Nintendo Registers New Trademark For The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

Huh, wonder how Nintendo might port Phantom Hourglass to Switch. I definitely wasn't expecting to hear Phantom Hourglass might be rereleased anytime soon.

Probably nothing, but I'd love a remake. I know people diss it nowadays, but it was the first Zelda game I beat all on my own (I was stuck on a single puzzle for two weeks, that was the only time I had too look at the guidebook) The temple of the Ocean King terrified me to death as a kid, but I'll still replay it every few years, it has a special place in my heart.

The DS Zelda games aren't getting ported anytime soon.

Nintendo hasn't really ported any NDS or 3DS games to Switch, and I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

2021 should be a (really) good year for Zelda but Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks probably won't be part of the fun.

The Hype train is not scheduled for arrival...Yet!

I would gladly buy it for a third time

I doubt any DS or 3DS LoZ games will come to Switch anytime soon. You would need to remake them from the ground up to not use the dual-screen functionality. It could happen, though. I just wouldn't hold my breath.

Haters gonna hate, but these games are still solid, and I'd be delighted to play them again in some form with HD graphics

This game came out a weird time for me. I thought it was great though, loved how you could customize the ship. Plus Linebeck is so funny and has a great character arc.

Pretty sure unless it is a complete remake it won't turn up on switch since it heavily used the DS touchscreen and would be unplayable. They made sense on the Wii U because the controller made it easy for DS ports to work with little to change.

The first Zelda game I owned, it gets a lot of flak but I still love it!

It probably just a legal thing, I don't see this getting remade.
The amount of work it would take to overhaul everything probably isn't worth it. Still a decent game though.

@westman98

They Have though -
The World Ends with you
Code of Princess
Alliance Alive
and about 20 or so more.

Not getting my hopes up.

I didn’t play it back when I had my first DS but I just bought a copy off eBay recently to try out at some point. I was going to buy spirit tracks too but I can’t justify $40 for it unless I play through Phantom Hourglass. I also haven’t played BOTW yet and it was on sale for $40 so I picked that up to add to the backlog.

I’d love to see windwaker HD and twilight princess HD come to switch.

I rented A Link to the Past as a kid and didn’t get very far. I also owned Ocarina of Time and Link’s Awakening DX as a kid and also didn’t get very far.

I have enjoyed rediscovering Zelda games as an adult though starting with Ocarina of Time 3D, A Link to the Past and Majora’s Mask 3D on the 3DS. I recently played through A Link Between Worlds which was the first one I didn’t look at a guide at all for. The others I’ve played always ran into things here and there that I had to look up.

Probably trademark business as usual here, but I'd like to see how Nintendo would handle Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks remakes. Both are great games, but when compared to the rest of the series...they rank towards the bottom for me. At least Spirit Tracks offered some QoL improvements and gave us the whip.

Spirit Tracks was so much better

I'd be thrilled if these were just straight up re-released minus the horrible forced touch screen controls. I just couldn't get into them for that reason alone.

Oh my god what if.... What if they are planning a compilation of both DS Zeldas for switch with revamped traditional controls! Holy Hyrule!

You know honestly if it wasn't for those awful stylus only controls those games would have been way more popular. I personally loved spirit tracks and while phantom hourglass was still good it's no wind waker. Please Nintendo tell me you're fixing these games!

I really enjoyed Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, but the forced stylus and blowing mechanics were lame. I'd love for a "from the ground up" remake using Wind Waker HDs engine. That'd be glorious, but highly unlikely

If nintendo wanted to they could make it work, weapons to a button press and movement to a stick. Some puzzles will need changing like the draw and blow ones.

Use that Eternal Darkness trademark first, Ninty. Your patent on the sanity effects expires in November.

But how I'm gonna solve the puzzle that you have to close the DS to transfer a map? Time to break my switch in half.

Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass are my second and third least favorite Zelda games. It's a problem I found with most games on the DS that weren't an RPG, Platformer, or Rhythm Game, the controls just never felt good on the DS for those types of games and it really hindered my enjoyment. If this signals a remake that fixes those issues I'll gladly give those games a second chance.

I know it's not really likely to happen, but I hope they remake this game, except make it more like how the windwaker is. Maybe remake spirit tracks, and allow you to explore outside the train itself?

@Villafanart I feel like if they did release it on switch, it'd probably end up being heavily remade in order to function with the system, practically making it a new game with the same story.

This is a sinful opinion, but Phantom Hourglass is probably my favourite ‘top-down’ Zelda game - if it even fits in that class. It was relatively small-scale for a Zelda game, but still managed to conjure a real sense of open-ocean adventure, which was especially impressive coming from the humble DS.

