Hear, we all know what you’re going to say, the pan flute nonetheless haunts your nightmares. However even with that dastardly tune ruining your run within the closing dungeon, Zelda: Spirit Tracks nonetheless stays one of the crucial pleasant Nintendo DS video games within the sequence. With a fully beautiful soundtrack, the dual-screen boss fights, and the actual fact you may drive a prepare at will, all of it serves to remind us that Spirit Tracks is a cult traditional for a superb motive.
Zelda: Spirit Tracks was like an amalgamation of Majora’s Masks and Phantom Hourglass, with puzzles that have been robust however didn’t make us need to launch our DS throughout the room, sidequests that by no means felt boring, and the added bonus of lastly seeing each Hyperlink and Zelda combat collectively on two screens. And regardless of the prepare tracks, the sport by no means felt closed-in or too linear as a result of it allow you to discover at will with out the necessity for a plan or route. With how large open-world motion video games are typically these days, it’s good to recollect our roots, and Zelda: Spirit Tracks gave us that a lot sought-after freedom all the best way again when within the late ‘00s.
Certain, it’s no Breath of the Wild, however it pays to look again with a nostalgic eye as a result of we wouldn’t have the Zelda video games we all know and love immediately with out the originals. Spirit Tracks pushed the boundaries of what the Nintendo DS was able to and utilized completely all the things the system needed to supply, from the touchpad to the microphone, and even the sleep mode. There are many gameplay parts that might solely discover a house on that particular console however this ingenuity boxed it in, and when Spirit Tracks first appeared, many die-hard Zelda followers have been fast to dismiss it.
However Spirit Tracks got here with arguably among the finest boss battles in all the franchise, like Fraaz the Snow Temple boss and Cragma, the cycloptic lump of molten lava within the Hearth Temple. They have been robust, and rightly so, however they have been oh a lot enjoyable to go in opposition to.
Even simply the lead-up to the ultimate boss, the place each gameplay factor was lovingly woven collectively, from using the prepare, utilizing Phantom Zelda, taking part in the Spirit Pipes, after which utilizing the twin display screen of the DS to manage each Hyperlink and Zelda, it’s nonetheless apparent even immediately that there was numerous love that went into the sport. Simply have a look at the response to Zelda: Echoes of Knowledge the place you may play as the girl herself once more – Spirit Tracks obtained it proper even again then.
It may not have acquired the identical quantity of affection upon launch, however 15 years down the road and we nonetheless need to trip the prepare round Hyrule and snigger at Zelda freaking out about her physique being possessed. Certain, Nintendo leaned closely into the DS gimmicks, making it near-impossible to even entertain the potential for a port, however generally classics are finest stored of their rightful houses. Go on, go dig your DS out of storage and provides it a go once more. We promise it’s not as unhealthy as you keep in mind.
Should you’re trying again with a fond eye and questioning what the most effective Zelda video games are, then we’ve obtained a listing of all of the Zelda video games so as in the event you actually need to make a journey – or a prepare trip – down reminiscence lane. We’re nonetheless questioning the place the Zelda Twilight Princess Swap port is, however we will preserve you within the know with all the data on a brand new Zelda recreation.