We store cookies, you can get more info from our privacy policy.
DS

Zelda DS Revealed

by Jonathan Metts - March 23, 2006, 11:38 am EST
Total comments: 86 Source: GDC Keynote

Breaking news from Iwata's GDC keynote!

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the name of the first Zelda title for Nintendo DS, which features cel-shaded graphics like those in Wind Waker. The game may in fact be a sequel to Wind Waker, as Michael Cole reports that the video footage showed a steam boat similar to the King of Red Lions. He also noted that the game looks just like a portable version of Wind Waker, i.e. it is fully 3D, using a miture of top-down and more dynamic camera angles. The touch screen is used to solve puzzles. Iwata confirmed that Eiji Aonuma's development team is working on the game. Aonuma has directed Majora's Mask, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess. The game is due in fall 2006.

Talkback

BlkPaladinMarch 23, 2006

It's about time there was a Zelda announced for the DS.

DAaaMan64March 23, 2006

This is very cool, I am glad to see another cel-shaded one too. However if they are going to go for cel shaded, I hope they choose the cell shaded link style from minish cap.

jasonditzMarch 23, 2006

Wow, I wasn't aware the DS could pull off decent Cel-Shading.

NephilimMarch 23, 2006

heh isnt tales for ds cellshaded?
this news made me super excited

ThePermMarch 23, 2006

tony hawk looks great cell shaded

RiskyChrisMarch 23, 2006

Nintendo has to stop taking all my moneys.
Celda DS = WIN!

Hostile CreationMarch 23, 2006

"Wow, I wasn't aware the DS could pull off decent Cel-Shading."

If I'm not mistaken, it's specifically designed to do it well.

This is incredible news. A (mostly) 2D cel-shaded Zelda = man juices staining my pantalones. I am so thrilled about this. Two Zelda games out at once, holy crap.

MarioMarch 23, 2006

Quote

"Wow, I wasn't aware the DS could pull off decent Cel-Shading."

If I'm not mistaken, it's specifically designed to do it well.

Yeah, check out Tony Hawk DS.

Bill AurionMarch 23, 2006

PURE...SEX...I might have to buy two copies because I'll make a mess all over one of them...

jasonditzMarch 23, 2006

Is Nintendo developing Zelda PH in house or is it a third party effort like Minish Cap?

MysticGohanMarch 23, 2006

It's being developed internally I believe, seeing that Anouma and his team are working on that project.

TMWMarch 23, 2006

I heard its being done by the WW dev team.

Eiji Aonouma's team, in-house.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

KnowsNothingMarch 23, 2006

Phantom Hourglass is a terrible title! But whatever!

Ian SaneMarch 23, 2006

"Phantom Hourglass is a terrible title! But whatever!"

Better than Wind Waker. At least "Phantom" and "Hourglass" are words.

cmoneyMarch 23, 2006

Woo. Good god. I seriously need a new job. And I'm going to have to take a year off of the ol' University to cover my nintendo costs this fall.

CalibanMarch 23, 2006

Phantom Hourglass video: http://www.nintendo.com/newsarticle?articleid=64wsG8LoGw3vuttzAr5zU-s70OLsg6Fm&page= (scroll down until you read "See The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass video here:").

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorMarch 23, 2006
Bill AurionMarch 23, 2006

Quote

Originally posted by: Ian Sane
"Phantom Hourglass is a terrible title! But whatever!"

Better than Wind Waker. At least "Phantom" and "Hourglass" are words.

Both of you SUCK...And I'm not even joking either...

PaleMike Gamin, Contributing EditorMarch 23, 2006

I'm almost looking forward to this more than TP right now =P

RequiemMarch 23, 2006

What a great video...

I am so hyped for this Zelda now. The touchscreen elements look interesting, indeed.

Spak-SpangMarch 23, 2006

Ok. This game looks amazing. Great Graphic design. (Which proves Wind Waker Graphics were awesome.)

Gameplay looks fresh and inventive. (Actually new mechanics to master within the game.)

Potentially the game that continues the story from Wind Waker and possibly links it to Twillight Princess?

I dunno but I am excited about this game.

Bill AurionMarch 23, 2006

Weeeeeell, Twilight Princess is a prequel to Wind Waker, so I doubt it'll link to it...I DO really want to see Wind Waker Link's story played out more, so I'm excited about that...

TMWMarch 23, 2006

It would totally rock if this was a sequel to Wind Waker.

