Jeremy Parish of 1UP has written a review of Spirit Track. Here are some of the highlights:
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!
“the game’s villain looks like the demon spawn of Lucky the Leprechaun, but the plot — which involves the resurrection of an ancient evil using Princess Zelda’s
body as its vessel — is pretty solid as far as justifications for combing ancient labyrinths goes.”
“Even better is the presentation, which is by far the most sophisticated of any DS game to date.”
“Spirit Tracks has a much larger scope than the game’s four dungeons would suggest. Beyond the core dungeons are half a dozen towns, countless outposts situated along Hyrule’s railways, and even a rabbit adoption farm.”
“Spirit Tracks turns Phantom Hourglass’ most widely decried element — the repetitive Temple of the Ocean King — into its biggest strength.”
“While the “main” dungeons are fairly standard stuff — find a weapon, use that weapon to acquire the boss key, kill the boss by exposing its weakness with your new acquisition — the tower has less emphasis on formulaic gimmicks and centers around pure, brain-bending puzzles. It’s fantastic stuff, challenging and satisfying, and it elevates the game well above being merely “Phantom Hourglass on a train.”
“Nintendo has tweaked the stylus-driven controls a bit, and while they work well they suffer from maddening imprecision at times.”
Sounds like Spirit Tracks will be an adventure of mixed blessings. Parish gave the game an A-. You can read the review here.
