few more pointers in the game - Minish Cap was wonderful, but there were a number of occasions when I ended up looking on GameFAQs simply to work out where I was meant to be headed next. 20 hours or so sounds about right too.

  • smelly #48 4 years ago

    "Every Zelda game is the same, find pots, potions, the same weapons every game, the same puzzles every game, same story every game.

    Change it, it's old and boring."




    As opposed to say.. i dunno... halo games?

  • smelly #49 4 years ago

    Back on topic.. I found the minish cap to be rock hard, but this too easy..

    Same as majoras mask was too hard, but twilight princess and wind waker too easy

    needs some kind of OOT middle ground me thinks.

  • lemonfist #50 4 years ago

    Finished it yesterday. Throughout I thought the game was only really lacking in one crucial area: the sense of being on a grand adventure that I always got from the previous Zeldas. It felt less ambituous in that regard, like I wasn't really doing anything important. Well, right up till the awe-inspiring finale, which was as epic as any moment in Wind Waker.

    All in all, though, I do think it's the most polished Zelda yet. Controls and puzzles felt so natural, I didn't get stuck once, and all the dungeons were well designed (although visually bland, much like ALttP) and didn't drag on like they tend to in Zelda games. Good mini games too, especially the salvaging.

    Also, good thing the ship customisation finally gave them a reason to put something other than fucking rupees and heart pieces in those chests.

  • Aga #51 4 years ago

    GOTY

  • smelly #52 4 years ago

    "Giving Link a personality is a horrible idea. Have you never seen the cartoon?! "


    + 100

    Link is supposed to be YOU.. You put YOUR own personality onto him, by reading what he says - you put stuff into your own words.

    Theres been some interesting research into cartoons and why people like them so much (when they look so little like real life). Basically (long story short) is that the more an image becomes "abstract" and "cartoony" and less like real life - the more we automatically put OURSELVES into that being.

    If you have an ultra-realistic character, you're watching his story. If you have a basic looking "cartoon" you become that character.

    Which is why imho link should never ever ever speak.. Because i'm link, i'm his voice. Ditto to mario, etc etc (even though i know mario speaks).

    Same goes for an fps.. i lose all sense of immersion the minute the character i'm supposed to be "being" talks.. or even turns to 3rd person during the cutscenes.

  • Bennicus #53 4 years ago

    I can't wait to bomb some dodongos!

  • ArtOfLife #54 4 years ago

    I'm finding this absolutely brilliant so far. I received my copy at the end of last week (to be honest in retrospect there was no real incentive to order the American one when the UK gets it so soon after, but oh well); anyway, despite not having played very much of it so far what I have seen has been great.

  • ApeTheDog #55 4 years ago

    The dungeons are over really fast - I recall feeling dread, and feeling like I would never be able to get out of there, in OOT. In this game, it's almost a linear experience. That's the only criticism I have, though. It's a really good game and I'm enjoying it quite a lot.

    I hope they port OOT and Majora's Mask to this engine, and release it on the DS.

  • Muddtallica #56 4 years ago

    To the "Zelda is stale and boring" crowd: how come none of you have even mentioned that Tom's review - you know, the one that this comments page is attached to - specifically lauds this Zelda game for feeling fresh and interesting? Or do people just skip the actual site content these days to get straight to the trolling?

    For my part, I think "stale" is too hard a word to use, but I have to confess that Twilight Princess looked a little too far backwards for my liking. The fanservice artstyle, the ultra-traditional structure and design, the stripped-down plot...at times, it felt like Nintendo were deliberately avoiding innovation in their eagerness to "apologise" for the more left-field Majora's Mask and Wind Waker, superior games in my estimation. It's a shame; that aside, TP was a fine title that did what it could to remain fresh despite the confines of its traditionalist straitjacket, from its well-integrated motion controls to its free-thinking flair with old Zelda staples like the Iron Boots and Hookshot. Still, Phantom Hourglass is a game that seems far less fettered by expectation and convention, and looks much better for it. I'll pick this one up ASAP.

    Oh, also: I would personally argue that depsite his muteness, Link has had a tangible personality ever since Wind Waker, when you could really start reading his expressions; he's earnest and innocent, mostly fairly stoical, but not without a more emotional and occasionally playful side. I don't think it came across quite as well within the more melodramatic framework of TP, but he nevertheless retains a Gromit-esque sense of earthiness and common-sense goodness that I, for one, find a lot more relatable than the cookie-cutter "wisecracking hardass" archetypes that headline many other titles...
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 18:53

  • symbiote #57 4 years ago

    "Even among Nintendo's best, Zelda games have a unique ability to capture the imagination in ways that you'll lie in bed and think about, echoing themselves without becoming repetitive"

    If you say so. Talking of sleep....

