#my physical copy of this game cost me $70 and its been absolutely worth it even though thats fucking expensive for this game

[waywardsalt]

Oooooh Phantom Hourglass, my favorite Zelda game, where to start...

Yeah no Linebeck is the highlight of this game, and easily one of the best characters in the series. He's usually the thing I see people play phantom hourglass for, and I'll admit I picked up the game because I was curious about him, too. ever since i played the game for the first time, Linebeck's been my favorite character in anything.

But Phantom Hourglass is my favorite game in general, and it's not just because of Linebeck; it's genuinely a really charming game, and while the control scheme tends to turn some people off, I really love how well this game utilizes the DS, even if it's clear that in some situations they were just testing the limits of the console. the microphone is used- but only a handful of times early in the game. The shoulder buttons are good for item usage (and makes items really easy to use), the touch controls are pretty simple if they can be hard to get a hang of, and the game makes great use of both screen- the top screen is an important part of just about every boss fight. It's honestly really endearing how the entire DS is used in the game, including that great little puzzle relying on you closing the DS. Not to mention being able to draw whatever you like on the maps, and you're given plenty of reasons to draw paths or make notes on the maps.

The story itself is fairly simple- most of the cutscenes are in the first half of the game, but it's not like the second half isn't important- but the characters are really what carry it, and they're really this game's biggest strength. Phantom Hourglass isn't a particularly long game, but it handles its main characters and their development really well. of course, Linebeck is easily one of the best characters in the series in how he's generally written and how his development carries out through major story even and just in overworld dialogue, but Ciela and Oshus are decently strong characters on their own, and a few of the side characters are pretty interesting.

Ciela’s character development is simple, mostly revolving around her recovering her memories, and Oshus is more or less static while you discover more about him, so Linebeck is really the standout cast member for this game- and for good reason.

His character arc is… really my favorite in the whole series because it’s really a bit smaller in scale and generally more personal; it is just him developing and changing as a person, his role in the story and the world does not change, but he does. I don't feel like you see that a lot in loz, so Linebeck's arc is just really neat to see, and I think it's pulled off really well and honestly feels really natural if you pay attention to his overworld dialogue as the story progresses. I get the feeling that a good bit of care was put into him, and even though you don't actually learn a lot of concrete information about Linebeck's backstory or even... what he's actually like, he's very fascinating to look into. Phantom Hourglass remains my favorite partially because of how vague some of the information given is.

And then while Linebeck is my favorite character in anything, I am frequently gently holding Bellum in my mind. He's my favorite villain. he's a nothing villain, but he's my nothing villain. He's a silly squid thing that just got kicked to the curb with basically no preamble or extra information and then he had one of the coolest boss fight sequences and cemented himself in my mind as a neat little guy with no dialogue who's surprisingly fun to speculate way to deeply about.

Linebeck and Bellum are definitely some of the best parts of this game, and most of the music associated with them is also great; Phantom Hourglass's soundtrack is definitely lacking in a few departments, but character themes, boss themes, and certain cutscene themes do really stand out.

But yeah, good game, good characters, worth a try in my mind! Definitely one of my favorite games for several reasons.

Obligatory plug: i've written a small handful of Phantom Hourglass fics so far, all of which can be found on ao3 and are collected into a series:

Right now it's just three works, but I intend to add more fics in the future.

Phantom Hourglass is a DS only game that may be hard to find in hard copy. Secondhand or emulator may be the easier solution to play it yourself. A written walkthrough is here at ZeldaDungeon.net. The video walkthrough I liked was this one but you can search for others with no commentary as well.

Reblog and add what you love about the game, things you would like to see, or other resources for those who would like to learn more about it! Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Links to existing fanworks

Most underrated characters

Your favorite gameplay mechanics, story moments, etc

Analysis of story themes, character arcs, and so on

Favorite game items

Best music moments

That art idea you don't think you'll ever get around to drawing

Story tropes that are perfect but no one seems to include

(Don't know what's going on? Check out this post!)

