Exploring all of the strange and wonderful islands of Phantom Hourglass is one of the best parts of the game. (And there are many great parts. Deal with it, haters.) The game follows a reliable pattern: Link finds a sea chart, sets a course for one of the islands on said chart, and explores to…
Look, Phantom Hourglass gets a lot of hate for literally no reason. I will argue until the day I die that Phantom Hourglass is an incredible, completely flawless game. Seriously, it’s flawless. Except for the Ocean King segments, and the controls, and — well, a few other things. Look, I understand the criticisms, I just…
Link has had many fairy partners throughout the Zelda series, with people usually pointing out Navi and Tatl as prime examples. Oft-overlooked, however, is Ciela from Phantom Hourglass. It’s not uncommon for her to be forgotten amid the large cast of memorable Zelda companions, but out of all the fairies who have accompanied Link, I’ve…
Earlier this spring, I completed my first playthrough of Phantom Hourglass. While I have several fond memories of the game, there is a single character whose story has stuck with me longer than any of the others, though not for the reasons the game’s developers may have had in mind. I’m talking about the Old…
2007 was a nostalgic year for me. I was only in sixth grade, and I didn’t have to deal with stressful adult responsibilities. More importantly, it was also the year when Phantom Hourglass was officially released in North America. I remember how elated I was when I heard about a sequel to The Wind Waker,…
I don’t hear people talk about Phantom Hourglass very often, and even when they do, nobody ever seems to bring up the prologue. When I booted up the game for the first time, I had a huge grin on my face throughout the entire intro. It provides a brief synopsis of the events that took…
Phantom Hourglass may not be one of the grandest adventures in the Zelda series, but that does not mean it is without its fair share of depth. The characters, locations, and narrative are incredibly engaging and unique. It’s hard to not become invested in what happens to everyone. Will Link save Tetra? How can Ciela…
Having not played Phantom Hourglass since it released in 2007, my general memory of the game is admittedly rather hazy. There is, however, one puzzle in particular that still stands out to me to this day. That’s because it was the first time that, after really struggling with a Zelda puzzle, I experienced the eureka…
When a Legend of Zelda dungeon feels like it was inspired by the movie Groundhog Day. The Temple of the Ocean King is easily one of the largest dungeons ever seen in the Legend of Zelda series. This labyrinth is comprised of more than a dozen floors, all of which eerily rest beneath the surface…
I really enjoy Phantom Hourglass’s opening cutscene. The game opens with a summary of events from the game’s predecessor, The Wind Waker, illustrated with a charming series of childlike pictures. After a recap of how Link and Tetra defeated an evil king, the somewhat serious tone quickly changes to a comical one upon learning that the narration and…
To be honest, Phantom Hourglass is one of those games in the series that didn’t make quite an impression to me. I did play it many years ago, and I kind of liked the touch controls, the settings, dungeons, and especially how creative the boss battles were with the controls and items. It is a good…
When we discovered that our friend chuggaaconroy was planning a new Let’s Play series on Phantom Hourglass, there was no way that we were going to let him have all the fun. This week, we’ll be celebrating The Legend of Zelda’s first DS title! Phantom Hourglass is a rather strange installment in the Zelda series. These days, it…
