What do you get when you combine the world’s best-selling video game system, the Nintendo DSâ„¢, with one of Nintendo’s best-loved franchises, Zelda? An epic new adventure that satisfies longtime fans but draws in new players with intuitive touch-screen controls. Launching Oct. 1, The Legend of Zelda®: Phantom Hourglass, complete with crisp 3-D cartoon graphics and multiplayer battles over Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection, marks the debut of the franchise on Nintendo DSâ„¢.
“Since 1987 The Legend of Zelda franchise has sold more than 52 million units worldwide,” says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. “The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass stays true to the richness of the console Zelda franchise while introducing new controls that allow veterans and first-time gamers to become fully immersed in the adventure.”
The game involves legendary hero Link and Tetra, the leader of a band of pirates, as they discover a ghost ship in dense fog. Link falls into the ocean when Tetra gets into trouble, and he wakes up alone on the shore of a mysterious island. Throughout the game, Link collects sand for his Phantom Hourglass, which allows him to explore deeper and deeper into a time-limited dungeon in his quest to find Tetra.
You can play the entire game with only the Nintendo DS touch screen. Walk up to characters and tap them to start a conversation. Slash your stylus across the touch screen to swing Link’s sword. If players touch an enemy with the stylus, Link attacks. Players can even navigate their ship or set a route for their boomerang simply by drawing a path on the touch screen.
The robust single-player adventure will have Zelda veterans and newcomers alike engrossed by the story as they move through the game with the stylus. A special two-player battle mode lets players connect locally or via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. One player controls Link as he tries to gather as many Force Gems as possible, while the other player manages the enemies who pursue Link. The replayability of these winner-take-all matches is virtually endless.
In both style and characters, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass echoes the smash-hit The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerâ„¢ for Nintendo GameCubeâ„¢, which sold more than 2.2 million in the United States alone. But the inviting, easy-to-understand story and ease of control will attract casual and younger players who might be new to Zelda games.
As a special bonus for Nintendo’s rewards club, My Nintendo members who register the game and their Nintendo DS hardware at MyNintendo.com and fill out a short survey will receive a special Nintendo DS stylus that looks like an old-fashioned quill pen, modeled after an item in the game (subject to availability).
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As we move into summer Nintendo is launching a range of games which will keep everyone from hardcore gamers to complete newcomers entertained. The unprecedented success of the Nintendo DS has helped to expand the gaming audience more than ever before and is the fastest selling console to reach the 10 million mark in European history, now with sales of almost 12 million, while the newly released Wii has already sold approximately 2 million in Europe since launch. Now Nintendo’s already strong software line-up is being bolstered even further by a selection of new titles launching in the third quarter of 2007.
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