The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Blog Post: The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks Review

noahpickle101 — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Note: I don't believe in bad Zelda games.

First of all, Spirit Tracks doesn't quite give you that Zelda feel, I mean if you've played Twilight Princess or Ocarina in time you'll probably find Spirit Tracks is strange. Plus, in all the world is very similar to Phantom Hourglasses.

It's very easy to play, all you have to do is slide the stylus on the screen, but some times that can be annoying, like in the overly-easy final boss fight. The graphics, on the other hand are very good all though a lot of the dungeons look the exact same and when your riding a train, it's a bit blurry and there's to many pixels. The sound track is new with many new songs on the Spirit Flute. My favorite song on the Spirit Flute was in the final boss fight, I still have that tune stuck in my head.

The game was a strange experience and very annoying, especially when I had to deflect fireballs from Zelda with my sword. Although the saddest part of all is when you have to direct Zelda with the stylus while she's in a phantom suit. The game is very fun in the dungeons though, besides controlling phantom-Zelda, outside of the though, the game feels a little sloppy.

Now, finally on the bright side Spirit Tracks has many great things to, I always found side missions to be fun when I was stuck. Also, the map was classic, with forest, snow, ocean, fire, and sand temples spread out across Hyrule. There's actually about ten temples if you count going to the Tower of Spirits and play that whole dungeon.

Lastly, train riding. I don't have much to be said on this topic, because all you really do on your train is shoot beasts with cannons and go places, though you can upgrade it just as you can your ship on Phantom hourglass. Train tracks are basically the only way to get around so try not to run into dark trains:)

I thought this was a great game even though it had many minor issues.

NOAH

Blog Post: Good, but essentially more Phantom Hourglass. Nintendo needs to return to its roots.

Gabe — Fri, 27 May 2011 12:53:00 GMT

First, I would like to say that I am a huge fan of The Legend of Zelda and wholeheartedly enjoy Spirit Tracks. That said, this game was not on par with the series. It's world is very similar to that of Phantom Hourglass in terms of exploration, which is virtually nonexistant. There is essentially no overworld to explore, and the towns and sanctuaries offer very little exploration possibility. For example, in the Anouki Village, there is a stamp station, a very half-baked game mechanic that essentially is Nintendos attempt to give this game some exploration incentive, and a blastable wall section. The stamp station is very easy to find, only requiring you to come back after you have the snow temple's weapon. Behind the blastable wall is a very difficult block pushing puzzle (which, by the way, are used very well in the snow temple.) that results in you being rewarded with an item which, if you are not horrible at the game, you already have multitudes of. The treasure-hunting machanic is back, but this time, treasure is the only way to get train cars, and in order to do so, you must put up with Linebeck III, Linebeck's grandson, who looks and acts the same as the original. However, when you go to Linebeck's shop, Linebeck's theme, a very catchy seafaring-ish theme which you were rarely treated to in Phantom Hourglass. This game also has very little in the way of side-quests, the main ones being attempting to find all the stamp stations and ferrying people and goods back and forth on your train. However, it is definitely up to par in dungeon design, including some very clever two-person puzzles in the Tower of Spirits, the game's central dungeon that must be revisited multiple times. I still wish that they would allow you to choose a control scheme more in the vein of A Link to the Past, but this is a very minor complaint, as the current controls usually work quite well and my only real problem is that they feel too simplistic, as though they were directed towards casual gamers. All in all, this game is very good, but needs more exploration opportunities, and deeper side quests.

