Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

[Warlock]

So who has picked this up?

I played it for a bit yesterday. It's pretty fun, though I am not really sold on the stylus controls. For the most part they work well, but there are a lot of minor issues that add up. For one, Link's movement is somewhat floaty and imprecise. You just sort of drag him around, and particularly when you get near the top of the screen, he slows to a crawl because there is no where else for your stylus to go. Then to roll, you have to "draw circles near the edge of the screen"... yeah, that almost never works. I've been able to roll maybe 25% of the time I've tried. And sometimes I'll accidentally roll when I did not mean to. Rolling is not super important as far as I can tell - it's mainly to bump into trees. But it's still annoying. Then I also had some issues with the sword controls, particularly the spin attack. Normal controls seem to work ok, but as an example, one area has a rat running around holding a key that you have to catch. So I finally trap him and get ready to unleash a spin attack on him as he comes by. But the game doesn't register it and the friggin' rat hits me. Other times I'll try to slash pots and end up picking them up instead (very annoying during boss fights when you are trying to refill hearts).

Overall though the controls do have some nice things. I love being able to draw on the map and I think that's a feature I'd like to see in other games. Imagine a 2d Metroid where you could draw locations of powerups and other areas you can't reach to remind you to come back later once you have the appropriate item. The only sub-item I've gotten so far is the Boomerang, but that also works really well. You just tap the icon to activate it (or press L) and then draw a line to make it's path. Works really well.

The game itself has been pretty fun too. But it seems much more simple than previous games which is a bummer. I think they were marketing it more towards casual players. The game's key item, the Phantom Hourglass, isn't actually used that much. It's only used in one dungeon that you revisit over and over. Every boss you defeat adds time to it, and that time is how long you can explore that dungeon before you die. That's really all it does. Kind of a bummer. But the concept is still fun, just wish they had done more with the hourglass itself. Sailing is pretty fun too, it's not annoying like in Wind Waker. You just draw a line to where you want to go and you go there. You can also find parts to customize your ship. Not really sure what this does right now, though the game does say if you put matching parts on it "increases your ship's stamina" (which I assume means it's HP). Don't know if there are faster wheels or anything like that yet, I haven't gotten that far.

I'm also pretty impressed with the graphics. For DS, they are very good. They look pretty much exactly like Wind Waker, with the exception of a lower texture detail on pretty much everything. In particular the edges between the cel shading is very pixelated, and when the game zooms in for a cutscene you can see the walls on dungeons and such are not very detailed at all (actually reminded me of those old FPS games like Doom or Quake). This isn't a huge issue since it's Cel Shaded anyways, so it's not like these characters have a ton of detail. And when the game is zoomed out it's not really noticable. I guess it's just an issue with DS not being able to handle anything better. I suppose N64 was a bit like this as well, though I'd like to believe at least OoT had better wall textures. I'm guessing maybe the artists didn't put a lot of effort into them since most of the game is top-down and you don't notice? I dunno.

There is also a weird issue where every character has this dark halo around them.. I think it has something to do with the anti-aliasing potentially conflicting with the cel shading effect. Maybe it was added on purpose to make them look more like cartoons, I'm not sure. But there is at least one scene where it gets in the way - a character stands behind a glowing crystal ball but you can see her outline clear as day through the crystal ball. It looks very tacky. This line seems to show up clear as day despite any lighting or particle effects that are going on :(

Other than that though, I am still impressed with the graphics. For DS, they did a damn good job mimicing Wind Waker.

IGN actually has a decent review here:
http://ds.ign.com/articles/822/822825p1.html

They cover a lot of the stuff I had issues with. I probably wouldn't have given this game a 9.0, but maybe an 8.5 would have been appropriate.

[Aegix Drakan]

Yeah, Just picked it up.

...but I'm playing so many games at the moment that PH is gonna have to wait...

