The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Lore & Background

Spirit Tracks is the final game in the Adult Era of the 'Victorious Hero' timeline, taking place a century after The Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. Long ago, spirits called Lokomos sealed the Demon King Malladus beneath the Tower of Spirits using the Spirit Tracks. After the previous Link and Zelda settled the land as New Hyrule, steam trains were developed to travel on those tracks. A century later, a new Link graduates as a train engineer and meets Princess Zelda, who asks his help investigating vanishing tracks. Chancellor Cole, revealed as a demon serving Malladus, separates Zelda's spirit from her body to use it as a host for Malladus. Link and the disembodied Zelda work together to restore the Tower of Spirits and the Spirit Tracks, with Zelda able to possess Phantom Guardians. They defeat Malladus with the Lokomo Sword and Bow of Light, and the Lokomos return to the Spirits' Realm.

Reader's Guide

Spirit Tracks continues the touchscreen-based gameplay of Phantom Hourglass, with players using the stylus to control Link, attack, dodge, and select items. The overworld is traversed via the Spirit Train, which the player can direct by drawing routes on the map, control speed, blow the whistle, and later use a cannon for defense. The game features a central dungeon with a spiral staircase, replacing the repeated floors of Phantom Hourglass. Unlike its predecessor, Spirit Tracks does not include Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection multiplayer; instead, up to four players can compete locally via DS Download Play, collecting Force Gems as different-colored Links. The game was developed by half the Zelda team, with director Daiki Iwamoto and producer Eiji Aonuma returning. Aonuma derived the concept from a children's book. Originally planned as a quick sequel like Majora's Mask, production took two years due to new features. Zelda was given more agency and a key role in both narrative and puzzles, breaking from earlier passive portrayals.

Did You Know?

• The game's concept was inspired by a children's book that producer Eiji Aonuma read.
• Zelda can possess Phantom Guardians, allowing the player to control her directly in dungeons.
• The Spirit Flute requires the player to blow into the DS microphone to play songs.
• Up to four players can compete in a local multiplayer mode using only one game card.