Blog Post: So....THIS is the Unfortunate Direction They Chose to Go with HANDHELD Zeldas.

napajeni — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:40:00 GMT

PREFACE:

It’s not surprising that anything with Zelda in its name will inevitably receive all kinds of hype; garnering praise and all other accolades. Of course, that is only to be expected with all the fan boys running around. Sometimes, however, mistakes are made. I'll start by saying this game is yet another example of the WRONG direction to go with a franchise that was once great. Every other Zelda has that flare about them. They have that 'IT' factor like Zelda 2 with its unmatched difficulty. The plot twist and unforgettable game play of Link's Awakening is another example. Of course who could forget the Oracle games expanding on the handheld adventure Link's Awakening offered MASSIVELY with their unique password system - just to name a few nice “mechanics” those games have. I could go on forever with those exemplary games alone! Then we have the DS ABOMINATIONS – Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. Apparently, Eiji and friends thinks it is SO epic and innovative to create these lazy, BORING, repetitive, SIMPLE, and bland Zeldas. I often feel like I am playing a tech demo. I'll get to that later, but now I'll explain to all why this game is just another disappointment in the form of a WAKE UP call to Nintendo.

ARGUMENT:
Well, where do I begin? I’ll start with the blatant redundancies, among other things. If it's not train riding EVERYWHERE for 5+ minutes, then you'll be taking tiring trips to the Tower of Spirits. For the record, YOU STILL HAVE TO GO BACK TO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN LIKE THE TEMPLE OF THE OCEAN KING! That does not make it better. Instead, it’s even more stale and repetitive as a result! Even though you can skip rooms, there are still loads more exhausting rooms to go through to make up for those skipped; therefore balancing that out. Why does such a thing have to be established anyway? Simply put, if you factor in the long-winded Tower of Spirits and its puzzles ALONG with the exhausting train rides EVERYWHERE, it will get pretty repetitive (not to mention tiring) to you too.

Now I’ll talk more about the train, Tower of Spirits, and I’ll even talk a bit about the Spirit Flute. For one, voiding out exploration, the prime factor in the franchise (and basically any RPG and action/adventure game for that matter) was NEVER a good thing to begin with. Being strapped and required to ride some mode of transportation only added fuel to the fire. What is WRONG WITH LINK'S FEET NINTENDO? Instead, we're subject to riding everywhere just to reach destinations. This is where the ridiculous PADDING factors in – the incredibly slow train and the long-winded Tower of Spirits! In actuality, no matter how you look at it, this joke of a game is incredibly short. So, what do lazy developers do to cheaply lengthen a game because they were too sorry to even TRY? They PAD incredibly; to say the least which is just pathetic. They (and you fan boys) may think it’s innovative and epically awesome to travel 5+ minutes EVERYWHERE on the train and waste 20+ more each venture through the Tower of Spirits, but even to the mildly observant it’s obvious to see this pathetic padding. So, getting tired and bored a few hours in this crap of a game is completely understandable when you consider the ridiculous padding alone. Now it’s time to talk about the Spirit Flute. When was the last time an instrument was implemented in the franchise anyway, the Oracle games perhaps? It doesn't matter, but when you apply a half-baked instrument like the Spirit Flute, you can’t help but feel they could’ve done much better. Now, I give them props for establishing microphone controls through this thing as it is rare to see such controls in any DS game, but it feels like a clumsy prototype of what it should be. The most it could do is play a rather catchy tune, unlock train tracks, solve some of the usual “so simple a caveman can do it” puzzles, and ultimately teach you how to blow into your DS’s microphone. I fail to see why people can’t grasp the simple mechanics behind that.

