The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

[kryss]

I think people got it for Christmas and then forgot about it.

[Wools]

It's a shame as the game is very good and compared to Twilight Princess this feels new, although I did not own a DS when Phantom Hourglass was released and this is apparently similar.

Did you complete the game, what are your impressions?

[Dogg Thang]

I'm surprised I didn't comment. Basically to sum up what happened with me and Spirit Tracks - I thought it was polished, definitely had some fun but, to me, I never really felt part of it. Like, there was nothing to really suck me in on any level and it was like I was removed from it, I was never Link, if you know what I mean.

And, as well made as it is, I got to a point where I just played less and less until I stopped.

[Sixty]

I asked for Spirit Tracks for Christmas because I felt I should play it even though I didn't like Phantom Hourglass. Not the best way to approach a game but I stuck with it and finished it in the end.

The dungeons were much better and more complicated than PH's, which was a nice surprise. The train was much more fun than expected, probably mostly due to the fantastic overworld music. I thought the controls fell apart at certain points when things got hectic (bosses battles, mainly). It's like they work fine for the most part but they're there because they can be, rather than because it's actually the best control scheme for the game.

The flute annoyed me more than anything else in a game in recent memory. Nintendo seriously needs to realise that blowing into the microphone JUST ISN'T FUN. It was okay as a novelty when the DS launched five years ago, but that stuff has no place in a game like Zelda. Just let us press a button for God's sake. This actually has me worried for Wii Zelda and how it uses MotionPlus, especially since this time there won't be a GameCube version to rely on like there was with Twilight Princess.

I agree with Dogg Thang about the lack of motivation. I felt like the game makes the same mistake as PH in that it introduces a brand new villain and doesn't really give you reason to care about going on this quest and trying to stop him. The plot is really basic and moves too quick. Maybe that's because it's on a handheld rather than a home console where they can take their time and really flesh things out. It's really long, but it drags because it isn't engrossing. I just wanted it to be over well before I was nearing the end.

It's definitely an improvement on the last DS Zelda, but I can't imagine playing through it again.

[Wools]

I'm surprised I didn't comment. Basically to sum up what happened with me and Spirit Tracks - I thought it was polished, definitely had some fun but, to me, I never really felt part of it. Like, there was nothing to really suck me in on any level and it was like I was removed from it, I was never Link, if you know what I mean.

And, as well made as it is, I got to a point where I just played less and less until I stopped.

I would kind of agree, Zelda has had a problem since Ocarina of Time where subsequent games have reused puzzles, story ideas and mechanics add nausea and this DS version is not free from that. However after completing Ocarina of Time, I played an hour of Majoras Mask, 5 hours of Wind Waker, 1 hour of Twilight Princess and thought they were all standing in the footsteps of Ocarina. Since then I played and really enjoyed Minish Cap and missed the precursor to Spirit Tracks, in other words, I was fairly fresh to the handheld style!

Did you play any of the other Zelda's I only touched on? Maybe it was fatigue if so.

The dungeons were much better and more complicated than PH's, which was a nice surprise. The train was much more fun than expected, probably mostly due to the fantastic over world music. I thought the controls fell apart at certain points when things got hectic (bosses battles, mainly). It's like they work fine for the most part but they're there because they can be, rather than because it's actually the best control scheme for the game.

I agree with Dogg Thang about the lack of motivation. I felt like the game makes the same mistake as PH in that it introduces a brand new villain and doesn't really give you reason to care about going on this quest and trying to stop him. The plot is really basic and moves too quick. Maybe that's because it's on a handheld rather than a home console where they can take their time and really flesh things out. It's really long, but it drags because it isn't engrossing. I just wanted it to be over well before I was nearing the end.

Originally I would have preferred to traverse the world in a boat or on Horseback but after using the train up to where I have travelled, I really like it. Granted it does not give a great amount of freedom in where you go but the impression is far greater, and the novelty of using one and the charm in which Nintendo pulls it off is impressive and has won me over for now.

