Review: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
I read an interesting article today regarding completing programming projects. The gist of it was that big, huge projects tend to stagnate – you lose your motivation because the end is never in sight. To successfully complete projects (this guy says), a good idea is to choose more manageable goals that are able to be accomplished quicker.
I see a parallel application to this principle in video game design. As opposed to having a player move quickly from (game-related) task to task, the whole game is rather jammed together, with only feeble attempts at breaking it up. Since the game seems to stretch on, and not have a discernible end, when the player hits some boring spots, they quit.
This has been my experience with the past two games in the Legend of Zelda franchise, Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. They weren't designed in a way to hold my interest for the duration of the extended time necessary to play them. These games were everything one could have wanted; basically the same as the previous entry, but bigger and longer. However, the tried and true method of simply adding more "stuff" to sequels isn't really enough for me.
The newest Zelda (Phantom Hourglass) succeeds because it is short and clever. A contributing factor (to a lesser extent) is the unbelievably accessible control system.
The game doesn't extend Zelda lore by any means; it begins (presumably) after the end of Wind Waker, with Link attempting to uncurse Tetra after she boards an ominous Ghost Ship. After being (presumably) transported to an alternate reality, Link is informed that the only person who can save Tetra is the Ocean King, but that he must help revive the Ocean King's power first. He does this by confronting a baddie entrenched in the basement of a mysterious Phantom Tower, which drains the life force of people entering it. To counter this life-draining process, Link is given the Phantom Hourglass, an artifact that allows him to remain undamaged while sand still remains in it. Link doesn't have all the items he needs to get to the bottom of the tower, but he finds maps that lead him to other dungeons where he can collect these tools.
This game deviates from its ilk mainly by use of the Nintendo DS touchscreen to control Link. Holding the stylus on the screen will cause Link to run to the point you touch. Tapping an enemy will make Link attack it. Touch a point on the screen to fire an arrow there. It seems more simplistic than previous games, but also goes much faster. This means that many battles are not so much about manual dexterity, but rather finding and exploiting an enemy's weak point. Let's face it, Zelda is known for enjoyable puzzles, not great combat, so anything that can emphasize the puzzles more is a good deal. Game design elements that are taken from previous games are also given a "touch" overhaul, which make their reuse more bearable.
Phantom Hourglass is short. You don't have time to get bored with the new game elements before the game is over. And that is freaking great. I can definitely recommend this game as a "must buy" for your DS.
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