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The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass Review
Written by Chris Goldberg on Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Excellent touchscreen controls; clever use of the many DS functions
Damaging linearity; complete lack of challenge; sailing
...Continued From Page 1 But when you finally depart your ship and get to the island exploration and into the dungeons, another problem arises. In trying to design a game that is appealing to casuals, they have apparently removed any possible obstacles to their continued advancement within the game. That is to say, every puzzle and enemy and dungeon obstacle is so simply designed that it takes any tangible sense of reward away from the experienced player, and replaces it with mind numbing linearity and "rock-over-head" hint giving. Early on in the game, there is a brilliant puzzle which involves cartography - which I won't spoil for you here - that really had me excited for the possibilites of where the game was headed. Unfortunately, that is the pinpoint moment where the game peaked with its puzzle design.
The reason why the game never seems to go further, is found in the way the dungeons were designed. Earlier on I mentioned that the "bloat" had been cut from the game, and this is apparent in the dungeon design as well. But the problem is, what replaces it is the aforementioned linearity and simplicity... since all the dungeons are remarkably short, you'll find that each one is constantly in tutorial mode. You'll find the special tool early on in each, and then the rest of the dungeon is spent teaching you the different ways to utilize it. And because of this, none of the puzzles seem to elevate beyond the elementary level. It's always painfully obvious the solution, and if you ever do catch yourself thinking it's probably because you forgot to read a sign that's two feet over. Don't get me wrong, there are some clever uses of the DS functionality... but the game paints a pretty clear picture for you each time and kinda ruins the surprise. It also doesn't help that whenever you find a key, the door it goes to is almost always only five feet from your location. Did the evil minions really think this would fool you, or were they just ensuring they'd have easy access to the dungeon interiors in case they stumble home from a heavy night of partying?
However, the game's crippling flaw is in a little dungeon called "The Temple of the Ocean King." Now, this is the most perplexing bit of Zelda design since, well, ever. At first, things are positive for this dungeon... it not only houses all the best puzzles in the game, but it's the only area that any difficulty at all surfaces. The added time limit is also always licking at your feet, really adding a sense of tension. What went wrong, then? I suppose the game designers realized that all their best puzzles were inside this temple, because they had the bright idea to have you revisit this dungeon about seven or eight times, forcing you to resolve these same puzzles over and over and over again. Sure, the game allows you to utilize some shortcuts with your newfound tools, but you'll never be able to avoid all the puzzles you've previously completed. What's worse is you'll need to improve your time if you want to be able to finish the entire dungeon, which can even force you to revisit the dungeon MORE times than just when completing storyline elements. It got to the point where returning to Phantom Hourglass would fill me with dread, a sensation I've never experienced in all the time I've loved this prolific franchise.
On the positive side, the bosses all feature that typical epic Zelda feel, albeit they're all far easier than you've ever experienced them before. And in these you'll experience some of the most impressive uses of the dual screen to date on the Nintendo DS. And the 3D cel-shaded style, which is returning from the Gamecube edition, is remarkably potent for such an underpowered piece of hardware - it's not ideal (2D would probably still work best on this platform), but it works well and shines most when viewing the varying expressions of the different characters, from Linebeck to Link. The music is also quite nice, featuring some remixes from Wind Waker as well as original pieces, and while I wouldn't say it's the top of the franchise by any measure it is pleasurable and fits the mood of the game well.
In addition, there is an entire multiplayer mode that was added to fill in the package. In it, you'll be switching places between the Phantom Guards and Link himself. When you're Link, you'll be directly controlling him in his attempts to find Tri force shards and place them in his color territory for points. As the three Phantom Guards, you'll be tracing out various paths for them in an attempt to block Link from getting back to his territory with a shard. This is a extremely compelling concept, and I found myself having a great time immediately. It does have a slight downside of being a bit exploitable, as you can easily find tactics on a few of the stages that almost guarantee victory. There's even some basic territory camping that can really ruin the matches. In the end, as long as you're playing with friends who know this is lame, you can have a fantastic time.
I've never been this harsh on a Zelda game before, and I feel almost remiss to do so here. Is it really only a mediocre game, or is it just mediocre in comparison to the astounding standards the franchise has set in the past? It's hard for me to answer definitively, but in the final analysis I can only discuss the disappointment I felt as I went through The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. I think what's here is a phenomenal foundation for what can come in future handheld Zelda games, but it never quite comes into its own character fully and never reaches for the stars. Perhaps for the next DS incarnation, Team Aonuma will feel a bit more confident in its design and will begin to toss in some substantial challenge with its innovation. And that's certainly an exciting proposition indeed.
posted November 7, 2007