reviews

Link and Zelda in Spirit Tracks

 

By Lin Chen

When Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks (Nintendo DS) was first announced, some people grew skeptical of the game. The main reason is that the trailer revealed the green-clad hero Link riding on a train. People thought the idea of using a train in the game’s medieval setting would seem stupid. Now that the game has been released and met with positive reaction, Nintendo might want an apology from those who thought the game would a piece of trash.

Spirit Tracks takes place about a century after Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The game features new incarnations of Link and Princess Zelda who are trying to stop the resurrection of the demon king Malladus. The fiend was previously imprisoned by the magical Spirit Tracks which are scattered across the land of Hyrule and have begun to disappear. Unfortunately for Zelda, the sinister Chancellor Cole kills her to use her body as a vessel for Malladus. This leaves the princess’s spirit behind and Link must help her recover her body and stop Hyrule from falling into ruin.

Spirits Tracks uses the style of gameplay from Phantom Hourglass where the player uses the DS stylus to control Link. The stylus directs Link to move and attack enemies as well as select an assortment of items like the boomerang and bombs. A special item in this game is Spirit Flute, a musical instrument that can be played by blowing into the microphone. Playing songs with the flute and trigger magical properties like uncover hidden items and restore the Spirit Tracks. The player can also access a map located on the top screen of the DS take notes for aid in puzzle solving or further reference.

Exploring the land of Hyrule can be done by riding on Link’s train. The player can control speed, forward or reverse direction, and blow the train’s whistle to scare animals off the tracks. Link later is given a cannon that he can use to defend the train from enemies. Some missions require carrying a passenger along the trails and the player must maintain the passenger’s mood by following signs on the tracks and avoid being attacked. Much further in the game, Link gains a cargo cart which allows him to carry goods from one town to another. While the train segments restrict exploration, there are several locations in this game and with how much can be done with the train, the train isn’t boring at all.

There are several dungeons in this game to explore, each one featuring a new item and boss to beat. One of the dungeons called the Tower of Spirits requires the player to revisit. The tower is divided into sections and once a new section is unlocked by beating each of the other dungeons, the player can advance further on in the tower. At the Tower of Spirits, Zelda’s spirit can possess suits of armors known as Phantoms. The Phantom can be controlled by drawing a path with the DS stylus and can aid Link in several puzzles and enemies.

If the player enjoyed the single-player game, he or she can play a multiplayer game with up to three other friends. Each player takes control of a color-coded Link and must collect as many gems as they can before the timer runs out. The players must also avoid Phantoms who are trying to harm the player and other hazards like pool of lava and lightning. The multiplayer game is a very competitive and fast-paced experience but the lack of online multiplayer is very disappointing.

The game features the same cel-shaded artistic design as that of Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. While the graphical engine isn’t that much improved over Phantom Hourglass, they’re still appealing terms of the DS’s graphical capabilities. The music score in Spirit Tracks is brilliantly composed and fits well with the epic nature of this game.

Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks ends up becoming a great addition to the Zelda series. The difficulty on the game is much improved over Phantom Hourglass which was considered to be too easy. The train segments to limit the exploration element the series is well known for however it still keeps the world open and doesn’t ruin the game at all. Spirit Tracks receives an 9 out of 10.

© 2010 The Daytime.