Kotaku: the legend of zelda: phantom hourglass

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Snow Temple Preview: Ditching Zelda

AJ Glasser — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:40:00 MST

Two of the major selling points for The Legend of Zelda: Spirits Tracks have been the train and the addition of Zelda to Link as a companion character. But what can you expect from the rest of the game?

I sat down at Nintendo's Redwood City office to get a good look at the single-player mode for myself (since all I had to go on were Nintendo Power previews and Stephen Totlio's experience) before diving into the multiplayer mode. I was given a choice: I could replay the same demo Nintendo Power and Totilo had already covered, or I could be one of the first to see the second dungeon in the game – the Snow Temple.

What kind of correspondent would I be if I didn't go for the latter? A copycat, that's what!

What Is It?
The Snow Temple was described to me as the "second" dungeon in the game once Zelda and Link are sent to the Tower of Spirits to restore the Spirit Tracks of Hyrule. The level began outside the snow-covered structure with the train parked out front and Zelda hovering beside Link.

What We Saw
The temple had about three floors and judging from the main room that requires puzzle solving, I'd say I completed three quarters of it before having to stop to play some multiplayer.

How Far Along Is It?
The game comes out December 7. I was playing on a normal-sized cartridge that could well be a final version of the game.

What Needs Improvement?
My Snow Temple For An Item-Toggling Button: Link started this dungeon with the Whirlwind item and earned the Boomerang about halfway through. To use an item, you've got to select it from a menu so that it appears in an icon in the upper right hand side of the lower screen. Tapping that icon activates the item and then you do whatever is required of you to use it (blow in the mic for the Whirlwind, draw a path on the screen for the Boomerang). There came a point in this dungeon where you had to use the boomerang to create a path of ice over water (by crossing its path through an ice torch and back across the water) – and then quickly change to the Whirlwind to activate a switch out in the middle of the water. Because the ice path melts quickly, your timing has to be spot on and it can get pretty fiddly when you're trying to bust out the Whirlwind, aim it and THEN blow into the mic. I died at least twice, wishing in vain that a tap of the shoulder button would switch between items.

Dude, Where's My Zelda? As soon as I set foot in the Snow Temple, Zelda shrank and faded away with a sigh. It turns out she can't go with you or help you within the Temples and you can't talk to her for advice the way you could with other companion characters in other Zelda games. This turned Spirit Tracks into an experience that was an awful lot like Phantom Hourglass. Phantom Hourglass was good, so that's not an automatic minus – but I think people were expecting the all-new Zelda gameplay to be a consistent feature instead of an area-specific thing.

What Should Stay The Same?
Shallow Learning Curve: Truthfully, I never beat The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and it's been ages since I've touched it. But it really didn't take long to master the stylus-only controls and the menus weren't at all difficult to navigate and interpret. People who missed out on Phantom Hourglass are going to be just fine adjusting to Spirit Tracks.

Sure Rings My Bell: The entire temple was based on moving three bells into a main room together so that Link could trigger them in a sequence to open a door. This objective was communicated entirely through visuals (little panels with bells on different note lines, panels on the floor, etc.) and all of the puzzles were familiar slide-the-block, clear-the-room-of-monsters affairs that I know and love in Zelda games. I got so caught up in the familiar, simple gameplay, I didn't mind dying twice and getting stuck three different times.

Final Thoughts
Despite not having beaten Phantom Hourglass and not really liking The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (yeah, I said it – you wanna fight?!), playing Spirit Tracks felt like coming home. That's probably the best feeling I could ask for from a game, especially so close to the holidays when I long for that feeling and have all this extra time to play games.

Zero Punctuation And The Phantom Hourglass

Mike Fahey — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:00:05 MST

This week's Zero Punctuation sees Yahtzee go head to head with Nintendo's reviewer masterpiece, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, coming to the inevitable conclusion that the next Zelda game would be much better were it Okami. This is of course true for most games released these days, but I'm not going to point that out to him lest he disembowel me with a well aimed, super-speed tirade.

Zero Punctuation: Phantom Hourglass [The Escapist]

New DS Colors, Bundles Coming This Holiday

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 15:20:08 MDT

Two Nintendo DS colors will be coming to North America later this year according to information creeping out of retailers gearing up for the post-Thanksgiving holiday spend frenzy. The two will be bundled with copies of the system's best-selling games, with a rose DS paired with Nintendogs and the gold DS packed with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Each features a decoration on the outside of the top half, the former a paw print, the latter a Triforce.