I'm not too far in yet so the characterisation, story and little twist at the start involving Zelda has pulled me on and I'm still far away from having other equipment other than a sword! It's easily going to steal part of my weekend and hopefully the levels, puzzles and characters will continue to keep upping the ante as I get stuck in some real dungeons, although your mention of hectic boss battles has me worried over the controls.

[Dogg Thang]

Did you play any of the other Zelda's I only touched on? Maybe it was fatigue if so.

Yeah, I've played most Zelda games recently. Though I didn't finish Wind Waker. Not 100% sure if I finished Phantom Hourglass either but I think I did.

So Zelda fatigue could well be an issue.

But, to me, there's so little wrong with the gameplay (though I with Sixty on the blowing) that really all the game failed to do is give me any reason to want to complete it. To be part of it.

[Sixty]

Originally I would have preferred to traverse the world in a boat or on Horseback but after using the train up to where I have travelled, I really like it. Granted it does not give a great amount of freedom in where you go but the impression is far greater, and the novelty of using one and the charm in which Nintendo pulls it off is impressive and has won me over for now.

I'm not too far in yet so the characterisation, story and little twist at the start involving Zelda has pulled me on and I'm still far away from having other equipment other than a sword! It's easily going to steal part of my weekend and hopefully the levels, puzzles and characters will continue to keep upping the ante as I get stuck in some real dungeons, although your mention of hectic boss battles has me worried over the controls.

Spirit Tracks seems to indicate Nintendo could do a decent open 3D overworld on DS, but for whatever reason they don't seem to want to. I used to think maybe it was due to the amount of time it would take, but according to Iwata Asks they spent over a year getting the train mechanic working, so I guess it's not that after all!

I don't think I've seen anyone else complain about the controls too much so it could just be me being rubbish. I just know I never would have had a problem if I'd been using an analogue stick and buttons.

And since it's one of my favourite games, I have to recommend giving Majora's Mask another go. It's obviously very similar to Ocarina of Time in how it plays but it does a lot of different things, too. The three day cycle makes a huge difference. It's the perfect companion to its predecessor, imo.

[abigsmurf]

Finished it last night.

It was quite fun but didn't really do a huge amount new. Nice they streamlined the main dungeon (and made the other ones a bit shorter).

The music playing bits were horrible. The mic blowing is horribly innacurate, cutting out for fractions of seconds randomly, not stopping as you stop. Made the harder tunes incredibly frustrating.

There was a lot of other frustrating bits (mostly towards the end). The sand wand has too short of a timer which made guiding zelda across bits incredibly annoying, especially given how imprecise the wand is and how it'd occasionally miss a square without realising it (until zelda falls into the sand).

The final boss with the

->Open Spoiler<-

overly long fireball hitting

segment got me rather worked up.

[bulroarer]

I've finally gotten around to playing and am finding it good... EXCEPT for the tiresome re-treading of the Tower of Spirits!

Nintendo obviously assume that the game is so good you won't want to put it down because if you save and quit whilst in the ToS you restart outside the dungeon and have to collect the three light tears (or whatever they are) all over again. What a chore!

(or maybe I'm just being too fussy...?)

[Sixty]

I wouldn't call that being fussy. Lost progress is never a good thing and it's pretty inexcusable these days, really. In fact it's bizarre Nintendo went with another multi-level tower when the Temple of the Ocean King was so hated in PH.

Looking back, the best thing about this game for me was the train music. It almost makes it worth suffering through trying to play the flute again... but sadly not quite.

[jezzace]

True it's nowhere near as bad as phantom hourglass.

[cutmymilk]

well, I was oing to start this tonight but looking at these comments I may go on to Layton 3 instead!!

[nakamura]

Wow. I was looking at picking up PH and this for more Zelda action but I think I will stick with the GBA and GBC games.

[cutmymilk]

I enjoyed PH but left it a few weeks and got completely lost as to where to go next. Couldnt work out where I was with guides. Judging by a comment here I may have had to backtrack through a dungeon. I did REALLY enjoy it though.

[abigsmurf]

It's a good game, it just has some very glaring annoyances that stand out.