The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Spirit Tracks continues its style of gameplay from Phantom Hourglass, in which players use the stylus to control Link and use weapons and items. The game is divided into an overworld, which Link traverses using the Spirit Tracks, and towns and dungeons which he travels by foot. The player alternates between exploring the overworld and exploring towns and dungeons in order to complete the game's main story, but may opt to complete sidequests for further rewards. In the overworld and dungeons, the player is able to make notes on their current map as an aid in puzzle solving and continuing the story. In the overworld, Link is able to direct his train across land, with the ability to control speed and forward or reverse direction, to turn at track intersections, and to blow the train's whistle to scare animals off the tracks. Similarly to Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks features a central dungeon, which uses a spiral staircase to access upper floors instead of having the player traverse the same floors multiple times as in the previous game. Also, although safe zones are still present, being used to hide from Phantoms, the dungeon does not feature a curse that Link needs to protect himself from for a limited amount of time. ==Synopsis==

Spirit Tracks is the last game in the Adult Era of the "Victorious Hero" timeline within the Zelda continuity: it takes place a century following the events of The Wind Waker and its direct sequel Phantom Hourglass. Long ago, Spirits known as Lokomos escaped their realm to end a war with the Demon King Malladus by sealing him away below the Tower of Spirits with the "Spirit Tracks", a network of chains that runs across the region. Following the events of The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, the previous incarnations of Link and Zelda settled the land, christening it as "New Hyrule" after their old homeland. The inhabitants of New Hyrule develop steam trains that can travel on the Spirit Tracks. A century later, a new incarnation of Link successfully graduates as a train engineer. At his graduation ceremony in Hyrule Castle, he meets the new incarnation of Princess Zelda and her chancellor Cole. Zelda befriends Link and asks for his aid in escaping Hyrule Castle to investigate the vanishing Spirit Tracks. On their way to the Tower of Spirits, the source of the Spirit Tracks' power, it is revealed that Cole is a demon serving Malladus. With his accomplice Byrne, Cole disembodies Zelda's spirit from her body. As only a host with sacred blood can sustain Malladus, Cole plans to allow Malladus to possess Zelda's body. Spirit-Zelda flees to Hyrule Castle, while the Tower of Spirits fragments as the disappearing rails loosen Malladus' bonds. Link attempts to attack Cole, but is knocked unconscious by Byrne. Link awakens back in Hyrule Castle, where he meets the disembodied Zelda. They manage to enter the Tower of Spirits, and meet the lokomo Anjean, who instructs the two to restore the Tower of Spirits and the Spirit Tracks. Link is almost killed by a Phantom, a guardian of the tower, but Zelda saves him by possessing the Phantom. Together, Link and Zelda discover glyphs that restore the Spirit Tracks, facilitating travel to the regions of Hyrule. Anjean entrusts Link and Zelda with the Spirit Train, which they use to travel throughout Hyrule, and the Spirit Flute, a magical pan flute that Link uses to duet with Lokomos across Hyrule to restore more Spirit Tracks. Together, Link and Zelda defeat servants of Malladus that have corrupted temples in New Hyrule and successfully repair the Tower of Spirits. On their return, Link and Zelda are ambushed by Byrne, revealed to be a Rogue Lokomo. Anjean battles him and teleports Link and Zelda away. Despite the Tower being repaired, Malladus is resurrected into Zelda's body and betrays Byrne before fleeing into the Dark Realm. Anjean instructs the group to find the Bow and Compass of Light. Link does so and Anjean gives him the "Lokomo Sword" which can kill Malladus. Link and Zelda enter the Dark Realm and remove Malladus from Zelda's body. A reformed Byrne sacrifices himself in the process and Malladus possesses Cole to destroy the world. Calling on the power of the Lokomos via the Spirit Flute, Link and Zelda use the Lokomo Sword and the Bow of Light in tandem to defeat Malladus, allowing Anjean, the Lokomos and Byrne's spirit return to the Spirits' Realm as Link and Zelda holds hands. A post-credits scene shows Zelda writing in her room; depending on a dialogue choice, Link either becomes a royal guard she watches training, returns as an engineer to whom Zelda waves from her window, or vanishes on an unknown path. ==Development==

