Gamers Evolved

Zelda fans are excited for the new release of Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The story picks up where Wind Waker – which came out on Gamecube – left off. We left Zelda and Tetra sailing the high seas in search of the ghost ship. After finding it Tetra takes off to search it, but instead finds herself trapped on it as it sets off into the fog. Zelda jumps after her, but misses the ship and falls into the water where he loses his gear and abilities.

Right off the bat you’ll notice that Phantom Hourglass brings an impressive amount of cinematic presentation to the table. The graphical style is of course a play off the cel-shaded Zelda, but what really gives the game the “pocket Cube” feel to it is that every scene is shot with theatrics in mind, as there’s a ton of emotion and depth to the characters.

While the general settings of temples and even the types of puzzles will be more than recognisable to veterans of the series (torch lighting, ice melting switch pulling), the use of the touch screen magically transforms them into something new and exciting. Take the ability to switch the map to the bottom screen to mark the location of chests or scribble helpful notes or secret pathways, or physically closing the console to transfer objects from one screen to the other or blowing into the microphone to power wind turbines.

The only annoying thing about the game is that you have to report to the Hourglass Castle every time you have received a piece of the puzzle. The castle forces you to repeat levels you have already completed every time you return making it a bit boring and repetitive. But besides that fact the game is enjoyable and a true classic.