Hopefully Tetra will make a comeback too.

KnoxxvilleMarch 23, 2006

I guess we can't win.....Phantom Hourglass sounds like a Star Wars flick, and the Wind Waker sounds like a Mentos ad......what can you do, eh?

jasonditzMarch 23, 2006

Wow... that video's impressive, the DS continues to surprise me with just how powerful it can be.

mantidorMarch 23, 2006

bah you people suck ,phantom hourglass sounds great, the wind waker sounds great, the only title of a Zelda game I dont like is Twilight Princess, now thats awful :P.

UltimatePartyBearMarch 23, 2006

But Phantom Hourglass doesn't start with DS. Maybe they could go with Demon Sand-in-a-glass.

Infernal MonkeyMarch 23, 2006

Looks incredible. DS needs more more MORE cel shading.

ThePermMarch 23, 2006

so the q is will this connect to twilight princess on revolution?

also will it have multiplayer.....4 swords style?

KnowsNothingMarch 23, 2006

Wind Waker is a great name >=O Phantom Hourglass, though, is lame.

After watching the video though, I'm pretty excited in the pants, no terrible name can ruin this.

Ian SaneMarch 23, 2006

I don't see how anyone can have a problem with this title. How is it any different than Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask? Those just describe some magical artifact and I figure Phantom Hourglass is the same thing. Everyone with a brain knows what an hourglass is and one would assume that in this case it has some ghostly relation.

Wind Waker is a dumb name because "Waker" is not a word. It sounds like something someone with a very weak grasp of the English language would come up with, which is fitting since that's probably exactly what happened.

Wind Waker am a gooder name comparing towards Phantom Hourglass. I talk well English!

IceColdMarch 23, 2006

Quote

Originally posted by: RiskyChris
Nintendo has to stop taking all my moneys.
Celda DS = WIN!
Oh sh- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE MODS?

UltimatePartyBearMarch 23, 2006

waker

n 1: someone who rouses others from sleep 2: a person who awakes; "an early waker"

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

KnowsNothingMarch 23, 2006

I just think it sounds stupid okay OKAY.

I thought the same thing about Twilight Princess at first too, but now I like it.

OKAY. I think it's because it doesn't, uhh, fit. When I hear Majora's Mask, I think of dark and twisted, like the game. When I hear Twilight Princess I think dark and eerie, which it is. When I hear Wind Waker, I think bright and peaceful. Same with Minish Cap. They all fit. But when I hear Phantom Hourglass I'm thinking more along the lines of dark and creepy, I think of Hyrule at night with creepy purple glowing poes and stuff. But the game is bright like Wind Waker. I don't think cel-shading can give me what I expect out of a title like Phantom Hourglass.

Of course, I greater prefer the cel-shading, so whatever.

steveyMarch 23, 2006

I like the name and I love how it's cel-shaded!

Ian SaneMarch 23, 2006

I'll give credit to PartyBear for finding "waker" in a dictionary. I just used the spellcheck in Outlook to determine if it was a word or not. The spellcheck failed so I assumed it wasn't.

Phantom Hourglass is actually the first Zelda name since the Oracle games that I like. I don't even care for "Twilight Princess". It would be nice to have a new Zelda name that didn't just consist of two unrelated nouns jammed together.

Hostile CreationMarch 23, 2006

I've liked all the Zelda titles, so I guess I'm in the minority.
If I had to pick one I liked least, it'd be Minish Cap. It sounds kinda silly. But I like it, and it describes the central artifact in the story.

PaLaDiNMarch 23, 2006

Is it just me or does the steamboat portion look like you tell the boat where to move then just control its cannon?

Or maybe the line drawn on the map is just for general guidance.

SvevanEvan Burchfield, Staff AlumnusMarch 23, 2006

No, Paladin, you are exactly correct. It does not seem you get to control the boat, at least in the portion of the game we're seeing here. I like how the map moves between the top and bottom screens. And best of all, you control the boomerang with the stylus. NICE.

Edit: It also seems that drawing on the map is for your own reference. That is, you can draw whatever the flip you want. It's probably necessary for solving certain puzzles, or remembering important info.

Edit: Yeah, that's a two screen boss fight at the end. Sweet.

