Zelda is back with a bang!
Story: The story isn't as mature as Twilight Princess, but it's still good. It takes a few years after Winder Waker, starting out with link and Tetra riding the ocean, seeking adventure. They soon find the legendary Phantom Ship, which takes Tetra captive after she boards it(Why would you board a haunted ship by yourself? ). Link goes in to save her, but misses the boat and falls into the ocean. he winds up on a shore with a navi named Ciela, who has no memory of her past. After talking to her grandfather, Oshus, you find out that Bellium, a fiend from the depths is plaguing the oceans, and as always, only you have the power to stop it. The plot is done very well, despite being a plot that has been done in all the other Zelda games too. I like how the game gives you a recap of Wind Waker in the beginning, which is good for those who haven't played it(me) or forgot what happened in the game. The characters are good too. I like Linebeck who's greedy and cowardly, but caring too. I also like how he fights with Ciela on everything(literally).
Graphics: The game has the visuals of the N64, but I really didn't mind at all. It looks smoother than Orcarina of Time, but not by much. I think Nintendo did a good job cel-shading the game.
Sound: The sound was composed very well. The music fits the area you're in, and changes flawlessly. The sound of clashing your sword with an opponent was done well. I like how they arranged the Legend of Zelda theme in the beginning of the game, from a renaissance theme(the original theme) to a sea-faring kind of theme(the new version in PH).
Gameplay: This game shines very much in this section, it'll make you blind. This game shows what the DS is capable of. Everything is used with a stylus, so make sure you have one before you get this game. To jab,you move your stylus in a forward motion. For a horizontal slash, you move your stylus in a curved sweep. To do the Spin Attack, Link's signature, you rotate your stylus in a circle motion. Evading is a lot more difficult, since you have to move your stylus to the edge of the screen and do mini-circles. It's harder than it sounds, but you get use to it after awhile. You will also have sea battles, while it sounds cool, it's very tiring after awhile, mainly because of the difficulty of it. The game also uses the mic to blow out flames and to bargain or get people's attention. The downside is that sometimes, it doesn't get what you said right, especially with the bargaining thing. In battles, while wanting a horizontal slash, it will sometimes read it as a jab, which will annoy you, but it might be how the player does their strokes.
Let's recap
Pros:
+ Controls are great and comfortable to the player's arm(you won't get sore for a long time, if not at all).
+ Music is composed very well
+ Story is a light-hearted ride of fun
+ Mic usage is good
Cons:
- Depending on the player's strokes, the attacks might not be what the players wanted to do.
- The mic might not make out the exact things you say
- Plot isn't anything new to the Zelda series
Conclusion: The game is very innovative in many aspects, and has a good story to add onto the pros this games have. I think the other companies that are going to put games on the DS should use this game as an example on how to tap the DS' latent abilities. I recommend this to anyone with a DS.