  • patchbox360 #58 4 years ago

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=FBSYwNiZdwo

  • Dirtie #59 4 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel

    In this game Link's personality comes through by watching his reaction to what other people are saying and what is going on around him. I'd much rather have a silent protagonist than a talkative one to be honest.

  • smelly #60 4 years ago

    "Or do people just skip the actual site content these days to get straight to the trolling? "

    Seems that way.. But it made me giggle when he said that zelda was tired and boring.. No doubt his favourite genre is generic fps games..

  • Pulsar_t #61 4 years ago

    Barrel rolling is nigh-on impractical.

  • DjWhizzkidd #62 4 years ago

    Smelly is so bitter about something, but Ive yet to work out what. He spunks over Zelda V129, yet decries the 3rd release of Halo. He is confused. Smelly, you were original, about 17 years ago.
    Edited by 1 at 17/10/07 @ 22:12

  • Razz #63 4 years ago

    I'm sorry but this game is clearly a 10.

  • smelly #64 4 years ago

    @DjWhizzkidd:

    There has been 14 zelda games (to my knowledge - no doubt someone will correct me). I consider zelda to be pretty much in it's own "genre" as there are very few games like it (star fox adventures and beyond good and evil only games i can think of like it). I'm pretty sure there have been thousands of generic shooters though.

    >I'm sorry but this game is clearly a 10.

    it's too short/easy to be a 10 imho.

    Then again.. so is everything else getting a 10 nowadays - so what do i know?

    *smile* *wink*

    Edited by 2 at 17/10/07 @ 23:50

  • Nikanoru #65 4 years ago

    lol @ the two people saying the Minish Cap was hard. Wow. I mean it was fun. But hard? Oh god.


    but he nevertheless retains a Gromit-esque sense of earthiness and common-sense goodness that I, for one, find a lot more relatable than the cookie-cutter "wisecracking hardass" archetypes that headline many other titles...

    QFE. I mean god damn, I'm sick of identiclone hollywood tough guy types clearly aimed at a teenage demographic. Those are non-characters, much more so than Link.



    Anyway. People saying that every Zelda game is the same or something are completely full of shit.

    I mean I'm willing to concede Twilight Princess because that game was essentially fanservice. It was the whole goddamn point of the game to be OoT 2. Ok, it did have the whole wolf thing, and it had loads of fun stuff new to the Zelda series such as the remote-control wand (which I felt had WAY more potential than they actually used), the huge fucking ball and chain, and the dual hookshot which was awesome, and it was the first to use motion controls, but nevermind. Sure. It's a pretty looking OoT.

    But the rest?
    -Adventure of Link speaks for itself.
    -Link to the Past basically introduced the whole item puzzle based gameplay, which the previous two lacked.
    -Ocarina was obviously a huge 3D transition like Mario 64 was for the Mario franchise.
    -Majora's Mask needs absolutely no explanation.
    -Wind Waker just got rid of the whole land travel thing altogether and introduced a vast sea with ship combat among other things, not to mention the visual style was an extremely bold move.
    -And now we've got a completely stylus based game with all sorts of elements that make it, once again, feel entirely fresh.

    If you say Zelda games are all the same, you're either trolling or you don't have a clue what you're talking about.

  • WJF #66 4 years ago

    This is one of those rare games where you'll load it up and fall in love due to the controls. Perfect for portable gaming, although the sea bits can be a chore when you don't know where the frogs are.

    Great graphics, too. Me like.

  • smelly #67 4 years ago

    "lol @ the two people saying the Minish Cap was hard. Wow. I mean it was fun. But hard? Oh god. "

    Well minish cap and Majoras mask were the only 2 zeldas where i resorted to a faq as i got stuck in both of them :-)

    So i say (in comparision to wind waker, and twighlight princess), i'd say they were hard.


    "If you say Zelda games are all the same, you're either trolling or you don't have a clue what you're talking about."