Now I’ll talk about the fatal flaw of the game, or at least to gamers like me – how painfully SIMPLE it is. I’m a core gamer. Nintendo needs to respect the fact that there are more than just casual and kid gamers out there. This game is NOT for core gamers. However, since that pennant “E”rating is slapped on the majority of Nintendo games, you can’t help but to expect the game to entertain EVERYONE. Instead, this game is just another example of “Nintendo Marketing 101”, which basically means most games they slap their seal on these days are for everyone EXCEPT core gamers! Now I said above that I felt like I was playing a tech demo. Well let me explain it here. Due to the non-existent difficulty, it's not hard to see how you just have to tap here, draw a line there, swipe your stylus this way, jot down notes and make all kinds of geometric shapes and drawings to play and complete these games. How simple to say the very least. I guess they don't realize most gamers are over the age of six, can count to ten, recite ALL 26 of their ABCs, and tie their shoes. Why is this game so freaking easy? Do I even need to mention how generous this game is at keeping you alive with hearts alone? What is the point of extra heart containers? Is it even possible to get a game over, let alone near one? There isn't a single 'tough' spot in this game at all. Games are better off PUNISHING the player instead of insulting their intelligence by being this simple. Why does this matter? Well, if you care to get some sort of sense of accomplishment out of your games, then it should matter. Let the gamer feel they got their money’s worth by offering A CHALLENGE at the very least. Stop offering simplistic game play with a tutorial on touch-screen controls. That's what the DS’s manual is for. Now I’m not saying DS games play like tech demos, as every one of them in some way, shape, or form has some sort of touch screen control. What I mean is the amount of effort required to actually TRY in the game. Taking baby steps is NOT the way to play a game; requiring some level of skill is! I can’t help but feel that way when I can play every other Zelda and instantly and effortlessly be immersed in them through their many quirks, get some sort of challenge out of them, and enjoy them as a result. Speaking of other Zeldas, it makes me laugh hysterically 'til this day how people can label Zelda 2 the black sheep of the franchise and bash it, but praise these elementary school fundamentals that this game and Phantom Hourglass is. Other than 20+ years of technology, Zelda 2 owns these games in every way with difficulty ALONE. Of course, Zelda 2 is just one reminder of where the franchise was and how original and great it was as well. These days, it's about boring and simple adventures attached to transportation with an elementary tutorial on touch screen controls and how to blow into the microphone strapped to it.

VERDICT:
Don’t believe the hype! The typical fan boys blinded by their own ignorance and a petty display of graphics and sounds are the ones hyping up garbage like this so it would seem impossible to know how this crap REALLY plays! Don’t mind the fan boy montage. Instead, see this game as it truly is: yet another lazy simplicity given ratings and a price tag way too undeserving. With that said, ask yourself: Do you really want to go through all that over and over again, let alone ONCE? Think about how monotonous and severely exhausting the train rides and Tower of Spirits is alone. Do you really want to punish yourself with all that padding and those blatant redundancies? How about the rest of the game, where you solve one simple little joke of a puzzle after another THEN entertain yourself with a plethora of surprisingly amusing side quests that only serve to fill the huge void left by the game’s incredibly and pathetically small length which further contributes to the epic padding? The only pros I can think of that surprisingly exist in this game are the extremely creative boss battles and the music, which is actually a joy to listen to albeit a bit redundant. That’s a huge change compared to Phantom Hourglass’s “music” however; and deserves to be stated. As far as the boss battles go, they make a triumphant return from Phantom Hourglass. They are still pathetically simple like the rest of the game, but other than that, they are actually pretty amazing as far as creativity goes. Aside from how simple the boss battles are, the creativity factored in them leads me to ask the developers this question: WHY DID YOU PUT EFFORT INTO THIS PART OF THE GAME ONLY?! Everything else was just lazily and simply done, and padded! Other than that, this game doesn't have much to sell itself. There’s way too much padding, and it’s just way too simple, redundant, and tiring as a result. If that’s how you like your games, then clearly and obviously this game (and Phantom Hourglass since they are both designed the same pathetic way) is perfect for you. Now, I’m sure many of you may not agree with the review I gave this game, which is fine, but you cannot deny the many flaws I touched up on. Is it SO wrong to want a game that's at least challenging? Anyway, Zelda was once amazing. It was one of the first RPGs and action/adventure franchises I ever tried. It isn't just the nostalgia, but how ORIGINAL it used to be and it felt like an honest effort as well. Padding, SIMPLE game play, and lack of originality and dedication is the cornerstone of Nintendo and their games these days; and this game is NO exception and a great example of those signature flaws.

