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. LinkFE
    Jul 13, 2023
    10
    Tremendo Juegazo, fue el segundo juego que jugue de La saga Zelda y el que mas me encanto de los Zeldas de Nintendo Ds, todo en este juego es perfecto, la relacion de Link con Zleda, Las Mazmorras. Todo es perfecto em este juego 10/10❤❤
  2. Mattman6294
    Jun 25, 2023
    9
    This game is a really great game, and a massive improvement on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass in many ways. It has very good dungeon design, A great soundtrack, and one of the best stories in the Legend of Zelda series. That said, this game is held back by a few things. The biggest problem is the control scheme. It remains largely unchanged from Phantom Hourglass, and will likelyThis game is a really great game, and a massive improvement on The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass in many ways. It has very good dungeon design, A great soundtrack, and one of the best stories in the Legend of Zelda series. That said, this game is held back by a few things. The biggest problem is the control scheme. It remains largely unchanged from Phantom Hourglass, and will likely hurt your hand. That said, while the control scheme takes some getting used to, the controls don't ruin the game at all. Spirit Tracks is a wonderful and unique Zelda experience that should not be overlooked if you are a fan of the Legend of Zelda series.… Expand
  3. Quintijn
    Jun 9, 2023
    10
    My favorite nintendo game of all time. Every 6 months or so, I start up and 100% the game.
  4. 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.
  5. yoda55777
    May 27, 2023
    10
    Eu gosto muito desse jogo ele muito bacana e uma os melhores jogos de ds e um dos que eu mais me diverti
  6. Nevbear1206
    Apr 10, 2023
    8
    Focusing on what this Zelda title excels at, dungeons are clever and don't overstay their welcome, the visuals are vibrant and impressive for the system, the music is great, and the story is quite heartfelt and impactful. As far as the rest, mechanics could have been more creative, some quests feel uninspired, and I often felt discouraged by using my finger to control Link while lacking aFocusing on what this Zelda title excels at, dungeons are clever and don't overstay their welcome, the visuals are vibrant and impressive for the system, the music is great, and the story is quite heartfelt and impactful. As far as the rest, mechanics could have been more creative, some quests feel uninspired, and I often felt discouraged by using my finger to control Link while lacking a stylus where I wish I could have just used the D-Pad/circle pad. Still a great title overall, just one that could have been better.… Expand
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. spencerplewe
    Dec 28, 2022
    8
    While the new train mechanic may sound more restricting than a boat, it actually adds a sense of strategy to the adventure, which being a distant second sequel to "The Wind Waker", continues the younger-fan-focused handheld gameplay we've seen for years already, but with much better cutscenes and the welcomed twist of Zelda herself as a companion.
  10. ReviewerT17
    Oct 26, 2022
    10
    My first and favorite zelda game. I hated the game as a kid because I couldn't figure out how to beat it, but I came back a little later and completed it. I loved the puzzles in the Tower of Spirits with Phantom Zelda the most and I still come back and play the game for that section in particular. There is so much charm and creativity in the game. Will always be my number 1 zelda.
  11. 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
  12. giannis2001
    Sep 4, 2022
    8
    This game is an improvement of Phantom Hourglass by my opinion. The story, the overworld and the dungeons are great. It's a very fun little adventure in the Nintendo DS and one of the best games in the console.
  13. ylnylmn
    Aug 7, 2022
    8
    I love all Zelda games but this game is one of my least favorites. I didn't like traveling on rails. Because it takes too long to go from one place to another and new warps are not opened without the passenger quest. Likewise, 'Zelda with the phantom armor' takes a lot of time to manage. Some dungeons are boring. Some puzzles are weird. The story and characters didn't really interest me.I love all Zelda games but this game is one of my least favorites. I didn't like traveling on rails. Because it takes too long to go from one place to another and new warps are not opened without the passenger quest. Likewise, 'Zelda with the phantom armor' takes a lot of time to manage. Some dungeons are boring. Some puzzles are weird. The story and characters didn't really interest me. Even though the phantom hourglass was weak as a dungeon, it was more fun to go by boat. Most of the time, when I want to go somewhere, another train comes in front of me and I have to deal with it. Anyway. A nice DS Zelda game. Some people's favourite. This is the best feature of Zelda games. Every game has a fan.… Expand
  14. joadson
    Jul 1, 2022
    10
    This was one of the most fun games to have zelda with a companion from the link during her journey
  15. bliv15
    Apr 7, 2022
    10
    Great game. Very underrated and the music is phenomenal. Great final boss too.