    You sure you need the "or" there? :-)

    Edited by 1 at 18/10/07 @ 00:32

  • Nikanoru #68 4 years ago

    "and slash or"

  • kenty #69 4 years ago

    it's so good, does what it says on the tin (zelda), but with +1

  • UncleLou #70 4 years ago

    Minish Cap's (only) difficulty came from the fact that you had to memorize the map's obstacles so you knew where to return to once you had the tool to remove a particular obstacle - a mechanic I didn't like at all, because I am neither very good at remembering stuff like that, nor do I think it's a particular fun thing to try and remember it - which led to a lot of wandering about the map for me. Less of that, and more proper puzzles, would be a good thing.

  • asphaltcowboy #71 4 years ago

    I found Minish Cap hard, because there were quite a few moments that were really non-sensical! Some of the stuff seemed to leave the realm of puzzle-solving and entered the domain of completely random/unobvious tasks! Still it was a great game...
    Edited by 1 at 18/10/07 @ 10:39

  • matrim83 #72 4 years ago

    Hmmm a solid 8 for me. The main (and repetitive) dungeon and the godawfull (and boring) sailing spoil the game for me.

    Still anyone with a DS would be mad to avoid this.

  • Genji #73 4 years ago

    "The Temple of the Ocean King is the most divisive bit of the game, largely on account of the necessary repetition, which feels out of place. New equipment allows you to take shortcuts, but not enough. Every other dungeon opens a portal back to the start before you reach the boss chamber. Why couldn't this one do something similar before you reach each objective?"

    You can warp back to the start! Once you get past the first 5 levels or so, there's a skeleton you can talk to who opens a portal back to the entrance. You can go back there without having to traipse the levels again.

  • siro #74 4 years ago

    Cleary "10" has been invented for this. ;)

  • FunkyRenegade #75 4 years ago

    @ Triggerhappytel
    So are Valve lazy for not giving Gordon Freeman a voice?
    No, it's for the sake of immersing the player.
    I'd hate it if Link had a voice.

  • Genji #76 4 years ago

    "Yes but Genji that allows you to warp to the start of the level - but you can't warp to the warp point from the start, can you?"

    Yes, you can! After the first 5 levels, I talked to a skeleton lying on the ground, and he opened a portal right back to the beginning. I could go right back there whenever I wanted to. There was a portal right in the main hall. This was the Japanese version, mind. It might have been changed, although I doubt it.

  • lemonfist #77 4 years ago

    The portal to floor 5 is still very much in there.

    Although since so many people haven't discovered it, Nintendo probably should have made it more obvious.

  • asphaltcowboy #78 4 years ago

    Got this on Friday, it's superb!

  • Mudo #79 4 years ago

    I'm finding it difficult to go back to Pokemon Diamond after this. The graphics and controls are extraordinarily fantastic, and it has highlighted to me just how the Pokemon games haven't really changed since Blue and Red.

    I really hope the Pokemon team just copy the Zelda controls and graphics for their next game.

    I'm only comparing the two games because they're the only two I currently own for my DS, and I'm playing them both.

    Furhermore, a game as revolutionary as this should really get a 10/10. Though I'm not one to discuss silly numbers!
    Edited by 1 at 23/10/07 @ 06:50

  • Repsode #80 4 years ago

    To all thoase whining about Link not having a personality: "Well EXCUUUUUUUSE ME PRINCESS!"

  • smelly #81 4 years ago

    >To all thoase whining about Link not having a personality:

    he's not supposed to.. he's supposed to be YOU.. i.e. have YOUR personality

  • Repsode #82 4 years ago

    Smelly, you must be too young to get the joke? Maybe I should have been more blunt at who it was aimed at.

    THAT WAS MY POINT!!

    Here's your lesson for the day:

    [link url=http://youtube .com/watch?v=FPxY8lpYAUM
    ]http://youtube .com/watch?v=FPxY8lpYAUM
    [/link]

  • smelly #83 4 years ago

    Ah didnt realise you were refering to that pile of crap.

  • smelly #84 4 years ago

    YE GAWDS THAT'S ANNOYING!!!

    Cant watch it past half way!

    Almost (but not quite) as annoying as playing halo against a load of american teenagers.

  • Repsode #85 4 years ago

    @smelly
    Yep, that alone would pretty much kill any argument to have Link have a personality stone dead.

    Might also work if you applied the video to any similar argument for Samus or even Gordon Freeman.

    Edit: Actually on Samus, Does anyone remember Captain N: The Games Master? The comic version of it had Samus as a regular team member.

    She had a crush on Captain N: Really a teenager called Kevin.

    Nuff said.
    Edited by 2 at 26/10/07 @ 15:40