Written by: Ian

 

 

 

The cell-shaded Zelda games have become a series in their own right since Wind Waker on the GameCube- does this latest iteration, "The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" continue the high standards that have been previously set?

 

The game was also released worryingly close to Christmas, perhaps suggesting that even Nintendo were happy for the game to be lost amongst other titles?

 

So, once again, you take control of Link, and have to go on a mission to save princess Zelda. Like with the previous cell-shaded affairs, this is a child-only affair- with no adult Link in sight.

 

The basic plot is that our hero, Link, has to stop the resurrection of a Demon King. He gets more help from Zelda than normal though, because early on, her body gets stolen, and then her spirit helps guide your through the rest of the game.

 

 

Apart from that, it’s the usual Nintendo story which sees you traversing through various temples, picking up items, and fighting bosses in order to save the day.

 

Spirit Tracks plays very similar to Phantom hourglass. The travelling mechanic is back, but on a train, as I previously described, whilst the on-foot gameplay is lifted entirely from previous Zelda games. That’s not to say I’m bored of the action-RPG mechanic that has been around since the N64’s seminal classic, ocarina of time, however.

 

The game does feel more confined than recent Zelda titles however, due to the train mechanic, and also the puzzle system where you have to avoid crashing into other, indestructible trains isn’t totally brilliant. I much preferred the sea travelling and combat system in the previous game. In fact, the whole title has a much greater emphasis on puzzles than combat than previous titles.

 

Of course, there is a combat element to each of the four temples, and the prerequisite item you collect that you need to use on them in the battle, but there is definitely more puzzling than before- and that’s no terrible thing, as the puzzle design, is, on the whole, excellent. Obviously, you also get a typical array of side quests and puzzles in order to get new items, heart pieces and rupees on top of the main quest, and the whole game is a pretty pleasing length- spirit tracks will probably take most people a good 20 hours to plough through on a first attempt.

 

 

The game mostly controls with the stylus, with a few exceptions, and I’m not a great fan of this, although it’s more a case of getting used to the system than it not working- I’m just personally used to a more traditional system, having spent hours playing other 3D Zelda titles on nintendo’s other various systems over the years! In fact, once you do get used (or reused, as the game’s system is similar to phantom hourglass again) to the controls, the stylus makes it easy to move, fight and solve puzzles without the need for many of the buttons, and the system where you can write text on the map, so you know where to come back to later on in the game has always been really cool.

 

 

Graphically, Spirit Tracks looks very close to Phantom Hourglass. There’s not a lot of improvements, to be honest- even a stickler would be hard pressed to see any upgrades. Also, you could argue that the train sections look worse than the boat sections in the previous Zelda- because the way the sea worked, meant that pop-in was far less obvious than now you are on land. It also makes the game feel less open as well. Having said that, it’s brighter and more colourful, and no DS owner will end up being disappointed to be honest.

 

Sound is also good, and again, this is some of the best stuff in terms of actual quality that you’ll hear on the DS, but again, there’s nothing new at all. The music is all either classic or re-mixed versions of traditional Zelda tunes, whilst Link’s shouts and cries are the same as always, and he remains a mute protagonist.

 

 

Multiplayer is definitely the worst aspect of the game. The plus point is that you only need one cartridge for four player games, but there’s no benefit if you all have a copy- and no wi-fi play either. The single mode is pretty wierd- you run around trying to collect some gems, competing against the other players, and you drop some if you get hit- but you can’t hit other players yourself, as there are no weapons.

 

It’s not very exciting, and there are far better single cart experiences out there. Even if you had the choice of picking up some of the traditional weapons like a sword or boomerang, this would have been a far better option.

 

"The Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks" is not only not as good as the previous DS zelda game, but is not as good quality as other Zelda games on other consoles. I love this series, and so this is pretty disappointing. For all the letdowns- the boring train driving, appalling multiplayer, and a general lack of innovation, the game still has plenty of high points.

 

The classic music and visuals are a delight, and the temple and puzzle design are excellent. Don’t expect anything new, but if you are looking for a solid, 20 hour RPG/ game for your DS, then Nintendo hasn’t disappointed- Spirit Tracks is definitely worth picking up.

 

 

 

 

+ Pretty lengthy
+ Classic music and visuals
+ Temple Design