[vegeta1215]

I picked it up yesterday too. I've only played for about an hour, but it's neat. The controls are okay so far, but like Warlock said, performing a dash is hard. I like being able to write on my map - I wish there was a "clear" button though to erase a whole map instead of using the eraser head.

I have a feeling it's going to be a simple game too, dungeon wise at least. From what I've heard it sounds like there's a lot more fun to be had in the game aside from the dungeons though, and I hope that's correct. I love the Wind Waker style, and seeing it on a handheld is really awesome, so even if the game has some downsides, I think the style will help me enjoy it a little more.

[Warlock]

Penny Arcade posted a link to a good review:
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8415712&publicUserId=5379721

He makes a lot of good points. As cool as the map drawing is, the game friggin HANDS you all the information you need. There is no puzzle solving, it's just "write this down, you need it later".

[AtmaWeapon]

Ugh new Zelda game? I'm busy right now :(

*edit* I read the review and have a couple of things to comment on.


Nintendo only knows how to make two kinds of bosses. The first is defeated by deflecting its own projectiles back at it; the second by using a newly-acquired weapon to reveal a weakness, then attacking savagely (repeat three times). Sometimes they get really ambitious and combine the two!SO TRUE. We really need some innovation in the boss department from these guys.


But once you start accumulating sub-weapons, everything changes. The things you can do with bombs and arrows and boomerangs and bombchus would be quite simply impossible with any other kind of input. The freedom and precision that the stylus afford the subweapons is roughly on par with the transition that the FPS genre made with Quake, going from keyboard-only to mouse-and-keyboard controls. Seriously, it's that huge.This paragraph has escalated the need to buy this game for me :(

[gdorf]

I bought the game today. I have only played about 1/2 hour, but sofar I am a little frustrated. Some of the DS-related puzzles are pretty lame. For instance, I actually had to look up a walkthrough on gamefaqs.com (something I don't normally do). Turns out, I was supposed to "blow" out the candles using the mic. Retarded.

When I am playing a game I like to feel immersed. To me, scribbling on a signpost or calling into a mic just reminds me that I am operating a handheld toy. Also, I don't appreciate having to talk to talk to my gameboy when playing in a public place.

I really like the control scheme when there are actual enemies around. This game still has some hope if the difficulty is ramped up and there are some ACTUAL puzzles to solve, not "Mark this spot on the map to open the door" gimmicks.

[Masamune]

I'm a little pissed that I can't use the D-Pad as opposed to the stylus, and I hate zelda games that are direct sequels to other Zelda games. Also, rolling is infact the hardest fucking thing to achieve in this god forsaken game. I hate it.

[vegeta1215]

I bought the game today. I have only played about 1/2 hour, but sofar I am a little frustrated. Some of the DS-related puzzles are pretty lame. For instance, I actually had to look up a walkthrough on gamefaqs.com (something I don't normally do). Turns out, I was supposed to "blow" out the candles using the mic. Retarded.

When I am playing a game I like to feel immersed. To me, scribbling on a signpost or calling into a mic just reminds me that I am operating a handheld toy. Also, I don't appreciate having to talk to talk to my gameboy when playing in a public place.

You would not want to play any of the Lost in Blue games then. They do a lot of things like that. For instance to light a fire, combine a twig and piece of bark, then use L and R to motion spinning the twig to creat friction, and after it's heated enough you blow into the mic to start the fire. But that's kind of neat, but it's not as bad a imitating a Gorilla in the jungle by grunting into the mic in Lost in Blue 2.

btw, just finished the fire dungeon. It was easy, but still kind of fun. I like the boomerang :)

[Modus Ponens]

I've been playing it for a few hours now, and I've got to say that as much as I really do enjoy its play style, I keep accidentally fantasizing about how much I would love it if it were just controlled with the d-pad, and I have to stop doing that or I'll really end up cutting into my enjoyment of the game.

