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Phantom Hourglass Is Phantom Hourglass Worth It?

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Irock

Guest
Hi everyone, this is my first post here.

I recently bought a 3DS, and it's the first time I've owned a Nintendo handheld since when my DS was stolen in 2007. Since my DS was stolen, I never got a change to play Phantom Hourglass, but now I have the opportunity to.

Is it Phantom Hourglass worth buying and playing? I've heard a lot of mixed opinions on it, as I have with most of Zelda games. My favorite game of all time happens to be The Wind Waker, if that helps. I've heard people complain about some dungeon you have to go to all the time, but I've also heard people complain about having to sail in Wind Waker, and I love sailing in Wind Waker. I've also heard the gameplay is really innovative, like how you draw the path of the boomerang. I watched reviews but I'm still not sure, so I'd like to hear what Zelda fans have to say.
 

Destiny

Single❒Taken❒Assassin✔
Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Location
nowhere
Yes, of course it's worth it it's Zelda. As compared to ST, PH tops it IMO. So you should definitely get it. Also, just a tip, playing DS games on the 3DS it's really blurry so when you're at the start menu hold down START then tap the game. It should be clearer then.

The Temple of the Ocean King, that's the one you have to keep going back too, it can get anoying but it is also challenging a bit. Well it was for me. Anyway, if you liked Wind Waker you'll like this I'm sure.
 

athenian200

Circumspect
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Location
a place of settlement, activity, or residence.
Phantom Hourglass is a fun game. The dungeons/bosses are a little easier than in Spirit Tracks, but the navigation is a little more open and challenging, and the Temple of the Ocean King is much harder than the Tower of Spirits because it's timed.

If you don't like timed challenges, you won't like the Temple of the Ocean King...

But overall, I would recommend playing both PH and ST... you should play PH first, though, because that's the order the games progress in.
 

Unlucky Monkey

The Great King of Apes
Joined
May 17, 2011
Location
NRW, Germany
The Temple of the Ocean King ruined the game a bit for me. It's annoying and boring. Just my opinion.

The game itself is solid. Not to be compared to the great Wind Waker. It may be a sequel to the Wind Waker, but it's not as great as the epic on the GameCube.
But there isn't much of an alternative nowadays when it comes to Zelda Handheld Games. The only one available next to Phantom Hourglass is Spirit Tracks (which is in my opinion the better game).
The final Boss is pretty disappointing. The ending is nice and leads to some theories.

You will do nothing wrong when you buy Phantom Hourglass and maybe Spirit Tracks too. But, judging by the atmosphere, both of the games are pretty much weaker than any other Handheld Zelda I've played. But every weak Zelda is compared to other modern Adventure games still great.

Also, just a tip, playing DS games on the 3DS it's really blurry so when you're at the start menu hold down START then tap the game. It should be clearer then.

Many people are saying that. But the resolution differences on the 3DS are very slightly. I've got a DSi and a 3DS. Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks will be played on the touchscreen, so the differences are even more slightly. You can enjoy the games like on the original DS.
 

Master Sword13

thatjoshoverthere
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Location
South Carolina
PH was actually my first Zelda Game. That being said, I love it to death. Of course, like all video games, it has it's downfalls.

Temple of the Ocean King: The temple was great if I'm going to be completely honest. Essentially what it is is a giant dungeon filled with more and more puzzles and you make progress in other dungeons and other puzzles in the game. Not only is it the master of puzzles, but it's also filled with a fighter's nightmare. Phantoms. Phantoms can't be killed and will instantly kill you if they hit you with their sword, forcing you to reenter the floor and start again, now with a decreased amount of time to do it. It's also time related to MM in the sense that after a set time, a terrible fate will befall you, that you actually experience early in the game. After you run out of sand in the Phantom Hourglass, the curse of the temple can affect Link. This curse causes Link to lose life and glow purple (which is actually pretty sweet) unless he is in a Safe Zone.
The entire concept of this is easy enough, and it seems like you'll have no time to do anything, and eventually the curse will come around. I thought that too when I played the game. As it turns out, with such a bad consequence comes such a long time limit that you really don't have to worry about running out of time at all. Of course you'll still want to get spare sand from yellow jars within the temple, and wait around on safe zones, but the temple isn't to be feared. Phantoms are.
The final downside is that even though it's filled to the brim with puzzles, each time you need to go through again, you need to redo the floors you've already passed. It's annoying, but each weapon from each dungeon will allow you to make and/or find shortcuts, and even find extra treasure!

