Sinister Resistance

#04: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo DS)
Genre: Action RPG, Adventure
Platform: Nintendo DS
Release Date: December 2009
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks follows on from the previous Zelda/DS incarnation, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which I’ll happily go on record saying is easily the DS’ finest hour and one of the most inventive Zelda games in the history of the series. In between the awesomeness, however, nestled many flaws that plagued the experience: The endless sailing required to travel from place to place, the short lifespan of the main adventure, the repetitive trawls through the Temple of the Ocean King after every couple of hours’ gameplay, the lack of substantial sidequests; it was certainly a Zelda quest full of character and charm, but in terms of substance, it was unfortunately left wanting. Two years wiser, Nintendo stepped back from their palace of gold to take a good look at the series and propose a Zelda adventure that doesn’t just retread old glories (like Twilight Princess did with Ocarina of Time; and Phantom Hourglass continued from Wind Waker) but instead proposes its own quirks and oddities. Sure, Zelda gets kidnapped as per usual and Hyrule is once again in peril of succumbing to evil forces, but not in usual way; yes, you’ve got the same old boomerang and the same old sword ‘n’ shield, but with some completely original weapons that make great use of the DS’ innovative controls; and while the traditional Zelda dungeon mechanic is retrodden, the new features it weaves into it balance ‘familiarity’ and ‘originality’ with ease. So, Nintendo have gone against all tradition and listened to player’s criticisms and troubles by attempting to ‘fix’ what many felt Phantom Hourglass lacked, while honing those features that it excelled at, right? Well, with a couple of exceptions, yes. Continue reading →