By Shadowlink

Back in early 2003 Nintendo released the long-awaited sequel to two of the most widely praised Zelda games of all time: "Ocarina of Time" and "Majora's Mask". While Majora's Mask wasn't as highly regarded as Ocarina of Time was, both were still amazing quality and people were expecting another outstanding game from Zelda mastermind Shigeru Miyamoto. Unfortunately, not everyone was pleased. "The Wind Waker", which was the first Zelda game released on the Game-Cube, is known as the game that enraged many fans of the series because of it's use of "cel-shading". What that meant was everything in the game was given a cartoony look making the atmosphere much more lighthearted than any previous Zelda game before it. Many fans had anger towards Nintendo for a seemingly bone-headed move, but others thought that the new direction in the art style fitted the setting of the game really well. Plus, once you got past the new look the game itself was really very engaging and fun to play. It involved a new story and a new Link who takes to the ocean in search of his sister Aryll with a group of swash-buckling pirates. Now the art style and setting is returning in "The Phantom Hourglass" for the Nintendo DS. Despite the recent release of "Twilight Princess" this one is the direct sequel of "The Wind Waker" continuing the adventures of Link sailing the great sea with his pirate buddies. The game starts with Link exploring the vast seas with his friends when suddenly a ghost ship appears in the distance. Tetra, an adventurous young pirate who was revealed in the last game to be none other than the descendant of Princess Zelda, decides to hop aboard the ghost ship only to get lost never to return. Link jumps after her and grabs ahold of the edge of the ship but to his dismay falls into the ocean failing to rescue Tetra. After floating around for a bit Link wakes up on an island where he meets a fairy named Ciela who has lost her memory. She takes him to a mysterious old man named Oshus who knows quite a bit about the ocean. Link informs him of what has happened to Tetra, and after much convincing the old man agrees to help him in his quest. In order to save her he must collect three spirits scattered across the great sea who will guide him to the elusive ghost ship. Your journey takes you to many islands all of which you'll travelling to on a small ship controlled by a path you draw on the touch screen map. Link's boat automatically follows the line you drew on the map making sailing a lot less cumbersome than it was in "The Wind Waker". Everything else in the game is also controlled by the touch screen whether it's walking, slashing your sword, or using an item. No buttons are needed throughout the game, and every action can be done directly with the stylus. This makes the game much different than any other Zelda game before it. You no longer use the D-pad to control Link, but instead touch in the direction you want him to go. Every item and weapon you find has a unique way to use it, which allows for some interesting puzzles to solve. In fact, the puzzles in "The Phantom Hourglass" are the most interesting and thought-provoking yet. Some require you to even make notes on your map whether it's pointing to a certain spot or writing down the order of a set of switches that need to be pressed. The only bad point is that this game is that it's a bit by-the-numbers for "The Legend of Zelda". As always you visit a set number of dungeons in the order that the quest allows and you collect the usual items including the hammer and the boomerang. Not much has changed from previous Zelda installments besides the touch screen controls and the "Great Sea" setting which was used the "The Wind Waker". This makes everything a bit too predictable. You already know what is going to happen, and the only thing driving you forward is the story. At least this time around it's a little more interesting because of the touch screen controls and the unique ways they allow you to use items and weapons. It makes everything a bit fresher, but if you're already tired of Zelda games from playing too much "Twilight Princess" a year earlier then this game probably isn't for you. If you loved "The Wind Waker" and want to see more of that Link's storyline then by all means give this game a try. It has some interesting characters accompanied by some colorful graphics and a vast ocean to explore. It's also great for people who are looking to get into Zelda. While nothing much has changed from previous installments, "The Phantom Hourglass" is still a fine example of why these games are so much fun and interesting to play. Overall Score: 8.5

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