The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

 DS
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 395 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 282 out of 395
  2. Mixed: 79 out of 395
  3. Negative: 34 out of 395
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  1. Ztride
    Jan 20, 2012
    7
    A nice game, with controls and visuals that suit the DS well. The boring part about it though is that is too easy, suppose its target audience is kids around 7-8 years old, because nearly every puzzle has an obvious solution. Also, the story is a joke (unless you are about 7-8 years old or younger...).
  2. DaveH
    Dec 7, 2009
    6
    It is basically a remake of Phantom Hourglass, the previous Zelda DS game, it is not worth buying if you're over 12.
  3. Gannon
    Jan 24, 2010
    5
    A so-so game, but the worst in the series. The graphics are good, and so is the music, except it's repetitive. Also, the tutorial and cutscenes are about an hour long in the begining, which is really overkill. You don't have a million things to learn like in Grand Theift Auto 4 or a cool story like in Kingdom Hearts 2. Also, the forced stealth sections are extremely boring, and A so-so game, but the worst in the series. The graphics are good, and so is the music, except it's repetitive. Also, the tutorial and cutscenes are about an hour long in the begining, which is really overkill. You don't have a million things to learn like in Grand Theift Auto 4 or a cool story like in Kingdom Hearts 2. Also, the forced stealth sections are extremely boring, and frequent. You don't have to go through several floors over and over like in Phantom Hourglass, but you have to climb a buttload of stairs to get to the next dungeon to discover the next spirit tracks map, which is STUPID!! Why isn't there an elevator up when there are elevators down? And if you save and turn off the game in one of these dungeons, it doesn't spawn you outside the floor you were on, you have to climb allllllll those stairs all over again. Also the passenger missions are extrememly redundant. I do like how you get infinate bombs when you're on the train. I also think the characters in this game are really funny. There is a train obsessed super nerd and a guy in a bunny costume who really takes rabbit-rescue seriously. Another thing I like is when you come to a yes or no option, they mix it up by giving you options like "LOCKED AND LOADED" or "I don't wanna." I just made those two examples up, but you get the idea. Those bits of interaction with the protagonist keep him from being a silent, emotionless, boring character. Even though they're small things, those interactions between you and the other characters are really immersive, and are what made the presentation in Persona 4 so perfect. What makes this game the worst is that there is nothing new. Every Zelda game did something new. Ocarina of Time introduced 3d, Majora's Mask did time manipulations, Four Swords had a level system instead of an overworld and items you could keep, Zelda 2 did sidescrolling (which sucked, though), Twilight Princess removed the magic meter, Wind Waker introduced Sailing, Phantom Hourglass introduced touchscreen controles, blah blah blah you get the idea. The train is basically the boat on rails, and taking controle of Zelda isn't really a huge innovation. There are new items but they are basically the same thing as in other games. The whip is basically a grappeling hook you can attack with, and the windmeal is just the deku leaf from Wind Waker. This game barely has any side missions, not unlike Phantom Hourglass. The puzzles have an uninspired "I've done this before" feeling to them and there are no new or interesting temple gimmicks. In conclusion, I can only recommend this if you've never played any Zelda game before, but I seem to be in minority since so many people love this game. I just dont get it!!… Expand
  4. LBC
    Sep 9, 2010
    5
    While Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks certainly delivers the high-caliber dungeons and storyline that Zelda fans have come to expect, it falters in a big way. By adding the Train game-mechanic, Nintendo has essentially flushed out over world exploration, which is in my opinion one of the defining characteristics of the Zelda franchise. I refuse to believe that Nintendo couldn't find a wayWhile Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks certainly delivers the high-caliber dungeons and storyline that Zelda fans have come to expect, it falters in a big way. By adding the Train game-mechanic, Nintendo has essentially flushed out over world exploration, which is in my opinion one of the defining characteristics of the Zelda franchise. I refuse to believe that Nintendo couldn't find a way to keep exploration in the game and incorporate the Train at the same time. I also found that this game is noticeably easier than Phantom Hourglass. Hardcore Zelda fans will be pleased, but the rest of us on the fringe will find better gaming experiences elsewhere.… Expand
  5. socketwrench14
    Jul 25, 2011
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For sure the worst Zelda game to date. It is a great game in every aspect except for two:
    1.story
    2.travel

    What makes this game sad is that there is no story, it is a big joke. Train people and an evil leprechaun hardly stand up well in my mind. It felt more like a bit from mario, silly goofy, not at all zelda.

