Nintendo recently hosted its first Nintendo Direct presentation in nearly two years, and many fans were expecting to see announcements forThe Legend of Zeldafranchise. After all, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary ofThe Legend of Zeldaseriers, and so it made sense that the franchise would be featured during theNintendo Direct. Some of the rumoredZeldaannouncements came to fruition at the Nintendo Direct, but one rumoredZeldaSwitch port didn’t show up -The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasswas the first main seriesZeldagame to release for the Nintendo DS. Originally released in 2007,The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasswas a hugely successful game, selling millions of copies and earning critical acclaim. It’s widely considered to be one of the absolute best games on the Nintendo DS, and so many fans were understandably excoited at the possibility of it coming to the Switch when Nintendo renewed itsPhantom Hourglasstrademark.
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With 2021 marking the 35th anniversary of theLegend of Zeldafranchise, it would be great to see many games in the series make their way to the Nintendo Switch. AndThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassshould even be one of them, as it’s one of the bestZeldaadventures and its status as a direct sequel toThe Wind Wakermakes it rather unique. But even ifPhantom Hourglasscomes to the Nintendo Switch, the best way to play the game will still be on a Nintendo DS.
Touch Screen
One of the Nintendo DS' unique features was its touch screen, allowing for all kinds of brand new gameplay mechanics that weren’t possible on other devices. TheNintendo Switch has a touch screen of its own, but the console can also be docked and played on a TV like a traditional gaming console. This creates a unique problem forThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasson Switch, as it can’t expect players to only play the game in docked mode. That is, unless Nintendo plans on making that a rule for classic Nintendo DS games to function on the Switch, anyway.
As it stands,The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassuses the touch screen for some of the game’s unique puzzles, and it’s an integral part of the experience. In fact, the touch screen is used for virtually all input inThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasson the Nintendo DS, evenmoving Link around the game world. While stuff like that can be regulated to a Joy-Con stick, it simply wouldn’t be the same.
Another plus toThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasstouch screen on the Nintendo DS is being able to take notes and mark on maps. This feature was a big help when it came to solving some of the game’s puzzles as well as remembering to return to previously-visited locations after collecting a new item for Link. There are definitely ways Nintendo can get around these features, but it would be a shame forPhantom Hourglassnot to retain its touch screen controls.
Microphone
Similarly to howThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassutilized the Nintendo DS touch screen controls for some fun and inventive puzzles, it also featured some puzzles that required the use of theDS microphone. Granted, some of thePhantom Hourglassmicrophone puzzles were a little touchy when compared to the touch screen ones, but they still helped the game stand out from otherZeldatitles and gave fans something new to do. These puzzles would have to be omitted or completely reworked because the Nintendo Switch does not have a microphone.
Like with touch screen controls, it may be technically possible to rework the game to omit the microphone input, but then that fundamentally changes what the game is, and so those who want to experiencePhantom Hourglasshow it was meant to be played will need to check it out on a Nintendo DS.
Dual-Screen Design
One of the more striking features of the Nintendo DS is its dual-screen clamshell design. The top screen featured a higher resolution screen for displaying in-game action, whereas the bottom half of the handheld was reserved for the touch screen. This design also allowed users to “shut” their Nintendo DS, protecting the screens from the elements and putting the device in sleep mode. For the most part, theDS dual screen designwas used for these functions, butThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassactually used the dual screens for one of its most ingenious puzzles.
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There is a point inThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasswhere players need something from the top screen to touch something on the bottom screen. To solve this puzzle,The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassplayers have to literally shut their Nintendo DS so the screens meet, in turn allowing them to solve the puzzle. Since the Nintendo Switch has a single screen and no dual screen functionality at all, Nintendo will need to rework this puzzle or remove it from a potentialPhantom HourglassSwitch port.
It may seem like a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but it was a clever puzzle that was only possible on the Nintendo DS.
Skyward Sword
One of the bigZeldaannouncements from the recent Nintendo Direct presentation wasThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDfor the Nintendo Switch. What makesSkyward Sword HDlikePhantom Hourglassis that both games have unique control schemes that make it hard to imagine them on other platforms or reworking them into something different. However,Skyward Sword HDhas figured out a way to both retain its classic control scheme as well as provide something new to make up for the limitations of things like the Nintendo Switch Lite.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDmotion controls are optional, with players able to complete motion control actions with the right stick instead. This way, fans of the original control scheme can still enjoy it while those who weren’t fans of motion controls can try the new way to play. Something similar could be done to helpThe Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglasson Switch be as close as possible to the Nintendo DS original, but even then, there are some things that simply can’t be replicated if the game isn’t played on a DS.
Zelda’s Future
Of course, it’s possible that Nintendo renewing thePhantom Hourglasstrademark has nothing to do with a potential Switch port for the game, and it will remain stuck on the DS andWii U virtual console. Whatever the case may be, Nintendo fans should learn a lot more about Nintendo’s plans forThe Legend of Zelda35th anniversary later this year.
Besides the already-announced games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HDand newHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamitycontent, rumors are thatTwilight PrincessandWind Wakerare coming to Switchthis year as well.Zeldafans will just have to hang tight and wait for more official information from Nintendo before they get too invested in any potentialZeldagames on the Switch one way or the other.
One thing that’s for sure though is that Nintendo is going toreveal Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2this year, so fans have that to look forward to, at the very least.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglassis available to play on Nintendo DS and Wii U.
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