Based on information from BlackFriday.info, both Sears and FYE are listing the bundles, but show different prices. Sears is listing both at $149.99, with FYE listing the Zelda bundle at $129.99.

Ad scan via GoNintendo. Thanks to BPMΩ and Andrew for the tips.

Nintendo Giving Away Phantom Hourglass Feather Styli

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 16:40:39 MDT

Feel ever so slightly disconnected from Link when using a dull, stock Nintendo DS stylus? Friend, we have a deal for you. Simply buy a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, register it at Nintendo.com, burn through a quick online survey and a mere 4 to 6 weeks later, you'll be tapping touchscreens to your heart's content with this lovely little feather pen stylus.

Sorry, Canada, you're going to have to wait a little longer for yours, but you can still partake. The rest of you? Out of luck.

Nintendo wants to hear your thoughts on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass [Nintendo - thanks, Tim!]

Frankenreview, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)

Mark Wilson — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:00:24 MDT

Since the last scene of the GameCube's Wind Waker, we've been craving cel-shaded Link at the lust level we generally reserve for booze, pantsu and headshots. So his triumphant return in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS had us...how can we put this gently...playing the DS without a stylus.

So hit the jump for our Frankenreview on the newest Zelda title—offering almost enough time savings for you to finish school, get a job, become rich, buy the game and retire early to play it—because you don't need to click around and fight all the ads.

Eurogamer
Phantom Hourglass follows the events of the GameCube's Wind Waker, and does an unbelievably successful job of aping its visual style too, wisely focusing on creating expressive and beautifully-animated characters rather than effects, or environmental detail. As happy as most fans were to see Twilight Princess revive Ocarina's epic mood, the immense charm and polish of Wind Waker's art deserved better than the scrap heap, and so it's a delight to see it continued here.

CVG
Controlling Link with the stylus is like riding a bike without holding the handlebars: you know it can be done, but at first you might worry that it's just a stupid thing to do. It's not. Stylus control of Link is a very cool thing. Say sayonara to the d-pad, then, and embrace the technology that makes Phantom Hourglass the most enjoyable Zelda game since Ocarina of Time.

GameLife
Hold the stylus anywhere on the screen, and Link will run in that direction. Tap an enemy and Link will rush forward and attack it. Slash back and forth and he'll swing his sword in a wide arc...You can also draw on the game's map, perfect for plotting your ship's course at sea or making notes about places of interest you might want to return to later. And simple actions like throwing a boomerang become novel again when you're drawing the path that it will take, directly on the screen.

Variety
In some cases, gamers are asked to unearth buried treasures by plotting intersections on a map. In others, the game relies on more devious brain twisters, one of which even involves hidden numbers and the use of cryptology. There's occasional repetition in the dungeons and at least two cases in which the puzzles are so complex that finding their answers seems more about luck than honest intellect. But overall, this "Zelda" game succeeds by keeping players' mind fully engaged.

Gamespy
One of the most satisfying reasons to explore hidden parts of the world is to find some of the many ship parts you can customize your vessel with. From your bridge to your cannon, you can take the ship to the shipyard and see just what kind of super-vessel you can come up with...Salvaging treasure from the bottom of the sea is represented by a simple mini-game that can be frustrating, since failure requires sailing back to the dock to get your salvage arm fixed, but is a nice diversion to have.

- Looks like it's a keeper. Now to finish Bioshock, Metroid, and Halo 3...this list is getting heavy and it's barely October.

Nintendo's Friendly Text Reminder

Mike Fahey — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 13:00:32 MDT

In case you weren't aware, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass hits stores today, so be sure to run to your local store and pick up a copy. I almost forgot myself, but luckily Nintendo had my number, thanks to the Zelda Contest I told you about last month. This blinked onto my phone an hour ago:

Zelda fans make sure you get to stores today to grab The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for your Nintendo DS.

Funny thing...I don't remember authorizing text messages when I sent in my contest entry (just to see how the contest worked mind you), and the rules for said contest don't mention anything about them contacting me outside of letting me know if I won, so it's rather annoying to be getting these unsolicited. Can't seem to find any way to get myself excluded from the messages either. Well at least I didn't forget the game, right?

Week in Games: Phantom Hourglass Edition

fdemarco — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:00:00 MDT

I'm so behind on games right now after Tokyo that I really shouldn't be buying anything new, but I fear that the siren call of Phantom Hourglass will be too strong to resist. What's on your game purchasing horizon this week?

