Timeshift Thursday – Dee Ess Island

February 28th, 2013 by Timothy

Hello, and welcome to another Timeshift Thursday feature where I delve deep sharing some of my all-time favourite areas from the Zelda series! This week, I want to take you back to Nintendo DS’ first ever Zelda title, Phantom Hourglass, which happens to contain a very special island situated in the Great Sea. I may be one of few gamers who actually enjoy Phantom Hourglass’ storyline and gameplay yet it was the first DS game I bought after I picked up the console and it does contain a special place in my heart.

This island we will take a look at today is very special because of its unique shape, physical appearance, and fun minigame which you can complete to gain a particular inventory item. We’ll also take a recap at what you can actually do on this actual island and how Nintendo used this special island’s shape to create a memorable experience for Zelda fans.

Click the jump if you would like to read more about this interesting island in Phantom Hourglass referred to as Dee Ess Island!

Dee Ess Island is a remarkable concept Nintendo implemented into Phantom Hourglass and could indeed be an inspiration of the discarded island (originally intended for The Wind Waker) talked about in the recently released Hyrule Historia which discusses an island shaped as another console called GameCube Island. Intriguingly, while sailing near the island, located in the southeastern quadrant of the Great Sea, it looks to be a DS Lite yet when Link is walking on the island itself it appears to represent the original DS model. Maybe Nintendo designed the island before the actual layout of the Great Sea?

You approach Dee Ess Island by docking on the stylus sticking out of its placement and walking toward the touch screen. This is where a couple of Gorons are situated and their special minigame has been set up for you to participate in. All you need to do is direct your friend Gongoron and break the thirty crystals which are planted around the island in under 35 seconds. If Link succeeds he wins a Bombchu Bag, rupees, ship parts, or other treasures. If Link walks up to the top screen he encounters a battle with two enemies known as Hinox. What is ironic here is that Nintendo seem to have purposely put a combat scene here to tell you that just as you normally look at a top screen to play your game titles (except for the DS Zelda titles) so also does Link need to fight via the top screen of the island. Food for thought either way it could be looked at.

I love the surprise that Nintendo has given for Dee Ess Island in that it does not appear on your sea chart until you gain close visuals of it and shout out, “Hey where did that island come from! It looks just like a DS!!!” It gave me a sense of yearning to explore this mysteriously designed uncharted island. I still remember the first time I noticed the island and its uniqueness; it was incredible. Its music is also a happy seaside tune fit for the theme Link is situated in to explore this island. Hopefully Nintendo will add GameCube Island to The Wind Waker HD as it would be a superb addition to the Great Sea from what has been shown by the rough sketches featured in Hyrule Historia.

What do you think of Dee Ess Island? Do you like the way Nintendo designed it for Phantom Hourglass? Do you hope GameCube Island will be brought in for The Wind Waker HD? Let me know by sharing your thoughts on one of the Great Sea’s special islands in the comments below!

Categorized under: DS, Editorials, Hyrule Historia, Legend of Zelda, Phantom Hourglass, Timeshift Thursday, Zelda Games, Zelda Products
Tagged: Dee Ess Island, Hyrule Historia, Island, Legend of Zelda, Phantom Hourglass, the great sea, The Wind Waker, Timeshift Thursday

Michael Medina

Thumbs up for WiiU island.
- zora bro
  
  thumbs down for dnalsi UiiW
  - Tiranofarl
    
    Now I’m confused… Do I give you a Thumbs Up or Thumbs down?!
    - http://twitter.com/ethangoh98 Ethan Goh
      
      Both haha although physically impossible
      - linkasourous
        
        Challenge Accepted
      - LoserKlink
        
        If you’re in Stone Tower Temple while it’s upside down you could do it.
- Vink
  
  Or game pad island.
  - Michael Medina
    
    or Mii-Head island
Guy

I actually LOVED phantom hour glass. I loved how you could write on the maps, and take notes.
MiniJen

I liked Phantom Hourglass (and laughed my butt off when i found Dee Ess Island), but I feel that many ideas from PH were better implimented and executed in Spirit Tracks. Still a good game though.
rjhewgyrfu (aka ruifgyqforug)

IMO GC Island looks a bit like a stove… =P

But yeah, when I discovered this island I was all like, “Whoah!”. (And I also like the uncharted isles in general…)
itsameluigi1290

Dee Ess Island?

BAD PUN DUDES. XD
- JuicieJ
  
  That’s literally the name of the island.
  - itsameluigi1290
    
    I know, I’m saying it’s a bad pun, on Nintendo’s part.
    - JuicieJ
      
      But it’s not a pun. The island is shaped like a DS.
      - itsameluigi1290
        
        I know it’s shaped like that, but pun IS the wrong word. Does Easter Egg work?
      - Cmaster
        
        Well…It works better than pun. XP
      - itsameluigi1290
        
        INDEED.
      - JuicieJ
        
        Yes, that’s what it is. ;D
      - itsameluigi1290
        
        I WIN! lol jk XD
- Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule
  
  That’s not actually a pun.
  - itsameluigi1290
    
    Yeah, I’ll say easter egg instead.
Mister

I love Phantom Hourglass, more than Spirit Tracks actually. I play Phantom Hourglass more. I actually loved how they did Temple of the Ocean King. The timer made it tense and the dungeon made the most use of writing on maps, more than Spirit Tracks does.

Anyway, Dee Ess Island was a weird one to come across. I was not expecting that. I liked it and the mini-game didn’t make me want to punch a hole through my wall like the Target Shooting. *twitch*
- Roth
  
  More map writing than ST, especially per the hub dungeon’s repeat visits, ultimately a GOOD thing.
  
  Thank you for being someone who noticed!
- Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule
  
  I liked Phantom Hourglass a lot, but Spirit Tracks really got a lot right that its predecessor didn’t. The most glaring problem with PH was that you had to repeat large sections of the Temple of the Ocean King each time you visited. Of course, Spirit Tracks had its own problems, particularly the premise behind the game. I feel that trains have no place in the Zelda canon.
The Hylian Monolith

I loved this island once I figured it out. When I first saw it, its shape intrigued me, but it took talking to Linebeck and hearing him say, “What’s with this island? Sort of a… different shape, don’t you think?” to make me actually LOOK at the map and realize that it looked just lie a DS.

THEN I shouted, ‘Hey! That looks just like a DS!”

THEN I slapped myself and finished the island. Still love that minigame.
Roth

How about that? A place you had to actually discover on your own, without having a bunch of tracks that said, “You can specifically go here, so there might be something off in this corner.” See, the constraint of the railroad tracks in ST was simply that they didn’t let you exercise your freedom in an open world, not that they made it more limited or strictly defined. A little player freedom can make all the difference to how the same basic scenario feels in practice. Go, PH!
http://twitter.com/ethangoh98 Ethan Goh

i was going to play it, then to realise that my ds broke a few months ago.
- JuicieJ
  
  D:
Hoff123

Haha I remember this island. It’s AWESOME . Dee Ess…lol
duder

I really enjoyed the ending of phantom hourglass, thought it was excellent
oozy the wolf

BEST ISLAND EVER!
Renphyre,Zynaru

the island is neat. will the “game cube” island allow Link to go inside,too? Also what’s the other island that was removed from the original W.W.?
Renphyre,Zynaru

Nintendo should release more LoZ games for DS. the ability to write on maps, use the mic, and see the map WHILE playing is a GREAT advantage! will we be able to do similar stuff on W.W. HD, though?
Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule

I highly doubt they’re going to add new content to Wind Waker HD. They’ll probably just change the Tingle Tuner so it looks like either a 3DS or the WiiU Gamepad, much as they updated the Stone of Agony in OoT3D. Don’t get your hopes up for any new islands.
Renphyre,Zynaru

Also one of the things displayed in ‘tracks is that BOTH link and zelda show affection towards each other (more than any other game EXCEPT Skyward Sword). ><
http://twitter.com/ThomaseDurnad Thomas Durand

I loved this island
Captain Falcon

There’s an easter egg on this island. Stand on the spot where the mic would be and blow into the real mic. A treasure chest containing a golden rupee (worth 300) will appear.
- Omega
  
  is that on the old style DS or new style? because that’s quite a difference.
  - http://www.facebook.com/pkunhardt Philip Kunhardt
    
    I would assume old-style (big phat silver DS), because it’s shaped like that and the DSlite, DSi, and DSiXL hadn’t come out yet at that point in time.
Moon Rain

I loved it to see Gongoron again
http://www.facebook.com/SpiritReika Scott Reika Ripberger

Good article, but….what’s time-shifty about it? Just curious.
Gaseous Snake

Phantom Hourglass was my first game ever. It did not disappoint.
armoorrock d

I loved this island http://mopixie.com