How The Series Adapted With The DS

[Vash03]

Not sure if "Adapted" was the correct word, but it was the only thing I could think of...

Anywho, so many of the Zelda community talk about this game like it is one of the worst in the series. My only problem with it was, it was ridiculosly short. Other than that though, I loved it. I loved how it used the DS to its full potential and then some. Monsters who are sensitive to noise, for once having to actually BLOW out candles... blowing dust off the maps, full touch screen controls, and using the sleep feature to rub the two maps together. Those of you that didn't like the touch screen controls, I know you're used to the D-Pad but in my opinion, I didn't buy the DS to use a D-Pad, I have a GBA, and a GB for that, I bought the DS for the touch screen. Now we are all entitled to our opinions, and I know many of you, like DarkLink01, whom I've had many conversations with over this game, have no intrest in this game what so ever, just never liked it.

Or even *gasps* sold it. But, again, in my opinion it was a great game... so what I want to know was, what are your reasons for liking or disliking this game.

[blackice_cc]

I personally thought it was a great game. It certainly wasn't perfect, but then, if you ask me, only OoT was perfect. It had the puzzles - which actually had me stuck sometimes - that are a staple of the series, it had very imaginative ways to use old items, and it had some cut-scenes that made me laugh. The controls were executed very well, if you ask me; the touch-screen was a great addition, and many of the little things that made the game fun couldn't have been done without it.

My negative thoughts are all towards the difficulty, and perhaps the length, although some added difficulty in the fighting department would have increased the length. If the boss fights were a little harder, and if the "hard" puzzles weren't few and far between, I wouldn't have had many bad things to say about the game, but I really would have enjoyed more of a challenge. Like I said above, there were some hard puzzles, but there certainly weren't enough of them.

Overall, I liked the game quite a lot, but it didn't compare very well to the older 2D games.

[El Bagu]

I believe it "adapted" well with the DS. My problem is not the game but the DS. It is in my opinion oriented towards a younger audience. I´m too old to appreciate it. The only problem Phantom Hourglass as a game had/has is the shortness, something that has been mentioned quite often!

[PimPSlaP]

It was very good on DS. The only problems I had with it were the unispiring music, with only a couple good soundtracks. I also thought it was a bit way too easy, and as mentioned above yhe game was way to short.

[basement24]

I think it made an excellent progression to the DS with the specific DS features. The whole stylus control felt great and natural, although the hand that was holding the DS cramped up from time to time.

I expected a bit less from PH than I did from TP which I played prior to PH mainly because it was a hand-held title. I still got about 35 hours from PH with all the searching and mini-game playing, so I was satisfied. No, it wasn't as deep a story as a console Zelda, but I was happy with the transition that we got.

One thing that I felt was great and a natural for the DS adaptation was the ability to make notes on the map. Going back and playing other Zelda titles, this is something I really wish I could do. I know other system's controls don't really allow it, but it's a great feature that I can't believe people never talk about.

I really hope ST only expands on what PH brought to the table in terms of innovative controls and puzzle solving. Some of the puzzles that used the microphone were ingeneous. I just only wish I hadn't heard about the map imprint puzzle solution prior to playing the game.

[Durion]

What Nintendo have done with the Nintendo DS and Zelda is truly brilliant, I was stuck on a few of the areas that I have played, Well, one or two. They did use the features of the DS very well and it works out...

Its just the problem is that I think that Bellum is probably the lamest replacement of a final boss in the Zelda series that I have ever seen. So it wasn't the DS's fault, It was Nintendo's for Bellum...Others may have liked him but he was such a let down in my opinion.

Also yes, I agree that this game was far to short, They can't say anything about it being a small Cartridge either that makes it so short compared to others....Pokemon got me playing for 90 hours to get the story done, I am not asking for a Zelda that long but I was hoping for a Zelda DS that last towards 10-20, I don't think PH lasts that long.

[Dragon565333]

Ok It was adopted because Nintendo is who made this wii and it made the ds soo need new Ideas and games so there you go!

[Josh]

Phantom Hourglass was beautiful on DS. They fully did everything I would have expected them to do with it, and more. They made the entire game stylus based, you can draw on most maps, you close the system itself to get through one puzzle, some are actually pretty complicated, like the color coded ones Mutoh's Temple that always confuse me. I fully wish that they do the same thing for the next DS game.