  16. BlackDragon793
    Feb 8, 2022
    3
    I hated Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks shares almost all of it's same flaws and annoyances. It's just a slightly more polished piece of stool. Just like Phantom Hourglass, the amount of annoyance and frustration I felt far out weighed the amount of enjoyment I got from this game. The Spirit Tower is in some ways worse than the Temple of the Ocean King because the later floors are hugeI hated Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks shares almost all of it's same flaws and annoyances. It's just a slightly more polished piece of stool. Just like Phantom Hourglass, the amount of annoyance and frustration I felt far out weighed the amount of enjoyment I got from this game. The Spirit Tower is in some ways worse than the Temple of the Ocean King because the later floors are huge and very intensive. And the stupid flute, I'm not trying to give myself a headache or get spit all over my 3DS. It's like they decided to force themselves to use all these features on the DS regardless of whether it enhances the game or not. This game was just a slog to get through, don't play it unless you're doing it for completions sake.… Expand
  17. OliRock92
    Jan 14, 2022
    4
    Generic medieval music in Zelda?! The graphics might be good for DS and the overwold maps huge also for this system but the frames drop around 10 FPS if not lower when there are 2 or more ennemies on the screen on the overworld. The gameplay would feel good though...except the freakin' flute ruins it all. Not matter how you play, it never seems to register. After a while of doing exactlyGeneric medieval music in Zelda?! The graphics might be good for DS and the overwold maps huge also for this system but the frames drop around 10 FPS if not lower when there are 2 or more ennemies on the screen on the overworld. The gameplay would feel good though...except the freakin' flute ruins it all. Not matter how you play, it never seems to register. After a while of doing exactly the same thing, the game decides that thing you did that wasn't good enough suddenly is. Basically, you need to quickly play your partition in rythm. No DS or 3DS mic is good enough to ask the level of precision they're asking. Sometimes, I just blow in the mic but it registers as puffs. Easily my least favourite Zelda game because of that dang flute alone. The train is also kind of dumb. Early in the game, the tracks disapear. The characters need to reach a destination NO MATTER WHAT. But there aren't any tracks! How could they possibly ever get there?! Idk, what about....WALKING?| Crazy idea, I know, right? It's not like other incarnations of the Hero ever did that. I LOVED Phantom Hourglass, to death! But Spirit Tracks...Idk. I tried to love, even only like this game since I'm a huge Zelda fan, but this one, I cannot recommend. It's mechanics are both dumb and broken. The cutscenes were really nice though, I gotta give it credit for that. Felt like watching anime with DS graphics. But that's it, nicely animated cutscenes and (I know I ranted about the generic medieval music, and yes, that IS lame) but there are also pretty good tunes in there also. Overall, a poorly executed idea. I get what they were going for, but it just doesn't work very well.… Expand
  18. 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.
  19. 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
  20. Maarten95
    Jan 22, 2021
    0
    The game receives the lowest score I can grade a game. It left such a sour taste in my mouth, so lets get it al out right now. Lets start with the gameplay. Its rubbish. The dungeons are really easy and controlling link through the stylist is just akward. But ehat ruined the game is the godamn flute mechanic. Never have I experienced something so utterly stupid. Who testet this?! It justThe game receives the lowest score I can grade a game. It left such a sour taste in my mouth, so lets get it al out right now. Lets start with the gameplay. Its rubbish. The dungeons are really easy and controlling link through the stylist is just akward. But ehat ruined the game is the godamn flute mechanic. Never have I experienced something so utterly stupid. Who testet this?! It just broke the game for me. Ultimy I quit the game at the fire temple and used the pc version to get past the flute sections because it just didnt work on my 3ds. Garbage!… Expand
  21. Mutty99
    Nov 30, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Even if i felt like the Train mechanics were a bit limited compared to Phantom Hourglass' more free ship guide (to the point i found them annoying because of the bomb trains), this is a really valid and original title as well, with interesting characters and an original take on princess Zelda, being actually playable through the game; the ost is in par with PH. The worst con are the treasures: there is too much disparity in their rarity odds, having some ones super common, and other ones very rare for every rarity group. I think they should have been equal in odds (Common treasures all of the same odds, and same goes for Uncommon and Rare ones). Furthermore, there is too much treasure farming required if you want to have a lot of rupees or train parts (for the first ones, the Lost at Sea station allows you to have as many regal rings as you want, so that improves the aspect a bit). Even with the worsened treasure mechanics, this game is worth playing through, offering a bit more challenging experience to the players, and a fantastic Link and Zelda co-op final showdown.… Expand
  22. MersuMummo
    Nov 21, 2020
    9
    Very good game overall. But many of the side quests are boring and similiar. And the oundtrack is spectacular. 9/10
  23. tekenart
    Oct 19, 2020
    9
    The game was really fun, and in my opinion, a good improvement in comparison to phantom hourglass. The music was just perfect, specially the train theme. The puzzles were really challenging, but what I appreciated the most were the characters, one character in particular had a really cool arc, and the fact that Zelda is not just a useless pretty face is so good, she's not just anThe game was really fun, and in my opinion, a good improvement in comparison to phantom hourglass. The music was just perfect, specially the train theme. The puzzles were really challenging, but what I appreciated the most were the characters, one character in particular had a really cool arc, and the fact that Zelda is not just a useless pretty face is so good, she's not just an objective, or a price, she's your companion and actually helps you a lot, how cool is that? Aside from that, the flute was really frustrating. Not a perfect Zelda game, but a really good one, definitely.… Expand
  24. 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
  25. WhiteScarfHero
    May 27, 2020
    9
    I know its kinda unfair for me to rate this game since i played it with an emulator on a mobile phone so i don't have problems with the controls and spirit flute. But even if i'm playing this game on the DS and the spirit flute annoys me a lot, i say its still an amazing game and worth the time and struggle
  26. Legendofzelda97
    May 3, 2020
    9
    Honestly one of the best games I've played sometimes the spirit flute is glitchy but other then that being able to play it again is super enjoyable would play it a million times over great story and over all nice game
  27. ShawnEXE
    May 3, 2019
    8
    Music: 5/5
    Game Play: 4/5
    Graphics: 4/5
    Story: 4/5
    Time-Value: 4/5
    Overall:4/5
  28. lihmeh
    Apr 20, 2019
    10
    The game is a piece of art! I totally loved it!
    However... sometimes my hands ached. You can't spend a lot of time in a row playing old 3DS with a stick.
    However, the game was totally worth it :)
  29. Nayruedo
    Jan 17, 2019
    10
    Best portable Zelda ever made. The soundtrack is better than Ocarina, the panflute is amazing.
  30. nintendo-sekta
    Dec 23, 2018
    10
    Игра хорошая. В ней есть хорошая музыка, интересные головоломки, масштабные боссы.
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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

All reviews »
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]
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »