EAD General Manager and all-around famous face Shigeru Miyamoto sat down for an interview with Nintendo's Touch-DS.jp site on upcoming DS title The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Miyamoto spends most of the interview explaining the controls in the game, which he touts as being able to be played with just a single stylus. For example, touching a pot will make Link go to it and pick it up, and double-tapping elsewhere will make Link throw the pot where you've tapped. Touching an enemy will make Link attack it with his sword. The concept of writing figures into the game prominently as well, with the boomerang thrown to follow drawn paths and writing notes on the map.
The one thing Miyamoto reveals about the gameplay that we didn't know before is that in addition to the stylus control, the microphone is also usable in some fashion as well. Specifics are not given as to how the mic is used, though the mention of a candle shortly therafter with new properties suggests it might be related to this item.
Miyamoto wraps the interview talking about the intended audience: Phantom Hourglass is an evolution of the series, changed up to be fresh and fun, while still maintaining key elements of the franchise. He expects both veteran players and new players to be able to have a lot of fun with the game, mentioning that even kids can enjoy the story with a feature that pops up furigana for kanji when in-game text is tapped. Above all, he hopes the stylus control will help to make the game more accessible to all kinds of players.
The interview at Touch-DS.jp has several gameplay movies—just look for the little "play" icons and click away. A lengthy new trailer has also surfaced. A full translation of the interview is available at The Hylia. Phantom Hourglass releases June 23 in Japan, but still has a nebulous "Holiday 2007" release target for North America.
Miyamoto spends most of the interview explaining the controls in the game, which he touts as being able to be played with just a single stylus. For example, touching a pot will make Link go to it and pick it up, and double-tapping elsewhere will make Link throw the pot where you've tapped. Touching an enemy will make Link attack it with his sword. The concept of writing figures into the game prominently as well, with the boomerang thrown to follow drawn paths and writing notes on the map.
The one thing Miyamoto reveals about the gameplay that we didn't know before is that in addition to the stylus control, the microphone is also usable in some fashion as well. Specifics are not given as to how the mic is used, though the mention of a candle shortly therafter with new properties suggests it might be related to this item.
Miyamoto wraps the interview talking about the intended audience: Phantom Hourglass is an evolution of the series, changed up to be fresh and fun, while still maintaining key elements of the franchise. He expects both veteran players and new players to be able to have a lot of fun with the game, mentioning that even kids can enjoy the story with a feature that pops up furigana for kanji when in-game text is tapped. Above all, he hopes the stylus control will help to make the game more accessible to all kinds of players.
The interview at Touch-DS.jp has several gameplay movies—just look for the little "play" icons and click away. A lengthy new trailer has also surfaced. A full translation of the interview is available at The Hylia. Phantom Hourglass releases June 23 in Japan, but still has a nebulous "Holiday 2007" release target for North America.