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Control Link with your stylus as he sets sail for a new adventure in this follow up to Wind Waker.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (PC)
Take out the Strogg online.

NBA Live 08 (X360, PS3, PS2, WII, PSP)
The latest NBA game from EA.

NBA 2K8 (X360, PS3, PS2)
Ever notice these things always come in pairs?

Project Gotham Racing 4 (X360)
PGR returns for a fourth round of racing action.

RACE 07 - The WTCC Game (PC)
A racing game for the PC. See, I told you they come in pairs.

MLB Power Pros (WII, PS2)
Little big headed people playing baseball imported from Japan.

Spider-Man: Friend or Foe (X360, PC, PS2, WII, PSP, DS)
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Crash of the Titans (X360, PS2, WII, DS)
Crash Bandicoot spins his way on to the 360 and a possible new career.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (PSP)
Gabe Logan comes out the other side of a Dark Mirror and finds his own Shadow.

Hour of Victory (PC)
World War II gets another workout in this FPS.

FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage (X360)
We like the cars, the cars that go boom.

The Chosen - Well of Souls (PC)
Defeat the evil wizard and his hordes of monsters. The classics never die.

New York Phantom Hourglass Launch Spectacular

Mike Fahey — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:00:32 MDT

Halo 3 isn't the only game that gets a fancy shmancy New York City launch event. Nintendo is kicking off the release of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass with a party on Sunday the 30th at the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Plaza. Fans will be able to get their picture taken with a Link facsimile, participate in costume contests and trivia quizzes, and from 2-4PM they'll be able to buy the game a day before release! The event runs from 1-4PM, with the costume contest taking place during the last hour, so you have extra time to squeeze into those tights. The only reason I didn't stay after the Halo event for this launch is that I am pretty damn exhausted. I'll be there in spirit though, even if I end up sleeping past 4PM.

The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass

Brian Crecente — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 13:29:20 MDT

Alrighty, I'm going to try liveblogging some Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass play on my DS Lite. No clue how well this is going to work since it's such a tiny screen and I haven't landed a capture device from Nintendo yet.

OK, I'm going to get started now. Hit the jump to comment and ask questions, I'll try to keep an eye on the site and the comments to see what questions you might be asking. As always, don't watch if you don't want spoilers. This is my first time playing this part of the game, so I have no idea if there will be plot spoilers.

All done, but you can go back to Justin TV and watch the recording of my gameplay.

Nintendo Delivers Phantom Hourglass E-card

Mike Fahey — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 12:40:32 MDT

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass hits stores on October 1st, and to honor the occasion Nintendo has created a Phantom Hourglass e-card, complete with an exclusive video of the game in action. They've also created a handy-dandy countdown widget on their Zelda.com site, suitable for MySpace pages and personal blogs alike. Two doses of Zelda goodness to keep you going until the big day.

Phantom Hourglass E-Card [Nintendo]

Nintendo's Easy Zelda Contest

Mike Fahey — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 19:00:08 MDT

Want a chance to win a trip for two to New York City, complete with a $1000 shopping spree at Nintendo World, $500 spending money, a special edition gold Nintendo DS and a copy of Phantom Hourglass? No? Well okay then. I'll just sit here texting 'Zelda' to '20769' on my cell. Then I will receive a series of three trivia questions, which if replied to with the correct answers automatically enter me to win!. As a matter of fact, I just followed those directions, and the questions were ridiculously easy. Granted I won't be able to actually win the grand prize or any of the nine gold DS Lites reserved for finalists as a member of the press, so the more of you that enter the less likely it is I have to sadly decline or dress up like a woman and try to fake my way through it. No one needs to see that. Slightly more coherent details after the jump!

Nintendo News TXT 'Zelda' 2 '20769' 4 Chance 2 Win Trp 2 NYC, Shpng Spree @ N-10-do Wrld
Imagine flying to New York and having the entire Nintendo World® store available for your exclusive shopping pleasure. To mark the Oct. 1 launch of The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS™, Nintendo is asking contestants to answer three Zelda-related trivia questions for the chance to win an amazing collection of prizes.

To receive the three trivia questions, contestants must text "Zelda" to 20769 or enter by mail by visiting Zelda.com between Sept. 13 and Oct. 26. People who answer all three questions correctly will automatically be entered into the contest.