DarkheartMarch 23, 2006

I like it how when waaaaaaaaaaaay back we were talking about Zelda DS that it was a minority of us wanting 3-D zelda and everyone else was like " OH NOES NOT OUR PRECIOUS HANDHELD ZELDA THEY CANT DO IT TO US WE WANT OUT 2-Dness ZELDA WILL BE RUINED :: WAILS :: " Yet, now all of you are like "Awesome~!" Is this because you are just dealing with what Nintendo dealt you or are you people telling me now that you actually ARE for 3-D reitterations of Nintendo Classic IP's on the Ds?

KnowsNothingMarch 23, 2006

I think it's because this game is awesome and shut up.

Actually, it's because from what we've seen, this game has what are essentially 2D dungeons. Then it's got 3D other stuff. Best of btoh worlds, plus hawt graffx.

Ian SaneMarch 23, 2006

"Yet, now all of you are like 'Awesome~!' Is this because you are just dealing with what Nintendo dealt you or are you people telling me now that you actually ARE for 3-D reitterations of Nintendo Classic IP's on the Ds?"

I'm excited about this game because I think it looks awesome. I would like 2D Zeldas with sprites to continue but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in this.

LouieturkeyMarch 23, 2006

2D Zelda is for Capcom to make. face-icon-small-smile.gif

animecyberratMarch 23, 2006

damn! That looks awesome, I hope it is more fun than Wind Waker was. Now I have got to get my DS fixed asap.

PaLaDiNMarch 23, 2006

darkheart, the gameplay is in 2d and that's all that matters.

BranDonk KongMarch 23, 2006

It looks absolutely incredible. I'm guesing it will be the highest rated DS game ever, and remain that way forever.

DjunknownMarch 23, 2006

Quote

The game will be delayed in fall 2006.


Fixed face-icon-small-wink.gif

On a serious note, could this be the direct sequel that was expected back at GDC 2k4? Interesting... Nintendo moves the project to the DS, and gives the majority what they wanted on the Cube/Revolution: A more life-like, expansive Zelda. I doubt any one will bitch about the shading this time, since the DS can handle it with out a doubt.

Phantom Hourglass? Makes grammatical sense. They couldn't keep using musical intstruments in the subtitles forever...

IceColdMarch 23, 2006

Quote

Originally posted by: Brandogg
It looks absolutely incredible. I'm guesing it will be the highest rated DS game ever, and remain that way forever.
No, that honour will go to New Super Mario Bros face-icon-small-smile.gif

DarkheartMarch 23, 2006

The real question will be if the fairy will be annoying or not.

JensenMarch 23, 2006

Quote

Originally posted by: darkheart
The real question will be if the fairy will be annoying or not.


The fairy is your cursor, so it will be quite important.

RequiemMarch 23, 2006

It doesn't look like it'll attract attention to itself.

It just floats idlely next to you. (I hope)

Bill AurionMarch 23, 2006

"I don't even care for "Twilight Princess". It would be nice to have a new Zelda name that didn't just consist of two unrelated nouns jammed together. "

Two unrelated nouns? Wind Waker: One who wakes the wind, which is what Link did in the game...Twilight Princess: Twilight is the opposing realm in the game, and Zelda is the Princess of it... face-icon-small-smile.gif They make sense to me, and I'm sure this game's title will make sense too... face-icon-small-smile.gif

Nile BoogieMarch 23, 2006

Phantom Hourglass + Time Travel?
This games makes my happy!

Smash_BrotherMarch 23, 2006

I think Nintendo is just using the DS to show off.

Seriously, online MK, AC, Tetris, Metroid. A new SMB, and now a Zelda which looks very akin to its GC predecessor in graphical style.

The DS is rapidly becoming the console to bury all others.

ruby_onixMarch 24, 2006

Demon Sand would be better than Phantom Hourglass, but as we all know "phantom" is a more acceptable term than "demon" in Nintendoland, so it ain't gonna happen.

Also, polygons suck. 2D is better. Especially on the DS.

But I'm happy anyways.

Bill AurionMarch 24, 2006

Demon Sand sounds like a subtitle for a crappy Prince of Persia game, so no... face-icon-small-smile.gif

Infernal MonkeyMarch 24, 2006

Demon Sand sounds like a NES game.

EasyCureMarch 24, 2006

this blows. i havent even played the oracle games, OR minish cap...now i have to rush out and buy those three titles, and probably links awakening while im at it because i have no clue where mine ran off too before i play this. meanwhile i just got Mario and Luigi: superstar saga and i want to play thru that without rushing it, as well as partners in time. im really picky about my gaming sometimes, if i dont do it chronilogically it bugs the hell out of me.

