The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

I was really excited about this game. In fact, I was so excited that I went out and bought a used DS on Friday. However, my excitement soon faded as I popped in the cartridge. To my horror, the DS would freeze after powering on. Desperate to acquire a functioning DS, I asked Steve (he's damn generous) if I could borrow his DS while he was at home. Knowing he would be home until Sunday night, I committed to beating the game in two days. Mission accomplished.

All in all, I would say Spirit tracks took around 20 hours to beat. So no, I did not do anything else this weekend... and yes, it was worth it.

In this game, we follow Link as he attempts to banish King Malladus to the Dark Realm once more by restoring the Spirit Tracks (these aren't just train tracks but also act as a lock to the Dark Realm). Interestingly enough, Link no longer has a fairy companion. Instead, he is followed around by the spirit of one of Malladus' victims. She's not a gimmick, however, and is central to the solution of most puzzles. I'm sure the rest of the story was great, but I skipped most cutscenes to expedite my completion of another Zelda adventure.

This game feels very similar to Phantom Hourglass. From the graphics to the gameplay, at points, it is tough to differentiate between the two. However, the dungeons and boss battles are more prevalent, varied, and rewarding. The sand temple was particularly badass. Still, if you have played one Zelda game, you know what to expect from Spirit Tracks. You go to a dungeon in order to find a magical stone. Within that dungeon, you find a special weapon that allows you to traverse it and solve its puzzles. The dungeon culminates in a larger-than-life boss battle. Once that boss battle is over, you navigate the overworld (I wish it was Hyrule) in a train (instead of a sail boat) with the hope of completing various errands for townspeople, who in turn will help you find your way to the next dungeon. As I never figured out how to unlock the warp stations, this got rather tedious. I spent far too much time waiting for Link's goddamn train to reach its destination.

But, the good far outweighed the bad. For me, this is easily the best handheld Zelda I have ever played because it took everything I loved about Phantom Hourglass and got rid of the fucking repetitive as shit Temple of the Ocean King. Okay, time to beat God of War.