One First Prize winner will receive a trip for two to New York, two nights at a hotel, a $1,000 closed-door shopping spree at Nintendo World, $500 spending money, a special-edition Nintendo DS and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Nine Finalists will receive a special-edition gold Nintendo DS and a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Winners of the first prize and their guests must be 18 or older.

Even if you aren't a Zelda trivia whiz, you can join in the countdown to the launch of one of the most anticipated titles of the year by downloading your own Zelda hourglass countdown widget to your favorite social networking site or even your desktop. Available on Zelda.com, the Zelda hourglass widget will mark the seemingly endless days until the launch of the game and provide exclusive information, tips and tricks via a weekly RSS feed.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass marks the classic series' debut on the portable Nintendo DS. It follows the visual style of the hit The Legend of Zelda®: The Wind Waker™ and takes Nintendo DS to new heights, both in terms of the graphical abilities and game-play mechanics. It's a classic Zelda experience that can be controlled entirely using the stylus on the DS touch screen. Two players can even compete wirelessly, either across the room or across great distances using Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo's wireless gaming service.

New Nintendo Tchotchkes Make Owning Keys Fun Again

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 21:00:45 MDT

I'm perfectly content to go keychain-less, as I generally wear skin-tight leather pants everywhere I go, but I may have to revise my policy for a pair of new import goodies from Bandai and Yujin. On the left we have the mini Wii-mote projector, one that throws a spotlight featuring the Nintendo character of your choice—as long as it's from Super Paper Mario, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess or Wario Ware Smooth Moves—upon anything your heart desires.

Only slightly less thrilling are the new The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass sound drops, featuring familiar sound bites from the Nintendo DS game.

All are available for pre-order at National Console Support. Yay for plastic!

Camp Hyrule Open For Business

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:40:06 MDT

Nintendo's annual Camp Hyrule festivities have commenced, giving The Legend of Zelda fans an understated opportunity to hang out anonymously and safely online with their peers. Plenty of poorly designed Flash-based games with camping themes await them, along with a heavily moderated bulletin board and loads of other goodies. Surprisingly, the site is barren of any mention of the next Zelda game, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS.

The meatiest section of the site is, of course, the Sweepstakes area, giving registered My Nintendo members a chance to win a full-size Link statue. Go on! Annoy your parents, wife and/or girlfriend with an unwieldy giant elf-boy replica. They'll loathe you for it.

Camp Hyrule

Simple 2000: The Japanese Software Chart

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:40:51 MDT

The Media Create sales charts are in for the week of June 25 to July 1, once again showcasing the dominance of the Nintendo DS and the power of the firmly entrenched PlayStation 2. Lots of new debuts this week, including Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race for Wii and Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile for PSP. Last week's king of the sales hill, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, is still holding strong. Make the jump for the rest of the top thirty.

01. Super Robot Wars OG: Original Generations (PS2) - 346,000 / NEW
02. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) - 137,000 / 439,000
03. Itadaki Street DS (DS) - 60,000 / 209,000
04. DS Observation Training (DS) - 49,000 / 314,000
05. Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile (PSP) - 39,000 / NEW
06. Wii Sports (Wii) - 37,000 / 1,792,000
07. Tales of Fandom Vol. 2: Luke Version (PS2) - 34,000 / NEW
08. Tales of Fandom Vol. 2: Tia Version (PS2) - 30,000 / NEW
09. Donkey Kong Taru Jet Race (Wii) - 30,000 / NEW
10. Listen! Write! Expand Vocabulary! First English Training (DS) - 30,000 / NEW

11. Katekyoo Hitman Reborn! DS Flame Rumble (DS)
12. Wii Play (Wii)
13. Sentence Reading Training (DS)
14. More Brain Age (DS)
15. New Super Mario Bros. (DS)
16. Neon Genesis Evangelion Battle Orchestra (PS2)
17. Mario Kart DS (DS)
18. More English Training (DS)
19. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas (PS3)
20. Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (DS)
21. Brain Age (DS)
22. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
23. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS)
24. Legend of the River King (DS)
25. Baroque (PS2)
26. English Training (DS)
27. Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting Revolution (Wii)
28. Momotarou Dentetsu DS: Tokyo & Japan (DS)
29. Yoshi's Island DS (DS)
30. Kanji Brain Test 2M (DS)

Phantom Hourglass Ch-Ch-Changes

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:00:44 MDT

During development, games changes. Of course they do! That's why it's called development. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is no different. German site Nintendo-Online has a fistful of comparisons up of old trailer footage and current in-game screens. The difference, while not huge, is there — though, the old trailer images look slightly washed out. That just might be an image quality issue with the trailer screens that were sourced. The big changes seem to be placement of icons and whatnot. Call it last minute tinkering!

