HylianScribe
Member
Japanese Title:
ゼルダの伝説　夢幻の砂時計 (Zelda no Densetsu: Mugen no Sunadokei)
Boxart
Walkthrough (Updated June 27th, 2007)
http://www.thehylia.com/phantom_hourglass_visual_guide.php
Release Date
June 14th, 2007 (Japan Time!) - Downloadable Demo
June 23rd, 2007 (Japan Time!) - Full Release
(US: October 1, 2007; EUR: Winter 2007; AUS: Unknown)
Review Scores
Weekly Famitsu: 10 / 10 / 9 / 10 - (39/40)
Media Crate Sales (Updated Weekly)
Through week of July 5th: 463,604*/#2 spot
Official Website (Updated - June 22nd)
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/azej/index.html
Commercials
http://touch-ds.jp/mediagallery/st71.html
Where to Import
Play-Asia
eBay Be mindful of Hong Kong sellers, use search terms like "phantom hourglass japan", "phantom hourglass import" and "phantom hourglass jp".
Renchi
Development History(Information from Eiji Aonuma's session at the 2007 Game Developer's Conference)
At E3 2004, the DS was announced and its direct control, touch screen and two screen setup actually appeared to be a more viable solution for making an innovative new Zelda title. Sadly, Aonuma was so busy with the realistic Zelda project he didn't really consider a DS Zelda at the time. Yet, Miyamoto apparently felt the DS would be a great way to make an innovative Zelda title, and felt it was time to try to take Zelda in a new direction with the DS. So, after E3 2004 and the completion of Four Swords Adventures, the Four Swords Adventures team was told to work on a DS Zelda. So Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass essentially began their true development cycles pretty close to each other.
Aonuma was also informed that toon shading could be achieved on the DS, and that his dream to make another toon-shading game would still be possible. Immediately Aonuma began to give much attention to the DS Zelda project. In 2004, Aonuma's team delivered a prototype of Zelda DS which showed off a 3D toon-shaded Link moving on the top screen, and Link was entirely controlled on the bottom screen via the stylus. Aonuma felt that this may be the key to the first major innovation in 3D Zelda gameplay since the creation of Ocarina of Time. He felt that direct control would make the game easier for newcomers, but in order to appeal to seasoned veterans, Nintendo would also add an online multiplayer mode.
Eiji Aonuma had revealed sometime in 2005 that the Zelda DS game would be a Four Swords title and would feature online play. For the uninitiated, the Four Swords series is viewed by most fans as a spin-off series, and a party series. (seeing as both entries bearing the name Four Swords are multiplayer - the only multiplayer Zelda games in existance).
All questions were laid to rest at Game Developer's Conference 2006 when Satoru Iwata revealed the first ever footage of Phantom Hourglass. The trailer revealed the title would be in 3D rather than 2D, as expected by many fans. At E3 2006, it was confirmed the game would be controlled strictly via the stylus - a decision that freaked out much of the fan base. While some media outlets proclaimed Phantom Hourglass a "hit" at E3 2006, and it even won the portable award for best in show, several well-known Zelda fans in the community, in attendance as well, voice serious concerns over the controls (including myself).
The game was scheduled for a Holiday Season 2006 release at E3, but at San Diego Comic-Con in July, it was confirmed with Nintendo product testers and marketin staff that Phantom Hourglass would not be ready until at least mid-2007, probably late 2007 in North America. Game Informer later verified the story, and Nintendo confirmed the push when it's final fiscal year calendar was unveiled, and Phantom Hourglass was missing (meaning an April release at the earliest).
At Game Developer's Conference 2007, there was a new trailer and the multiplayer demo returned with several noticeable improvements. Nintendo of America, Inc., also gave it an official release date of Holiday 2007, and the game releases in Japan on June 23rd, 2007.
Eiji Aonuma believes Phantom Hourglass will be the answer to Zelda's "lack of originality" problem.