[Warlock]

Yeah, all the mic related stuff has always pissed me off. Like you said, I don't want to be yelling at my DS in public - it's rediculous. In terms of the talking part, I actually found it works well to just tap the mic hole with your stylus. This creates enough noise to register as you talking into it. Doesn't seem to work for blowing, but at least you can pretend you are blowing dust off the screen :D

But yeah, the only way I knew what to do for that puzzle was because Nintendo has pulled that crap before. I can't remember exactly what game it was, but I swear they have one where you blow out a candle. I do know they have that rediculous "blow to fly" mechanic in Super Princess Peach tho... you get sick of blowing after awhile :P

[Modus Ponens]

you get sick of blowing after awhile :P

And that, dear friends, is what she said.

[gdorf]

I just finished the fire dungeon and the game has somewhat redeemed itself. The boomerang is an awesome use of the stylus. For now the game is worth playing just to see clever implementations of the future items.

However, the game is still too easy. I wish I could turn off the "hints" that the fairy frequently provides. The last Zelda game I played through was MM, and I felt like I had to explore and work hard to fill out the bombers notebook. So far this game makes me feel like an errand-running tool. Are Wind Waker and Twilight Princess frustratingly easy, too?



edit: Oh, and does anyone know where I can buy a boomerang that can change direction 4 times, loop around, and then sign my name in the sky and return to me? Does ebay have on of those? :)

[Aegix Drakan]

TP is only too easy because the enemies do very little damage...

[Warlock]

One thing I don't like is I think I've died more times simply from stupid stylus problems. Like Link walking into enemies or pits or spikes when I don't want him to. Overall he is just much less responsive than he has been in d-pad controlled games.

[Warlock]

http://www.nintendo.com/hourglass/survey.jsp

Nintendo is offering a free feather stylus if you complete a short survey. You need to be registered on their site first (and you probably have to register your copy of Hourglass). Good deal I think ;)

[GamerMan]

I have not got it yet,
I don't have a ds, that
might be the reason why
I never got it, but I will,
I mean come on we
are all zelda fans as
you or anyone else can see.

So as soon as I get a ds
I will buy it.same goes
for loz tp, when I get a wii
I will buy that.


But I like zc to much,
why pay money for a zelda
game when I can make
or play them free.


You gotta love being able to legaly
say that,but the fact that it is
a zelda game I will buy it
to play and to up my
zelda game collection.

[*b*]

Other than the stylus being the controller, I think PH is an excellent game. There's nothing really outstanding about it, but it's just really fun to play, even when my hand feels like it's about to fall off after a couple hours of trying to roll into a goddamn tree

I do actually think it's one of the better Zelda games, but definitely not the best

[vegeta1215]

However, the game is still too easy. I wish I could turn off the "hints" that the fairy frequently provides. The last Zelda game I played through was MM, and I felt like I had to explore and work hard to fill out the bombers notebook. So far this game makes me feel like an errand-running tool. Are Wind Waker and Twilight Princess frustratingly easy, too?

I won't be able to say for sure until I beat Phantom Hourglass, but The Wind Waker was the last good Zelda game. It was easier than Majora's Mask, but it's still great, and it has so much charm - the kind that gives you that good "Zelda" feeling that recent games haven't been able too. Did I mention the story is great?

Twilight Princess has it's momemnts, but it pales in comparison to The Wind Waker. It's biggest redeeming quality is MIdna - really she's the whole game. Everything else just felt too "been there done that, this is too easy, woah they could've made that part way better." It's important to note that the boss battles are a lot of fun, even though they are stupid easy. It's biggest problem is how lifeless the world is compared to MM and WW: Miyamoto played a bigger part in TP's development compared to Aonuma, and it shows.

[AtmaWeapon]

So I've been playing the game hardcore over the last two days, long enough to drain a DS battery.

