The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is a 2009 action-adventure game created and released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld console. The story takes place 100 years after The Wind Waker and its follow-up, Phantom Hourglass. It follows Link and Princess Zelda as they travel through the land of New Hyrule to stop the Demon King Malladus from waking up. Players explore New Hyrule, complete quests that help the story move forward, and solve puzzles in the environment and inside dungeons. Many puzzles require using the DS's touchscreen and other features of the console. Travel between towns and dungeons is done by train, which has its own unique rules and challenges.

Development started in 2007 after Phantom Hourglass was released. Half the team, including director Daiki Iwamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma, returned from the previous game. Aonuma based the game’s idea on a children’s book and included some of its elements. The game was first planned to be made quickly, like Majora's Mask, but took two years to create because of new features. Zelda was given more important roles in the story and puzzles, which was different from her earlier, more passive portrayals. Critics from video game websites and general news outlets praised the game’s story and gameplay.

Gameplay

Spirit Tracks continues the gameplay style from Phantom Hourglass, where players use a stylus to control Link, weapons, and items. The game has an overworld, which Link travels across using Spirit Tracks, and towns and dungeons, which he explores on foot. Players switch between the overworld and towns/dungeons to complete the main story but can also choose to do sidequests for extra rewards. In the overworld and dungeons, players can write notes on maps to help solve puzzles and advance the story.

In the overworld, Link controls a train. He can adjust its speed, move it forward or backward, turn at track intersections, and blow the train's whistle to scare animals. Players can draw a route on the map to automatically set the train’s path, though not all areas are available at first. Later, Link receives a cannon to defend the train and a cargo car to transport goods between towns. Some missions require Link to carry a passenger and keep them happy.

As the game progresses, more of the map becomes accessible. In towns and dungeons, players use the stylus to move Link, attack enemies, dodge, and select items like bombs or a boomerang for combat and puzzles. Some items, such as Zelda’s pan flute, require the player to blow into the DS’s microphone. Playing songs on the pan flute can unlock new magic, reveal secrets, heal Link, or restore Spirit Tracks. In certain dungeons, Zelda can control Phantom Guardians. Players guide the Phantom along a stylus-drawn path to attack enemies or follow Link. Some puzzles require controlling both Link and the Phantom to complete tasks. In towns, players can talk to residents, buy supplies, and receive helpful tips.

Unlike Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks does not support Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection multiplayer. Instead, up to four players can play using DS Download Play with one game card and one system per player. This mode is not part of the main story, as each player controls a different Link with unique-colored tunics. Players compete to collect Force Gems within a time limit, facing other players, Phantoms, and environmental dangers. Results from the latest game appear on in-game bulletins. A feature called "Tag Mode" allows local players to trade items.

Like Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks has a central dungeon with a spiral staircase to reach upper floors, instead of repeating floors multiple times. Safe zones are still present for hiding from Phantoms, but the dungeon does not include a curse that Link must avoid for a limited time.

Synopsis

Spirit Tracks is the final game in the Adult Era of the "Victorious Hero" timeline in the Zelda series. It takes place one hundred years after the events of The Wind Waker and its direct sequel, Phantom Hourglass. Long ago, spirits called Lokomos left their realm to end a war with the Demon King Malladus by sealing him beneath the Tower of Spirits using the "Spirit Tracks," a network of chains that span the region. After the events of The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, previous versions of Link and Zelda brought peace to the land, naming it "New Hyrule" after their former homeland. The people of New Hyrule created steam trains that can travel on the Spirit Tracks.

One hundred years later, a new version of Link successfully completes training as a train engineer. At his graduation ceremony in Hyrule Castle, he meets the new version of Princess Zelda and her chancellor, Cole. Zelda becomes friends with Link and asks for his help in escaping the castle to investigate the disappearing Spirit Tracks. On their journey to the Tower of Spirits, the source of the Spirit Tracks' power, it is revealed that Cole is a demon working for Malladus. With his helper, Byrne, Cole separates Zelda's spirit from her body. Since only someone with sacred blood can host Malladus, Cole plans to let Malladus take over Zelda's body. Spirit-Zelda escapes to Hyrule Castle, while the Tower of Spirits begins to break apart as the fading rails weaken Malladus' chains. Link tries to fight Cole but is knocked unconscious by Byrne.

Link wakes up in Hyrule Castle, where he meets Zelda's spirit. Together, they enter the Tower of Spirits and meet the Lokomo Anjean, who tells them to restore the Tower and the Spirit Tracks. Link is nearly killed by a Phantom, a guardian of the tower, but Zelda saves him by taking control of the Phantom. Working together, Link and Zelda find symbols that repair the Spirit Tracks, allowing travel across Hyrule. Anjean gives them the Spirit Train, used to travel through Hyrule, and the Spirit Flute, a magical flute that Link uses to play with Lokomos to fix more Spirit Tracks. They defeat Malladus' servants who have corrupted temples in New Hyrule and successfully restore the Tower of Spirits.