Story
Just a couple of months after Link and Tetra's pirates set sail to find a new land at the end of The Wind Waker, Tetra discovers a suspicious ghost ship and boards it all alone. Then she finds herself in trouble and she can't leave the ship. Link tries to rescue Tetra, but he falls to the sea and faints. When he wakes up, he finds himself in an unknown island (Shiwan saved him). While looking for clues to find the ghost ship, Link unexpectedly meets Lineback, who's after the treasure of the ghost ship. Since both are looking for the ghost ship, they decide to join forces.
Additionally, Link's fairy companion is named "Shiera" (spelling/term not certain because we're not the official localizers). There is also a mysterious old man, who apparently is named "Shiwan (again, spelling/term uncertain), and he will help out Link in the game.
There's also a prophecy that worries a certain fortune-teller: "An evil darkness... A huge ocean... And the voice of a sacred light."
Also, the fortune teller present in some screenshots is apparently a Gerudo.
Game Mechanics
The player will follow these steps to advance in the game:
1) Explore the underground temple
2) Find a new sea chart
3) Go to a new island
4) Beat the monsters on the island and get some sand of time
5) Continue to explore the temple and repeat steps 2-5
6) Find the ghost ship?
When you enter the cursed underground temple, the time left before Link starts to lose his strength will appear on the upper-left corner of the upper screen. The sea charts you find in the temple will allow you to sail new waters, and the deeper the charts are in the temple, the farther you'll be able to sail to and discover new islands. In the islands, you'll look for clues about the ghost ship, solve puzzles, explore dungeons, get new items, and beat monsters.
For the Japanese version, when you click on the kanji, the hiragana will display.
Also, when the player toggles the map into the bottom screen, they have the ability to take notes by writing on it with the stylus. Player's can find clues at certain locations, then write down the information they found there so they can keep track of all discoveries and come back later to solve puzzles. This harkens back to the NES Zelda days when fans would use graph paper to draw out the maps of dungeons and mark what they had found (this was also well documented by Nintendo, and since the 3D era of gaming, has sort of died off but is now being resurrected in-game). Some of this history is mentioned in the Zelda no Video documentary (which will be available in English by month's end - off-topic note).
Controls
The stylus makes controlling Link easier than ever. If you touch with the stylus a point far from Link, he'll run there (and he'll jump automatically if needed), whereas if you touch a near spot, he'll walk there. Touching the arrows that appear on the screen will make Link move objects in that direction. Link has three different sword attacks, depending on the way you move the stylus. Players can even draw a path for his boomerang and send it flying into hard-to-reach targets.
Players can stash the map on the top screen for quick reference or drop it to the touch screen to make notes, study enemies, or chart a path for their boat to follow while they man the cannons.
Using the touch screen, players direct Links movements and attacks: A sweeping motion triggers Links spin attack and tapping characters makes Link speak with them. The stylus controls offer a more intuitive means of playing the game and open up new possibilities for puzzle solving.
The game action takes place primarily on the touch screen, with a map on the top screen. However, the player can inspect the map on the touch screen and make notes using the stylus. The notes on these maps are saved for review on the top screen during game play. Players use the map to chart courses for their ships, too. Using the stylus to draw a path through the islands, players set their ships courses. Then, as the ships automatically follow the paths drawn, players can control their ships cannons to target oncoming enemies.
In dungeons, players can use the touch screen to draw paths for boomerangs, sending them flying around corners or into otherwise unreachable areas.
The stylus-driven game play is the most compelling new feature of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Players use the stylus to control Link, chart courses for their ships, mark notes on maps and solve puzzles in both the overworld and dungeons.
