The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (ゼルダの伝説　大地の汽笛 Zeruda no Densetsu Daichi no Kiteki,? lit. "The Legend of Zelda: (Train) Whistle of the Earth" ..) is the second Zelda game for the Nintendo DS, revealed by Satoru Iwata in Game Developer's Conference on March 25, 2009. It uses the same cel-shaded layout and game-play interface as Phantom Hourglass. A train is the main method of transportation, replacing the steamboat of Phantom Hourglass. According to Nintendo of America representative Kit Ellis, the game takes place about a century after the events of Phantom Hourglass.

Despite early rumors, the game is compatible on all installments of the Nintendo DS, and does not feature enhancements when played with the Nintendo DSi.

Story
Following the events of Phantom Hourglass, Link, Tetra, and the other pirates come across a new land that is ruled over by an evil tyrant known as Malladus. They defeated the king, and sealed him away by chaining him to the four corners of the land, and re-established the kingdom of Hyrule. Long after, the chains used to imprison Malladus became known as the Spirit Tracks, which are used for transportation by train. A hundred years later, in Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda is seen handing Link a diploma to honor him as the Royal Engineer. At the same time however, Zelda also slips Link a personal message stating that she has been suspicious of Chancellor Cole. Link sneaks Zelda out of the castle and meets up with Alfonzo, his master who trained him into being a Royal Engineer. He helps Link and Zelda escape the castle and get on a train, when suddenly, the tracks disappear resulting the train to crash. Chancellor Cole then confronts the three: taking down Alfonzo, Link, and even Zelda. Chancellor Cole takes away her body, yet Zelda's spirit appears after Link reawakens in Hyrule Castle, where only Link can see her. Zelda's spirit helps Link throughout the game, as Cole wants to use Zelda's body to revive Malladus.

Continuity and Timeline Placement
Spirit Tracks' place in the timeline is well defined by numerous direct references to its two prequels: The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. Link does not appear to be a direct descendant of the hero from the earlier games in this story arc, even though Spirit Tracks clearly follows the same storyline, occurring roughly a century after the events of Phantom Hourglass. Link's friend Alfonzo mentions that his family has been fighting to protect the Hyrulean royalty for generations, hinting at the possibility that he is a descendant of Gonzo, to whom he also bears striking resemblance.

Princess Zelda is once again portrayed as the sole ruler of the Kingdom of Hyrule. She is the granddaughter of Tetra from The Wind Waker. A brief cutscene shows a stained glass portrait of Tetra above Zelda's throne, suggesting that the people living in the newly established kingdom are aware of their heritage and the connection to the Old Hyrule.

The only recurring character from the two preceding games is Niko, a former crewman of Tetra's pirate ship. Niko has reached his elderly years and resides in Aboda Village, sharing a house with Link. When he sees Link dressed in his green garb, Niko mentions that it reminds him of an old friend. Link also meets Linebeck III, who is a direct descendant of Linebeck whom Link traveled with in Phantom Hourglass.

Bosses

 * Stagnox
 * Fraaz
 * Phytops
 * Cragma
 * Byrne
 * Skeldritch
 * Demon Train
 * Chancellor Cole
 * Malladus

Enemies

 * Bee
 * Spinut
 * Keese
 * Red ChuChu
 * Rat
 * Phantom
 * Crow
 * Vengas
 * Bubble
 * Mothula
 * Blastworm
 * Key Master
 * Octorok
 * Geozard
 * Mounted Miniblin
 * Ice ChuChu
 * White Wolfos
 * Octive
 * Freezard
 * Ice Keese
 * Fire Keese
 * Nocturn
 * Torch Phantom
 * Geozard Chief
 * Like Like
 * Lobarrier
 * Miniblin
 * Big Blin
 * Squiddy
 * Yellow ChuChu
 * Snapper (Spirit Tracks)
 * Helmet ChuChu
 * Blue ChuChu
 * Phantom Eye
 * Warp Phantom
 * Fire Baba
 * Stalfos
 * Winder
 * Heatoise
 * Wrecker Phantom
 * Gerune
 * Stalfos Warrior
 * Ergtorok
 * Moink
 * Snurgle
 * Skulltula
 * Dark Train
 * Bullbo
 * Rocktite
 * Sir Frosty
 * Bulblin
 * Ocean Octorok
 * Armored Train
 * Cannon Boats
 * Tanks
 * Snurglar
 * Malgyorg
 * Tektite
 * Purple ChuChu

Reception
Prior to its release, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks received the "Best Handheld Game" award at Gamescom 2009. The game was also selected by IGN as their "Best of Gamescom 2009" winner for the Nintendo DS.

Spirit Tracks has received generally favorable reviews, which have mostly commented on how it managed to improve on its predecessor, Phantom Hourglass. For instance, IGN praised the design of the central Spirit Tower of the game, calling it "far more diverse than its predecessor," the Temple of the Ocean King from Phantom Hourglass. Metacritic gives the game a score of 87/100, based on 44 critic reviews.

In a review of the game, G4 commented that Spirit Tracks improved upon Phantom Hourglass. Improvements cited included:
 * The removal of the time limit
 * Not having to go through the entire dungeon again and again