The controls are a two-edged sword. The way the items work is fantastic and, much like after playing Twilight Princess, I find myself never wanting to aim arrows with a d-pad or analog stick again. However, the movement controls are somewhat imprecise and I often find myself rolling when I want to run, running when I want to stab, and stabbing when I want to run. The d-pad should be for movement. If it were so, you'd lose some of the convenience of quick access to the item menu, but from the way I've had to hold the DS I think if every button out of ABXY performed the same function I could manage. In particular, I find the "these blocks are moving and you have to jump between them" sequences the most difficult due to the way the controls are.

I love the way the game plays. It is annoying that every puzzle comes with a too-detailed hint, it's just as bad as how every time you get the map or compass in Twilight Princess (and I think WW) you have to read about how to use them. But the puzzles themselves are kind of fun, and the stealth sections are pretty excellent.

***woo woo SPOILER TRAIN if you read this and get upset it's not my fault***
I am stuck. I got down to like B7 of the stupid Ocean King's Palace after you have to draw the second crest on the crested door. There is a Swift Phantom with a crest that I need, and I reckon part of this puzzle is there is an eye switch north of one of those "shoot me with an arrow and I shoot an arrow in the direction I'm facing" things. I've noticed that if I stand real far away, the eye is open, but as I approach, it closes. It seems as soon as the blasted eye is visible on my screen, it closes. This is unfortunate because it seems like the arrow switch doesn't trigger unless it's on the screen, and you can't have the switch onscreen without having the eye onscreen.

I'm quite frustrated with this puzzle because I spent about 25 minutes getting there, then ran out of arrows while attempting to time it right. What am I doing wrong?

[Warlock]

Not that far yet Atma :P But I have to say, the puzzle where you have to actually close the DS was rediculous. The clue is "push the maps together".. how the hell am I supposed to figure that out?

[AtmaWeapon]

Not that far yet Atma :P But I have to say, the puzzle where you have to actually close the DS was rediculous. The clue is "push the maps together".. how the hell am I supposed to figure that out?If you played Trace Memory it had a puzzle exactly like it.

I didn't realize it at first though; what I was really trying to do was angle the DS so that the map on top reflected onto the map on the bottom, in the hopes that would show me where to rub; then I accidentally closed it too far and it was like "Good job!".

[DarkDragoonX]

That reminds me of the Genesis X-Men game where at one point you actually had to reset your machine... quite devious, really.

[Nicholas Steel]

***woo woo SPOILER TRAIN if you read this and get upset it's not my fault***
I am stuck. I got down to like B7 of the stupid Ocean King's Palace after you have to draw the second crest on the crested door. There is a Swift Phantom with a crest that I need, and I reckon part of this puzzle is there is an eye switch north of one of those "shoot me with an arrow and I shoot an arrow in the direction I'm facing" things. I've noticed that if I stand real far away, the eye is open, but as I approach, it closes. It seems as soon as the blasted eye is visible on my screen, it closes. This is unfortunate because it seems like the arrow switch doesn't trigger unless it's on the screen, and you can't have the switch onscreen without having the eye onscreen.

I'm quite frustrated with this puzzle because I spent about 25 minutes getting there, then ran out of arrows while attempting to time it right. What am I doing wrong?

i dont own nor have i played this game but perhaps shoot a arrow and turn away from the eye? maybe not facing it opens it?

[Warlock]

***woo woo SPOILER TRAIN if you read this and get upset it's not my fault***
I am stuck. I got down to like B7 of the stupid Ocean King's Palace after you have to draw the second crest on the crested door. There is a Swift Phantom with a crest that I need, and I reckon part of this puzzle is there is an eye switch north of one of those "shoot me with an arrow and I shoot an arrow in the direction I'm facing" things. I've noticed that if I stand real far away, the eye is open, but as I approach, it closes. It seems as soon as the blasted eye is visible on my screen, it closes. This is unfortunate because it seems like the arrow switch doesn't trigger unless it's on the screen, and you can't have the switch onscreen without having the eye onscreen.

I'm quite frustrated with this puzzle because I spent about 25 minutes getting there, then ran out of arrows while attempting to time it right. What am I doing wrong?

