Honestly, the Legend of Zelda DS games are the black sheep of the family. If you ask a room full of Zelda fans about the Nintendo DS era, you’re going to get two very different reactions. Some people will get all misty-eyed about the ocean breeze in Phantom Hourglass, while others will start twitching at the mere mention of the Temple of the Ocean King. It was a weird time for Link. Nintendo was obsessed with the DS touch screen, and they decided that buttons were basically obsolete.
It was a bold move.
Whether it actually worked is still up for debate, but you can't deny that Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks are some of the most experimental titles in the entire franchise. They didn't just iterate; they threw the rulebook out the window and forced us to poke at our screens for forty hours.
The Touch Screen Experiment: Love It or Hate It?
When Eiji Aonuma and his team at Nintendo EAD started working on the first of the Legend of Zelda DS games, they had a specific goal: make Zelda accessible. They wanted anyone—even someone who had never touched a controller—to be able to play. This led to the controversial decision to make both games 100% touch-controlled. You tap to move. You flick to slash your sword. You draw lines to throw your boomerang.
It feels tactile. Sometimes, it feels genius. Other times, your hand cramps up because you’ve been gripping the stylus like a weapon for three hours straight.
The Phantom Hourglass (2007) was a direct sequel to the GameCube’s The Wind Waker. It kept that gorgeous cel-shaded look but squashed it down into the DS’s dual screens. The cool part? You actually used the hardware. You’d write notes directly on your map. You’d blow into the microphone to put out fires or scream at characters to get their attention. It was gimmicky, sure, but it felt like the game lived inside the hardware in a way most modern titles don't even try to replicate.
Then came Spirit Tracks in 2009. If you thought sailing was slow, Nintendo said, "Hold my milk," and put Link on a train. Literally. You’re an apprentice engineer. While the train travel was more linear than the open ocean, the game fixed a lot of the mechanical complaints from the first DS entry. Specifically, it gave us one of the best versions of Princess Zelda we’ve ever seen. She wasn't just a damsel; she was a ghost who possessed giant suits of armor to help you solve puzzles.
The Temple of the Ocean King: Gaming’s Most Divisive Dungeon
We have to talk about it. The Temple of the Ocean King is the central hub of Phantom Hourglass, and it is probably the single most hated dungeon in Zelda history. Why? Because you have to go back to it. Over and over.
💡 You might also like: Hogwarts Legacy PS5: Why the Magic Still Holds Up in 2026
Every time you finish a main quest, you return to this temple. You have to navigate the same floors, avoid the same invincible Phantoms, and do it all against a ticking clock. If the sand in your Phantom Hourglass runs out, you start taking damage. It’s stressful. It’s repetitive.
However, there’s a nuance here that critics often miss. Each time you return with a new item—like the bombs or the grappling hook—you find shortcuts. What took you ten minutes the first time takes you thirty seconds the fifth time. It’s a masterclass in level design efficiency, even if it feels like a chore. It tests your memory. It rewards mastery.
But yeah, it's still kind of annoying.
In Spirit Tracks, Nintendo clearly listened to the shouting. They replaced the repetitive hub with the Tower of Spirits. You still go back to it, but you never have to repeat the same floors. You just keep climbing. It was a massive quality-of-life improvement, yet Spirit Tracks often gets less love because, well, people really like boats and really feel "meh" about trains.
Why the Legend of Zelda DS Games Hardware Features Matter
The DS was a "weird" console, and these games leaned into that weirdness. Think about the puzzles. In Phantom Hourglass, there is a famous puzzle where you have to "press" a seal from one map onto another. Players spent hours trying to figure out which button to press.
The solution?
You literally fold your DS shut. When you open it back up, the seal has transferred. That is peak Nintendo. It’s the kind of "outside the box" thinking that makes the Legend of Zelda DS games worth playing even now, despite the aging graphics.
📖 Related: Little Big Planet Still Feels Like a Fever Dream 18 Years Later
The Soundtrack and Aesthetic
- Phantom Hourglass: The music is... okay. It’s very midi-heavy. The main theme is catchy, but the dungeon music is forgettable.
- Spirit Tracks: This is where the audio peaked. The pan flute mechanic was hit-or-miss (mostly because blowing into a DS mic is finicky), but the overworld theme? It’s an absolute banger. It captures that sense of adventure and momentum perfectly.
The visuals were impressive for 2007. They managed to translate the "Toon Link" style to a handheld with limited polygons. Of course, if you play them on a modern screen today via the Wii U Virtual Console or an emulator, they look like a jagged mess of pixels. But on that small, original DS Lite screen? They were vibrant and full of life.
The Legend of Zelda DS Games and the Legacy of "Toon Link"
Many people forget that these games are technically part of the "Adult Era" timeline. They follow the Hero of Winds. This era of Zelda was defined by a sense of exploration and a slightly more whimsical tone.
But don't let the cute art style fool you. These games can be brutal. The boss fights in Spirit Tracks, especially the final encounter with Malladus, require genuine coordination between Link and the Phantom Zelda. It’s not just "hit the glowing eye with an arrow." You have to multitask. You have to manage two characters at once using only a stylus.
It’s hard. It’s rewarding. It’s uniquely Zelda.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Titles
The biggest misconception is that the Legend of Zelda DS games are "lite" versions of the main series. They aren't. They are full-length, 20+ hour adventures with deep lore and complex mechanics.
Another myth? That the controls make them unplayable.
If you go into these games expecting Ocarina of Time, you’ll be disappointed. But if you embrace the stylus, you'll find that it allows for things buttons can't do. Drawing the path for a ChuChu or a Boomerang feels more "magical" than just locking on. It bridges the gap between the player and the world.
👉 See also: Why the 20 Questions Card Game Still Wins in a World of Screens
How to Play Them Today (And Should You?)
Nintendo hasn't made it easy to play these lately. With the 3DS and Wii U eShops closed, your options are limited. You’re looking at buying original cartridges—which are getting expensive—or finding "other" ways to play them.
If you do pick them up, here’s a tip: Play on an original DS or a 3DS.
The Wii U version is okay, but it feels disconnected. These games were designed to be held in your hands, inches from your face. The dual-screen layout is vital. Looking up at a TV and then down at a gamepad just doesn't feel right.
Actionable Next Steps for Zelda Fans
If you’re looking to dive into the Legend of Zelda DS games, don't start with the mindset of a completionist.
- Check your hardware: If you have a 3DS, that’s your best bet. The circle pad doesn't work for movement (it's still stylus only), but the screens are crisp.
- Start with Phantom Hourglass: It’s the logical progression from Wind Waker. Just prepare yourself for the Temple of the Ocean King. Take notes. Use the map marking system—it’s there for a reason.
- Don't sleep on Spirit Tracks: Many people skipped it because of the train, but the dungeon design and the relationship between Link and Zelda are arguably superior to its predecessor.
- Try the "D-Pad" patches: If you absolutely cannot stand the touch controls, there are fan-made patches available online for ROMs that enable traditional D-pad movement. It changes the game entirely, though some puzzles become much harder because they were designed for the stylus.
The DS era was a time of massive risk for Nintendo. They didn't play it safe. They gave us a Link who sails, a Link who conducts trains, and a control scheme that still sparks arguments on Reddit twenty years later. They might not be the "best" Zelda games, but they are certainly the most daring.
If you can get past the initial learning curve of the stylus, you'll find two of the most charming, inventive entries in the entire series. Just remember to breathe when you're blowing into the microphone. You don't want to pass out while trying to call a bird.