The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (ゼルダの伝説　大地の汽笛 Zeruda no Densetsu Daichi no Kiteki, literally "The Legend of Zelda: (Train) Whistle of the Earth") is the upcoming fifteenth installment of the Legend of Zelda series. It is in development for the Nintendo DS. Details about the game were revealed by Satoru Iwata at the 2009 Game Developers Conference. It is scheduled to be released on December 1, 2009. Spirit Tracks was put on display at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

Featuring gameplay similar to that of Phantom Hourglass, the basic premise of the game is travel by railroad. In the promotional video clip, Link is shown riding a cannon-mounted locomotive through various lands, battling enemies along the way. The game also focuses on controlling a sidekick character clad in armor similar to that of Phantoms from Phantom Hourglass. While several new items and abilities have been shown off in two diferent trailers, the story for Spirit Tracks remains unclear as of the moment.

Gameplay
The game's graphical style is extremely similar to that of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, as is the gameplay; the top screen is used as a map screen, and the touch screen serves as the action screen. One of the biggest new additions to the game is travel by rail. The player is put in control of a cannon-wielding steam engine that's driving down a network of tracks. The train's speed is controlled with a throttle on the right hand side of the touchscreen, and includes the ability to go full stop, reverse, and blow the trains whistle. Eventually players will have to switch between several different tracks. Many paths lead to areas that have other trains on them, and Link must avoid colliding with these trains.

Another major gameplay element is control of the Phantom-like figure, which opens up several new combat and puzzle solving capabilities. On the bottom left corner of the screen is an icon that can be tapped to draw a path for the armored knight to follow. Players can also draw a path to a nearby enemy and the Phantom will attack once he has come within range of his sword. This character is invincible to fire and magma, allowing him to reach areas Link can't. Link can also ride on the knight through lava in order to reach platforms and islands surrounded by magma.

In the promotional video, Link is seen wielding an item resembling a pinwheel whose fan blades resemble Deku Leaves. It is shown to have a similar function to both the Gale Boomerang, the Deku Leaf, and the Gust Jar. It also seems to be similar to a fan, as Link uses it to retrieve a key and flip over a large boss resembling a beetle. This item is used by blowing into the DS's microphone and is known as the Whirlwind. Also appearing is the Boomerang. The cannon on Link's locomotive is seen shooting Bombs. In an E3 2009 trailer, we see Link using a whip against foes and using it to cross a gap in a manner similar to the Grappling Hook from The Wind Waker as well as a boss battle in the train against a rock monster with a large eye.

Plot
The Official Trailer DH9yOh9dsy8 While Nintendo has yet to comment on the storyline, the website GameTrailers has stated at E3 that Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after the events in Phantom Hourglass. It also features a different Link than the previous cel-shaded titles. In the game, Link is an apprentice engineer, explaining the prevalence of trains in the game. While this statement remains unofficial, it fits with everything shown about the game so far.

The major plot details of Spirit Tracks remain at present officially unreleased. What gamers and analysts do know comes from the official trailer released on March 25, 2009. In the trailer, fans are shown Link traveling around a land that is now covered with train tracks, and Link is shown to be the conductor (or engineer) of the train seen in the trailer. Gamers are also shown what appears to be the halls of a castle (quite possibly a new incarnation of Hyrule Castle) and Link kneeling before Princess Zelda in what appears to be the throne room of the castle. When observing closely, one can see a large body of water (as well as a beach) at the very beginning of the trailer which Link passes while conducting a train, and later in the trailer, there appears to be a building that looks like a castle (possibly the aforementioned castle Princess Zelda is seen inside of) in the center of a large field which Link also passes on his train.

Link is also shown working with a character greatly resembling one of the Phantom Guardians from Phantom Hourglass. This character seems to do whatever Link asks it; two examples are setting off a switch so that Link can pass through flames, another is distracting a Zora Warrior while Link attacks the weak spot on the warrior's back. Link is shown wearing his Hero's Clothes later in the trailer, indicating that at some point in the game he changes his clothing to his usual Hero style. He is also shown fighting a beetle-like boss in what appears to be the middle of some kind of forest. Given this evidence from the trailer, many similarities to Phantom Hourglass can be seen in both style and substance. While the official plot details for this game are currently unavailable, it is possible to generate ideas of what the game could possibly entail. Since the series was introduced steam technology in Phantom Hourglass (i.e. the S.S. Linebeck) and Link is shown riding a train powered by steam, it is quite possible this game takes place in the new land of Hyrule which Link and Tetra were seeking in after the ending of The Wind Waker. This is supported by the similar appearance of the figure Link is shown controlling in the trailer (mirroring the style of a Phantom Guardian). Also, one of the safe zones like those that appear in the Temple of the Ocean King can be briefly seen in the trailer, suggesting that there will a dungeon where the player is timed, similar to the Temple of the Ocean King. It should be noted however that Link is not losing health while not standing in it.

As mentioned above, there is a sighting of a large body of water and a beach as Link passes on his train early in the trailer. This body of water could possibly feed into or in fact be the Great Sea. The land appears wide and open as though new, and the presence of a new castle with Princess Zelda inside the throne room supports the idea of the reestablishment of the Hyrulean monarchy. Just how the game's major story will unfold is for the moment unclear, but it is clear that the game is an indirect sequel to Phantom Hourglass.

4-Player Battle Mode
During the 2009 E3 interview with Shigeru Miyamoto, he was asked if there would be a 4-player battle mode, an idea that was scrapped from The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. He then comfirmed that there would be a 4-player battle mode in the game. Although he did not want to reveal too much information, he did state that when playing battle mode, the 2-4 players would play a game similar to tag, and that there would be no swords.