If you haven't figured it out yet: use the grappling hook to make a bridge between the two pegs. Stand on the north side of it, and fire the arrows at a slight angle towards it. They will rebound and hit the eyes.


Incidentally, this game is really starting to grow on me. I still have issues with the controls, but so far I am liking everything else about the game. The story is actually pretty decent and *thank god* doesn't involve Ganon (I hope, we'll see when I get to the end... Nintendo has a stupid way of throwing him in for absolutely no reason *cough*TP*cough*)

Also, yelling into the mic to kill Pols Voice - yay! They died too fast though.. I didn't even get through whistling the entire whistle tune from LoZ :).

[Aegix Drakan]

If you played Trace Memory it had a puzzle exactly like it.

I beat Trace memory, but never came across that puzzle...

:( then again, I got the bad ending...SO I assume I must've missed something big.

Oh, and I jus tfinished of Sonic rush adventure about an hour ago, so...

I guess it's time I started Phantom hourglass.

[AtmaWeapon]

Warlock your hint is a good bit farther in the game than where I was; when I encountered the puzzle you mention I almost ran out of arrows before I got the idea. Those eye puzzles are just not something I'm good at I guess. When I went back to do the puzzle I mentioned, I had no troubles, but I think I figured out what the deal is. You can approach the eye switch from the right (which is safe) or the left (which is in the path of a patrolling phantom). I was approaching from the left because Solid Link knows no fear and it is closer to the door that would open. When I approached from the right side this evening, the eye was much more reasonable. It's also possible I was approaching the arrow relay from an angle that made the eye more sensitive, or I guess it's possible I just accidentally caused a glitch.

The grappling hook in this game is pretty much the most pimped out item from any Zelda game I have ever played. That item alone makes this game worth the money. Now I want a new Bionic Commando on the DS :cool:

[vegeta1215]

I played Zelda some while on my vacation this weekend, and just just got the 3rd sea chart. I LOVE this game.

At this point I feel confident in saying that it is the best Zelda game since Wind Waker. The controls are a little iffy at times, but everything is so much fun. I love how the touch screen is used in many places such as salvaging and fishing, etc. And although it's kind of tiresome to have to go through some of the floors in the Ocean King palace multiple times, I think the concept of an expanding dungeon is great. Not to mention the floors keep getting harder and are providing a good challenge. :D

[Warlock]

Yeah, I like the Salvage Arm minigame, though I wish there was other ways to repair it. I hate having to go back to the one port every time just to fix it. Maybe later on I'll get an "upgraded" salvage arm with more HP :P

[vegeta1215]

Yeah, I like the Salvage Arm minigame, though I wish there was other ways to repair it. I hate having to go back to the one port every time just to fix it. Maybe later on I'll get an "upgraded" salvage arm with more HP :P

I was wondering if I'd get more hearts for that too. It'd be nice to get more hearts for the ship as well. But, it's not so bad. If you use the slate you can warp right back to Mercay Island to get the Salvage Arm repaired, and docking anywhere will restore your ships hearts

[Aegix Drakan]

Does anyone else love the multiplayer?

Seriously, it's awesome. Running around, stealing force gems and trying to outwit your opponent makes for a lot of fun.

And I love how precise the cannon is. I can nail a friggin seagull with minimal effort!

[Brasel]

man, portable zelda games just aren't all that great i don't think. well, maybe they are pretty good, but this one just doesn't make me think much of it. i'm not too excited. now that i deciced to take my wifey's DS with me to the big asshole of the world called iraq, maybe i'll have her send it to me later, but foer now i think i'll just not play it. i' have enough stuff to play as it is.

peenjis.

[Russ]

Does anyone else love the multiplayer?

Seriously, it's awesome. Running around, stealing force gems and trying to outwit your opponent makes for a lot of fun.

