Difficult Controls?

[Neo]

I just bought Phantom Hourglass several hours ago, and I've already noticed that then controls are quite difficult to adapt to. Perhaps this is because I'm so used to using buttons. The new stylus-only control system is VERY different to me and is causing me problems for the first time ever in a Zelda game.

I was curious to see if anyone else found the controls difficult. Did you? Or am I alone?

Edit: As I've mentioned, I JUST bought this game. Please take this into account if you're going to share any information about the plot. Make use of the
tag!

[Seethe]

I just bought Phantom Hourglass several hours ago, and I've already noticed that then controls are quite difficult to adapt to. Perhaps this is because I'm so used to using buttons. The new stylus-only control system is VERY different to me and is causing me problems for the first time ever in a Zelda game.

I was curious to see if anyone else found the controls difficult. Did you? Or am I alone?

Edit: As I've mentioned, I JUST bought this game. Please take this into account if you're going to share any information about the plot. Make use of the
tag!
Phantom Hourglass was actually praised for its new, easier, stylus controls. The whole click-and-attack enemy controls makes the game a lot easier IMO and there is really no way to block any attacks with the shield. Its just there to block projectiles from the front only. Even with that, it's just a wooden one that you will have to re-buy after it burns up. There is no Hylian shield.

With all of that, I personally think the new controls made Phantom Hourglass very very easy. I think you're going to be alone with this one.

[Welbanks]

I think you're going to be alone with this one.

Nah, I hated them quite a bit, kinda ruined the game for me.

I'm sick of gimmicky touch screen/motion controls. Like, for game franchises that started out having controls like that, thats one thing.
But when it comes to games like Mario and Zelda that everyone is used to playing with buttons and a controller, I think it really ruins them to change it.

Plus, there always made for right handed people, and being a lefty myself, makes it even harder to get used too.
Is it that hard to put a setting on that can switch it to left?

Bleh.

[Kitsu]

Much like everything else in Phantom Hourglass, I did not care much for the controls. Sure, at first, it seems like a new and innovative idea, but after a while, it gets annoying.

Many times I problems with a lack of precision with Link's stabs and slices. I would tap the screen to attack an enemy, and Link would run at the thing. This resulted in death a lot of the time, and pissed me off especially when I was in a temple and had to go do a lot of stuff over again.


Plus, there always made for right handed people, and being a lefty myself, makes it even harder to get used too.
Is it that hard to put a setting on that can switch it to left?

I had the same problem, even after using the controls for a while, I still felt uncomfortable and awkward at parts.

[NorthApple]

Of course Nintendo thought of this! If you tap your game file, then the on screen 'start', there's a brown "Options" box in the bottom right corner, where you can swap the hand setting to left-handed... the difference is that swaps over the controls displayed on the touch screen, so you don't have to reach across the sceen to use an item, make a ship route, etc :D

ANd yes, the controls are one thing that put me off playing PH for around a year >> I still can't make Link roll when I mean to, but for the most part I'm okay with the controls now~ Again, I have a problem with the accuracy of the sword swipes too, and often walking around annoys me- he doesn't go fast enough half the time, and multiple rolls (if I can actually manage them) only make Link dizzy >|
But at the start, I was all over the place with them xDD

[basement24]

The only control I found to be difficult was making the small circles at the edge of the screen in order to roll. I eventually got the hang of it, but at first I was rolling in all sorts of directions I didn't want to be rolling in or I wasn't rolling at all.

I think even once you get the hang of rollign in general, directing it specifically at a tree was not an easy task since you were making circles. They really had to be small in order to give you the direction you wanted, and then if they were too small they didn't register.

Really, it wasn't needed in the game much beyond getting a couple of rupees (which were plentiful anyway...) so I didn't use it much. It also was a poor form of travel because you got dizzy after a few rolls.

Other than that, I thought the controls were extremely easy. Some things like directing the bombchus was the easiest way to do it in a Zelda title yet. I think the second most difficult aspect though to get used to is holding the DS in your non-dominant hand for hours at a time. That became a bit of a pain I found, even for something so light.

[Welbanks]

Of course Nintendo thought of this! If you tap your game file, then the on screen 'start', there's a brown "Options" box in the bottom right corner, where you can swap the hand setting to left-handed... the difference is that swaps over the controls displayed on the touch screen, so you don't have to reach across the sceen to use an item, make a ship route, etc :D

Really? How did I know know about this?
Well perhaps I should play through it again with that control shceme, might make it slightly less annoying.

