Overview
- Number of Players
- 1 (Single Player)
- Genre
- Release Date
DS
1st Oct 2007
19th Oct 2007
23rd Jun 2007
Wii U eShop
- 13th Nov 2015, £8.99
- 12th May 2016, $9.99
- Series
- Tags
- Wikipedia
- en.wikipedia.org
Reviews
Review The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Wii U eShop / DS)
An epic sail
When thinking about the best games from the Legend of Zelda series, many automatically jump straight in at the deep end with the big, home console releases; games such as Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker always seem to make it to the top of peoples' lists. Games often overlooked are those that have appeared on Nintendo's portable...
Review The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Join Link on his first DS adventure
No doubt many of you have already seen the many positive reviews for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass dotted all over the Internet. We realize we're a bit late with our own critique of this highly anticipated videogame, but with a series like Zelda you simply have to take your time. It wouldn't be wise to...
Screenshots 47
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Guides
Guide Best Zelda Games Of All Time
Where does Echoes of Wisdom rank?
What are the best Zelda games? Following decades of adventures across Nintendo consoles, ranking The Legend of Zelda series is one heck of an undertaking. Most stand among the very best games on their respective consoles, so assembling a ranked Zelda list is no small task. We've compiled this list of the best Zelda...
Back Page Ranking Every Version Of Fairy Fountain From The Legend Of Zelda
Pick of the pixies
You may have noticed that we're doing a video game music festival while the summer months are still here — but you may also be wondering why we haven't included the most important music of all. Fear not! I'm here to save the day by ranking EVERY SINGLE VERSION OF FAIRY FOUNTAIN FROM THE LEGEND OF ZELDA. That's right, it's a...
Guide Prima Games Offering Collector's Treasure Chest of Zelda Game Guides and Goodies
We've struck gold
Are you a fan of collecting strategy guides? If you are, then you best start collecting those rupees now, as Prima Games has unleashed The Legend of Zelda Box Set, which includes Official Guides for previous titles in the series. Enclosed in a treasure chest similar to those that we've all encountered on countless occasions in our...
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass News
Feature Zelda's Forgotten Steward - Who Is Hidemaro Fujibayashi?
The man, the myth, the legend
Since his outstanding work on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, director and producer Eiji Aonuma has cemented himself as the driving force behind one of Nintendo’s most celebrated, enduring, and lucrative franchises. For many Zelda fans, he holds just about as much prestige in the ranks of Nintendo as Shigeru...
Poll Box Art Brawl: Duel - The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
The other boat one
Welcome back to another edition of Box Art Brawl! Before we dive into this week's face-off, let's quickly recap what happened last time when we asked you to pick a favourite design between the two regional cover art options for Beyond Good and Evil. This was a slightly closer-fought contest than we have seen in recent weeks, but...
Watch This 90-Minute Deep Dive Into Two Of The Most Underrated Zeldas Is Well Worth The Time
No, it's not Triforce Heroes and that Tingle spin-off
Everyone's got an opinion on The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. But the real cool nerds are the ones that have opinions on Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, the pair of Wind Waker sequels that used every single mechanic on the DS to great effect. To put it another way, Phantom Hourglass and...
Memory Pak The Best Puzzles Are The Ones That Make You Want To Throw Things At The TV
A puzzling reaction
Welcome to the latest instalment in our new-ish column, Memory Pak, where we're going to be doing a deep-dive into some of the most memorable moments in gaming – good and bad. This time, Kate discusses her puzzle tantrums... The first time I played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, it was under the supervision of my partner. It...
News Did You Know That Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Borrows Its Most Ingenious Puzzle From Another Game?
Genius steals
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was the first entry in the Zelda series to arrive on DS, and pleased a lot of people in the process. It's also home to one of the most memorable puzzles in the franchise, which (spoiler alert!) involves physically closing the DS console itself to transfer an image from the top screen to the bottom screen. This...
Soapbox Playdate Sold Out In 20 Minutes - Is It Time For A New Nintendo Handheld?
The Game Boy... 2
Many of us at Nintendo Life have been patiently, excitedly waiting for the Playdate to go on sale, because we're suckers for bits of colourful plastic. Well, it did, and we missed it, because all 20,000 initial units (for the 2021 batch, at least) sold out in just 20 minutes. [Not all of us missed it! - smug Ed] It's hardly...
Feature Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Is Secretly One Of The Best Zeldas
When the stylus controls finally let Link ink
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda, we're running a series of features looking at a specific aspect — a theme, character, mechanic, location, memory or something else entirely — from each of the mainline Zelda games. Today, Kate reminisces about the good, the bad, and the stylus...
News Nintendo Registers New Trademark For The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Is it time to set sail again?
There's been a lot of talk about Nintendo potentially re-releasing a bunch of Link's older games in an All-Star style collection similar to the Mario one released last year, but Nintendo itself hasn't actually said a thing just yet about what it has planned for Zelda's big anniversary. Now though, we do have some news...