UltimatePartyBearMarch 24, 2006

The complaints about the name remind me of the Penny Arcade comic about Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The Legend of Zelda: Puppy Helmet, anyone?

And I was just kidding about the name needing to start with DS. I actually think Phantom Hourglass is a good enough name, although it could use a The. Or does it have a The, and everyone's just leaving it off for the sake of brevity? I guess I'll find out when I finally have time to digest all this news over the weekend. I haven't even seen the video yet.

steveyMarch 25, 2006

Their no "The" in the title

Bill AurionMarch 25, 2006

now i have to rush out and buy those three titles, and probably links awakening

WHAT? More like Link's Awakening should be your FIRST priority! FIRST!

Karl Castaneda #2March 25, 2006

Yeah, Link's Awakening is definitely one of the best games on any portable platform. What I really liked about it was how it didn't take itself too seriously. There are inside jokes everywhere. That being said, the ending is still pretty poignant.

KDR_11kMarch 25, 2006

My copy is toast. I hope cleaning alcohol can salvage it, if I ever bothered to try.

ArtimusMarch 25, 2006

LA is my favorite GB game ever face-icon-small-smile.gif

KDR_11kMarch 25, 2006

LA is my favorite GB game ever

But not mine.

Bill AurionMarch 25, 2006

Quote

Originally posted by: ViewtifulGamer
Yeah, Link's Awakening is definitely one of the best games ever.

Fixed! I had to resist taking out "one of"... tpg.gif

Karl Castaneda #2March 25, 2006

Don't make me bring poetry into this thread, Bill!

EasyCureMarch 25, 2006

links awakening was my FIRST gb game, ever!.
i actually never owened a gb or gbp and waited patiently until gbc was released, and because i never found the original i got LA dx and killed a thousand batteries in the process. was it worth it? hell yeah

KDR_11kMarch 25, 2006

I didn't get it until years after it was out and on a flea market. Mostly because the ads just left me confused WTF a "Zelda" is. Some Gameboy game guide included the game and unfortunately spoiled everything for me.

EasyCureMarch 28, 2006

Quote

Originally posted by: Bill Aurion
now i have to rush out and buy those three titles, and probably links awakening

WHAT? More like Link's Awakening should be your FIRST priority! FIRST!



-well maybe you missed what i said, but i've already owned links awakening and played it to the end many times, on the other hand i've never even touched the oracle games or the minish cap, so i'd rather play thru those first since i've already had my complete Links Awakening experience.

vuduMarch 28, 2006

Bill just gets excited sometimes. He won't rest until everyone on earth has played Link's Awakening. (Link to the Past is better.

Hostile CreationMarch 28, 2006

He and I are forming a operative team to do so. We are looking for recruits to spread the word.

. . . and recruits to take out those inhibiting the word. I'd watch your back, vudu. :P

vuduMarch 28, 2006

Hey, I never said I didn't love Link's Awakening. I do.

I just love Link to the Past more. face-icon-small-happy.gif

MaryJaneMarch 28, 2006

Someone should spank me, I've never completed a portable Zelda game... I feel so ashamed of myself. Then again I didn't (and still can't damn i suck at video games) complete the first two Zelda games.

I'm going to hang my head low all day until i buy all the portable Zelda's. Oh wait, I'll hang my head tomorrow I've got a concert to go to tonight, not that any of you care, but i'm telling you anyway.

MaryJane, just get, play, and beat the first Zelda for NES. As long as you've played that I think you have a good foundation of what Zelda is, even if you don't play any of the portable ones...

I think you can find it on your Zelda:WW Bonus disc?

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

Hostile CreationMarch 28, 2006

Wrong Kairon, gotta play Link's Awakening. You're not a true Zelda fan otherwise.

CalibanMarch 28, 2006

Isn't Link's Awakening the one where he awakes at an island's shore and there's this egg at a mountain top or something like that? I didn't find it that special.

However my fave is Zelda II, which I know not many people are fond of but back then it was the first Zelda game I played and I enjoyed it sooooooo much, just as much as Dragon Quest, Faxanadu, and several others face-icon-small-smile.gif .

TMWMarch 28, 2006

So, like, anyone know where I can get a copy for cheap then?

Cause, you know, emulation sucks.