Multiplayer (Information from Eiji Aonuma's session at the 2007 Game Developer's Conference)
There is a WiFi mode, which is nicknamed "Hide-and-Seek". It consists of 2 players going 1-on-1 with each other. The goal is to collect as many Force Gems into your base as possible. One team is on offense (Link), and one is on defense (The Phantom Guards). Aonuma also refers to the Phantom Guards as "Phantoms". In the demo, Aonuma is the Red Link and his opponent is the Blue Link. When you are on offense, you do not see the enemy on the top screen map. All you will see is Link and the Force Gem locations. Phantom Guards will not appear normally.
When you pick up a Force Gem, though, you can see the Phantom Guards' positions. Aonuma changes between carrying the Force Gem and tossing it around; this is because you walk slower when carrying items. This is intentional and meant to make the gameplay more in-depth. If you place a Force Gem in your base, you will get points. The points are dependant on the size of the Force Gem you carry. Phantoms will automatically attack Link when he is in range, but Link can't fight back. If Link is hit, the players change sides. As the Phantom Guards, you see them on the top screen, and the map is now on the bottom screen. The player must use the stylus to draw lines on the map to move the Phantoms. Link, however, can't be seen to the defense when he is in safe zones, and the Phantoms can't enter safe zones, either. Link can also dissapear from the map when he is in his own base.
The players must use predictions and the map to be successful. After a few turns the game will be over (3 to be exact). Aonuma comments on how the longest possible match can only be 12 minutes long, so the matchups are meant to be short. The game is very addictive, and Aonuma feels it will do very well. Zelda has already been labeled too difficult once (in terms of conrols), and Aonuma feels he must continue to get more creative and proactive to ensure this never happens again.
Media
Computer and Videogames:
Official Nintendo Magazine:
Spring 2007 Screens
GDC 2007
E3 2006
New Japanese Trailer:
Courtesy of YouTube
GDC 2007 Trailer:
.mov | .wmv
GDC 2006 Trailer:
.mov | .wmv
Sources
CVG - Screenshots
Official Nintendo Magazine - Screenshots
Game Trailers - Trailers
Nintendo - Key information from fact sheet
Famitsu - Original source of much of the up-to-date information
The Hylia - Most of the translated Japanese information
ゼルダの伝説　夢幻の砂時計 (Zelda no Densetsu: Mugen no Sunadokei)
Boxart
Walkthrough (Updated June 27th, 2007)
http://www.thehylia.com/phantom_hourglass_visual_guide.php
Release Date
June 14th, 2007 (Japan Time!) - Downloadable Demo
June 23rd, 2007 (Japan Time!) - Full Release
(US: October 1, 2007; EUR: Winter 2007; AUS: Unknown)
Review Scores
Weekly Famitsu: 10 / 10 / 9 / 10 - (39/40)
Media Crate Sales (Updated Weekly)
Through week of July 5th: 463,604*/#2 spot
Official Website (Updated - June 22nd)
http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/azej/index.html
Commercials
http://touch-ds.jp/mediagallery/st71.html
Where to Import
Play-Asia
eBay Be mindful of Hong Kong sellers, use search terms like "phantom hourglass japan", "phantom hourglass import" and "phantom hourglass jp".
Renchi
Development History(Information from Eiji Aonuma's session at the 2007 Game Developer's Conference)
At E3 2004, the DS was announced and its direct control, touch screen and two screen setup actually appeared to be a more viable solution for making an innovative new Zelda title. Sadly, Aonuma was so busy with the realistic Zelda project he didn't really consider a DS Zelda at the time. Yet, Miyamoto apparently felt the DS would be a great way to make an innovative Zelda title, and felt it was time to try to take Zelda in a new direction with the DS. So, after E3 2004 and the completion of Four Swords Adventures, the Four Swords Adventures team was told to work on a DS Zelda. So Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass essentially began their true development cycles pretty close to each other.
