The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

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The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass<tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: 100%; text-align: center;">Image:LOZHG.JPG</td></tr>
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD <tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Publisher(s)</th><td>Nintendo</td></tr><tr><th style="background-color: #ccccff;">Designer(s)</th><td>Eiji Aonuma</td></tr>
Release date(s)	TBA
Genre(s)	Action-adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player, Multi-player
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (ゼルダの伝説夢幻の砂時計, Zeruda no Densetsu Mugen no Sunadokei^?, lit. "The Legend of Zelda: Infinite Hourglass") is an upcoming video game in Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda series, for the Nintendo DS. It will feature 3D cel-shaded graphics with an overhead camera perspective primarily, but incorporating different views based on context.

The graphics take a similar style to Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and it is confirmed by the Nintendo of America website that this is the official sequel of this game. The game was unveiled along with a trailer by Satoru Iwata during his keynote address at the 2006 Game Developers Conference in San Jose.

1 Gameplay
- 1.1 Multiplayer
2 Story
3 Development
4 Awards
5 References

[edit] Gameplay

Image:NTR ZeldaDS ss12.png

The gameplay is mostly overhead, similar to most 2D The Legend of Zelda titles, but the character models and the environments are in 3D. The rendering environment is similar to Animal Crossing for the Nintendo GameCube, and somewhat like the Nintendo DS sequel to Animal Crossing. The touch screen is used to show the main gameplay, used to control Link, or to solve puzzles (such as the hourglass shape at the beginning of the trailer shown at GDC), while the upper screen is mostly used as a map screen. The map can also be brought down to the touch screen, allowing the player to write notes on it. It will also be used to create a taller screen in some events, such as the battle scene in the trailer. All boss battles will use both the top and bottom screen.<ref name="nintendo power July 2006" /> The microphone will be used in some way as well.<ref name="nintendo power July 2006" />

Link will have a fairy yet again, similar to Navi and Tatl from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, respectively. The fairy acts as the cursor for touch screen input with the stylus, as the trailer shows the fairy directing Link.

There will be sailing in this title similar to the sailing system found in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Instead of a sail boat however, a steam boat is Link’s mode of transportation, requiring no manipulation of the wind. The boat’s course is plotted ahead of time using the stylus, allowing the player to concentrate on attacking foes with its cannon as the boat travels to its destination point.

There is one "master dungeon" that Link must complete in the game. However, he can only make limited progress, and must work through other dungeons before he is able to proceed further in the primary dungeon.<ref name="nintendo power July 2006" /> In the "master dungeon" and other locales there are enemies known as "Chasers". These enemies follow the player, cannot be defeated, and can kill Link with one hit.<ref name="nintendo power July 2006" />

Screenshots from Zelda.com, as well as the official trailer, show a few items included in the game, including bombs, a bow, the boomerang, and a cannon for the boat. An icon in the lower right corner of the touch screen showing the word "Item" will obviously bring up a menu in which you can choose your curret item, which will appear in the upper right corner.

Multiplayer battle mode will be included.

[edit] Multiplayer

The multiplayer mode in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a 1-on-1 game best described as ‘Pac-Man meets Capture the Flag’. In an open maze, one player takes on the role of Link, while the other player, the Stalker, controls three Darknuts. Link’s goal is to grab a Force Gem from one of the center bases and carry it to one of his own areas at the side of the maze. The other player, controlling the three Darknuts, must try to catch Link before he scores any points. When Link is caught, players switch sides.

[edit] Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The game is a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, set several months after that game. Link, Tetra and her pirates are at sea exploring, questing to find a new homeland. In the middle of a dense fog, they find an abandoned ship, and Tetra goes to explore. When she gets into trouble, Link tries to rescue her, but he falls into the ocean and loses consciousness. Washed up on the shores of a mysterious island, he awakens to the sound of a fairy’s voice. With the fairy’s help, he sets off in search of Tetra, and a way back to where they belong. The fairy could be Navi.[1][2].

According to Eiji Aonuma “it is not likely Ganondorf will return in Phantom Hourglass” ^{[citation needed]}. However, before his defeat in The Wind Waker, his evil influence spread across the Great Sea. The King of Red Lions will not return in Phantom Hourglass either ^{[citation needed]}.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Development

The main objective in the game’s creation was to fully utilise the DS’s hardware, having a Zelda game controlled by the stylus/touch screen alone. Eiji Aonuma hopes the new control scheme will follow through into future Zelda titles, and maybe even other adventure games for the DS.

The project initially started out as a Four Swords game for the DS, and the same team, having discovered the potential of cel-shaded graphics on the machine, ultimately decided to opt for a single player adventure instead.

When Nintendo first announced the Nintendo DS at E3 2004, Eiji Aonuma also hinted at a Legend of Zelda title for the system. Shigeru Miyamoto stated in October 2004 "We're thinking of bringing Zelda: Four Swords to the DS"<ref>Anoop Gantayat (October 7, 2004). Miyamoto Speaks to Final Fantasy Producer. IGN. Retrieved on 26 September, 2006.</ref>, but Aonuma later denied that the idea ever reached the development stage. <ref>Game Informer Editorial Staff (May 25, 2005). Zelda's Twilight Prince: The Eiji Aonuma Interview. Game Informer. Retrieved on 26 September, 2006.</ref>. In late 2005 however, Aonuma told Electronic Gaming Monthly in an interview that the new Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo DS would not be a Four Swords title. Rumors were put to rest when Nintendo announced Phantom Hourglass as the actual DS project at the 2006 Game Developers Conference.

[edit] Awards

At E3 2006, the game won the Game Critics Awards: Best Handheld Game. <ref>2006 Winners. gamecriticsawards.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.</ref>

[edit] References

v • d • e</div> The Legend of Zelda video games
The Legend of Zelda • The Adventure of Link • A Link to the Past • Link’s Awakening • Ocarina of Time • Majora’s Mask • Oracle of Ages & Seasons • Four Swords • The Wind Waker • Four Swords Adventures • The Minish Cap • Twilight Princess • Phantom Hourglass