Blog Post: Getting Old

Timothy Abney — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:22:00 GMT

Okay, honestly, when are they going to give up? Really think about it. How many Zelda games have been made? It's starting to turn into the Final Fantasy Series, and people still don't think they've done enough. I believe when you start making sequel after sequel after sequel, someone should have gotten rid of the creator a long time ago or stopped the series after the first 5.

Blog Post: The legend of zelda spirit tracks

linktriforce...ridin in the roflcopter — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:44:00 GMT

The legend of zelda spirt tracks does deliver on good gameplay, though it does not impress. i have been a long time zelda fan and this game should be called the legend of zelda the same old same old

Blog Post: Great game, too short

Flurrie4 — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:00:00 GMT

Legend of Zelda has been around a long time. It almost always innovates. This game innovates little from a TECHNICAL standpoint, but there was one innovation I loved.

SPOILER ALERT

The Items. They have been fixed. In the last adventure: Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, there was, for the first time in Zelda history, no item that had not been used in a previous installment. This was incredibly disapointing, especially considering the previous game in the serieswas Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, where there were only about four items previously used, and three of them were optional. Spirit Tracks rips this problem right open, with the boomerang of elements, optional bombs, and a whip with the utility of the grappling hook and combat applications of the cane of Byrna.

The world is bigger. So much bigger. The "Uncharted Islands" of Phantom Hourglass are replaced with the "Lost Train Stations". Instead of having the whole "sea" open from the beginning and completely empty, completing sidequests earns you sections of track. The train functions exactly like the boat from the last game, but imagine if while swimming around, you were being chased by kamikaze torpedoes that kill you if they touch you. Ouch. Some of the best segments in this game are of outwitting the malicious trains. Instead of warp frogs, there are warp tunnels. Think Back to the future 3.

If you have been playing Legend of Zelda your entire life, prepare to get schooled in the Temple of Sand. I won't say much, but it raises a philisophical question: Is it right to take precious artifacts out of the big chest?

Finally, treasure. They DOUBLED the amount of treasure in the last game, and instead of selling it for money, you're using it to buy ship partstrain parts. (You can sell it if that's you're thing) This was hands down one of the BEST ideas in this game.

There were two low points in the game:

1. The big key. They made this the cheapest thing ever. Remember floor masters? Well, try being chased by five of them. At the same time. WHILE HOLDING THE BIG KEY. If you are having trouble, remember: the bow of light can travel over bottomless pits.

2. Serenades. These are crucial to the game, but incredibly stupid. Imagine every time Sheik tried to teach you a new song in Ocarinaof Time, you're niece made you fail several hundred times for no good reason. Now Nintendo gives you a virtual simulation in case your niece is sick!

Over all, Great game. Better than Phantom Hourglass? Definitly. Is it more frustrating than all the other games combined? Definitly.

Blog Post: Interesting concept for a DS game.

BioMaster J — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:33:00 GMT

This game is an interesting idea, but for some reason they decided to make it a bit difficult now I can see hardcore gamers enjoying this game but lets be truthful this game seems more pointed towards children but why make it as difficult as it is, Iv been gaming for over a decade and I really cant see a 10 year old kid picking up the game and dealing with the stress related puzzles this game tosses at you, besides that the game is great it has the classic Zelda setting and strong relationship building characters, the bosses are really cool and it seems they put great effort into making them, id love to see Zelda on a better handhold but hey thats just me. I think Nintendo needs to revert from the cartoonistic link and go back to the original real life link, that would make me happy and Im sure it would appeal more towards hardcore gamers, ima give this game a 8.25 its good but it doesnt give me the awe that other Zelda games have.

Blog Post: Good DS game

Alex — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 02:58:00 GMT

This game is a perfect example of a DS game. The graphics are expected alittle fuzzy but, it's a great adventure and great story like most zelda games. I just love the "zelda going into a night's armor" thing.