I really like PH, including the touchscreen, it’s only the blowing that let me down as Nintendo don’t appreciate my technique like Grindr does.

Phantom Hourglass is my favorite Zelda game, so I would be interested in a return. The game would have to be a remake to be on Switch I would think just because of how specific PH is for the DS hardware. The Switch doesn't have two screens. If they did remake the game to be played on Switch, I would likely buy the game and play through it.

@nessisonett Yo holup

i absolutely love the Hourglass... the dungeons, the humor scenes, i love it!

@ObeseChihuahua2 Neither of the 3DS games made heavy use of the touchscreen. Link Between Worlds only used it for inventory navigation, and Tri-Force Heroes only used it for emotes.

I wish Nintendo would just drop a HUGE bombshell on Switch and release a Remastered Edition of everything on Switch that everyone wants. I'm sure Nintendo fans will be happy campers. Switch sales would get a tremendous boost in sales in the trillions

Unless they're remaking it, I don't see how Phantom Hourglass would work on Switch. It's a game designed for dual-screened systems.

This certainly means nothing... But it would be awesome to see a "Toon Link Collection", including Wind Waker HD and the remakes of Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. I'd love it, since Toon Link is my favourite versione of our hero.

Could see it maybe being released as part of an toon link collection.

If they do end up releasing ds games on the nso service it be awesome, but suspect that the gba is up next

@VanishStampede it might be if we get this bundled with spirit tracks, that had a (hype) train in it didn’t it?!

its going to come to the (yet unannounced) dual screen switch they will drop later in the year. New SwiitchU Bros 2.

@KingBowser That would be amazing, but also impossible. It's just infeasible that Nintendo would be able to do that. Remakes and remasters take lots of time, and there are tons of games that people want remastered or remade. Nintendo could not remake them all.

@alexybubble Oh, ok. The DS games still used it for the annoying controls though. Nintendo would pretty much have to make the game again from the ground up.

Loved phantom hourglass despite playing it on a tablet so the controls were even more frustrating than usual. It was basically a mini wind waker which is all that i could've wanted from a ds zelda and it worked for the most part

@HexagonSun playing with a stylus vs. your finger is a big difference. Even on the small DS screen pressing the screen to walk or attack didn't block much of the image.

If I do the same with my finger on the phone it covers almost a quarter of the screen.

I loved Phantom Hourglass, which I didn’t get round to playing until I got my first 3DS. If it did end up on Switch, in some kind of anniversary collection, so I got the opportunity to play it again, I’d be absolutely stoked. Especially if they remade it in the Wind Waker HD engine with regular controls!

People's memories of Phantom Hourglass are not the kindest, but again I loved every minute of it (including the supposedly dreaded Temple). Loved the stealth elements in particular. And although I had played several Zelda's before this, it was the first I 100%'ed. Another great Zelda title with plenty of individual charm.

Imagine if the 35th anniversary of Zelda consisted of finally bringing tons more console stuff to NO so we have GBC Zeldas, GBA Zeldas, N64 Zeldas, and DS Zeldas before they add a bunch more stuff. It's more likely I'll learn to fly by flapping my arms, but still...

I would be surprised. From what Ive heard people remember DS Zeldas to be the worst from the series.

@Justaguest I actually liked Spirit Tracks a lot. One of the best handheld exclusive Zelda games, after A Link Between Worlds.

And on topic of the trademark, Nintendo often renews trademarks on their older games. Usually this doesn't mean anything. Trademarks must be renewed otherwise you would lose them.

@B-Locks
None of those are Nintendo games.

It's Nintendo protecting their IP. Until there's a proper announcement, that's all it is.

I'm fine with the DS games never being re-released. PH was good but nothing compared to Link Between Worlds and Minish Cap...bring them over.

Anyway, I just think this is Nintendo refreshing trademarks.

@Archius9 Imagine Nintendo doing anything other than the bare minimum when it comes to their back catalogue...they are so inconsistent! They did great with Kirby and Metroid Prime on the Wii then piss poor with Mario.

Wind Waker HD Deluxe + Phantom Hourglass coming.

how can Nintendo adapt Phantom Hourglass on Switch?the game make heavy use of the dual screen of the DS.

@Kieroni remember the one where you had to stamp something so you closed the ds to stamp 🤯 blew my mind

Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass is my least favorite Zelda game, i despised having to go to the Ocean Temple.