And I love how precise the cannon is. I can nail a friggin seagull with minimal effort


I love multiplayer. It's so fun. But the cannon's accuracy... I swear it drops down for the final boss. You have to use it to shoot incoming projectiles, but every shot flys way off course. And the salvage arm can get kind of anoying.

Am I the only one here who was dissapointed about the music. The game had good music, but not enough. Every dungeon had the same music, every island had the same music. And the game's just so short.

[vegeta1215]

Am I the only one here who was dissapointed about the music. The game had good music, but not enough. Every dungeon had the same music, every island had the same music. And the game's just so short.

I thought the music was terrible until I plugged in headphones - you just can't really hear it that well otherwise. I love the Wind Waker mixes.

I haven't played multiplayer yet, but it looks like fun.

[Warlock]

I was wondering if I'd get more hearts for that too. It'd be nice to get more hearts for the ship as well. But, it's not so bad. If you use the slate you can warp right back to Mercay Island to get the Salvage Arm repaired, and docking anywhere will restore your ships hearts

Supposedly if you afix all of the same "type" of ship parts to it you get more hearts for your ship. I haven't collected enough parts for this to actually be feesable so I don't know.

And yeah, multiplayer is fun. I've only played a little, but I totally owned this one guy who scored 0 points on me :D

And I thought the music was good - about the same quality as OoT (and it reuses some of the same tunes)

[AtmaWeapon]

I just beat it.

The final boss fight has just the right mix of variety, but I found it to be a little bit too simple. Your last run through the Ocean King's Temple or whatever is extremely pimp though and honestly I am glad Nintendo did it the way they did. You'll get a hint at the end of your second-to-last trip through it that will motivate you to finish it.

As to collecting all the hearts and ship pieces, I don't think I liked the game that much. I know of at least 3 chests I'm missing offhand, but between about 18 gems and 7 heart containers I'm not quite sure it's worth the two or three hours it would take, particularly since I don't have a good walkthrough and I don't want to buy the guide.

Ship parts look like they are randomly generated; I learned this from an unfortunate trip through the Ocean King's Temple where I made a miscalculation and got hit by a phantom at precisely the wrong time, then got stuck on a puzzle I didn't understand (also it was 2AM and my hands were CRAMPING). When I opened the ship part chest the next day, I got a different part. Now I have like 6 iron hulls. I hate random drops.

Also I agree with the music comment. I don't care how good the music is, it was disappointing to land on a new island and hear music I heard at the beginning of the game. It was even more disappointing to hear a tune that I'd already heard in Wind Waker.

On the whole the game is high quality and compared to your average game it deserves a 10/10. However, since it is a Zelda game it must be compared to its peers, and in this respect I feel like the score must be split into categories:

Gameplay: 10 -- Wind Waker was the most pure classic Zelda experience since the original in my opinion, and this game made me feel the same as Wind Waker.
Graphics: who cares -- The art style was loyal to Wind Waker and there were very few and minor glitches, though the low texture detail is obviously something they struggled with.
Sound: 5 -- Recycled Wind Waker (in some cases OoT) sound effects and an extremely limited soundtrack mean I could basically play the game with the sound off and not miss anything.
Length: 8 -- I took a point off of the game for every dungeon it is missing; it really could have done with two more dungeons in my opinion.

[Warlock]

I'm getting close. I think I basically have to just go find the boss and beat him at this point. Though I am having fun sailing around and collecting stuff right now.

In any case, someone pointed this out and I found it hilarious. This is the text when you level up your Courage Fairy:


You unlocked the secrets of the Fairy of Courage! Show your courage by attacking enemies from far away where they can't reach you.

I love the irony of that statement :D haha

[Banon]

I just recently thought the game. At first I was worried about the controls, because of the DS controls. The game is good, but the boomerang really looks too unatural when it follow your path. I give it an 8.

[AtmaWeapon]

Wow I can't believe I didn't find the slate until after I beat the game. I rammed that island one time but the game didn't pick it up so I figured it was just an illusion.