[MrMosley]

I'll give credit where credit is due. PH definitely had some of the best graphics the DS could push out. It was moderately fun during gameplay, and was exciting to continue the quest of Link and Tetra after WW. The downsides, which I have mentioned many times and obviously, Vash, you know that I dislike the game a lot more than I like it, are as follows:

* Game was too short
* Virtually no replay value (extra side quests, random places to explore, etc.) In fact, the only thing to do after beating the game is get ship parts or the extra fairies, which is pointless if you have already beaten it.
* Storyline wasn't interesting enough to replay the general game over and over (like many other Zelda titles)
* Sailing wasn't free-roaming like WW
* Not much to do on the islands other than what you HAD to do

And yes, I sold my copy of PH. I don't regret it, but sometimes I wish I did have something to play on my DS seeing as how it collects dust these days. With ST coming out, that will change, but I don't have high hopes in terms of gameplay for ST. To me, it looks like PH with a few differences. I'm afraid there still will be little to no free roaming, as the train basically takes you wherever you have to go on its own. I'm counting on storyline for this game, so I hope it delivers, or it might end up as the second only Zelda title I have sold.

[Vash03]

Blasphemist. >=[ Anyway, I didn't even think about being able to draw on the map.... good point. Also, I like how at one point, you have to use the grapling hook like a slingshot, but shoot your arrow at it so it'll rebound into the eye..

[Skull_Kid]

And yes, I sold my copy of PH.

I am not capable of doing that xD.

Even though I don't like the game, and I second everything that DL01 said.
I can't sell a Zelda game if I don't have another copy, and I am currently on the process of trading my TP Wii for Super Metroid and some other games, and I am only doing it cause I have the GCN version

[TVTMaster]

Well, PH definitely adapted well to the DS- all the features and such were very well done. I enjoyed the way everything was used, and the puzzles were genuinely clever and original.

The problem is that PH felt like a DS tech demo. You know what I mean- it used everything, did it well, and then lost all fun. There's nothing to collect (that doesn't require exorbitant tedious sailing), you explore every inch of the sea in the main game, and the story was truly weak.

The DS controls and new additions are definitely great ways to further the Zelda series, but I think the DS is capable of more. For one thing, the environments and dungeons and such were frequently recycled, and every part of the game was grid-based. There were no natural curves in the landscape, everything was mapped to squares, and Link was running around with full 360 degree motion but unable to utilize it.
What DS Zeldas need to do is build environments on natural forms. The boss battles in PH proved that a true 3D Zelda could work fine on the DS, but it seems they're sticking to the overhead 2D view. None of the islands were memorable mainly because the individual parts were found everywhere else- nothing was unique. Bridges, switches, and enemies were placed in a way that was functional, but nowhere near atmospheric.

[Steve]

I'll give credit where credit is due. PH definitely had some of the best graphics the DS could push out. It was moderately fun during gameplay, and was exciting to continue the quest of Link and Tetra after WW. The downsides, which I have mentioned many times and obviously, Vash, you know that I dislike the game a lot more than I like it, are as follows:

* Game was too short
* Virtually no replay value (extra side quests, random places to explore, etc.) In fact, the only thing to do after beating the game is get ship parts or the extra fairies, which is pointless if you have already beaten it.
* Storyline wasn't interesting enough to replay the general game over and over (like many other Zelda titles)
* Sailing wasn't free-roaming like WW
* Not much to do on the islands other than what you HAD to do

And yes, I sold my copy of PH.
I agree with all of those points, and to be honest if I didn't like to collect the games, I would have sold Phantom Hourglass without a doubt.

[Seethe]

A little late but I just purchased PH. The only major problem I can see is the fact that apparently the game is too short. That is the only thing I am worried about.

[Alex_Da_Great]

I loved how Nintendo had used all of the DS features into the game. You would think that moving around with a stylus would be hard but you get used to it.

I agree that PH is too short. The dungeons were way easy and short. I have finished the first 3 dungeons between 5-15 minutes!

[Seethe]

Some other drastic changes I would like to point out after putting more time into the game would be the lack of bottles. 4 Chu Jellies, or 4 Potions, or even 4 fairies were always good to keep on hand in TP. (I mention TP because it's the most recent Zelda game I've played before I picked up PH)

I also do not know if I really like the Bow adaptation. The Bow tends to be my favorite weapon ever. After putting some time into the Shooting Range, I decided I didn't really like it too much in PH. But maybe that's just because I suck. I managed to beat the High Score, but 2k for the Heart Container? It's just going to lead to more frustration.

