The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is an action-adventure game created and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld system in 2007. It is the fourteenth game in The Legend of Zelda series and follows The Wind Waker, a 2002 GameCube game. The game was released worldwide in 2007, except in South Korea, where it was released in April 2008. It was later made available again on the Wii U through the Virtual Console service in the PAL region in November 2015, in North America in May 2016, and in Japan in August 2016.
The game uses 3D graphics that look like hand-drawn art, with a top-down camera view. It uses the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen and microphone for controls and allowed online play through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection until the service ended in 2014. The story continues from The Wind Waker, showing Link’s efforts to rescue his friend Tetra from the villain Bellum, with help from Captain Linebeck and his ship, the S.S. Linebeck.
Critics praised the game’s controls, world design, and visuals. However, some reviewers found the online features too basic. The game won several awards, including the Nintendo DS Game of the Year from GameSpot, GameSpy, and IGN. It sold 302,887 copies in Japan during its first month and 262,800 copies in the United States during its debut month. By March 2008, 4.13 million copies had been sold worldwide. A follow-up game, Spirit Tracks, was released in December 2009.
Gameplay
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is an action-adventure game that plays similarly to other games in The Legend of Zelda series. The player controls Link, who explores the world to find tools, clues, and allies to rescue his friend Tetra and defeat the villain Bellum. The game has two main types of gameplay: sailing between islands and exploring islands and their dungeons on foot. While on land, Link uses items like the boomerang, bow, and bombs. When sailing, the Nintendo DS’s top screen shows a map of the area, and the lower screen displays a 3D top-down view of Link and his surroundings. The player can move the map to the lower screen to take notes. During events like boss battles, both screens show a 3D view to give a better look around. The player uses the stylus to control Link, moves him by pointing on the screen, and interacts with objects or attacks enemies by pointing at them. To travel between islands on the Great Sea, the player controls a paddle steamer called the S.S. Linebeck. They can draw a path on a sea chart, change the course, shoot enemies with a cannon, and jump to avoid obstacles.
The game includes a multiplayer battle mode. In an arena, one player controls Link, and the other controls three Phantom Guardians. Both players use power-up items that appear on the field. Link’s goal is to pick up a Force Gem and bring it to his base. The player controlling the Phantom Guardians must catch Link before he returns the gem. If Link is caught or the round ends, players switch sides. Each game has three rounds, and each player takes turns on both sides. A multiplayer game lasts up to 12 minutes if Link is not caught. The game supports local and online multiplayer through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and Download Play. It is the third Legend of Zelda game to include multiplayer, following Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures.
Phantom Hourglass introduces a large dungeon central to the story: the Temple of the Ocean King. Link visits the Temple multiple times to find sea charts that allow him to sail to new areas. The Temple has a curse that harms Link when he is inside, but after obtaining the Phantom Hourglass, he can explore it safely for a short time. Link must also avoid Phantoms, enemies that are hard to defeat and require stealth. Safe zones in the Temple let Link avoid Phantoms and the curse. As Link progresses, he can explore deeper parts of the Temple and stay inside longer. The Temple resets every time Link leaves, but new items help him find shortcuts. The Temple and its puzzles are played like a dungeon crawler.
Plot
After the events of The Wind Waker, Link and Tetra sail across the Great Sea on Tetra's ship to find new land. They meet the Ghost Ship, a broken ship that appears suddenly from a thick mist. Tetra enters the ship and is heard screaming. Link tries to help her but fails, and he falls into the ocean as the Ghost Ship disappears. Link washes up on Mercay Island, where he meets Ciela, a fairy, and her adoptive grandfather, Oshus. Together, they decide to rescue Tetra. Link asks for help from Captain Linebeck, a greedy treasure hunter who believes the Ghost Ship holds great treasure.
The group learns that the Temple of the Ocean King contains sea-glyphs that act as maps. However, these maps are protected by dangerous Phantoms. To access the glyphs, Link must free three Spirits from different temples: one of Power, one of Wisdom, and one of Courage. After freeing the Spirit of Power, Link receives the Phantom Hourglass, a tool that holds sand from time. This allows him to explore the Temple of the Ocean King without losing his strength.
When Link rescues the Spirit of Courage, he notices it looks like Ciela. Oshus explains that Ciela is half of the Spirit of Courage. Oshus split Ciela's soul into two after she was attacked by Bellum, a demon that destroys all life. Once all three Spirits are rescued, Link finds the Ghost Ship and locates Tetra, but she is lifeless and turned to stone. Oshus reveals he is the Ocean King, who took human form after defeating Bellum, whom he trapped in his Temple. He tells Link to find three pure metals to craft the Phantom Sword, a weapon that can defeat Phantoms and Bellum. Only by defeating Bellum, Oshus says, can Tetra be brought back to life. Linebeck is disappointed to learn the Ghost Ship has no treasure but agrees to help Link after Oshus promises to grant him one wish.
After obtaining the Phantom Sword, Link defeats Bellum in the Temple's depths. He is sent to Linebeck's ship, where he reunites with a revived Tetra. Bellum takes Tetra back to the Ghost Ship. Link destroys the Ghost Ship using Linebeck's cannon, but Bellum controls Linebeck and forces him to fight Link. During the battle, Link kills Bellum, frees Linebeck, and saves Tetra. However, Linebeck's ship is destroyed, and the Phantom Hourglass's sand disappears into the sea. Oshus returns to his true form as a white whale and leaves with the Spirits, granting Linebeck his wish. Linebeck chooses to restore his ship instead of claiming treasure. Link and Tetra are returned to Tetra's ship, but Tetra's crew believes their adventure was only a ten-minute dream. Link holds the empty Phantom Hourglass and looks toward the horizon, where he sees Linebeck's restored ship.