[punkonjunk1024]

Know whats pissing me off really, really bad?

The whole game could have been controlled just as effectively without the goddamn stylus. It's pissing me off really, really bad. Why isn't there just a standard control scheme, as an option?

And that fucking rat you mentioned, same problem for me... how does this thing get through QA? Maybe the QA department is just way better at stylus control then us.

[Warlock]

Wow I can't believe I didn't find the slate until after I beat the game. I rammed that island one time but the game didn't pick it up so I figured it was just an illusion.

You mean the island shaped like a DS?


Anyways, I've been playing battle mode today. It's fun but all the little retards online just disconnect every time I'm about to win. It's pathetic. Nintendo seriously need to count that as a loss. It's rediculous.

I also really hate drawing the lines for the statues. It's very finicky about drawing because it can't draw through walls, and the stylus is so damn thick. I wish there was a way to zoom in on the map or something.

[vegeta1215]

poj, yeah that game could've been controlled without a stylus, but then it wouldn't be as fun. After about an hour of playing I reallyfelt comfortable with the stylus controls, and I think the game would've been boring without them. btw, did that rat in the first cave really give you that much trouble? It took me a few tries, but I wasn't too frustrated. You just have to block one of the holes, head off screen for a minute, and wait until he comes out to try to go through the one you just blocked - then you corner him. I felt really dumb once I actually got it.



Anyways, I've been playing battle mode today. It's fun but all the little retards online just disconnect every time I'm about to win. It's pathetic. Nintendo seriously need to count that as a loss. It's rediculous.

I haven't played multiplayer yet, but the manual says if a player drops out their "manner face" becomes more and more grim looking. If that's true, I guess that's a way to possibly avoid people that disconnect, and maybe make people think twice about doing it in the first place.

[erm2003]

poj, yeah that game could've been controlled without a stylus, but then it wouldn't be as fun. After about an hour of playing I reallyfelt comfortable with the stylus controls, and I think the game would've been boring without them. btw, did that rat in the first cave really give you that much trouble? It took me a few tries, but I wasn't too frustrated. You just have to block one of the holes, head off screen for a minute, and wait until he comes out to try to go through the one you just blocked - then you corner him. I felt really dumb once I actually got it.

I just got this back on Friday. The rat gave me a hard time for a few minutes before I figured out that little trick too. LOL. But I have to admit, I was skeptical about controlling the whole game with the stylus, but it really does work well they way they designed the items, they way they designed the game in general. I just finished the ice dungeon the other day so I have a bit more to go. It's nice because it makes it feel a bit different instead of the same old story as far as Zelda games go.

[punkonjunk1024]

I covered the right hand hole rather then the lefthand one. God knows why. It wouldn't have been as much trouble had I covered the left one.

[AtmaWeapon]

Honestly I think Link's movement could have been done with the D-Pad, but the problem is I really love using the boomerang and hookshot with the stylus instead, and Portrait of Ruin taught me that quickly going from D-Pad to stylus just doesn't work.

What they need to work on is what happens when Link is at the bottom of the screen; it seems like that's the most troublesome area for movement and getting off of the screen in that direction always seemed troublesome. Animal Crossing: Wild World had the same problem, and actually I really think they probably borrowed a lot of code from that game for this one.

In fact, now that I think about it, I'm almost certain it's the same engine with a sailing minigame added.

[Dell297]

ill soon have it:D

[Banon]

I just finished the game, and I thought the controls were pretty good. The puzzles were really good, but two things annoyed me. (Spoilers Ahead)

In the Temple Of The Ocean King, when you had to draw the Triforce, there were multiple ways to do it, and yet only one combination opened the door. Also, the final boss seemed to drag on, and on. First, you beat Bellum in the Temple, then you beat him again in the temple, after, you beat him again on the boat, and finally, you beat him on the ghost ship. That's four times you kill the same guy, and each part got progressivly (sp?) easier. The first time, you had to quickly switch between hookshot, bow, and sword. The second time, you sat on the side drawing figure eights. The third, you shot at random at a boat, and the final time you swung wildly at Bellum, until it allowed you to stop time.

