That latest issue of Nintendo Power has some delicious crumbs about the new Phantom Hourglass, reports Zelda fansite Land of the Legend:

• The first Nintendo DS Zelda game was originally planned to be a Four Swords game, but now that Eiji Aonuma has the chance to revive The Wind Waker, he choose this path. Phantom Hourglass will set the tone for all future DS Zelda games.
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will see the return of Bow and Arrow, Hookshot and some sort of musical instrument, alongside the items we have already seen.
• It is not likely Ganondorf will return in Phantom Hourglass. However, before his defeat in The Wind Waker, his evil influence spread across the Great Sea.
• The King of Red Lions will not see a return in Phantom Hourglass.
• There is one master dungeon you need to complete in the game. You can only progress so far though, so to proceed you need to work your way through other dungeons.
• The Darknut-like enemies we have seen in the multiplayer mode is a new type of enemy, called the "Chaser". These enemies will chase you through the entire dungeon, but by using certain pots, Link can get immune for certain moments.
• Though Eiji Aonuma did not want to give any details on this yet, he confirmed that the microphone will be used in Phantom Hourglass.

I'm bummed about King of the Red Lions taking his leave. Despite the sometimes ridiculous amount of time spent on the ocean in Wind Waker, I always had a soft spot for him. That said, the sheer amount of the DS' gadgetry being used in Hourglass is pretty damn cool. I wriggle with fannish anticipation! Eliza Gauger

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