Link has 52 chronicles

1. Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Review
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Dec 25 2008

   Despite the series' deserved reputation for overall depth and playability of each successive adventure, not all Zelda games are created equal. Each game, including the new Phantom Hourglass, has its own quirks. Whether it was Majora's Mask's unconventional game structure and time limit, or The Wind Waker's meandering boat excursions, pretty much every Zelda game uses its fundamental gameplay ideas to transcend any such perceived "problems." But the honest truth is that Ocarina of Time did such a fantastic job on N64 -- like Super Mario 64 did with the old 2D Mario games -- in bringing Link to life in 3D that even the best follow-ups couldn't make that same impact; they could only apply various twists and turns in an effort to stand out. The Eiji Aonuma period (he's the current series producer), as celebrated as it is, seems content to repeat the lessons learned from Shigeru Miyamoto. And despite the addition of mandatory touch screen controls, the same can be said of Phantom Hourglass: it's more of the same, relatively good thing.
   
   The game serves up the usual Zelda staples -- traveling, exploration, puzzles, and combat -- in generous quantities, but this time it handles everything via the touch screen and stylus. New innovations, like marking the position of key items on the game map, are sensible, but occasionally, depending on what's happening with the combat onscreen, you'll accidentally hit the map button on the bottom-left corner of the screen, inadvertently bringing up the game options (and if you're really scratching away, the entire game map, too). The touch screen combat controls generally work well; taps on enemies function as a standard attack, and long strokes unleash a stronger, Okami-style slash attack. Drawing circles around Link activates a spin-slash, which is good for clearing hordes of enemies, but abuse of this powerful move leads to dizziness, so there's a built-in balance.
   
   Truth be told, adapting to this new play style proves irritating, especially since your stylus and hand frequently obscure the action and your field of view. It's also initially bothersome to move Link: You must drag your stylus to the end of the screen to pull him around as if on a leash. It would've been a definite plus to allow you to move Link around with the D-pad, but as the game progresses, new moves become available that wouldn't be possible without the stylus (like drawing out a path for your boomerang), so this method eventually proves its worth. Still, despite the game's substantial content (ship building is a fun pastime), the fundamentals haven't changed -- it's still got the usual surfeit of chests to find, dozens of keys to retrieve, maps to uncover, and doors to open.
   
   The dialogue is expertly accomplished, with Nintendo's "Treehouse" translation team doing its usual bang-up job, and it weaves nicely with the dramatic, panoramic cut-scenes that show off the game's impressive graphics engine. The music is also another high point. Although the sound quality is limited to what the development team could fit on a cartridge, it's still notable, not because of how massive-sounding it is, but because of how bombastic it isn't. It's subtle and understated in most areas and puffed up when it needs to be. To draw a comparison, it evokes a more sinister Animal Crossing, with the same mildly funky, muffled beats and orchestrations. The sound effects are equally distinct as well.
   
   But another Zelda basically means another carefully choreographed series of fetch quests and multipart boss battles that, if you're less romantic about the series than others, eventually start to feel like going through the motions. Another predictable eventuality is that in every Zelda game, you usually have to find a very specific item to beat a boss just before you reach that boss, and you'll rarely use it again. That's like putting a key in a treasure chest right by the door you need to open, which happens as well. The biggest problem, if it can be called one, with Phantom Hourglass is that it's too beholden to what's come before it. Innovation arrives in tiny steps, touch screen controls be damned. The argument that "If you want that much change, then you don't want a Zelda" game might hold some water, but the counterpoint is that this series is really beginning to wear itself out by using the same old conventions and game mechanics. Is Hourglass a great piece of software for the DS? Absolutely. But this latest effort missed the opportunity to truly push the franchise forward.
   
   
   Review: 9.5

   
   

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Link has 1 comment on this chronicle.

1. BEN
   Posted On Dec 25 2008

   I think 9.5 is the highest you've rated any video game...and it's for the Nintendo DS! I personally have a hard time rating handheld and console/PC games on the same scale, because the supporting hardware is so different?!
   
   I know you're a Zelda fan though, so I suppose it makes sense