[thelordreylus]

Switch Collection: August 2017

A new month, a new handful of games. The following pictures will share with you all, my latest additions and my new layout for displaying my Nintendo Switch library.

With an addition of four new retail games (not including the Sonic Collector’s Edition), my cased retail games were becoming to many to display in the curved layout I previously used. I updated my display to show all games facing outwards, with six of them laying flat to be viewed up close, but not from a distance. This is something I plan on fixing with some stands in the next month hopefully.

My figures and collectibles were getting a bit unorganized in front of their respected games, so I cleared the second shelf and lied them out in a somewhat organized manner, semi-alphabetized, but more on the space they took up. I also decided to display the Switch box as I thought it was time to bring it out of the closet since Sonic and Zelda both had sizable boxes themselves. On the side you can also see my digital games in their custom cases to further display what I have purchased through the e-shop.

Now for the additions.

UPDATE (8/25/17): Purchased Just Dance 2017, added it to the library.

Sonic Mania: Released August 15, 2017

The largest (literally) game in my collection, and all that you see in the image is the Collector’s Edition for a twenty dollar game. I wasn’t expecting this big of a box or statue when I purchased it in advanced, but it is one of the key parts of my library now. Though it is a digital game, it was advertised for its retail release which makes it a physical game in my eyes. Now if SEGA does decide to release a physical cartridge, then I will grab that as well. The game itself is enjoyable and a great throwback to the classic Sonic from the Genesis days.

Minecraft: Story Mode - The Complete Adventure: Released August 22, 2017

I never got to play this game prior to this month. I am currently two chapters deep as of this post, and have enjoyed it so far. I find that the choices during conversation come a bit to quickly, but I am happy to have something a bit more casual to play and replay down the line. This was a great start for Telltale to release on the Switch, and I am waiting for their next release.

1-2-Switch: Released March 3, 2017

Throwing back to the initial five launch titles for the Switch in the US, I found a copy of 1-2-Switch for 20 dollars and grabbed it right away. For a party game, this title does what it was designed for, a quick pick-up and play a few rounds with a group of friends and family. Worth what I paid for it, but not the full retail at $49.99.

Just Dance 2017: March 3, 2017

I picked up this $59.99 game for nothing. There was a sale on work for Just Dance 2017 at $29.99 and a different health promotion at the pharmacy where if I got a flu shot, I was able to pick up a $5 coupon, and received another $25 coupon because I hadn’t been a customer in a while, so it was an incentive to come back to their pharmacy in the future. Anyways, my employee discount and that coupon got me this game for nothing out of pocket. I haven’t played it yet, but maybe I will give it a go with my girlfriend.

Imports: I Am Setsuna: Released March 3, 2017 (JPN) & Spelunker World: Released April 20, 2017 (JPN)

Browsing Craigslist a month back, I found a post with the two above mentioned games available for 80 dollars together. The price felt high to me, as import prices came to about the same before shipping, and I didn’t feel that I saved anything out of shipping buying these. So I was able to purchase the two for a combined 70 and saved myself a good amount on shipping costs from overseas. Having waited for the physical copy for a while, I am excited to start I Am Setsuna (especially since it has English subtitles). Spelunker World looks interesting as well, but I will have a harder time with it as the whole game is in Japanese.

Digital Library Cases: Kamiko & Shephy

These two games were added to my digital library for the total cost of absolutely nothing. I received a ten dollar savings coupon for Best Buy and turned it around into an e-shop card. I have completed Kamiko in its entirety and plan on using it as a game to practice Speedruns on when I get bored. Shephy on the other hand is a great single player card game with a bit of a learning curve. Its story is a bit darker than I expected, but I have put in four or so hours playing it so far.

This was a better month than I thought with such a large handful of games added to my library. I am ready for the holiday season to bring some great games and show what the Nintendo Switch is capable of producing for the gaming world.