[Dungeon killer]

I adapted to the controls rather easily, I don't know but I have a knack for adpating to controls after a couple of minutes, but the only problem I had was the rolling controls.:nerd:

[Bluelink6]

Nah, I hated them quite a bit, kinda ruined the game for me.

I'm sick of gimmicky touch screen/motion controls. Like, for game franchises that started out having controls like that, thats one thing.
But when it comes to games like Mario and Zelda that everyone is used to playing with buttons and a controller, I think it really ruins them to change it.

Plus, there always made for right handed people, and being a lefty myself, makes it even harder to get used too.
Is it that hard to put a setting on that can switch it to left?

Bleh.

Yes. Go to the settings, I mean options, before you load your file.It apparenty switches it from right to left handed or vice versa, but when I fiddled with that, I didn't see any difference.

[Neo]

I believe it asked me at the beginning if I was left or right handed. Didn't you guys get that prompt?

[Emicon]

I've recently picked Phantom Hourglass up for the first time in a year. Very first thing I noticed was how much the controls annoyed me. Compared to other Zelda games, which were very intuitive, I thought the controls were very limiting. Sure, it was nice to have precise aim with the boomerang, bow and arrow, ect., the trade off was that walking and running became cumbersome. I still can't roll or do basic evasive maneuvers, which for me is very frustrating. Give me the D-pad any day.

[Arkatox]

I just bought Phantom Hourglass several hours ago, and I've already noticed that then controls are quite difficult to adapt to. Perhaps this is because I'm so used to using buttons. The new stylus-only control system is VERY different to me and is causing me problems for the first time ever in a Zelda game.

I was curious to see if anyone else found the controls difficult. Did you? Or am I alone?

Edit: As I've mentioned, I JUST bought this game. Please take this into account if you're going to share any information about the plot. Make use of the
tag!

Actually the controls are quite easy to adapt to. They seem annoying at first, then you totally forget about how annoying it is, and it seems just as natural as using the D pad.

[Master Kokiri 9]

Personally I found the controls in PH to be much easier than the other 2-D games. The only thing I found difficult was when I need to draw the Phantom Hourglass in the final boss battle

[knowlee]

I honestly didn't find the controls for PH to be that difficult. Now the idea of drawing circles at the edge of the screen in order to roll was hard for me to do the first couple of times, I'll admit. But I eventually figured it out and I now know how to do it quite well.

But for me, I didn't find the controls to be that hard.

[Petman1325]

Like almost everyone else has said, the rolling was pretty much the only downside. Yet, the controls in that game are actually better than most of the controls on iPod Touch/iPhone games (transparent buttons that required the thumb (I really cannot stand using touch screens with my fingers. I need a stylus)), but it also made use of the trigger buttons for quick weapon draw and the D-pad or ABXY pad for drawing up the map. It was actually quite easy to move Link around and make him attack his foes.

The only problem one would have would be if their screen was uncalibrated. Mine was last year, and it turned out to be a very hard game. Perhaps that could be used for a 3-heart run qualification? Anyways, back on topic, it was perhaps the controls that made the game easy to begin with. Since they didn't want it to be too challenging for stylus users, they would have to mellow it down a bit on the difficulty, which turns out to be a blessing unless you have very agile wrists - which is needed on a lot of DS games in the first place - of which becomes easy street.

[ottobot]

you found this hard!?! i found the controls really easy. it worked much smoother than say, minish cap. all and all i like the touch controls way better and hope nintendo sticks with them for all eternity.

[NULL]

Yeah, the controls were pretty hard at first to swing, I always found it difficult to roll too :S But i got the hang of it eventually.

I remember one of the skeletons in the game saying something like "I wish there was button control!" so there may be that option in Spirit Tracks. Not likely, but still.

[Odin]

I didn't find them hard at all. i knew i have to move link by via stylus like in another ds game such as ninja reflex so really it got use to it because i've had it for 2 years by xmas.

[No_Comment]

I don't see how you could call it hard. I found it really easy, except for drawing the hourglass, that could be pretty hard.

[Yoshi_FTW]

I just started playing PH a day or so ago too. I actually think the controls are great. It takes control of the touchscreen very well. Now, I don't have/play many Zelda games, but these controls are definitely easy to use and remember.