Phantom Hourglass [Nintendo-Online via Go Nintendo]

Simple 2000: The Japanese Software Chart

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:40:57 MDT

This week's Media Create sales have plenty of new entries, including sales sensation The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, the best selling game of the week. Missing from the list? Last week's high-ranking Xbox 360 entry, Trusty Bell.

Here are the top ten for the week of June 18th to the 24th.

01. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS) - 303,000 / NEW
02. Itadaki Street DS (DS) - 149,000 / NEW
03. DS Observation Training (DS) - 44,000 / 265,000
04. Wii Sports (Wii) - 34,000 / 1,756,000
05. Growlanser VI: Precarious World (PS2) - 27,000 / NEW
06. Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting Revolution (Wii) - 25,000 / NEW
07. Wii Play (Wii) - 22,000 / 1,421,000
08. Mana-Khemia: Gakuen no Renkinjutsu Shitachi (PS2) - 21,000 / NEW
09. More Brain Age (DS) - 20,000 / 4,395,000
10. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 18,000 / 4,557,000

Another new entry this week is the PLAYSTATION 3 RPG FolksSoul, a game that obviously didn't debut as high as Zelda. Find it after the jump.

11. FolksSoul (PS3)
12. Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (DS)
13. More English Training (DS)
14. Mario Kart DS (DS)
15. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS)
16. Brain Age (DS)
17. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
18. NANA Live Staff Daiboshuu! Shoshinsha Kangei (DS)
19. Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3)
20. Junior High School English Vocabulary Target 1800 DS (DS)
21. English Training (DS)
22. Momotarou Dentetsu DS: Tokyo & Japan (DS)
23. Yoshi's Island DS (DS)
24. Super Paper Mario (Wii)
25. Saints Row (Xbox 360)
26. Kanji Brain Test 2M (DS)
27. Pokémon Diamond (DS)
28. Kekkaishi: Karasumori Ayakashi Kidan (DS)
29. Shaberu! DS Oryouri Navi: Marugoto Teikoku Hotel (DS)
30. Common Knowledge Training (DS)

Hey look! Saints Row! Michael McWhertor

Famitsu Scores Zelda DS Almost Perfect

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:40:35 MDT

The bad news? According to Famitsu, by way of NeoGAF, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is not as good as Nintendogs. Sorry. The good news, however, for anyone looking forward to the continuing cel shaded adventures of Link, is that Famitsu loved the crap out of the game, passing numerical judgment to the tune of a 39/40.

This means one of three things. Either the Famitsu editors were too busy/lazy to play Phantom Hourglass, assigning marginally measured scoring to insure against Nintendo fanboy ire, the massive advertising check cleared prior to publish or—and I believe this above all in my Link-loving heart—that the game is many megabits of stylish stylus sex (minus the female participation, primal grunting and profuse apologizing).

Get your hype-proof vests on, just in case. Michael McWhertor

Phantom Hourglass Demo Hitting Japan

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 04:00:37 MDT

Japan Kotaku readers, heads up. At game retailers across the country, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass will be getting downloadable demo goodness. Starting on June 14th, the DS Zelda game will be available via the "Touch! Try! DS" demo dispenser. Game goes on sale June 23rd. Soon! Brian Ashcraft

Zelda Demo [Famitsu]

Reggie Confirms Big 3 For 2007

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:20:55 MDT

Nintendo bossman Reggie Fils-Aime kicked off the company's media summit yesterday with a staggering list of impressive sales figures and feats, illustrating the total domination of the Nintendo DS, Wii, and the company's first-party software.

That's good news for Nintendo, obviously, but the better news for gamers was that the company will ship three of its biggest, most highly anticipated games before the end of the year. During Reggie's Nintendo Media Summit presentation, he confirmed that Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass would all arrive before December 31, 2007.

This follows close on the heels of the announcement that Metroid Prime 3: Corruption would this summer, making it a very good year for Nintendo fans. It's also going to be an expensive year. I'm now thinking to myself, "I will work more hours to buy these games." Michael McWhertor