Game Info
GAME NAME: Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
DEVELOPER(S): Nintendo EAD
PUBLISHER(S): Nintendo
PLATFORM(S): Nintendo DS
GENRE(S): Action adventure
RELEASE DATE(S): December 7, 2009
The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, for the Nintendo DS, is pretty good!
Something made me laugh in Game Informer’s review of this. Andrew Reiner stated that this was his least favorite Zelda title yet. But the game STILL got an 8 out of 10! If the “worst” Zelda game got an 80%, that bodes well for the rest of the series, no?
I admit, I’m a Zelda fanboy. The Zelda games are my absolute favorite series of video games. However, I will tell you when there is a bad Zelda game. Majora’s Mask for the Nintendo 64? Awful. See? I just did it. The Phillips CDi games? Atrocious. I just did it again!
Having cleared the air, I think this is a pretty solid entry in the series, but it’s not on par with some of the console games. What we have is a great handheld game, and a good Zelda game.
The controls are 100% touch-screen. Some have disliked this change to the series, preferring to have the option to use the classic D-Pad and buttons control scheme. I can empathize, but I feel the touch controls are extremely well-implemented. Draw a line to throw your boomerang in that exact arc, for example. You can’t do that with the other Zelda titles!
The music is decent, but it lacks something in the way of impressiveness. I like a game to draw me in with it’s soundtrack, and this simply didn’t do it.
DS games never look pretty, but this is one of the better-looking games on the system. Everything is pretty clear and colorful, even on that tiny screen.
One thing I really loved (oddly enough) was the implementation of the DS’s microphone to actually blow into the flute as you’re playing. It’s little touches like that that really impress me and make you feel like you’re Link.
Story-wise, I really liked it. It’s nice to have a cohesive plot and storyline in my Zelda games now, so I don’t have to fret over where what games fit into which timeline. It’s a direct sequel to the previous DS Zelda, The Phantom Hourglass (which in turn was a direct sequel to Wind Waker), and throws some fun little references to the previous two games out every so often.
Oh yeah, not sure if you casual Zelda fans knew, but there are TWO separate timelines in the Zelda universe. Time literally splits at one point in the Ocarina Of Time, creating two universes. Wrap you head around that!
I digress.
Nintendo removed some of the irritating features from Phantom Hourglass (come on, timed dungeons? Really?), and added some nifty new features. This is the first game that allows Princess Zelda to come with you. Or, at least, her spirit. She can take over statues and certain baddies, which allows you to access other places. It’s a nice touch.
All in all, I really enjoyed Spirit Tracks, and it’s a worthy entry in the series. It doesn’t hold up to the blockbusters of Legend Of Zelda-dom such as A Link To The Past or Twilight Princess, but it gets the job nicely, and in a very fun way.
