The small ocean of Phantom Hourglass makes a big difference
Little game’s got a fighting spirit
Once Nintendo had a home console powerful enough for 3D games they never looked back with Zelda. Well, excepting the spinoff title Four Swords Adventures which is literally meant to interface with a GameBoy Advance. The smaller 2D entries in the series would be handheld games, and the marquee 3D adventures would be console experiences. It's a tradeoff that worked to each platform's strengths and managed to bring us some great games in each style throughout the years. This also had the benefit of allowing Nintendo to develop Zelda games with different objectives and scopes. The 3D titles often feel more cinematic and adventurous, while the 2D games often play up their nostalgia and clever gameplay gimmicks. The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is a 2D game for the DS, but it doesn't always feel that way. It's a game that impressively punches above its weight and brings that full fat Zelda experience to handheld and should be credited for blurring the line between the two tracks of Zelda.
This is largely achieved by recreating the open world sailing of it's GameCube predecessor; The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It's been iterated on this time around with Link now sporting a steam powered ship that isn't at the mercy of the winds. This allows the player to draw their route on the touch screen and then focus on the myriad of added events that happen on the way to their destination. The ocean is now more alive with friendly traders, attacking monsters, and antagonistic pirates. Things will just crop up while sailing that either need to be handled or will otherwise divert your attention, and maybe cause some rerouting on your part. Treasure salvaging and the new fishing mechanic boast mini-games as well, and even if they're not amazing they do allow you to just plop down and just spend some time on the open seas.
It should be said that this all takes place in 3D. You have full control of the camera via stylus movements allowing for a complete view of your customizable ship. Islands still grow into view on the horizon, the ocean water is still that beautifully pure blue, and the sailing theme is revised to be unique while still remaining as memorable as ever. The ship’s canon will fire where the screen is tapped, making for very accurate shots and thus allowing for more constant and varied open water battles. The only obvious downgrade Phantom Hourglass's ocean has when compared the The Wind Waker's ocean is that it's simply smaller; it would maybe take you 5 minutes to sail corner to corner as the seagull flies. Otherwise Nintendo did their best to iterate on the sailing from The Wind Waker, and it largely worked out.
The other way Phantom Hourglass invokes it's console brethren is by way of it's story telling. No, the story isn't amazing, nor does hold a candle to The Wind Waker, but it does retain all the cinematic tricks. Since the game uses 3D models it can pull the camera in for nicely choreographed cutscenes. Lore dumps are now more than just a bunch of text boxes, the few bits of comedic timing are genuinely great, and the handful of action setups are given proper flair. Nintendo really got the most out of Toon Link with his exaggerated eyes and mouth continuing to allow for easily distinguish expressions. Story telling feels like it was pulled from a proper console Zelda game with the only downside being, again, the game’s smaller nature meaning there aren't a ton of them.
This is still certainly a 2D Zelda game though. You now have full circular movement but the on land and dungeon segments otherwise play like a handheld Zelda title. Dungeons are overwhelmingly linear, the size of the islands limits exploration, and there is a fair amount of streamlining. The majority of the game takes place in this style and even if it's all actually done quite well (compared to the game's reputation, that is) you simply might not be looking for 2D Zelda. Still, Nintendo really pushed to have Phantom Hourglass live up to its legacy. It could've been a by the numbers handheld adventure, but by tying it to The Wind Waker they brought certain expectations and, by my estimate, totally exceeded them. The game comfortably and smartly iterates on The Wind Waker and ends up being a console experience in all but platform.
If I hear any one of you say “…for a DS game” I’m gonna go crazy.