at the 2007 Game Developers Conference The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks was developed by Nintendo EAD. It was developed by one part of the Legend of Zelda team, the other working on Skyward Sword. The graphics were chosen, similarly to Phantom Hourglass, as a result of the decision that toon shading would be best to deliver the games on their chosen platform. Aonuma commented that with realistic graphics, it would make the characters poorly scaled to their surroundings, adding that though possible, it was not ideal. The music in the game was composed by Toru Minegishi, Manaka Tominaga, and Asuka Ota. Minegishi wrote the main overworld music and shared the work on field, character and event themes with Tominaga. Series sound composer Koji Kondo contributed the ending theme, while Ota was responsible for some of the music in the multiplayer mode. The concept for Spirit Tracks came to Aonuma while he was reading a children's book to his son. The book, titled concerned a group of children creating a railway line in a magical countryside region. Iwamoto felt that Spirit Tracks should not be too like other Zelda titles, citing an argument that occurred that the train was not a good fit for the series, splitting the staff between those who thought the train should be changed, and those who successfully fought to keep the train. Aonuma felt that the team had created new ways of playing, while retaining several elements from the series. Aonuma commented that because the puzzles were designed by a designer who was formerly a programmer, they felt different to him. The use of the train was fixed early on, but the concept of players building train tracks was discarded as Aonuma saw it as a "nightmare" to manage. In questioning why an enemy character would aid Link, the team came up with the idea that a second character would take control of the Phantom; Zelda was ultimately chosen because she was "an interesting and appropriate character". The multiplayer was incorporated based on Miyamoto's liking for The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, wanting something more than the earlier game's battle mode. A survey conducted in the United States signified consumers preferred more independent female characters, including Zelda's alter egos Sheik (from Ocarina of Time) and Tetra (from The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass). Iwamoto expressed an interest in making Zelda "a more integral part" of Spirit Tracks, in addition to being a more independent character. As a result, Zelda actively adventures alongside Link in spirit form, in sharp contrast to the damsel-in-distress role she fulfills in some earlier installments in the series. There was also a conscious effort to contradict the "princess" aspect of Zelda's character to defy the player's expectations. She was designed and written to behave like any girl her age would, despite her royal status, particularly in her friendship with Link. This is particularly displayed in several comedic scenes early in the game when she is still getting used to being a ghost, and when she becomes hysteric over her missing body. Aonuma felt that the inclusion of Zelda as Link's partner in both storyline and gameplay was his favourite part of the game, commenting that Spirit Tracks highlights her personality and characteristics better than other titles in the series. The antagonists were written to have more personality than in previous entries, with Byrne and Cole being played as contrasting rivals while also being Link's main opponents. Despite the clear signs of peace being restored, the ending was left a little ambiguous so players could imagine what Link and Zelda were doing, and were given a little choice with the question Zelda asks before the final battle. ==Release==

The game was officially confirmed in March 2009. The game's subtitle differed between English and Japanese. The English version was decided early on before the Japanese subtitle (Train Whistle of the Wide World) was finalized. Originally using the Spirit Flute, known in Japanese as the "Whistle of the Wide World", was used in the subtitle. Feeling this title would be too long, and after toying with using the English title as inspiration, the current subtitle instead emphasised the train travel across large areas. The Japanese names of world regions paid homage to the subtitle. ==Reception==

Pre-release When it was revealed, the fan reaction to Spirit Tracks was stronger than the reaction to the Nintendo DSi reveal beforehand. In his impressions, IGNs Craig Harris found the storyline to be "compelling" with an "interesting premise". He felt that the gameplay was much like Phantom Hourglass, and the plot was enough to get him "jazzed" about Spirit Tracks. IGN UKs Emma Boyes, in her impressions of the multi-player mode, commented that how players can lose the majority of their Force Gems in one hit makes the mode have tension and balance. She called the single and multi-player modes a "huge amount of fun". IGNs Mark Bozon commented that it had a lot of "déjà vu" as well as several great additions to the series. He commented that the controls for Princess Zelda were simple, though her "constant chatter" and "slow movement speed" caused the game to slow down at some parts, but ultimately felt that it was overall a good addition. IGN commented that Spirit Tracks was set to be a "worthy sequel" to Phantom Hourglass. In discussing its potential appearance at E3, IGNs Craig Harris felt that if a playable demo was not featured for it, Nintendo would show an "absolutely epic trailer that will bring fanboys to tears in the same way the company