By Nemesis 16/11/2007
DS games have always been a bit hit and miss with me, to be honest. I feel they either push the gimmick of the touch screen too far, or not use it enough. Obviously there are some exceptions such as Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and Metroid Prime: Hunters but I am very pleased to be able to add this latest Zelda game to that list. The game not only makes great use of the touch screen for control, but uses the whole DS to its full potential, even using features of the machine I would never have considered possible during gameplay. 
Obviously, the main form of interaction with the DS is the touch screen, which allows you to move Link with a touch of the stylus and gives you full control over his many weapons. Whilst some games allow touch screen or button control, Phantom Hourglass does not. The only buttons you will ever need are the shoulder triggers for equipping an item (though I used the touch screen) and the D-Pad for bringing your map to the bottom screen. This brings me on to another feature I loved in this game, the ability to write notes on your map. The designers have used this as an excuse to throw in loads of puzzles that involve you recalling information from elsewhere and it soon becomes second nature to scribble down everything you are told in case it is needed in the future.
One of the strongest parts of this game is the design. Each dungeon leads you enough, but it is possible to get miss something and get stuck allowing for a great sense of achievement once you eventually figure it out. Each weapon is used to its full capacity throughout the dungeons, you will never forget about an item which was a quibble I had with Twilight Princess. The one problem I did find, however, was travelling across the sea. The system is much different from Wind Waker, involving you drawing a path for you boat and watching as it sails. You do occasionally have to fight off monsters but many a time I found my attention drawn elsewhere only to look back to the DS and find myself under attack.
Graphically, Phantom Hourglass is almost perfect. I did find a few graphical glitches in some of the dungeons, but nothing major. Using the Wind Waker style was a great choice and the DS pulls it off really well, right down to Links expression when you hit a solid wall with your sword. Obviously the sea does not look as stunning as it did in the Wind Waker but for a DS game the affect is still amazing.
Without spoiling anything, the plot is fairly solid and a lot less predictable than many recent Zelda games, leaving many of the token plot devices out this time around. Although Link is as silent as ever, the characterisation of the other main characters is well done and most of their dialogue is quite entertaining.
Although I am probably spoiled by the recent 3D Zeldas, the Phantom Hourglass seemed very short to me with relatively few side quests to complete after the final boss. That isn't to say there's nothing to come back for; the multiplayer is really impressive and what first seems like a tacked on game mode is genuinely entertaining. The fact it can be played over Wi-fi is obviously a huge plus, and I plan to spend some time playing that mode (and getting beaten no doubt) for the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, The Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass is a solid addition to the series. It is nice to see that the controversial Wind Waker style has not been forgotten and hopefully we will see games in both this and the Twilight Princess style in the future. I'm not particularly keen on "scoring" games, but as this is a review I probably should. Let's go with 97%.