[mandym287]

I completed that game with no shield, no game overs in two days, counting school and sleep, so yeah, Nintendo needs more of a challenge. And Tetra may have been in it, but neither Zelda nor the Triforce were mentioned, except in the introduction and on the red door in the Temple of the Ocean King. It was a good game and all, but I feel it was missing a major thing that needs to be in every zelda game, Zelda herself...

[Seethe]

I completed that game with no shield, no game overs in two days, counting school and sleep, so yeah, Nintendo needs more of a challenge. And Tetra may have been in it, but neither Zelda nor the Triforce were mentioned, except in the introduction and on the red door in the Temple of the Ocean King. It was a good game and all, but I feel it was missing a major thing that needs to be in every zelda game, Zelda herself...
Zelda was mentioned. Maybe you have forgotten, but Tetra is Zelda in the WW and PH games. In the beginning of the game her pirate crew refer to her as Zelda and she becomes angry and tells them that Tetra is just fine...

As for the Triforce, it's also in the Temple of the Ocean King. I can't recall exactly which floor, but at one point, you have to put the triangle gems into it. PH was a sequel. Everything was basically discovered in WW and therefore is no longer a mystery. Such as the Triforce and Zelda.

On another note, I would like to mention something else. As far as I can see (I'm currently on the Ghost Ship after the Temple of Courage), there is no way to heal Link other than potions, which have to be bought, or finding hearts after slaying enemies or breaking pots and rocks. This makes me really miss bottles!

[Link Master]

I really think this game was really good for all the things you actually have to go rubbing, blowing, maps, pressing the spirit thing onto the map see there were a lot. I liked the idea of having Tetra kidnapped not Tetra as Zelda. I also liked the final boss for those of you who have not finished I will not say.

[Master Kokiri 9]

Well honestly it was one of my least favorite Zeldas ever although because the gameplay was so perfected I have played through it several times. It could've been better and honestly I hope ST is better in terms of length and story but that's getting off topic. All in all the gameplay for the DS was absolutely perfect. I love it and there is nothing I would change about it........although then again I would change the sailing to what it was in WW but that's just me.

[Notorious NATE]

Phantom Hourglass is my favorite LoZ title I have played (I own TP, MC and ALttP). I really liked the graphics, the storyline, and just the overall game play. It really kept me interested and that's what I look for when purchasing a video game.

Like others however, I eventually became tired of the continuous dungeon in which you need to get to a certain point in a certain amount of time. There is no creativity in that whatsoever.

But I loved the bosses. I liked the dragons and that one lizard in which you needed to put a Bombchu in it's mouth. I thought that was cool. Props to the designers who thought of that.

I would give it a solid 9/10. It was a very, very enjoyable game.

[DCMN]

I thought the controls were perfect, probably the best adaption of a series to DS ever. The story was interesting, not quite an epic, and maybe the real villian was introduced too late, but it wasn't terrible. The music's OK, but some tracks are repeated to death, and the Temple of the Ocean King would of been OK if done in one whole go at once. Linebeck and Cielia were great companions and the AI wer cool too. Overal, its a great game, people say its a bad Zelda, but I still love it to bits.

[Anubis]

I loved how Nintendo had used all of the DS features into the game. You would think that moving around with a stylus would be hard but you get used to it.

I agree that PH is too short. The dungeons were way easy and short. I have finished the first 3 dungeons between 5-15 minutes!
5-15 minutes?! I dont believe you.. I mean you have to use the boat and talk with everyone and ****! (Atleast what I remember..) Still you must have used some glitches to do that, eh? Please tell me! :P

[linktothefuture]

I think they used the stylus well. it seemed pretty natural. It would still be better if u had an option to use the control pad. u would use the touch screen for the boomerang, fishing, and the cannon.

[Midna666]

As a Windwaker fan I was very disappointed in Phantom Hourglass.
Sure it took advantage of the DS's features, but a lot of the game's puzzles felt the same to me. A lot of the games dungeons had the same gimmick(you wrote down notes on the map using the stylus, and you later used those notes to solve a puzzle later on in the dungeon). After the second dungeon, you pretty much knew what to expect from the rest of the dungeons.
It felt more like a DS game that just happened to have Zelda characters in it then a real Zelda game.

[link9]

I haven't played it, but I do have the ds and plan on buying this game eventually. From what i heard, its more for the new generation, not for the old diehards, but is overall a good game, but way too short.