did with Twilight Princess in 2004". They awarded it Best Action game for the Nintendo DS at E3 2009, as well as runner-up for best DS game E3 2009 and best handheld game at E3 2009. GameSpots Sophia Tong commented that it was "well on its way to being a worthy sequel" to Phantom Hourglass, adding that the ability of the characters to "convey the mood" of the game was well-done enough without using voice acting. She also praised its improved visuals over Phantom Hourglass. Fellow GameSpot writer Tom Mc Shea commented that it looked as "charming" as its predecessors. Crave Onlines Erik Norris called it "hilarious and awesome". He praised the change from sea to land, calling it a "guaranteed must-buy". GamesRadars Brett Elston questioned the inclusion of train travel, considering how much criticism sailing received, but noted that it would be a strong addition to the series, though only if they were "no more obnoxious than sailing". In his hands-on of Spirit Tracks, Eurogamers Christian Donlan described the train travel as "natural", calling the railways a "perfect fit" for the cel-shaded world of Spirit Tracks. He called it "another chunk of simple delight; another sweet-natured adventure". It was nominated for best-of-show at the 2009 Gamescom. The Daily Telegraph included it as one of the top 20 most anticipated games of E3, calling its cel-shaded visuals "beautiful" and "innovative" touch-screen controls. Ars Technicas Ben Kuchera praised it for how it exudes a "very pleasant mood and feel". He adds that he has always anticipated it, but the Phantom and train mechanics give it a "flavor of its own". He also commented on the E3 2009 trailer, stating that fans of the series will "be in heaven". Kotakus Stephen Totilo criticized the use of the microphone for items, specifically the "Whirlwind" item, commenting that it would make it difficult to play on the subway with dignity. In his "sneak peek" at Spirit Tracks, Toronto Suns Steve Tilley called it one of his "must-have" video game for the holidays, calling it both "very Zelda-y" and "very fresh". The Independents Michael Plant called it "anticipated". Wired named it the third best portable game at E3 2009, with Gus Mastrapa praising it for its "killer dungeons" and "challenging puzzles". Post-release The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks received generally positive reception, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Official Nintendo Magazines Fred Dutton agreed with it being familiar, calling it a "wonderful game nonetheless". 1UP.coms Jeremy Parish commented that it "doesn't simply coast along on its legacy", calling it a "fine game in its own right". GameRevolutions Blake Morse called it a "fun take on Zelda games", as well as praising how Princess Zelda accompanies Link. However, he criticized the stylus control issues and when the train rides take too long. Eurogamers Oli Welsh called it a "tighter and more rounded game" than both Phantom Hourglass and even "most modern games for grown-up consoles". He also commented that the environments are "sometimes shockingly basic", while the characters were "so detailed, so expressive, so exquisitely animated". GamesRadars Dave Meikleham called it "one of the best Zelda games yet", calling its control scheme intuitive. He adds that the best use of the DS' controls were its items, specifically citing the Spirit Pipes which make use of the DS's microphone. Fellow GamesRadar writer Brett Elston praised the overworld theme, commenting that it put him in an "adventurous mindset", as well as calling it similar to the overworld themes of Phantom Hourglass and The Wind Waker. Nintendo World Reports Neal Ronaghan praised the addition of the train and the quality of the dungeon designs, though criticizing the lessened exploration and control issues, but he specifically praised the Phantom controls. PALGNs Jeremy Jastrzab commented that while it does not stray from its predecessor much, it features "genuine improvements" over it, citing specifically the flute as a major addition to the gameplay. Despite praising some aspects, he commented that it was not right for a portable game. GameTrailers commented that it "addressed the shortcomings" of Phantom Hourglass, calling it "one of the better outings in the series". GameSpys Brian Altano praised the game's dungeons and bosses as "some of the most imaginative" in the series. He also called it "one of the series' shining moments", but he criticized the train travel, saying that it makes backtracking tedious. GameSpots Randolph Ramsay called the dungeons "exciting and well-designed", while also praising its side-quests, boss fights, multi-player, and Phantom gameplay, which he says "adds new depth to the series". RPG Fans Kyle E. Miller commented that he went into Spirit Tracks with "low expectations", expecting a similar reaction to Phantom Hourglass, which he described as "far from amazing". On the other hand, he still found the title disappointing due to the train mechanic, which he states was a "foolish" idea by the developers to build a game around. He adds that while the dungeons and puzzles are good, it all feels "a little tired, brief, and empty", calling it "most likely