Quote

Originally posted by: Hostile Creation
Wrong Kairon, gotta play Link's Awakening. You're not a true Zelda fan otherwise.


/cry But..but... I played Link's Awakening but got bored of it!

Seriously, I'm thinking that Zelda (NES) is the purest form of Zelda which a true fan could want to play in order to understand what's at the very core of Zelda, what lies at the heart of what Miyamoto was feeling as he discovered and explored those underground caves on those family picnics of his. It is the most raw and least translated experience of Zelda that their is, in my opinion. It is the original.

~Carmine M. Red
Kairon@aol.com

Hostile CreationMarch 28, 2006

I don't think I can talk to you guys anymore. face-icon-small-shocked.gif
Seriously, I guess it's technically okay that you disagree, but it was my greatest gaming experience to this date. So yeah, I want other people to feel that, too.

KDR_11kMarch 28, 2006

TMW: If you mean Zelda 1 or 2, NES classic series for the GBA. If you mean Link's Awakening, well, you need to search through used games at stores and flea markets. Last time I've been to a flea market I've seen quite a few LA carts.

I didn't like Zelda 2 that much, the fact that dying sent you back to that first temple and the annoying combat made the game pretty much unbearable (worse than Metroid even). Zelda 1 is much better but it bears very little relation to the modern Zeldas, most importantly Zelda 1 is almost completely nonlinear and has no story sequences. You can do the dungeons in whatever order you see fit. Also Zelda 1 didn't have many item specific puzzles (in fact I don't think you needed any item for any of the puzzles), didn't even HAVE many puzzles. It has a strong decline towards the end as rooms in dungeons are repeated more and more. And once again progress is much harder to hold on to, you'll have to run through most of a dungeon again if you die at the end.

StrellMarch 29, 2006

Zelda 1 is my favorite, easily. It communicated the idea of a large, vast, magical world far better than any of the current iterations. I still love the current ones, of course. There was a dungeon in Wind Waker (Earth temple maybe? It's been so long) that absolutely SCREAMED old school Zelda 1 inspiration. I was floored at how amazingly nostalgic it was.

Everything else after 1 seemed so confined, which the exception of 2, which I (for a while) held as my favorite game ever, and I think it gets a harsher reputation than it deserves. After several years and getting older, I realized 1 was the superior game, but 2 still holds a soft spot. I think that everyone who hates 2 never finished it, either because they got bored or they couldn't. It really held up very well and greatly expanded the overall universe of Zelda, whether anyone wants to admit to it or not.

LTTP felt a little confining, even with the Dark World. Link's Awakening I like, but I don't see the big monster attraction to it. To me it felt like one of those games I played because I felt like I needed to. It didn't leave a lasting impression at all.

Haven't played the Orcale games or Minish Cap.

Ocarina is beautifully executed, and I think I might replay it soon on the GC. Same with Majora.

There is a definite distinction between Zelda 1 and all the others. I don't know if it is simply that Zelda 1 was the first one I played that causes it to have this lasting impression that it is larger than the other games, or if it really does feel, in a raw sense, larger. I guess when you've got two areas that require you to navigate them precisely, hidden rooms in dungeons that don't even appear on the map, waterfalls to walk through, and a huge assortment of items, it leaves a big impact on a young kid. It might honestly have to do with the fact that Zelda 1 is so open. I think part of that was recreated with Wind Waker - I know I sailed around for a long time without doing anything worthwhile, which was terribly amusing.

KDR_11kMarch 29, 2006

I didn't get too far in either of them (four dungeons complete in Zelda 1, 2 temples in 2 IIRC) because I hate losing progress. Especially when it means having to do something (like that one tunniel in Zelda 2) over and over again. Maybe I would have tolerated that back when the NES was current but I don't tolerate it today. Zero nostalgic feelings for the NES Zeldas (or indeed any NES game), ddn't play them before the GBA rereleases. Maybe that's why I have such low tolerance of the flaws in many NES games (Metroid is trash), I don't have any nostalgia to enjoy instead of the game.

NinGurl69 *hugglesMarch 29, 2006

I tend to drastically scale back my expectations to my "old-school" expectations whenever I play old games.

TMWMarch 29, 2006

I meant LA. I have the Collecters Edition disc.

Well, I live in a pretty low population area, so the chances of me finding one are pretty slim. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look, though,

Got a news tip? Send it in!
Advertisement
Advertisement