Aonuma was also informed that toon shading could be achieved on the DS, and that his dream to make another toon-shading game would still be possible. Immediately Aonuma began to give much attention to the DS Zelda project. In 2004, Aonuma's team delivered a prototype of Zelda DS which showed off a 3D toon-shaded Link moving on the top screen, and Link was entirely controlled on the bottom screen via the stylus. Aonuma felt that this may be the key to the first major innovation in 3D Zelda gameplay since the creation of Ocarina of Time. He felt that direct control would make the game easier for newcomers, but in order to appeal to seasoned veterans, Nintendo would also add an online multiplayer mode.
Eiji Aonuma had revealed sometime in 2005 that the Zelda DS game would be a Four Swords title and would feature online play. For the uninitiated, the Four Swords series is viewed by most fans as a spin-off series, and a party series. (seeing as both entries bearing the name Four Swords are multiplayer - the only multiplayer Zelda games in existance).
All questions were laid to rest at Game Developer's Conference 2006 when Satoru Iwata revealed the first ever footage of Phantom Hourglass. The trailer revealed the title would be in 3D rather than 2D, as expected by many fans. At E3 2006, it was confirmed the game would be controlled strictly via the stylus - a decision that freaked out much of the fan base. While some media outlets proclaimed Phantom Hourglass a "hit" at E3 2006, and it even won the portable award for best in show, several well-known Zelda fans in the community, in attendance as well, voice serious concerns over the controls (including myself).
The game was scheduled for a Holiday Season 2006 release at E3, but at San Diego Comic-Con in July, it was confirmed with Nintendo product testers and marketin staff that Phantom Hourglass would not be ready until at least mid-2007, probably late 2007 in North America. Game Informer later verified the story, and Nintendo confirmed the push when it's final fiscal year calendar was unveiled, and Phantom Hourglass was missing (meaning an April release at the earliest).
At Game Developer's Conference 2007, there was a new trailer and the multiplayer demo returned with several noticeable improvements. Nintendo of America, Inc., also gave it an official release date of Holiday 2007, and the game releases in Japan on June 23rd, 2007.
Eiji Aonuma believes Phantom Hourglass will be the answer to Zelda's "lack of originality" problem.
Story
Just a couple of months after Link and Tetra's pirates set sail to find a new land at the end of The Wind Waker, Tetra discovers a suspicious ghost ship and boards it all alone. Then she finds herself in trouble and she can't leave the ship. Link tries to rescue Tetra, but he falls to the sea and faints. When he wakes up, he finds himself in an unknown island (Shiwan saved him). While looking for clues to find the ghost ship, Link unexpectedly meets Lineback, who's after the treasure of the ghost ship. Since both are looking for the ghost ship, they decide to join forces.
Additionally, Link's fairy companion is named "Shiera" (spelling/term not certain because we're not the official localizers). There is also a mysterious old man, who apparently is named "Shiwan (again, spelling/term uncertain), and he will help out Link in the game.
There's also a prophecy that worries a certain fortune-teller: "An evil darkness... A huge ocean... And the voice of a sacred light."
Also, the fortune teller present in some screenshots is apparently a Gerudo.
Game Mechanics
The player will follow these steps to advance in the game:
1) Explore the underground temple
2) Find a new sea chart
3) Go to a new island
4) Beat the monsters on the island and get some sand of time
5) Continue to explore the temple and repeat steps 2-5
6) Find the ghost ship?
When you enter the cursed underground temple, the time left before Link starts to lose his strength will appear on the upper-left corner of the upper screen. The sea charts you find in the temple will allow you to sail new waters, and the deeper the charts are in the temple, the farther you'll be able to sail to and discover new islands. In the islands, you'll look for clues about the ghost ship, solve puzzles, explore dungeons, get new items, and beat monsters.
For the Japanese version, when you click on the kanji, the hiragana will display.
Also, when the player toggles the map into the bottom screen, they have the ability to take notes by writing on it with the stylus. Player's can find clues at certain locations, then write down the information they found there so they can keep track of all discoveries and come back later to solve puzzles. This harkens back to the NES Zelda days when fans would use graph paper to draw out the maps of dungeons and mark what they had found (this was also well documented by Nintendo, and since the 3D era of gaming, has sort of died off but is now being resurrected in-game). Some of this history is mentioned in the Zelda no Video documentary (which will be available in English by month's end - off-topic note).
