The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Basics

Phantom Hourglass is far from a complicated game, but the entirety of it can be overwhelming if you haven't a strong grasp of the basics. You've got to crawl before you can run, flounder a bit before you can swim, and wield that stylus with conviction before you can do anything worthwhile here. Thankfully, we've created this section to help prod you along on your little adventure.

Little has changed over the decades of this long-standing series in terms of the overall premise and play style. True to its previous iterations, Phantom Hourglass embodies the familiarity of classic Zelda controls and gameplay while departing from the mainstay formulae with impressive new features that make this particular adventure both refreshing and enjoyable. It retains the colorful, cel-shaded flair of its big brother, Wind Waker, and introduces a new touch-based interaction system that may take some getting used to, especially if you're a hardened Zelda veteran.

Taking full advantage of the sensitive touch screen and functional stylus, the controls are linked almost exclusively to the stylus. Nearly everything you want Link to do—be it slash at enemies, talk to someone, pick up a pot, etc.—involves some tapping and dragging of the stylus across the bottom screen. In addition to performing standard movements and combat moves with the stylus, you can draw (much in the same manner as drawing in Pictochat) on the screen to solve puzzles or make notes. You won't be using the control pad for movement at all; rather, the control pad serves as a shortcut to the menu, map or items.

As a side note: if you treasure your DS, it would probably be a good idea to invest in a screen protector for this game. As gentle as you may think you will be, the DS may end up being a little scuffed up from overzealous scratching of the stylus while playing. Don't say we didn't warn you. 'Cause, you know, we did.

Now, let us further cut up this whole concept of touch-based gameplay into easier-to-swallow portions:

And touch it you shall. Don't be shy. Take that stylus and bring it to the bottom screen. Your loyal fairy companion, Ciela, will act as the pointer for your stylus.

Movement

Wherever you want Link to move to on the screen, guide the pointer to that location and Link will go there. The farther away you point the stylus from him the faster he runs. Conversely, if you point just a few centimeters away from him Link will take his sweet time in a slow walk. If you want to keep Link moving in a certain direction, simply hold the stylus at the edge of the screen in that direction.

People Interaction

Whenever you see someone, you can strike up a conversation with them by hitting the person with the stylus. Advance the dialogue by tapping the bottom arrow in the dialogue bubble. Talk to people often! Some could reveal valuable information that may help you.

Environmental Interaction

Pots, barrels, sign posts, bushes, chickens, etc.—these are more than just mere objects for decorative intents. Most of these objects can be picked up and chucked away like bad meat. Tap on a pot, for example, to bring the pot over Link's head. Link will carry it around with him until you designate a location for him to throw it at. While holding heavier objects, Link's normally agile movements slow to a snail-like shuffle. When thrown, these objects break, often times freeing sweet goodies, such as Rupees and hearts. You never know what you might find hiding within these breakable objects. When you come up to tall grass or a sign post, swing your sword to cut it down for more possible goodies.

Drawing

With the DS as your canvas and the stylus as your brush, you draw things to solve riddles, jot notes, or just draw or write anything that will be of some help to you. Sometimes the walkthrough will remind you to jot down some notes or mark a dot on the map to denote important locations, but beyond all that you should ultimately treat this interactable map as a notepad—an expensive one to be sure, but one that works well nonetheless.

Using items

Equippable items, such as the Boomerang for instance, and consumables, such as yellow potions, are stashed away in the Items menu located on the bottom right of the screen. You can either tap the menu button or use the nifty shortcut already assigned to the right D-pad button. Draw open this menu to select the item you would like to equip or use. The currently equipped item is displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. You can equip only one item at a time.

When it's ready to be used, simply tap the icon to have Link ready it, or press and hold the L or R shoulder button. If you use the latter method, you have to keep the button depressed right until the moment the item is actually used, or it will be put away by Link. The shortcuts come really handy when you find yourself in the thick of battle and need to access such weapons on the fly.