Released in the US on December 7th, 2009, Spirit Tracks is a sequel to the Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, in which the events take place one hundred years later in the land of New Hyrule. With concerns of the disappearing tracks across the lands, engineer apprentice Link accepts the invitation of Zelda to secretly investigate this peculiar plight. But tragedy strikes as Zelda is turned to stone by an evil chancellor, leaving her a disembodied spirit. Rather than play the damsel in distress though, she joins Link in a grand adventure to retrieve her body and restore peace to the land of New Hyrule. Offering witty remarks and the ability to possess Phantom Guards for some interesting puzzles, this companionship proves to be a refreshing and endearing change of pace for the series.
Aside from having one of the best ghosts in video games, this game offers many other interesting design decisions unique to the series. Perhaps the most notable is the more linear and structured exploration of the over-world with the use of train tracks. Although this required players to follow set paths, there was still a lot of interesting mechanics to be found in conducting the trains which made the journey all the more interesting. From managing your speed to blowing your whistle for obstacles, cannon combat to carefully charting your course, train travel proved to be an enjoyable form of travel and multi-tasking. And the means of unlocking new tracks and paths still allowed for exciting discoveries in exploration. Not to mention, it was also loads of fun to obtain and deck out your train in new styles.
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| Concept art for the many train part styles. Not all designs were used in the game...thankfully (shivers at Tingle design). |
As this was for the Nintendo DS, the gameplay was very touch-focused and user friendly, similar to that found in Phantom Hourglass. Unlike its predecessor though, this game largely stands above thanks to better, more carefully constructed dungeon design and some thrilling boss fights. Each dungeon is given more personality with use of themes and unique accompanying tunes. In fact, the soundtrack of this whole game is quite stellar, with its stimulating Celtic overtones and upbeat energy. Meanwhile, the boss fights make great use of the dual screens of the Nintendo DS, creating towering behemoths that require clever use of many of Link's arsenal to defeat.
Much like was the case with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this game wasn't afraid to try some bold and interesting new ideas, to which it certainly paid off in creating a very unique and memorable adventure. If you wrote this game off due to what appeared to look like a simplistic handheld entry, do yourself a favor and give it a go. You may find the journey to be more engrossing and worthwhile than expected.
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