    The travel was the worst. I actually spent half an hour because I made the wrong turn on a train track a couple times. Unlike horse travel or boat travel, if you make a wrong turn, you can't turn around. Imagine hyrule field, now imagine instead of going back 2 feet, you walk around the entire field before going inside. Its brutally unfair to such minor mistakes, especially when you try to free cam to fight off enemies or get a good look at the next dungeon. By far the most annoying thing to date, sadly the shortcuts aren't worth the time spent to unlock them.

    However, the game does provide the same fun dungeons we have come to see, and it is without fail. When majora's mask followed up on ocarina of time, it was a more difficult game, but it worked, this game just doesn't.

    I am on the fence, if you crave zelda and puzzles to solve, get it, it will be worth it. However leave it if you are just looking for the good ones.    … Expand
  6. horcrux2007
    Sep 25, 2014
    5
    I didn't like this game as much as I thought it would. The game is very constricted due to the train mechanic, and there isn't much to explore. The characters and story were also pretty bad and even annoying. However, I think the dungeons and bosses were very well made, and the flute was pretty interesting, albeit difficult to control.
  7. daManne
    Apr 5, 2017
    6
    This is the first and still only Zelda game, I didn't finish. I was simply too bored to continue.
    I didn't like the villain Malladus at all. He was like a bad cartoon character.
    The concept with the trains was fun at first but in the long run too limiting and slow. I liked Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, so the graphics and gameplay were absolutely alright. But all in all it was    This is the first and still only Zelda game, I didn't finish. I was simply too bored to continue.
    I didn't like the villain Malladus at all. He was like a bad cartoon character.
    The concept with the trains was fun at first but in the long run too limiting and slow.
    I liked Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass, so the graphics and gameplay were absolutely alright.

    But all in all it was the biggest disappointment in the franchise to me.    … Expand
  8. edf
    Dec 28, 2009
    7
    Something needs to be done to revive zelda! Where has the old zelda magic gone?Why does it seem like it's made for a 6 year old? It would be a tradgedy to lose one of the greatest games of all time. Sadly Zelda seems to be on it's way out.
  9. JamesFrankel
    Aug 30, 2020
    5
    Similar to Phantom Hourglass, but with this weird train system. Makes getting from point A to point B pretty tedious. Why is there no proper fast travel? The dungeons are mostly good, but the dark dungeons and the stealth part is pretty annoying. The controls overall kinda suck. Movement is only possible by tapping, not with the D-pad. The phantom controls are horrible and prone toSimilar to Phantom Hourglass, but with this weird train system. Makes getting from point A to point B pretty tedious. Why is there no proper fast travel? The dungeons are mostly good, but the dark dungeons and the stealth part is pretty annoying. The controls overall kinda suck. Movement is only possible by tapping, not with the D-pad. The phantom controls are horrible and prone to miss-tapping. Fast-switching between items/weapons is not possible. It all makes the game more challenging than it actually would be. Also, there's a big dungeon tower that you need to revisit couple of times in the game where everytime, the game makes to climb more and more strairs instead of a quick travel to the dungeon entrances. Fun! Towards the end it gets worse, and the final boss requires you to have perfect timing with those fuzzy controls instead of some witty puzzle to defeat him. And if you die even once, the game makes you replay the whole final boss battle with its 4-5 stages from the beginning. Even more fun!
    The story is better than in Phantom Hourglass and having Zelda as a character you actually talk and interact with (and she even helps in the dungeons!) is way better than her usual 'damsel in distress' role, but other than that, the story is your usual 'defeat the villian who is evil for no real reason' thing.

    Also, in you ever take a break from the game and decide to continue it afterwards, it's quite hard to get into the game again. There is no encyclopedia or similar where the game mechanics, weapon effects, defeated enemy types, etc. are described. Similarly, the world map has only very basic hints on whats on the map. The game instead makes you take notes directly on the map. Good luck with figuring out what your notes meant after half a year. A simple green mark next to the already visited locations would have been great. So your best bet is just to grab a guide, or starting over. I don't like this.