On their return, Link and Zelda are attacked by Byrne, who is revealed to be a rogue Lokomo. Anjean fights Byrne and teleports Link and Zelda to safety. Even though the Tower is fixed, Malladus is brought back into Zelda's body and betrays Byrne before escaping to the Dark Realm. Anjean tells the group to find the Bow and Compass of Light. Link finds them, and Anjean gives him the "Lokomo Sword," which can defeat Malladus. Link and Zelda enter the Dark Realm, remove Malladus from Zelda's body, and a reformed Byrne sacrifices himself. Malladus takes control of Cole to destroy the world. Using the power of the Lokomos through the Spirit Flute, Link and Zelda combine the Lokomo Sword and the Bow of Light to defeat Malladus. This allows Anjean, the Lokomos, and Byrne's spirit to return to the Spirits' Realm as Link and Zelda hold hands.

A post-credits scene shows Zelda writing in her room. Depending on a dialogue choice, Link either becomes a royal guard Zelda watches train, returns as an engineer Zelda waves to from her window, or disappears on an unknown path.

Development

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks was created by Nintendo EAD. A part of the Legend of Zelda team worked on this game, while another part focused on Skyward Sword. Director Daiki Iwamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma returned from their earlier work on Phantom Hourglass, and half of the original team members also joined the project. The team liked the touchscreen design of Phantom Hourglass and decided to make a sequel using the same platform. They planned to develop Spirit Tracks quickly, like the short development time for Majora's Mask, which followed Ocarina of Time. However, development took longer than expected, lasting two years instead of the original estimate. Aonuma said the process was smoother compared to earlier games in the series that had longer or more difficult development cycles. The graphics style, similar to Phantom Hourglass, used toon shading to ensure the game could run well on the chosen platform. Aonuma explained that realistic graphics might make characters appear too small compared to their surroundings, which was not ideal. The game’s music was composed by Toru Minegishi, Manaka Tominaga, and Asuka Ota. Minegishi wrote the main overworld music and shared work on other themes with Tominaga. Series sound designer Koji Kondo composed the ending theme, while Ota created music for the multiplayer mode.

The idea for Spirit Tracks came to Aonuma when he read a children’s book to his son. The book, Senro wa tsuzuku, told a story about children building a railway in a magical countryside. Iwamoto wanted the game to feel different from other Zelda titles, even though some team members argued that a train might not fit the series. Aonuma said the team found new ways to play while keeping some traditional elements. He noted that puzzles felt different because they were designed by a former programmer. The train was included early in development, but the idea of players building tracks was removed, as Aonuma called it a "nightmare" to manage. The Tower of Spirits was originally planned to function like the Temple of the Ocean King from Phantom Hourglass, requiring players to climb the tower repeatedly. However, near the end of development, Aonuma said this design did not feel like climbing a tower, so a spiral staircase was added in the final version.

Based on feedback from Phantom Hourglass, the team improved touchscreen controls to make Link’s actions easier to perform. They also removed features that players disliked, such as time limits in previous dungeons. The Spirit Flute was introduced early in development. Because the game used microphone features, the team added the microphone to the flute. The team also focused on controlling a Phantom, a character from Phantom Hourglass, for cooperative gameplay. When asked why an enemy would help Link, the team decided to have Zelda control the Phantom, as she was seen as a fitting character. The multiplayer mode was added because of Miyamoto’s interest in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, which had a cooperative gameplay style.

A survey in the United States showed players preferred more independent female characters, like Sheik from Ocarina of Time and Tetra from The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. Iwamoto wanted Zelda to be more involved in the story and more independent than in earlier games. In Spirit Tracks, Zelda travels with Link in spirit form, unlike her role as a damsel-in-distress in some earlier games. The team made an effort to avoid making Zelda seem like a traditional princess, instead showing her as a girl her age who behaves naturally, even with her royal status. This is seen in early scenes where she acts comically as she adjusts to being a ghost and reacts strongly to her missing body.

Aonuma said his favorite part of the game was Zelda’s role as a partner to Link in both the story and gameplay, as it highlighted her personality more than in other games. While Spirit Tracks takes place in the same story world as Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, most characters were new, except for Niko, who helped explain the game’s setting. The Japanese names of Lokomos characters were puns based on train parts or models. The villains, Byrne and Cole, were given more personality than earlier antagonists, with their rivalry adding depth to their roles as Link’s main opponents. The ending left some questions unanswered to let players imagine what happened to Link and Zelda after the final battle, with Zelda asking a question that gave players a small choice before the fight.

Release

The game was officially announced in March 2009. The subtitle was different in English and Japanese. The English subtitle was chosen early, while the Japanese subtitle, Daichi no Kiteki (meaning "Train Whistle of the Wide World"), was decided later. The original subtitle used the term "Spirit Flute," which in Japanese is called "Whistle of the Wide World." However, the title was considered too long, and after considering the English subtitle for inspiration, the final subtitle focused on train travel across large areas. Japanese names for world regions honored the subtitle. A special tin box was released in Europe for Spirit Tracks. It includes a tin box with two models from the game—Link and a Phantom.

