What is the Phantom Hourglass?

Well, news of the new Zelda DS game, "Phantom Hourglass" is beginning to spread throughout the Zelda Community.

Now, the question is begged, what is it?

In the gameplay footage that was shown at GDC, it shows Link drawing a picture of an hourglass shape into a door. Perhaps this holds some significance to the title?

perhaps the hourglass, if it really is an hourglass, is some symbol of power? I even read speculation it's some sort of time travel device.

So, what do you think the Phantom Hourglass is? What does it do? And why is it so important to Link?

I hope that Phantom Ganon is the main bad guy!
The evil spirit of Ganondorf is trying to take Link and Zelda to Hyrule castle(under the sea) to bring back the real Ganondorf!
LINK TO THE RESCUE!!!

So...you think the Hourglass is somehow linked to Phantom Ganon?

That could make sense...

Link hear something and rushes out. On the gunwale stands Ganondorf. He smiles and dashes to Link. But Links escapes and get away. Its now upp to Link to find the Hourglass of time so he can seal away PhantomGanon for ever.

Like I said, it could be a time-travel device. Heck, it could just be some random magical artifact that Gannon needs to obtain the triforce (which would be lame). Maybe it's some sort of relic from old Hyrule that holds the secret to entering the Golden Land. Considering that all of the recent Zeldas have been named after the most important object Link obtains in the game (other than Twilight Princess, it seems... although that depends on whether TP is referring to Zelda or that creature that rides Wolf Link. I guess she could be considered an item, just like Ezlo/the Minish cap was), I assume that it's just that. Maybe Link can turn back time for short periods... you know, Prince of Persia style. I don't like that idea much though.

Anyway, I'd like to take a step back and review what an hourglass is. I've always thought that hourglasses represent mortality and the transience of all things. I doubt that this WW-styled Zelda would go into that kind of theme, though, especially on a handheld.

Phantom... well, this could refer to Phantom Gannon, of course. I think it's more likely that it refers to the Dark World, though. Especially since the video we've all seen has a remix of Dark World's music.

I dunno. Too many possibilities, not enough information. I'm just glad that this isn't "Zelda and the Magic Pen."

Just because it says hourglass doesn't mean the game will be of it...It will propably be another item you can or not use that is really important to the story line.

I think the PH is somesort of special device that opens up somesort of portal to a phatom realm. Someone has gained access to the phantom hourglass and is using it's power to spread evil across the new world, and link has set out to stop him/her.

Originally Posted by vacumgod

I think the PH is somesort of special device that opens up somesort of portal to a phatom realm. Someone has gained access to the phantom hourglass and is using it's power to spread evil across the new world, and link has set out to stop him/her.

That seems likely, but I hope that they go a different direction with it. That's just LttP's story, but in WW environments. It'd be lame.

I think this may be when Link and Tetra finds the New Hyrule. What would be cool (as sea-travelling definitely returns) is that the Overworld might consist of a large island (probably the size of OoT Hyrule, except without the big field it makes it feel larger) surrounded by several small islands.

I have a few guesses at what the hourglass could be (of course, my ideas are the same as others).

1. Item to go back in time: In OoA we could go back and forth between 200 years. In OoT we could go back and forth 7 years. In MM we could go back and fourth 3 days. Do I think this item will be used as a time device? No. Do others? Yes. Probable? Yes. Possible? Also yes. And if so, how much time will elapse? We've already made centuries, years, and days go by, so what's next? Minutes/seconds? I dearly hope not.

2. Someone said earlier that an hourglass symbolizes mortality (like when the sands run out, so does your life). I was thinking...Ganondorf, Link, and Zelda are key people in the games, they must have hourglasses of their own. But since this game is called the Phantom Hourglass, my speculation is this is about Ganondorf's Hourglass. Maybe he's not completely dead...he's just a stone, but still alive (not moving though). Since Link wants Hyrule to have a safe future, he must insure that any troubles in the past are done with. Since Ganondorf isn't officially dead, he must destroy his hourglass before the enemies of darkness gets to his (hmmm I've often thought...is Phantom Ganon, Ganondorf's soul? Since his body recides in a stone, maybe he set his soul free to fight another day).

Does anybody remember the old Prince of Persia games. If you do, you will remember that there was a cut scene in the first where Jafar locks the princess in a room and puts an hourglass there, which signifies that you have a certain amount of time to save the princess before its too late...

the very title of this new LoZ bothers me greatly... Its possibly another LoZ involving time traveling and that means that the timeline will even become more messed up... unless Nintendo is smart and uses the game to fix the time confusions that happened after OoT, but its very doubtful...

Im thinking direct WW sequal with the sailing and same graphics. maybe same link. maybe theres a new "bad guy" who wants to re-awaken Ganondorf but cant cuz the master swords in there and only link can pull it out again so he uses the hourglass [assuming its a time travel device] and goes to stop the events of the Wind Waker from occuring.

Or....The hourglass is what keeps Hyrules[or wherever link is] time flow in order but somehow the hourglass is taken and the sands are emptied and [insert place here] is thrown into chaos so link needs to get the sand back. wow that sounded a lot better in thought than on the screen.

Maybe the Phantom Hourglass is Hyrule/the great sea. I mean there is no basis for this guess whatsoever, but maybe if this does take place after the wind waker there comes a point where like the hourglass the sky is empty and the great sea is full, and must be turned back rightside up(Great Sea dries up). I know, it's kind of confusing and slightly stupid, but hey, it's an idea nonetheless.

What if it's an item that lets Link into the afterlife for a period of time thus making him a Phantom.

Originally Posted by Raj

Maybe the Phantom Hourglass is Hyrule/the great sea. I mean there is no basis for this guess whatsoever, but maybe if this does take place after the wind waker there comes a point where like the hourglass the sky is empty and the great sea is full, and must be turned back rightside up(Great Sea dries up). I know, it's kind of confusing and slightly stupid, but hey, it's an idea nonetheless.

Huh...that sorta makes sence in it's own little way. Sure hourglasses are famous to have sand in it, but that's not the only way to tell time. Nowadays there are oil hourglasses (more like minute-glasses). Sand goes from the top to the bottom. Water come from the sky and onto the land. Now it's time to flip that timer. So, is it possible that PH Link will give drought to the sea?

Now that sorta explains your aspect about the hourglass...but not the phantom part.

Think about it. Phantom could mean gannon, and hour-glass could make it something related to time. Though I did hear someone that Ganon wasn't going to be in it.