the series' worst entry". Giant Bombs Jeff Gerstmann also found it disappointing in some ways, though he added that the flaws were offset by "terrific puzzle design and a great, fun story that feels noticeably different from the standard "save the princess" saga that series fans are used to seeing". GamePros Aaron Koehn praised it for its use of the DS's capabilities, calling the game's offerings a "deep experience", but criticized it for taking too long to get going in the beginning and for doing little to differentiate itself from Phantom Hourglass. RPGamers Adriaan den Ouden praised the gameplay, commenting that it was "refined" from Phantom Hourglass; on negative side, he criticized its travel as "slow and tedious", also calling the side-quests "weak delivery subquests". Ars Technicas Ben Kuchera praised the train travel, calling it a "solid length" game and praising it for its touch screen usage. He did however criticize it for its slow beginning and lack of innovation. Stephen Totilo praised the characters and towns, commenting that the characters have "good senses of humor". He also praised the train travel, commenting that while it feels long to use the train sometimes, it can be fun if players multi-task. He called it one of the five best-looking games for the DS, but criticized some aspects of it, specifically its flute item, which he says can be unusable if players are playing on a train for instance. IGN UKs Matt Wales called it a "stunningly presented package", praising the graphics as "packed with personality". He called its soundtrack one of the "franchise's best audio offerings in ages". The Daily Telegraphs Nick Cowen called it both one of the best DS games of 2009 and the best video game for all ages of 2009, calling it "challenging and fun" and "chock-full of side-quests". The Daily Telegraph also included it as the ninth best Christmas gift for teenagers, while Cowen and fellow writer Tom Hoggins included it as their honourable mentions in their top 10 list of video games for 2009. The Guardians Adam Boult commented that while it was not a "huge leap" from Phantom Hourglass, it is "brimming with innovation", strongly recommending it. While he admits that train travel seems restrictive compared to Phantom Hourglass, these restrictions are eventually "put to good use", making traveling an "engaging challenge". Fellow The Guardian writer Greg Howson found Spirit Tracks to be enjoyable, though criticizing the execution of the Spirit Flute. He listed it as his second favourite DS game. USA Todays Jinny Gudmundsen called it an excellent game for kids who enjoy the intellectual challenge of puzzles inside a captivating fantasy story filled with interesting characters. She also commented that kids are able to control both a hero and a heroine. The Independents Rebecca Armstrong called it "endlessly inventive" with "new features galore", citing its usage of the microphone for items. She also called it "pacy, absorbing and very, very playable". Awards and nominations Spirit Tracks was nominated for best handheld game at the Game Developers Choice Awards. It was nominated for the BAFTA GAME Award of 2009 through a reader's choice nomination. Nintendo Life named it runner-up for best Nintendo DS game of 2009, and its readers chose it as their runner-up for best game of the year. It was nominated for several DS-related awards, including best action game, visual excellence, sound excellence, best story, best multiplayer game, and game of the year. It was the readers' choice in every category except for best multiplayer game. IGN, however, named it only one of the runners-up in all of these categories. During the 13th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated Spirit Tracks for "Portable Game of the Year". Sales Spirit Tracks ranked second in its debut week in Japan, selling 291,496 copies. The next week, it fell to third place, selling approximately 126,000 copies. It fell to fifth place the following week, selling approximately 49,000 copies, and falling to eighth place next week, selling approximately 22,000. For the first half of 2010, Spirit Tracks ranked as the 14th best-selling game in Japan, selling 376,054 copies with total sales at the time at 696,995. Forbes Brian Caulfield anticipated that Spirit Tracks would strengthen DSi sales for December. IGN predicted that DSi sales would remain steady, due to Spirit Tracks in part. Nintendo listed Spirit Tracks as a title that will have appeal to a wider age group in its financial report. Former Nintendo of America Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing Cammie Dunaway used Spirit Tracks as a show of its holiday contenders in 2009. Spirit Tracks was anticipated to be the best-selling video game of December 2009 in North America by video game sales analyst Michael Pachter. GamePro predicted that Spirit Tracks would be the fourth best-selling game of December, expecting sales in excess of 725,000 copies. For its debut week, it ranked number one for Nintendo DS games. It retained its position in the following week. Spirit Tracks debuted at 12th place in the United Kingdom's video game sales chart. It was the fourth best-selling DS game in the UK. ==Notes==