Reception

When it was announced, fans reacted more strongly to Spirit Tracks than to the Nintendo DSi reveal beforehand. IGN's Craig Harris said the storyline was "compelling" with an "interesting premise." He noted that the gameplay was similar to Phantom Hourglass, and the plot made him excited about Spirit Tracks. Emma Boyes from IGN UK said that in multiplayer mode, losing many Force Gems in one move adds tension and balance. She called the single and multiplayer modes "a huge amount of fun." Mark Bozon from IGN said the game had a sense of "déjà vu" but also included several great additions to the series. He said Princess Zelda's controls were simple, though her constant talking and slow movement sometimes made the game feel slower. Overall, he called it a good addition. IGN said Spirit Tracks was set to be a "worthy sequel" to Phantom Hourglass. Craig Harris also thought that if a playable demo was not shown at E3, Nintendo would release an "absolutely epic trailer" to excite fans, like they did with Twilight Princess in 2004. The game won Best Action game for the Nintendo DS at E3 2009, as well as runner-up for best DS game and best handheld game at E3 2009.

GameSpot's Sophia Tong said Spirit Tracks was "well on its way to being a worthy sequel" to Phantom Hourglass. She praised how characters conveyed the game's mood without voice acting and noted improved visuals. Tom McShea from GameSpot called it "charming" like its predecessors. Erik Norris from Crave Online said it was "hilarious and awesome," calling the change from sea to land a "guaranteed must-buy." Brett Elston from GamesRadar questioned the inclusion of train travel, considering past criticism of sailing, but said it could be a strong addition if not too annoying. Christian Donlan from Eurogamer described train travel as "natural," calling railways a "perfect fit" for the game's world. He called it "another chunk of simple delight" and "a sweet-natured adventure." The game was nominated for best-of-show at the 2009 Gamescom.

The Daily Telegraph listed it as one of the top 20 most anticipated games at E3, praising its "beautiful" and "innovative" touch-screen controls. Ben Kuchera from Ars Technica said the game had a "very pleasant mood and feel," and noted that the Phantom and train mechanics gave it a unique flavor. Stephen Totilo from Kotaku criticized the microphone use for items like "Whirlwind," saying it made playing on the subway awkward. Steve Tilley from the Toronto Sun called it a "must-have" holiday game, calling it "very Zelda-y" and "very fresh." Michael Plant from The Independent said it was "hotly anticipated." Wired named it the third best portable game at E3 2009, with Gus Mastrapa praising its "killer dungeons" and "challenging puzzles."

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks received generally positive reviews on Metacritic. Nintendo Power called it one of the best handheld Zelda titles, saying fans would enjoy it regardless. Games Master called it "delightful" despite its similarities to Phantom Hourglass. Mark Bozon from IGN said it could "drag on" at times but praised its bosses, dungeons, and challenge. Mike Jackson from Computer and Video Games said it was "engrossing" even though it didn't change the rules much. He called it an exception to the DS's otherwise unexciting 2009 library.

Fred Dutton from Official Nintendo Magazine agreed it was familiar but still called it a "wonderful game." Jeremy Parish from 1UP.com said it "doesn't simply coast along on its legacy," calling it a "fine game in its own right." Blake Morse from GameRevolution called it a "fun take on Zelda games" but criticized stylus control issues and long train rides. Oli Welsh from Eurogamer said it was "tighter and more rounded" than Phantom Hourglass and most modern games, though some environments were "basic." Dave Meikleham from GamesRadar called it "one of the best Zelda games yet," praising its intuitive controls and Spirit Pipes. Brett Elston from GamesRadar said the overworld theme put him in an "adventurous mindset," similar to Phantom Hourglass and The Wind Waker.

Neal Ronaghan from Nintendo World Report praised the train and dungeon designs but criticized lessened exploration and control issues. Jeremy Jastrzab from PALGN said it had "genuine improvements" over Phantom Hourglass, especially the flute. He said it wasn't ideal for a portable game. GameTrailers said it "addressed the shortcomings" of Phantom Hourglass, calling it "one of the better outings" in the series. Brian Altano from GameSpy praised its dungeons and bosses as "imaginative" but criticized train travel for making backtracking tedious. Randolph Ramsay from GameSpot called the dungeons "exciting and well-designed," praising side-quests, boss fights, multiplayer, and Phantom gameplay. Wesley Yin-Poole from Video Gamer praised controls and character visuals but criticized the train mechanic and "tired features."

Andrew Reiner from Game Informer said Spirit Tracks "fluctuates between highs and lows" frequently, calling it his least favorite Zelda title. He praised controls and Zelda's impact on gameplay but criticized her character as "teenage-angsty" rather than the calm princess of earlier games. Phil Kollar from Game Informer compared its mixed reception to Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, saying changes hurt the game more than helped. Kyle E. Miller from RPG Fan said he had "low expectations" but still found the game disappointing, similar to his reaction to Phantom Hourglass.