Development
The development of Phantom Hourglass began in May 2004. At that time, the game had gameplay similar to Four Swords Adventures. During a press conference in Japan for the Nintendo DS in October 2004, Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo mentioned that they were considering bringing Four Swords to the DS. This idea was later confirmed by Eiji Aonuma at E3 2005. In 2006, Nintendo gave a keynote speech at the annual Game Developers Conference, where they first revealed Phantom Hourglass and showed a demo. They also announced the game would be released in late 2006. For the holiday season in 2007, Nintendo released two special edition Nintendo DS bundles on November 23. One bundle, the Gold edition, featured The Legend of Zelda’s Triforce logo and was sold with Phantom Hourglass.
The same team that worked on Four Swords Adventures also created Phantom Hourglass. In the game’s first prototype, action took place on the upper screen, while the touchscreen displayed a flat map for controlling Link. However, the developers thought this setup made players feel disconnected from the action. They decided to switch the screens, placing the map on the upper screen and the action on the touchscreen. They believed this change would appeal to Japanese players, who prefer simple interfaces. To attract American players, the developers added a battle mode that could be played over Wi-Fi.
Phantom Hourglass uses the Nintendo DS’s stylus in multiple ways. Players can draw shapes to open doors or plan ship routes on the ocean. The touchscreen also lets players control Link’s boomerang. The game’s graphics look like those in The Wind Waker, with some influences from Four Swords Adventures. Link and Zelda’s designs in Phantom Hourglass are similar to their appearances in The Wind Waker.
At E3 2007, Aonuma said Phantom Hourglass “opened up the [Zelda] series and [gave] a fresh, new control scheme to the aging Zelda formula.” He also mentioned that even though The Wind Waker’s sales were lower than expected, he wanted to continue its style in another Zelda game, which inspired Phantom Hourglass. Aonuma believed the game’s simple controls, combined with the Nintendo DS’s touchscreen, helped Phantom Hourglass become the first Zelda game to attract casual gamers.
Reception
Phantom Hourglass was released in Japan on June 23, 2007, in other parts of the world in October 2007, and in South Korea on April 3, 2008. According to Metacritic, the game received "universal acclaim." Reviewers praised its use of the Nintendo DS's features, but some critics noted that its gameplay was simpler compared to earlier games in The Legend of Zelda series. Phantom Hourglass sold the most copies in its first month in Japan, with 302,887 units sold in June 2007. In the United States, it sold 262,800 copies in its first month of October 2007. By March 2008, the game had sold 4.13 million copies worldwide, with 910,000 of those copies sold in Japan.
Computer and Video Games called Phantom Hourglass one of the few "masterpieces" on the Nintendo DS, stating it was "worth every penny." GamePro believed the game improved on the best parts of its predecessor, The Wind Waker, and predicted its sequel would be successful. Game Informer said the game did not meet the high standards of Twilight Princess but still considered it worthy of the series, noting it had "enough great stuff" to be one of the year's best adventures. GameZone praised the game's "spectacular blend of touch-screen combat, brilliant puzzles, and Wind Waker beauty," calling it a "can't-miss adventure" and one of the best games of the year. Hyper's Jonti Davies commended the game's "perfect controls and supreme world and dungeon designs," but noted the gameplay lasted about 30 hours.
GameRevolution appreciated the game's graphics and said it used the Nintendo DS's features better than other games on the console. GameSpot praised its "innovative" and "fun" control scheme, saying it gave new life to old ideas from the series. X-Play said the game felt like a true The Legend of Zelda game and called it a "must-have" for Nintendo DS owners. The A.V. Club said the game used the DS's touchscreen in a creative and enjoyable way. Empire gave the game a perfect 5-star review, calling it one of Nintendo's greatest achievements and a contender for the best handheld adventure in console history.
Some reviews mentioned that the game's casual gameplay was less intense than previous Zelda games, which some players did not like. GameSpy said the game was easy enough for casual players but still challenging enough for fans of the series. IGN called it "more casual than we'd like" but still found it entertaining and "a true adventure worthy of the Zelda name." GameTrailers said the short dungeon levels and guided exploration were disappointing but acknowledged the game was still impressive compared to other DS games. 1UP.com noted that the game reused ideas from earlier Zelda games instead of introducing new ones.
Nintendo World Report said the game's lack of alternative control schemes made it less appealing to hardcore gamers, but still called it "decent." The New York Times enjoyed the game but criticized the timer in the Temple of the Ocean King, calling it unnecessary and unenjoyable. They also said the dungeons were only fun to play once.
Several websites named Phantom Hourglass the 2007 DS Game of the Year, including IGN and GameSpy. It was also listed in Best of the Year lists from Wired, Time, and Edge. The game received Editor's Choice awards from GameSpot and IGN. It was named Best Adventure Game by 1UP.com. Phantom Hourglass won the Best Handheld Game award at the 2008 Golden Joystick Awards, the 2008 Game Developers Choice Awards, the 2007 GamePro Editors' Choice Awards, and the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards. At E3 2006, it was named the Best Nintendo DS Game by GameSpot and the Best Handheld Game at the Game Critics Awards. In 2008, it won the Handheld Game of the Year award from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences and was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering. Phantom Hourglass placed 38th in Official Nintendo Magazine's 100 Greatest Nintendo Games of All-Time.