That's really the main quirk in the game. Another is sailing, and even though it's cool to make your own path, it takes FOREVER to sail long distances. So the programmers, understanding our pain, place an optional item within the game that'll make the process MUCH FASTER.

Good things though are much better. Running and slashing your sword is an incredible feeling to get, puzzles are still classic zelda stuff. Timed buttons and orbs, numbered switches, classic stuff. Enemies are fantastic, the look is bright and cheery, and there's TONS of upgrades and new items to get. You just have to find them.

All in all, yes, PH is worth it. It's a great game. I don't think as great as TP, MM, and a few others, but I still know it was a revolution in Zelda Handheld.
 

Kaleb Dampf

YouTube- www.youtube.com/user/F3artheReaper
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Location
US of A
Heck yeah!!!! It's one of those Zelda games that takes more than a few days to beat. Even then you still have to locate all the ship parts, Spirit Stones, and Pieces of Heart. All in all, buy it. You won't regret it.
 
Joined
Feb 23, 2011
If not, you could always just rent it or something. Furthermore, it means a lot to people who kinda want to see what happened to Link after The Wind Waker. It was so sad to see it just...end. A lot of people just wanted a follow up. Plus, I think Wind Waker was cliffhanger-esque...on purpose. This is all assuming you think WW>PH (just saying, some people don't).
 
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dinolink80

Guest
I would have to say both yes and no. If you have played Wind Waker, you will understand the game better. It is very easy though. Whoever creates the way the DS games should consider how hard they make their games.

If you get it, watch for the Temple of the Ocean King. The first time you go, you don't have the Phantom Hourglass and you will die if you don't get through fast enough. The second time, you obtain the Phantom Hourglass, but you have a time limit, and you can only reset it by exiting the dungeon. The time will stop if you pause or go to a safe zone. You have to come over and over and over and over, and each time you leave, (Except for the first floor) EVERYTHING, all your hard work, will reset.
There are also the Phantoms. There are three kinds. Normal, which is slow (Which can actually be annoying when you have to follow them around). There is Swift, which walks and runs faster, and Teleporting, where if you get spotted by another Phantom, the furthest Teleporting Phantom in the room will warp to you. They are invincible unless you have the Phantom Sword, and even then, you have to hit them in the back. (You know, you'll see a fake eye there. They still can't see you from that one though.) If you have 10 power gems and have turned them into the spring, your sword will go on fire when you use Leaf. If you still only have Oshus's sword but you have the flames, you will stun the Phantom. You can also shoot arrows at its back to stun it. I think (Only think, haven't tried) that if you have the 10 wisdom gems turned in, you can deflect their attacks. There are also the Courage gems, which will shoot laser beams. I don't know what happens with that one, but the sword now shoots laser beams. If the Phantom DOES hit you, it will make you go to the begining of the room, take away some of your heart, and take some time off the Hourglass.
There are also the Phantom Eyes. If one of these propellor eyes sees you, it will go, "BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP!" making the Phantoms come towards you. This will also make Warp Phantoms warp to you. These are destroyable at any time. Just make a boomerang go around the corner or shoot it from a safe zone.
Then, there is the Ghost Ship. This is a quite annoying dungeon to, even though you only visit it once. You have to track it down, and if you make a wrong turn, you get sent back to the beginning of the fog (You'll see what the fog is once you play the game) Inside, you are in a creepy ship (No Really). There is a girl in red in the left of the map. Save her, and she says her sisters were taken. You see another sister in yellow in the upper right. Take her to the left part. There are still two more sisters. Go downstairs.
Oh No. Complete remake of the Ocean kings temple. Except there is no time limit. There are safe zones, and a new monster called a Reapling. They are like Phantoms. You can't kill them because you never get the chance to. You can still do all the stun moves though. They can go through walls and see through walls. They take away two hearts per hit. There is one Cubus sister in (Was it green?) somewhere. She's afraid of spiders. If she see's a spider, and you are near her, she'll scream and freeze, making the reaplings come to that spot. If you go to far away, she'll get scared and freeze. The reaplings won't come that time. Bring her back, then go two times down.
There will be a new layout. There are five levers. When you pull these levers, you never seem to get the right ones. If you look at a certain stone, it will tell you a order of numbers. But it is NOT THE RIGHT ORDER. You have to look at a walkthrough to find out. Ugh.
I can also see why people would complain about the boating matter in this game. It takes such a long time to get anywhere. Yes, you can warp to some places, but there are only six warp points and you have to complete a whole different sidequest to do that. It is also a pain with the pirates that are at a lot of places, who take away a whole heart a shot, and can ambush you. Well, that's all I have for now. Finally.
 
