Derailing The Classic Formula

2009-12-07T23:40:00Z

I’ll just come out and say it: Spirit Tracks is my least favorite Zelda title yet – and this is coming from someone who fell in love with Wind Waker, the Zelda game most commonly cited as the series’ lowest point. If you’ve made the unfortunate misstep of riding a train across the United States, you’ll have a good idea where this game goes wrong. On the railway, Link’s adventure embraces lengthy stretches of countryside travel with little in terms of action or variation.

You’re probably saying, “this is exactly what I hated about Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass’ sailing segments.” Thematically they are similar, but the sailing retained the series’ thrill of exploration – allowing players to veer off of the beaten path to explore any nook and cranny – whereas the train is railroaded into predetermined paths. This linearity removes exploration from the Zelda equation, making the world and progression feel as sterile as moving from world to world in a Mario game.

The train does offer a few standout moments, primarily a clever spin on the series’ trademark Lost Woods. The train’s touchscreen controls are nicely designed, allowing players to place precision cannon shots while keeping tabs on speed and track switching. You can also lay on its horn as much as you want – something I would rightfully abuse on a real train. While showing just a hint of promise, the train doesn’t fit with the Zelda formula. When it’s in play, it saps this journey of its excitement and wonder.

When the conductor hat is thrown to the side, Nintendo shows us that it hasn’t lost a step in dungeon and puzzle design. Once again, Link’s staple items – the boomerang, bombs, etc. – are used in ingenious ways. I especially love how the boomerang channels elemental properties. Moreover, many of the “stumper” puzzles require a fair amount of on-screen note taking, and are unlike any riddles in any other Zelda title.

Adding Princess Zelda as a controllable character further enhances puzzle and dungeon complexity. Players control the princess by drawing her movement paths. This can be as simple as weaving in and out of geometry to avoid tripping a trap, or can be as complex as having her flank an enemy and attack from behind as you distract it with Link. Occasional pathing issues lead to her getting stuck on geometry or stopping in her tracks, but she does comply without error most of the time.

Link’s obsession with the worst music instruments in the world continues with the introduction of the pan flute. The functionality of this device couldn’t have been better, as you play it like a real flute by blowing into the DS’s mic to activate specific notes. Unlike Wind Waker, this instrument is used sparingly, mostly when you see visual clues.

The stylus-based combat is identical to Phantom Hourglass. Sometimes it feels great, allowing you string together a flurry of attacks from enemy to enemy. Other times, the slightest miscalculation in your touch leads to Link rolling off a cliff or running into fire. It hits more than it misses, but I still don’t understand why Nintendo doesn’t include a standard control option for people, like myself, who would prefer to play it like a traditional Zelda title.

Narrative-wise, Spirit Tracks derails in a peculiar way. The initial story set-up is good. The new antagonist, a smarmy chancellor that you’d think was plucked from George Lucas’ trade dispute stories, is only on screen for a few seconds before you want to whack him with your sword. Mysteries tied to Hyrule’s past and the train tracks keep you engaged, and the breadcrumb trail of answers is nicely paced from start to finish. The problem is tied solely to Princess Zelda. Now that she’s at your side for an entire adventure, she essentially becomes your narrator. Her bubbly personality isn’t what I expected. She comes across more like a teenage-angsty Hannah Montana than the calm-yet-troubled princess I knew in previous series iterations. Place her rambling tantrums next to Link’s inability to do anything other than sigh, and the adventure is further taken off course. Multiplayer, while fun, doesn’t offer enough depth to bring me back.

In my tenure as a game critic, I haven’t come across a game that fluctuates between highs and lows as frequently as Spirit Tracks. I often found myself taken aback by an amazing puzzle, only to be bored to death on a train moments later. Even though the path is rocky, this is still a good game. Fans shouldn’t be afraid of it. The train segments could use a shot of adrenaline, and Zelda needs to shut her trap, but the puzzles and dungeons retain the classic charm that keeps us coming back for more.

How Zelda Enters And Interacts With The World Of Spirit Tracks

2009-11-06T16:37:00Z

Throughout the Zelda series, a huge cast of characters has assisted Link on his quests. From the old man lending him a sword at the beginning of his first adventure to Navi, Midna, Tingle, Gorons, and Zoras in the later 3D titles, he’s had no shortage of companions. However, he’s never had a true partner by his side throughout an entire quest. Fans got a taste of Link and Zelda’s partnership while escaping the sewers in Link to the Past and the castle in Ocarina of Time, but Spirit Tracks marks the first time the princess tags along for the entire experience.

Those who played the game at E3 had a chance to check out a segment featuring Link ordering a “phantom” around, using him to distract guards and the like. What was never explained was why exactly the phantom is helping you out. During our recent visit to Nintendo in Seattle, the company unveiled the story elements leading to this gameplay mechanic.

Early in the game, Link is on the way to his graduation ceremony to become an engineer. He’s scheduled to receive his license from Princess Zelda herself, but it’s in danger of being rendered useless thanks to Hyrule’s mysteriously disappearing Spirit Tracks. Strange storms are forming around the Tower of Spirits, the hub of all of Hyrule’s tracks. As the tower itself falls apart and strangely reassembles out of balance, an ominous train appears from the clouds. Chancellor Cole, an odd little man with two green top hats, steps out and reveals that he’s actually a horned demon with sinister intentions. He uses his power to knock Zelda out, hitting her so hard that her spirit separates from her body.

Cole kidnaps Zelda’s physical body, but her spirit form remains with Link for the rest of the adventure. She acts as a guide in the same fashion that Link’s faeries have in the past, but she’ll have far more impact on the gameplay than his former partners. Early in the game, she inhabits the body of the phantom seen in the E3 demo. The player can switch back and forth between the characters easily, controlling Link in the same fashion as in Phantom Hourglass (although the roll has thankfully been re-mapped to a double-tap of the stylus). When you switch to Zelda, it’s a matter of drawing a path for her to follow. She’ll attack enemies, distract guards, and interact with objects.

These segments feel less like an extended escort mission and more like a cooperative one-player experience. Utilizing both Link and Zelda is crucial in the Tower of Spirits. You don’t control both characters throughout the entire experience; she only inhabits the phantom in certain areas. Dungeons are more of a traditional Zelda experience, with Link handling all the combat and puzzles. In these areas, the princess operates as a guide for the player rather than a controllable partner.

One of the primary complaints of Phantom Hourglass involved the repetitive Temple of the Ocean King segments that players were constantly forced to revisit. Spirit Tracks has similar areas in the Tower of Spirits, but their focus is more on progression than repetition. Fighting through each floor over and over isn’t required as you reassemble the tower; instead you go directly to the newly restored floor without trudging through those below it.

While Zelda’s involvement in Spirit Tracks brings a new element to the series’ standard gameplay, it’s still filled with old trademarks. Dungeons still involve collecting keys and items, grabbing the Big Key, and using your newly acquired weapon to take out the boss. We played through the Forest Temple, which is where Link receives the Whirlwind item. By aiming it and blowing into the microphone, you can clear clouds of poison gas and affect certain enemies.

Link’s quest to restore the Spirit Tracks is looking like a worthy and exciting addition to the Zelda series, introducing plenty of new elements while not straying too far from what made the franchise so beloved.

(For a look at Zelda in action, check out Meagan's media post)

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Nintendo DS

Derailing The Classic Formula

How Zelda Enters And Interacts With The World Of Spirit Tracks