There’s quite a great deal of exploration to be done outside of dungeons too because not all islands are marked on your sea charts. Thus the need to note down where things are on maps! To sail, you simply draw out a path for the Lineback to follow and the ship will start moving. Travelling between islands can take anywhere between a few seconds to a good few minutes depending on distance of course but, if you’re thinking it will be a boring trip, think again!


Besides venturing into dungeons, sailing is good fun too!

As you play through the game, you’re free to customise your ship with the large selection of parts you can find on your adventures and these lead to a few mini games. While you’re sailing, you need to protect your ship from monsters by blasting them with a canon or sometimes you’ll find you have to jump over barriers! And, once you’ve found some treasure maps, you can sail to the marked out X spots and play a mini game where, you have to guide a crane down to the treasure while avoiding mines. The touch screen acts as lever that you can use to speed up or slow down the crane, moving it left and right. Of course, the treasure hunting is optional and it’s just one of the many other little other things you can do besides some side quests and events.

And if you get bored of playing alone, there’s an amusing Wi-Fi game to enjoy too! The good news is the import copy doesn’t suffer from lag due to server location issues unlike some other import games such as Bleach (as long as you choose to play against players around the world). When you start up Battle Mode and choose Wi-Fi, you can actually select to play against players in Japan or the rest of the world. It’s just a guess but Nintendo might be doing this so that Japanese players don’t have to work with English names and Western players don’t have to work with Japanese names or, it’s just to even up the server load when the English version is released. In addition to this, you can choose to play people on your friend’s list, any random stranger or one that have similar winning stats as you.


Take turns stealing Forces and controlling
the Phantom Knights in Wi-Fi mode.

The goal of the Wi-Fi game is to take turns going on offence or defence. As defence, you play as Link and you must carry Force triangles back to your base. After getting a few seconds head start, the other player’s Phantom Knights appear and he/she can start moving them around in an attempt to catch you. Just like in story mode, the Phantoms can knock you out in one strike but at the same time, you can hide in the sanctuary areas where the other player can’t see you. Depending on the map, there are also power-ups to help you out such as faster running speed. Once you get caught or the time is up, you switch roles and it’s your turn to draw lines and command the Phantoms. You do this 3 times before the game ends and the one with the most points wins. It’s actually a lot of fun and you get ranked with a letter based on your match stats.

The game itself is beautifully presented with “Wind Waker” style 3D cell-shaded graphics, sometimes on both screens. The whole world is vibrant with colours, themed islands and unique characters with amusing personalities. The little fights between Lineback and little Sierra always give you a chuckle! Any changes you make to the ship or your equipment is also reflected visually. I haven’t played Wind Waker before but many have said the music is very much have the same vibe to it. Then of course, there’s the familiar Zelda theme song and sound effects such as when you open a door. Link doesn’t actually say anything in the game but you can hear the usual sound effects you would expect in an ARPG.

“Zelda no Densetsu: Mugen no Sunadokei” is simply an amazing game bursting with variety unhindered by the mainly touch screen only controls. There’s just so much to do in the game such as scribbling away on the map to work out a puzzle, working out how to defeat a new enemy, exploring the seas for unmarked islands and treasure hunting. With full use of the DS’ every feature, you’ll never find yourself bored at doing the same old thing because there’s always something new or a fun little surprise coming up! A must own ARPG whether you’re a Zelda fan or not.


The game is filled with puzzles that require some Japanese knowledge but you can always play with our scripted guide! Those of you who know some basic Japanese will be glad to hear that tapping any Kanji you see with the stylus will reveal the Furigana for them so that it’s easier to lookup. They should be doing this with every game released!

• Wonderfully 3D cell shaded presentation.
  
• Full use of the DS’ features gives a very immersive experience.
  
• A huge variety of puzzles to solve.
  
• Many monsters require different methods to defeat.
  
• Side quests, items to collect and free exploration.
  
• Sailing is filled with mini games such as treasure hunting.
  
• Touch screen only system works great.
  
• Kanji reveals Furigana when tapped. Great for learning!
  
• Fun Wi-Fi game that allows you to play with random players.
  
• Caters for both left-handed and right-handed people.

• Repeating the main Sea Shrine dungeon can be a little tedious.