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.