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Joined
Feb 23, 2011
I would have to say both yes and no. If you have played Wind Waker, you will understand the game better. It is very easy though. Whoever creates the way the DS games should consider how hard they make their games.

If you get it, watch for the Temple of the Ocean King. The first time you go, you don't have the Phantom Hourglass and you will die if you don't get through fast enough. The second time, you obtain the Phantom Hourglass, but you have a time limit, and you can only reset it by exiting the dungeon. The time will stop if you pause or go to a safe zone. You have to come over and over and over and over, and each time you leave, (Except for the first floor) EVERYTHING, all your hard work, will reset. There are also the Phantoms. There are three kinds. Normal, which is slow (Which can actually be annoying when you have to follow them around). There is Swift, which walks and runs faster, and Teleporting, where if you get spotted by another Phantom, the furthest Teleporting Phantom in the room will warp to you. They are invincible unless you have the Phantom Sword, and even then, you have to hit them in the back. (You know, you'll see a fake eye there. They still can't see you from that one though.) If you have 10 power gems and have turned them into the spring, your sword will go on fire when you use Leaf. If you still only have Oshus's sword but you have the flames, you will stun the Phantom. You can also shoot arrows at its back to stun it. I think (Only think, haven't tried) that if you have the 10 wisdom gems turned in, you can deflect their attacks. There are also the Courage gems, which will shoot laser beams. I don't know what happens with that one, but the sword now shoots laser beams. If the Phantom DOES hit you, it will make you go to the begining of the room, take away some of your heart, and take some time off the Hourglass. There are also the Phantom Eyes. If one of these propellor eyes sees you, it will go, "BEEP BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP BEEP!" making the Phantoms come towards you. This will also make Warp Phantoms warp to you. These are destroyable at any time. Just make a boomerang go around the corner or shoot it from a safe zone. Then, there is the Ghost Ship. This is a quite annoying dungeon to, even though you only visit it once. You have to track it down, and if you make a wrong turn, you get sent back to the beginning of the fog (You'll see what the fog is once you play the game) Inside, you are in a creepy ship (No Really). There is a girl in red in the left of the map. Save her, and she says her sisters were taken. You see another sister in yellow in the upper right. Take her to the left part. There are still two more sisters. Go downstairs. Oh No. Complete remake of the Ocean kings temple. Except there is no time limit. There are safe zones, and a new monster called a Reapling. They are like Phantoms. You can't kill them because you never get the chance to. You can still do all the stun moves though. They can go through walls and see through walls. They take away two hearts per hit. There is one Cubus sister in (Was it green?) somewhere. She's afraid of spiders. If she see's a spider, and you are near her, she'll scream and freeze, making the reaplings come to that spot. If you go to far away, she'll get scared and freeze. The reaplings won't come that time. Bring her back, then go two times down. There will be a new layout. There are five levers. When you pull these levers, you never seem to get the right ones. If you look at a certain stone, it will tell you a order of numbers. But it is NOT THE RIGHT ORDER. You have to look at a walkthrough to find out. Ugh. I can also see why people would complain about the boating matter in this game. It takes such a long time to get anywhere. Yes, you can warp to some places, but there are only six warp points and you have to complete a whole different sidequest to do that. It is also a pain with the pirates that are at a lot of places, who take away a whole heart a shot, and can ambush you. Well, that's all I have for now. Finally.

Paragraphs? Also, you should employ spoiler tags. ;)
 

ChargewithSword

Zelda Dungeon's Critic
Joined
Jan 13, 2009
Location
I don't want to say.
Phantom Hourglass is worth a first purchase for the sake of it being a Zelda game. In order to properly love it, I suggest you don't compare it to the other Zeldas for it is the weaker of most of them.
 
T

Traindodge

Guest
I personally thought the game was magnificent as a Zelda title with only minor problems. One of the best handheld titles I have ever played.
 

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