Blog Post: Link on the Rails

Cypress Grella — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 05:22:00 GMT

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass was one of my favorite games on the DS back when I first played it. Now another zelda games ushers it's self onto the Nintendo DS.

When I first heard about spirit tracks I was extremely excited. It seemed like an eternity before the games release in December. When I finally got the game I was some what disappointed. Many things that made phantom hourglass so great were not present in spirit tracks. The most noticeable change was the removal of the sailing sequences which has been replaced by a much more confined train sequence. I won't go as far as to saying that these train segments ruin the exploration of the game, they are certainly more monotonous than the sailing sequences from Phantom Hourglass.

Another thing I really enjoyed about phantom hourglass was collecting spirits to power up certain pieces of equipment. spirit tracks has removed any collectable that can allow you to shoot a sword beam like the courage gems allowed in phantom hourglass. I did notice some new changes, such as receiving a new shield and a new suit for collecting a certain number of "items", they didn't have the same effect as the power ups did.

Those were some of the things that I felt spirit tracks did wrong, even though it removed alot of fun things that phantom hourglass had, it also added some new features that were actually very fun. My favorite was the new boss fights, while phantom hourglass was the first handheld zelda game to try full 3D boss fights some of them were quite lack luster, every single boss fight in spirit tracks was fun and very memorable. Even some of the small changes helped quite alot for spirit tracks, I was very relieved with the new double tap to roll control. Spirit Tracks also felt like much more of a classic zelda experience to me than phantom hourglass did, now that there wasn't an entire overworld of ocean it looked more like a zelda world the Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass did. Another thing that was quite entertaining was getting to control Zelda (sort of) for the first time in LOZ history.

Everyone who ever played Phantom Hourglass remembers the nightmarish Temple of the Ocean King. Yes spirit tracks has a main temple, no it is not as horrible as the one from Phantom Hourglass. This time around you will take on the temple on floor at a time. The floor you are currently working on can be easily accesed by a spiral staircase that leads to every individual floor. Also the timer which was one of the worst things about Phantom Hourglass's temple has been removed from Spirit Tracks.

So even with those mistakes made in Spirit Tracks I still found it to be quite entertaining and a game worthy of bearing the Zelda name, I recommend any fans of Phantom Hourglass to give it a try.

Blog Post: I think Gameinformer was a bit too harsh with this reveiw

Spy is a Spy — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:17:00 GMT

IT's a very great game.

I don't know why gameinformer gave it that low of a score anyway

better controlls

interseting stroy

nice graphics fora handheld

also great music

Blog Post: I liked the game pretty well...

April — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 16:37:00 GMT

The concept is cute, I like the way it looks (more) like the original concepts. But the puzzles are a little... bleh... and the fact that it's on a train is pretty boring... ugh... why not run through a castle again, or something else... a train???

Blog Post: Link + Thomas the Tank Engine = Awesome

_MrZ_ — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 22:27:00 GMT

This is a true zelda game, no doubt about it. Trains or not, the dungeons are great, the land is vast, and the bosses are EPIC. The absence of an overworld is a little sad, but the train adds some interesting options to the mix, as does your companion, Princess Zelda herself.

The dungeons are still great, with tons of puzzles (some fairly difficult) to keep you occupied. Link still has his trusty sword and shield, but plenty of new and unique items will be added into your arsenal. Combat is good, and the controls are near identical to those of Phantom Hourglass. Also like Phantom Hourglass (to my dismay) is the Tower of Spirits (which is much like the Temple of the Ocean King). What I like about it is that this time around, Zelda will help you as a Phantom through these parts, making for some unique puzzles.

The train is the newest mode of transport for our Peter Pan-like adventurer, and gives you some new challenges. Don't let it scare you away from this game: the only things you have to fear about this engine are transport missions, and evil trains on the tracks (which you will find to be invincible, but stupid). You can custimize your train with a variety of parts to help it survive longer against the wildlife (and other things) that will try to kill you.