    Despite quite the criticism, overall, it's still not a bad game per se, and if you enjoyed Phantom Hourglass, you will enjoy this one and (most of its) dungeons too. But keep in mind that the game lacks fast travel, has meh-ish controls, that the train travel isn't great and towards the end, there are couple of frustrating moments. Not a game that I can recommend. Phantom Hourglass was overall a better experience.    … Expand
  10. B-Bog
    Oct 11, 2022
    5
    Jesus, this might suck even harder than Phantom Hourglass. There are some minor improvements here and there, like Link's walking speed and the improved cinematics and use of the dual screens. The Spirit Tower is obviously so much better and more fun then the Temple of the Ocean King and Zelda actually has a personality this time. But overall, it's really equally as tedious and annoying asJesus, this might suck even harder than Phantom Hourglass. There are some minor improvements here and there, like Link's walking speed and the improved cinematics and use of the dual screens. The Spirit Tower is obviously so much better and more fun then the Temple of the Ocean King and Zelda actually has a personality this time. But overall, it's really equally as tedious and annoying as PH or even more so. You're still forced to use the dumbass touch controls, even though they do literally nothing better than button controls, which is especialy infuriating in the heat of a (boss) battle. Riding the train is EVEN WORSE than than the boat in PH because while you're still just drawing your route and tapping on stuff you need to shoot while you're on your way, you now also have to avoid bad trains coming your way and if you touch them JUST ONCE it's GAME OVER. What kind of moron thought that this was fun? Oh, and did I mention that the train moves PAINFULLY slow and you cannot upgrade it to go faster? So, you're forced to pay attention to a mind-numbingly boring activity because otherwise, you might die and have to do it all over again. Fun times.

    The cherry on top of the sh*t-cake is playing the Spirit Flute. Seldom have I seen such an asinine mechanic in a video game. Whoever thought that this was a good idea hopefully lost their job a loooong time ago. Even going beyond that, there is just way too much dumb microphone-blowing going on, for item-use, for dialogue... We get it, Nintendo, the DS has a mic. Good for you. Doesn't mean that over-utilizing it results in a fun experience.

    Overall, one of the worst Zelda games in existence, together with PH.    … Expand
  11. DarCbrGr
    Jun 26, 2021
    6
    Now this is not a game for me. Still take my opinion on this game with a grain of salt.
  12. hector_bcn98
    Apr 9, 2023
    7
    He tenido que dejar el juego a la mitad porque no me apetece seguir perdiendo el tiempo yendo en tren (lentísimo, además) para poder ir a las mazmorras. El control táctil hace aún más tediosa la experiencia. Ya lo retomaré algún día, supongo.
  13. Coolms9
    Apr 18, 2021
    7
    This game has a lot of good and bad things. This game uses the features of the Nintendo DS in a very creative and fun way, which is this game's main appeal, but other than that this game's travel is quite annoying and really slow, you also have to revisit the same dungeon after every single other dungeon, and with the travel being so slow and annoying it can make you get annoyed with thisThis game has a lot of good and bad things. This game uses the features of the Nintendo DS in a very creative and fun way, which is this game's main appeal, but other than that this game's travel is quite annoying and really slow, you also have to revisit the same dungeon after every single other dungeon, and with the travel being so slow and annoying it can make you get annoyed with this game, not to mention the fact that there are only 5 main dungeons, which are all incredibly simple and easy to get through, however it is mainly the travel that really hurts this game.… Expand
  14. Zeldacrafter
    Mar 31, 2023
    7
    It was good, not the best I’ve played, however it was worth the money and time one the first playthrough, it had pretty good graphics for its time and it has good music, but unless you are a collector I wouldn’t get this, I would probably choose to play it on a Friends Console, if they let you of course.
  15. Yojimbo2015
    Jun 4, 2023
    7
    The follow up to The Phantom Hourglass follows the formula to the letter, but with trains instead of pirate ships...for some reason. It doesn't work quite as well for this very reason but it's still pretty good fun.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best DS Game of 2009
4
#4 Most Discussed DS Game of 2009
4
#4 Most Shared DS Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 75 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 75
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 75
  3. Negative: 0 out of 75
  1. Edge Magazine
    80
    Spirit Tracks' aging tricks continue to carry you cack into the narcotic realms of pure ritual, until you're deep in the caverns yet again, holding the magic yellow boomerang once more, and wondering what quirky brilliance it will bring with it this time. [Christmas 2009, p.92]
  2. Official Nintendo Magazine UK
    91
    Not a huge leap forward for the series but a wonderful game nonetheless. Enjoy. [Christmas 2009, p.91]
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  3. Computer and Video Games
    91
    A superb quest that doesn't rewrite the rules but delivers another engrossing Zelda adventure. If you own a DS, buy it.
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