[Dell297]

I now have the game im at the temple of the ocean king yet im having troule getting past the phantoms, since my ds's top screen is wrecked.....

[Russ]

Temple of the Ocean King can get bothersome. Am I the only person that notcided that the name of the villian, Bellum, is Latin for war?

And I found the ghost ship Bellum battle very hard. The rest was easy.

[Warlock]

Finally got around to beating this last night. Last boss was kind of easy, but that's ok I guess. I love the tie-ins to Link's Awakening.

[Russ]

Finally got around to beating this last night. Last boss was kind of easy, but that's ok I guess. I love the tie-ins to Link's Awakening.

What tie-ins to Link's Awaking? And I still say the ship battle part of the last boss was insanly hard. The rest of it was like a cake walk though. My favorite boss was deffinitly Gleok. And by the way, with the phantom sword, whenever you kill all the guards on a floor of the temple of the ocean king, a chest with a random ship part appears. Easy way to get a complete set of ship parts.

[Warlock]

What tie-ins to Link's Awaking?

-=SPOILER=-

[Dell297]

Im sort of having trouble with the game im back at the temple of the ocean king and im having trouble getting past the swift phantoms because of the ringing floors and walking just makes me a sitting duck what do i do??? By the way i got a new DS with a working top screen(finally).

[Warlock]

Im sort of having trouble with the game im back at the temple of the ocean king and im having trouble getting past the swift phantoms because of the ringing floors and walking just makes me a sitting duck what do i do??? By the way i got a new DS with a working top screen(finally).

Walk slower

[Din]

I just beat dungeon 3, and I'm on the ship for the first time. How the heck do you get past the reaplings?! They see through walls, they go through walls, the child with you always screams, making him notice, GAHHH!!! Also, I don't know how I didn't die once yet.

[Russ]

I just beat dungeon 3, and I'm on the ship for the first time. How the heck do you get past the reaplings?! They see through walls, they go through walls, the child with you always screams, making him notice, GAHHH!!! Also, I don't know how I didn't die once yet.
I only died on the last boss ship battle (because my ship only had 4 hearts). I actually found the ghost ship level quite easy. But if you get stuck, shoot the reaolings in the back with an arrow. They will get stunned. Copy the file into the other file here though, because the boss is awesome. It is one you will want to do over and over again.

[vegeta1215]

russadwan's tip about the arrows is a good one. Also you just have to be really patient, and take it slow getting past the reapers, esp when the little girl is following you. Be sure to clear out the spiders - they will scare her and she will freeze in place until you "save" her otherwise.

btw, anyone else go for a 25:00 remaining completion time in the Ocean King Temple? I got it yesterday :) Very fun.

[Dell297]

lol i got past that part before i read this forum again.
Okay now im almost to beating the game i got to the room where 3 phantoms
(of each kind) appear. I belive its the room before bellum. I killed the normal phantoms but unfortunally 3 swift phantoms appeared. Is there any larger quilvers than the quilver that holds 30? I really need arrows to manage this. Oh and are there larger bombchu bags than the bombchu bag that holds 20?
I really need bombchus to attract them to the safe zone so i can shoot their backs with arrows.

[vegeta1215]

You can get upgrades to hold a max of 50 arrows, 30 bombs, and 30 bombchus.

For the last room in the Ocean King Temple with the three sets of Phantoms, grab the red jar to the right of the stairway, and carry it down with you to where the Phantoms are. You can create a safe spot with the red jar and pick off the Phantoms with ease. Forget bombchus, use hammer to attract the Phantoms! They will come running!

[Masamune]

Pulling on levers is the most impossible fucking thing in this game. Seriously. Why did they make it so fucking hard to do?