The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (ゼルダの伝説 大地の汽笛, ) 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 speculation, the game is compatible on all installments of the Nintendo DS, and does not feature enhancements when played with the Nintendo DSi.

Story
"This is a tale from long ago. It's the tale of the first settlers of this land."

- Spirit Tracks prologue

Following the events of Phantom Hourglass, Link, Tetra, and the other pirates come across a new land that is ruled over by the Spirits of Good, who were responsible for sealing the land's tyrant, Malladus, into the earth after the concourse of the Spirit War with the railroad tracks called Spirit Tracks that spiral and work their way all over the vibrant landscape. A hundred years later, in Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda is seen handing Link a diploma, honoring him as an official Royal Engineer. At the same time however, Zelda also slips Link a personal message stating that she has been suspicious of Chancellor Cole, Princess Zelda's right-hand adviser. After learning such information, 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, causing the train to crash. Chancellor Cole and his assistant, Byrne, then confronts the three: taking down Alfonzo, Link, and even Zelda, giving the Demon Train enough time to disrupt the natural order and structure of the generation point of the Spirit Tracks, the Tower of Spirits. Chancellor Cole takes away Zelda's body, yet her spirit appears after Link reawakens in Hyrule Castle, where only Link can see her. When Link meets Zelda as a spirit for the first time, Zelda gives him the Spirit Flute, a magical flute that has strange powers. Zelda then asks Link to take her to the Tower of Spirits to find out why the tracks disappeared, until she realizes that the tracks are gone, and the only way to get to the tower now is by an old tunnel in the back of the castle.

When Link and Zelda reach the Tower of Spirits, they meet a strange old woman named Anjean, who calls herself a Lokomo. Anjean speaks to Link and Zelda about Malladus and as to why the tracks disappeared, then explains that the only way to restore the Spirit Tracks is to obtain Rail Maps from the Tower, which will reveal Spirit Tracks to the five temples across the land, all of which require a restored power base to provide adequate protection and added strength to the Spirit Tracks in their realms. It is up in the tower that Zelda realizes that she can possess Phantoms, which are the guardians of the tower. Lastly, Anjean tells Link that if he goes to Gage, a Lokomo like Anjean, and by playing the Spirit Flute, Link and the Lokomo of the five respective realms can restore the power to the rail map, thus revealing the path to the temples. Anjean then grants Link the Spirit Train, the sacred locomotive docked at the bottom level of the Tower, which Link uses throughout the rest of the game.

Once Link and Zelda restore the last of the Spirit Tracks, the last thing that they need to do to prevent Malladus from resurrecting is to lock him back under the Alter of the Demon King at the top of the tower. Link and Zelda climb the tower, only to meet, fight, and defeat Byrne again. He escapes back to Cole at the top of the alter however, so Link and Zelda follow him. Just as they reach the top of the tower, Malladus' resurrection is complete, and Zelda cannot return to her body because Malladus is occupying it. Byrne asks Malladus for powers that he always dreamed of, but because he once served the Spirits, Malladus will not give him the power. Instead, using his magic, he knocks him unconscious. Hastily, Cole and Malladus escape on Malladus' train, the Demon Train, and go back to the Dark Realm, where the Demon Train came from. Anjean then comes up to the top of the tower, and shows Link and Zelda that she was not killed by Byrne.

Link takes Byrne to his train, and Anjean tells Link and Zelda the final possibility to destroy Malladus. Link must go to the Sand Temple in the desert, and obtain the Bow of Light, a weapon the Spirits used in the Spirit War. The Bow of Light has the power to split the soul of one from their body. Anjean then gives Link a Force Gem, a particular one that reveals previously unknown tracks far into the desert between the Fire and Ocean realms.

Link obtains the Bow of Light from the Sand Temple, only to find that Anjean can't find a way into the Dark Realm, halting the adventure further. Byrne jumps in to the conversation though, and tells them about a Compass of Light that is below the Alter of the Demon King. That compass reveals all places in the world linked to the Dark Realm. Link and Zelda now must go to the Tower of Spirits for the final time to obtain the Compass of Light. Anjean then gives Link the Lokomo Sword, which was also a weapon the Spirits fought with, but Anjean thought Link was the one who was meant to use it. The sword is said to be full of energy.

Link and Zelda obtain the Compass of Light, revealing that a place linked to the Dark Realm had been near Links home village all along! Link travels on the Spirit Train to that exact place to find a portal that leads into the darkness, and attempts to destroy Malladus once and for all.

Link and Zelda find the Demon Train in the Dark Realm, but obviously, it wouldn't go down without a fight. Link battles the train on his own, and eventually, Link makes the Demon Train come to a halt, giving him the perfect timing to go on board. Anjean gives Zelda Phantom armor which she possesses and can use to help Link in the battle that is to come. They both climb on top of the train to find Cole and Malladus. Cole then starts up the train and begins to attack them, while Malladus is on the end of the train firing lasers. Zelda and Link eventually reach the front of the train and Zelda grabs Malladus, giving Link the perfect opportunity to shoot him with the Bow of Light. Malladus is being split from Zelda's body, until the Demon Train crashes, leaving everyone in the real world again.

Malladus' spirit leaves from Zelda's body, giving her the perfect time to retrieve it. Although, she cannot, due to the fact that she has been separated from her body for so long. Malladus is about to come back and possess Zelda's body until Byrne shows up and stops him. Byrne tells Zelda that she has to focus her power in order to return to it. Zelda does just that, and finally gets her body back. Byrne's sacrifice cost him his life however, because Malladus then uses his magic to kill Byrne. Malladus, however, decides he must stop Link and Zelda, and takes Cole's body. He then transforms into a giant beast and attempts to destroy them. However, Link and Zelda team up and fight against him. Link then deals the final blow in his forehead with the Lokomo Sword. Malladus then dissolves into light, returning the world back to normal. Anjean comes to the battlefield, and uses magic to give life back to Byrne. Although, it could not give Byrne immediate life, so he would one day, years from now, return in a new form. Anjean then explained what she wanted Zelda and Link to do. Lokomos were placed on the Earth not only to watch over the Spirit Tracks, but mankind as well. Anjean believed that man did not need guidance anymore, so Anjean, and the other 5 Lokomos return to the heavens with Byrne. Although, before she goes, she entrusts the land to Zelda, and tells Link he must help her watch over it.

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.

Changes
The game is notable for its changes from Phantom Hourglass.


 * The use of rails makes traveling more linear, albeit not much shorter.
 * The game no longer includes the toxic gas that will kill Link when the time limit runs out. Due to this change, the time limit has also been omitted. This renders the "Safe Zones" only useful for hiding from enemies.
 * As has been aforementioned, Zelda replaces Ciela as Link's partner, serving a more useful purpose through her ability to possess Phantoms rather than simply provide advice.

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