The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is the direct sequel to Phantom Hourglass. That much would seem obvious, but in the Zelda series one entry doesn't always directly precede the next; even games with direct plot connections may feel radically different than one another (Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, for instance). Spirit Tracks and Phantom Hourglass, however, are as alike as any two Zeldas have ever been. Both play almost entirely with the touch screen, their visual styles are identical, and much of both games revolves around guiding a vehicle along a map.
These connections shouldn't be taken to mean that Spirit Tracks is simply Phantom Hourglass redux, however. It's a sequel in the good sense of the word, too, which is to say that it overcomes some of its predecessor's problems. So while there's still a central dungeon that players return to over the course of the quest -- in this case the four-level Tower of Spirits -- the controversial elements of Phantom Hourglass's Palace of the Ocean King are stripped away. The Tower of Spirits isn't timed, players don't have to work their way through previously-cleared sections of the dungeon, and rather than simply dodging invincible phantom guardians you also have one on your side (courtesy of possession by the disembodied spirit of Princess Zelda).
The Tower therefore becomes a hub where you go to determine the next portion of your quest, but it's not a nuisance. Based on the first half of the Tower, it seems every portion plays out a little differently: The first section is perfectly straightforward, a learning experience, while the second area features plenty of fire traps and pools of lava that can only be passed with the help of your Zelda/phantom companion. In other words, it's an integral part of the game -- but it feels interesting rather than forced.
If the Tower is the game's hub, its spokes are the train tracks that connect the different regions of the new land of Hyrule. Link has traded a boat and the open seas for a train and countless miles of rail, though it will be a familiar experience to Phantom Hourglass fans. Link can only ride along the Hyrule's predetermined rail paths (at least initially; supposedly players will be able to create their own paths later in the game), but getting to each destination isn't as simple as simply moving from one point to another. Indestructible enemy trains patrol the tracks, random monsters will attack Link, and then of course there are the inevitable plot-related obstacles to complicate the process of reaching the next dungeon.
Once Link heads into the northern portions of the island, for instance, he has to reach the second dungeon. That means he first has to stop at a village along the way to meet the region's resident mystic to open up the route, which involves solving a logic problem for the Inouki (who, like Link and crew, migrated to this region after Phantom Hourglass). Once the way is set, there's still an impenetrable blizzard to be cleared, for which Link needs a railway map. And that in turn is in possession of a crazed train geek who lives off in the disused eastern portion of the rail system. In short, it's the usual chain of progression one expects from a Zelda game -- though the constraints of the rail system keep things moving at a brisker pace than they did in Spirit Tracks' direct predecessors.
Even so, the game has its share of diversions. Link can acquire all sorts of extraneous treasures, exchange mail with other players, fill a passport with rail stamps for each in-game destination, and rescue stray bunnies to relocate to safety. And all of that is in addition to the required in-game systems, such as the pan flute item that Link uses to unlock each main dungeon (players change its pitch by dragging the pipes on the touch screen and blowing into the mike). There's even a multiplayer mode.
But is it any good? Phantom Hourglass was a hit or miss game, seemingly creating as many detractors as admirers, and many Zelda fans are watching Spirit Tracks with wariness. Having completed the first two dungeons -- which is ostensibly half the game, but no doubt there will be more to the quest than the four Tower segments and their associated dungeons -- I've found it to be a much more thoughtfully designed adventure than its predecessor. While the rail system could be limiting, it actually keeps things moving quickly and provides just enough hazards and opportunities to stay interesting. The streamlined central dungeon should be a welcome change, and the story doesn't seem to take itself too seriously.
Link's weapons also seem to have more use. Recent Zelda games have a tendency to make use of a tool or weapon for the duration of the dungeon in which it's located, and once you take down the level's boss, it may never be seen again. So far, the two weapons I've found -- the Whirlwind mentioned in my previous hands-on and the traditional boomerang -- seem likely to avoid being that superfluous. The boomerang works much as it did in Phantom Hourglass, flying along the path you describe with your stylus. Now, however, it has the ability to pick up both fire and ice; as in other Zelda games, you can chuck the boomerang through flames to light candles and ignite foes, but you can also throw it through freezing "fires" in order to spread ice. When the freezing boomerang passes over water, it creates a temporary sheet of ice which Link can scurry across -- an essential technique for completing the second dungeon. When no ice is available, though, Link can hop on floating debris and use the Whirlwind to push himself along.
In that one dungeon, at least, Link's items work together in a harmony not often seen in Zelda games. Meanwhile, the core puzzle of the ice dungeon works on a large scale: Players need to strike three bells in specific patterns to create tunes, tying into the franchise's fondness for music. This requires players to locate the transcriptions of the different tunes, and then push the bells into place so they can be hit with the boomerang in the proper sequences. At the end of the dungeon is the boss, a challenging enemy who shares split weaknesses to heat and cold -- and in an unexpected bit of genre savviness, it extinguishes the flame and ice sources in the room after your first round of attacks, forcing players to find alternate means by which to defeat him. For many people, the heart of the Zelda games lay in the dungeons, and Spirit Tracks has some great dungeons... and just the right amount of required content between them.
I doubt Spirit Tracks will do much to win over players who were turned off by Phantom Hourglass's stylus controls, since that much is unchanged here. However, those who found the last game a bit short on invention may find more of what they were looking for here. It's very much a Zelda game, but Spirit Tracks feels more daring than its predecessor. Whether it can retain that spirit through the end remains to be seen, but it's on the right track. Or tracks, as the case may be.