Overall, Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is another great Zelda game for the DS. With new and creative additions to your arsenal and transport, it proves to stand as its own game. Any Zelda fan will enjoy playing this fine game for hours on end, treking every last mile of track and acquiring every last train part, with Zelda by your side.

Blog Post: s

cat-attacker — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 23:45:00 GMT

I would of given better but the puzzles are to easy.

Blog Post: Awesome Game

steelerzfan101 — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 16:59:00 GMT

This was overall a really fun game. It was a nice new direction for the series. The train gameplay was interesting and it provided for some fun when I was getting from place to place in the game. Another thing is once again the stylus controls. They work really well and they are perfect for the game. The dungeons are really awesome and the bosses are much bigger than the last game, that is how I like them! One of my favorite things about this game is how you can control Zelda when she is Phantom.

Blog Post: Nintendo polishing up the hourglass with a small price

Michael — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 20:42:00 GMT

The game is great all the way in and I do agree with you guys that the train sequences can be slightly boring yet at the same time I like the train as I feel like I'm more of the video game badass in it than I do in a boat. The game continues to have the ability to customize the train which I particularly loved in the first game and keeps things fresh with a fresh batch of puzzles. However having played the Ocarina of Time years back and playing some Majora's Mask the other day I feel like the puzzles in the series are heading in the wrong direction. Back in the day the series was famous for having puzzles that made you actually sit back and think. Yet now when i play this and phantom hourglass I feel like I'm just running through smacking things with my sword to complete a puzzle. As a result you don't get that feeling of accomplishment that always came with the little puzzle complete jingle back in the day. Although I will admit that I too hated the water temple I would gladly take it back to get the thrill of the old puzzles back. Anyway this game still pulls off the quirky version of link on the handheld with classic fun and the ability to thrill even the hardcore Legend of Zelda fans.

Blog Post: A Fantstic Adventure

Ed — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:25:00 GMT

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks does not deviate from the common formula found in most Zelda games. It does, however, take that formula and polish it brighter than ever before. Most complaints leveled against Phantom Hourglass, the first DS Zelda game, have been resolved and what we are left with is a fantastic and lengthy adventure that any Zelda fan would be bonkers to miss out on.

This Gameinformer review is actually the first review I have read that complained about the train tracks. Do these parts get a little stale? Yes, but that is like saying the icing on this delicious cake isn't sweet enough. The game is fantastic and I am more than willing to look past a couple of long train rides to experience everything else this game has to offer. Some people are unable to look past the bad and see all the good, but luckily most of us are not like that. Spirit Tracks is the best Handheld Zelda game yet made.

File: Spirit Tracks Meets Flipnotes 3: Link Is A Smart Guy

Jeff Cork — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:23:00 GMT

Link knows how to think his way out of a jam, as shown in this little animation created by Aardman Studios using the DSi program Flipnote Studios.

File: Spirit Tracks Meets Flipnotes 2: Link Is Not Good At Hats

Jeff Cork — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:22:00 GMT

In this second video, made by Aardman Studios in the DSi program Flipnote Studio, we learn that Link can't keep a hat on to save his life.

File: Spirit Tracks Meets Flipnotes 1: Link Is Sneaky

Jeff Cork — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 22:20:00 GMT

Aardman Studios made this little animation in Nintendo's Flipnote Studios. Warning: It is very cute.

Blog Post: Never to disapoint

Roxas Num.XIII — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 23:32:00 GMT

The Legend of Zelda has always been an acomplishment of nintendo. The characteristics of each character is always well thought out. Their new game Spirit Tracks has been their next biggest acomplishment. Link now has a new role in the game. He is now a train conductor. In the trailer, I saw that you have to fight while you are in the train. That actually seems like a great idea.

[View:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6dgiMig8Bk:610:530]