Nintendo recently hosted its first Nintendo Direct presentation in nearly two years, and many fans were expecting to see announcements for The Legend of Zelda franchise. After all, 2021 marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda seriers, and so it made sense that the franchise would be featured during the Nintendo Direct. Some of the rumored Zelda announcements came to fruition at the Nintendo Direct, but one rumored Zelda Switch port didn't show up - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was the first main series Zelda game to release for the Nintendo DS. Originally released in 2007, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was 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 its Phantom Hourglass trademark.
With 2021 marking the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, it would be great to see many games in the series make their way to the Nintendo Switch. And The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass should even be one of them, as it's one of the best Zelda adventures and its status as a direct sequel to The Wind Waker makes it rather unique. But even if Phantom Hourglass comes 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. The Nintendo 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 for The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on 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 Hourglass uses 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 in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on the Nintendo DS, even moving 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 to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass touch 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 for Phantom Hourglass not to retain its touch screen controls.
Microphone
Similarly to how The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass utilized the Nintendo DS touch screen controls for some fun and inventive puzzles, it also featured some puzzles that required the use of the DS microphone. Granted, some of the Phantom Hourglass microphone puzzles were a little touchy when compared to the touch screen ones, but they still helped the game stand out from other Zelda titles 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 experience Phantom Hourglass how 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, the DS dual screen design was used for these functions, but The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass actually used the dual screens for one of its most ingenious puzzles.
There is a point in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass where players need something from the top screen to touch something on the bottom screen. To solve this puzzle, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass players 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 potential Phantom Hourglass Switch 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 big Zelda announcements from the recent Nintendo Direct presentation was The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch. What makes Skyward Sword HD like Phantom Hourglass is 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 HD has 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 HD motion 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 help The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass on 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 the Phantom Hourglass trademark has nothing to do with a potential Switch port for the game, and it will remain stuck on the DS and Wii U virtual console. Whatever the case may be, Nintendo fans should learn a lot more about Nintendo's plans for The Legend of Zelda 35th anniversary later this year.
Besides the already-announced games like The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and new Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity content, rumors are that Twilight Princess and Wind Waker are coming to Switch this year as well. Zelda fans will just have to hang tight and wait for more official information from Nintendo before they get too invested in any potential Zelda games on the Switch one way or the other.
One thing that's for sure though is that Nintendo is going to reveal more about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2 this year, so fans have that to look forward to, at the very least.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is available to play on Nintendo DS and Wii U.