Controls
The stylus makes controlling Link easier than ever. If you touch with the stylus a point far from Link, he'll run there (and he'll jump automatically if needed), whereas if you touch a near spot, he'll walk there. Touching the arrows that appear on the screen will make Link move objects in that direction. Link has three different sword attacks, depending on the way you move the stylus. Players can even draw a path for his boomerang and send it flying into hard-to-reach targets.
Players can stash the map on the top screen for quick reference or drop it to the touch screen to make notes, study enemies, or chart a path for their boat to follow while they man the cannons.
Using the touch screen, players direct Links movements and attacks: A sweeping motion triggers Links spin attack and tapping characters makes Link speak with them. The stylus controls offer a more intuitive means of playing the game and open up new possibilities for puzzle solving.
The game action takes place primarily on the touch screen, with a map on the top screen. However, the player can inspect the map on the touch screen and make notes using the stylus. The notes on these maps are saved for review on the top screen during game play. Players use the map to chart courses for their ships, too. Using the stylus to draw a path through the islands, players set their ships courses. Then, as the ships automatically follow the paths drawn, players can control their ships cannons to target oncoming enemies.
In dungeons, players can use the touch screen to draw paths for boomerangs, sending them flying around corners or into otherwise unreachable areas.
The stylus-driven game play is the most compelling new feature of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Players use the stylus to control Link, chart courses for their ships, mark notes on maps and solve puzzles in both the overworld and dungeons.
Multiplayer (Information from Eiji Aonuma's session at the 2007 Game Developer's Conference)
There is a WiFi mode, which is nicknamed "Hide-and-Seek". It consists of 2 players going 1-on-1 with each other. The goal is to collect as many Force Gems into your base as possible. One team is on offense (Link), and one is on defense (The Phantom Guards). Aonuma also refers to the Phantom Guards as "Phantoms". In the demo, Aonuma is the Red Link and his opponent is the Blue Link. When you are on offense, you do not see the enemy on the top screen map. All you will see is Link and the Force Gem locations. Phantom Guards will not appear normally.
When you pick up a Force Gem, though, you can see the Phantom Guards' positions. Aonuma changes between carrying the Force Gem and tossing it around; this is because you walk slower when carrying items. This is intentional and meant to make the gameplay more in-depth. If you place a Force Gem in your base, you will get points. The points are dependant on the size of the Force Gem you carry. Phantoms will automatically attack Link when he is in range, but Link can't fight back. If Link is hit, the players change sides. As the Phantom Guards, you see them on the top screen, and the map is now on the bottom screen. The player must use the stylus to draw lines on the map to move the Phantoms. Link, however, can't be seen to the defense when he is in safe zones, and the Phantoms can't enter safe zones, either. Link can also dissapear from the map when he is in his own base.
The players must use predictions and the map to be successful. After a few turns the game will be over (3 to be exact). Aonuma comments on how the longest possible match can only be 12 minutes long, so the matchups are meant to be short. The game is very addictive, and Aonuma feels it will do very well. Zelda has already been labeled too difficult once (in terms of conrols), and Aonuma feels he must continue to get more creative and proactive to ensure this never happens again.
Media
Computer and Videogames:
Official Nintendo Magazine:
Spring 2007 Screens
GDC 2007
E3 2006
New Japanese Trailer:
Courtesy of YouTube
GDC 2007 Trailer:
.mov | .wmv
GDC 2006 Trailer:
.mov | .wmv
Sources
CVG - Screenshots
Official Nintendo Magazine - Screenshots
Game Trailers - Trailers
Nintendo - Key information from fact sheet
Famitsu - Original source of much of the up-to-date information
The Hylia - Most of the translated Japanese information
