Daily Debate: Should Tetra/Zelda Have Been Given an Expanded Role in Phantom Hourglass?
Posted on October 07 2018 by Michaela El-Ters
Phantom Hourglass is one of the Zelda games that I wish I enjoyed more. As the sequel to The Wind Waker, among one of my top favorites in the series, the cliffhanger of Link and Tetra sailing into the unknown was an incredible ending that left the door open for so many different opportunities. I thought Phantom Hourglass played it disappointingly safe, and among one of the biggest problems for me was that within minutes of the game’s introduction, Tetra is captured and turned to stone. Eliminating one of the strongest, sassiest, and most memorable characters from the lineup was a huge blow in a game that had so much potential to change and bring something new to the table.
The manga version of Phantom Hourglass didn’t actually fix that problem, per se, but it did feature a new addition that I thought could be interesting if the game was structured differently. In the manga, when Link is nearly defeated by the Cubus Sisters after finding Tetra’s statue, a ghostly form of Princess Zelda appears and repels them, giving Link the edge he needs to ultimately defeat them. It’s a neat idea, and it got me thinking about giving her a larger role in the story. What if Phantom Hourglass followed a similar route like Spirit Tracks, with Link being accompanied by Zelda’s spirit? Or if it incorporated Tetra’s background as a pirate into her fighting style, and give Zelda the ability to inhabit a scimitar? Ideally, I would have preferred if the game didn’t render Tetra a useless statue, and instead have her accompany Link as his companion (even as Princess Zelda would have been fine too), but what do you think?
Do you wish Tetra/Princess Zelda was given more to do in Phantom Hourglass? Let us know in the comments!
Fan art by frozen–phoenix
Michaela El-Ters is a Senior Editor for Zelda Dungeon. She is also an Senior Writer for Boss Rush Network, and writes blogs and streams games on Objection Network. Her favorite Zelda game changes with the seasons, but the series as a whole is near and dear to her heart.
