The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Now this is how you update a sword-and-sorcery classic, while also flipping the middle finger at convention.
2/18/2008 12:00 AM | 2 Comments | Page 2 of 2

Then again, such an approach also lends itself to crushing disappointment -- for example, having to tiptoe around the Ocean King's temple over and over, descending ever deeper while under strict time limits and confronted by roving suits of armor whose attacks steal precious seconds from your clock (not to mention being forced to tromp through the same floors incessantly on each visit, with hardly any break in terms of a mid-mission checkpoint...). Sure to infuriate as well is the ability to clearly view certain points on your sea chart while being unable to sail to them, forced instead to constantly backtrack due to issues like sudden fog or tornadoes. There's at least one true 'WTF' moment as well, when you're given only ambiguous clues to solve a puzzle that involves closing the DS and touching your system's two screens together (seriously, who knew that was even possible?). And with the game simultaneously spitting out so many innovative ideas, not to mention simulating entire oceans, chronicling the lands between them, and tracking various non-player characters' (NPC) behavior, guess what? Even factoring in those times when you're helplessly stuck, the odyssey won't clock in at much more than 15-20 hours' worth of excitement.

But screw it -- with slick 3D visuals and a sweeping musical score, the outing looks, handles and performs like a full-price, top-shelf romp for the Wii, which is about all that any true series aficionado, or portable gaming buff, could really ask for. That you also get a cool system-to-system or online multiplayer mode (help Link collect Triforce shards while evading roving, buddy-controlled Phantoms) -- which, while repetitive by nature, does prove entertaining -- is only a bonus. Certainly, single-card download and Wi-Fi connectivity capabilities make head-to-head bouts a nice draw. Nonetheless, it's inevitable you'll be drawn primarily to the solo campaign, whose expression-filled characters, snappy settings and mysterious quests do a fantastic job of slapping a new coat of paint on a classically enchanting yarn.

Long story short: Race, don't stroll along, to your local software retailer and get you some. Granted, it helps to have a walkthrough handy (and a jar of maximum-strength aspirin) -- but as mind-boggling as Phantom Hourglass is, it's inevitable that players of all ages will fall under the game's irresistible spell. Suffice it to say we're already frothing with anticipation for a sequel -- here's hoping, given current production times, that won't mean having to wait until 2011.

This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.