Action role-playing game
An important influence on the action RPG genre was the 1986 action-adventure, "The Legend of Zelda", which served as the template for many future action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs, such as "Dragon Slayer" and "Hydlide," which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, "The Legend of Zelda" featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open-world, nonlinear gameplay, and introduced new features such as battery backup saving. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Game Revolution appreciated the game's graphics, and noted that it uses the Nintendo DS's features better than any other game for the console. Praising its "innovative" and "fun" control scheme, GameSpot felt that "Phantom Hourglass" "gives new life to several of the series' age-old concepts". "X-Play" wrote that "Phantom Hourglass" definitely felt like a "The Legend of Zelda" game, calling it another successful video game for the franchise and a "must-have" for anyone that owns a Nintendo DS. "The Onion"s entertainment newspaper "The A.V. Club" remarked that "Phantom Hourglass" exploits the Nintendo DS's touchscreen to the fullest extent in an "imaginative and genuinely fun way". In a perfect 5-star review, "Empire" stated that ""Phantom Hourglass" is one of Nintendo's greatest achievements and a contender for the best handheld adventure in console history."