Random Zelda Fan Pens Heartwarming Message To The Person Who Bought Their Beloved DS
"I got this DS as a birthday gift when I was 10"
One of the really wonderful things about handheld gaming is the tangible connection the player makes with the console. Sure, home systems have iconic controllers we learn to love, but with a handheld, the entire system is in the palm of your hand – and the fact you can take it with you everywhere...
News Get Discounts On Zelda, Mario Kart And More With The Latest European My Nintendo Rewards
Chibi-Robo makes an appearance, too
The latest batch of My Nintendo game discounts for Europe has now gone live, giving players the usual chance to grab some 3DS and Wii U games at discounted prices. There are seven games up for grabs this time around, including a couple of Zelda greats, a nice dose of Mario Kart, and even some love for the...
About The Game
The epic story of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker continues as Link finds himself lost and alone in unknown seas in a new adventure.
Featuring intuitive touch-screen controls and innovative puzzles, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass offers new challenges for fans of the series and an easy-to-grasp introduction for gamers new to The Legend of Zelda. But time grows short, and only the Phantom Hourglass can buy Link the minutes he'll need to survive.
- The stylus makes controlling Link easier than ever. Tap on the screen to make Link move, or sweep the stylus around him to swing the sword. Players can even draw a path for his boomerang and send it flying into hard-to-reach targets.
- Players can stash the map on the top screen for quick reference or drop it to the touch screen to make notes, study enemies, or chart a path for their boat to follow while they man the cannons.
- Compete with a friend over a local wireless connection: Guide Link through special dungeons to capture the Triforce, or command the forces that oppose him.
Game storyline: Many months have passed since the events of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and Link, Tetra and Tetra's band of pirates have set sail in search of new lands. They come across a patch of ocean covered in a dense fog, in which they discover an abandoned ship. Tetra falls into danger when she explores the ship alone, and Link falls into the ocean when he attempts to rescue her. When he washes up unconscious on the shores of a mysterious island, he is awakened by the sound of a fairy's voice. With the aid of this fairy, he sets off to find Tetra – and his way back to the seas he once knew.
Characters: Link, Tetra and a host of new characters native to the mysterious lands where Link finds himself trapped.
How to progress through the game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is controlled almost entirely by the stylus. Using the touch screen, players direct Link's movements and attacks: A sweeping motion triggers Link's spin attack and tapping characters makes Link speak with them. The stylus controls offer a more intuitive means of playing the game and open up new possibilities for puzzle solving.
The game action takes place primarily on the touch screen, with a map on the top screen. However, the player can inspect the map on the touch screen and make notes using the stylus. The notes on these maps are saved for review on the top screen during game play. Players use the map to chart courses for their ships, too. Using the stylus to draw a path through the islands, players set their ships' courses. Then, as the ships automatically follow the paths drawn, players can control their ships' cannons to target oncoming enemies.
In dungeons, players can use the touch screen to draw paths for boomerangs, sending them flying around corners or into otherwise unreachable areas.
Special powers/weapons/moves/features: The stylus-driven game play is the most compelling new feature of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Players use the stylus to control Link, chart courses for their ships, mark notes on maps and solve puzzles in both the overworld and dungeons.
A two-player wireless battle mode pits one player, as Link, against another player who controls the enemies pursuing him. Link must collect enough Force Gems before the enemies close in.
Comments 11
This game was great! I loved controlling Link with the touchscreen. It was really annoying having to go back to that ocean temple over and over again though. Also, I haven't really felt like replaying it after I beat it once. Any Zelda fan with a DS should definitely try this one out.
Great game
Not my favorite. After I beat it, I'm not going to touch it again. But it was good. Spirit Tracks is WAY better. No offense to people that like it.
I just... I have to be the guy that says it, LoZ is not an rpg.
@Zelda42 Agreed.
I liked it because of Linebeck and Ciela.
Those two were always fighting. XD
And it was easier, so my DS wasn't at risk of losing a top screen.
I got this game with my special addition LOZ ds in 2007. I was 10 and I fell in love with Zelda games....5 years later.... I just started replaying this game and it made me question how much I even like this game just because you have to keep going back to that stupid Ocean temple... It makes the gameplay boring which is why I'm not even going to finish it ( I only made it to the part where you go to get the clue to the 3rd part of the map so you can get the sacred metals)
This game deserves a lot more credit than it gets from other fans. It was the first Zelda game on DS, sure, it was far from perfect but the game was still amazing and fun and unique. Sure the Temple of the Ocean King was a pain, but Nintendo later improved on the later DS game "Spirit Tracks". I love Linebeck in this game, very unique. I love the boat, sailing is a lot more faster. Lots of places to explore. The only thing I didn't like about this game was the Temple of the Ocean King. Some parts of it was great! Don't get me wrong, the Temple of the Ocean King was a GREAT idea, but the redoing the parts of the temple you already did was the part I didn't really like about it. I give this game a 9/10. Great game, everyone should own it. Love it!
i love phantom hourglass and i agree that the temple of the ocean king was a pain, but other then that, this was a great game!
It was a good game, but the only challenging part was the battle with the evil thingy (I forgot his name)
The game was okay, but compared to other Zelda games it's right near the bottom. The forced touch screen controls, and revisiting the Ocean Temple was tedious.
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