@Clyde_Radcliffe maybe. That would be awesome. Those ds games would be nice if they were upgraded somehow

@hadrian it's crazy the aversion they have to making money. Just slap the old VC on the eShop and watch the money flood in, heck, I'd throw a whole bunch at it. I would rather buy Golden Sun again on my Switch than play it on my Wii U

Would be really cool if they release 2 collections. Home console titles and portables.
So the portables collection has Phantom Hourglass/Spirit Tracks, Minish Cap, Oracle games for example. Whilst the home console collection has OoT, Wind Waker, Twilight Princess.

Likelihood of it actually happening.... Zero xD

The worst Zelda game, so hopefully they're not putting all their effort into this one as a remake.

@nessisonett demonstration? ;P

Probably just another trademark renewal. Nothing new.

@HexagonSun oh, definitely. For playing it in portrait mode on the phone they could keep the two screen setup. For the Switch it would have to be a complete remake.

@datamonkey The Hype train is in the conceptual phase. Although for Spirit Track, I could not get it due to budget constraints.

I think having Named Bungles would be great, like what the 3DS marketplace had going. Adventure pack, Train pack, Wahoo pack, Thunderdome pack, Rogueish pack; why not be able to wish list a pack?

@sandman89 I was stuck at that place for an embarrassing time to be honest! When I closed my DSi, it was in defeat. Lo and behold, it made me ecstatic to find out where the darned treasure was at!

Phantom Hourglass was more than a little bit repetitive, but I miss these games.

It would be nice if they make a switch port, then they could finally fix the awful controls. I still don't get why anybody thought that zelda needs touchscreen controls.

This is the game I planned to play on a long trip (before smartphones) and brought to my attention that the mic didn't work on my DS. lol. I could not progress.

@chipia Nintendo was still trying out the touchscreen as an alternative to analog controls (like with Mario 64). I think some kids found it to be fine or preferable to the limits of the dPad. I always found it hand-cramping as I was already adult-sized.

Loved both Phantom Hour Glass and Spirit Tracks, I'd buy both of them again...

Would be good if Nintendo did a ‘forgotten’ Zelda games collection along with a collection of the more popular ones similar to Mario all stars. And we don’t need another port of OOT

Would like to give Phantom Hourglass another go but have a feeling this won't come to Switch. I'd prefer to play the game without touch controls but I think Nintendo is more likely to port A Link Between Worlds above the DS Zelda games.

@VanishStampede I did the same I closed it in frustration 😆

If this game is good i might stop hating toon link in ssbu

It was an ok game but I have no interest in playing it unless they do something about that temple you go back to over and over again and the horrible controls.

I recently played through it for the first time. It had some interesting ideas, but was horribly executed. Easily the worst Zelda.

@Westman98 you right. Thought meant any published DS / 3DS

Yes. Yes please. give me

If there’s anything I would love to see ported from the DS, it would be the Castlevania trilogy they released!

NINJA APPROVED

One of my favorite Zelda games!! Please bring it back in some form!

A remaster would be great. Because I didn't play the original because of the terrible controls. And for me, Wind Waker is by far the best Zelda game. Due to the graphic style and the water world. In fact, WW is the only Zelda game that I have kept in my collection. And after the series died thanks to BOTW, always bring me the remasters. For me, BOTW is no longer a Zelda, a 0815 Action-RPG that has unfortunately adapted to the open-world game market and has only kept the name The Legend of Zelda. I know for many, BOTW is the revelation and the best game ever. For me, however, a maximum of 5 out of 10.

Maybe a WindWaker/PhantomHourglass/SpiritTracks remaster collection?
"The Great Sea Collection"?
I would buy it

a remake without the DS stylus waggle

It'll never happen but imagine if Nintendo released two Zelda collections -

Classic Collection - Ocarina Of Time
Majora's Mask
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword

Toon Link Collection - Wind Waker
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks
Four Swords

Like i said though, it'll never happen ! lol

I enjoyed the DS LoZ games because they utilised the unique features and for very functional entries in the series.

Calling it right now: PH and ST mobile ports.

@sandman89 That was crazy, I can only imagine how much that confused people. They'd have to come up with something unique for the Switch, like messing around with the joy con or something

I got half way through the final dungeon and then stopped and I have absolutely no idea why I didn't finish it. Need to dig out my DS phat and finish it...if the battery still works.

This article lacks something very important. Since trademark is made in Australia, trademark is valid for 10 years and it varies in other countries. Please, when making these articles about trademarks, it should include the years of validity so that people will speculating "ports or remakes".