Poor Spirit Tracks. This game doesn’t get nearly enough credit for all of the wonderful things it has contributed to the Zelda universe. It was the first game to incorporate Zelda as a companion in Link’s journey (albeit in ghost form), and the interactions between the two are just adorable. You get to blow into the DS microphone to play notes on a pan flute and solve puzzles, which I think is pretty nifty. And, oh yeah, it has trains! Who doesn’t love trains?
Some have argued that the game, while ambitious, was hampered by the limitations of the hardware and the wackiness of its premise. But it can’t be denied that, as is the case for most Zelda games, the one area where Spirit Tracks absolutely soars is the soundtrack.
Spirit Tracks makes excellent use of the series’ previous tunes, while also introducing new area and character themes. The instrumentation is unique among the other Zeldas, relying heavily on flute, banjo, fiddle, an assortment of peppy drums, and even castanets. And I must say, the subtle little accents on the “Fairy Fountain/File Select Theme” are particularly refreshing.
One of the worthiest additions to the game’s soundtrack is the “Overworld Theme”, perfectly matched to the cadence of the Spirit Train’s chugging. Super Smash Bros. contributor Michiko Naruke must have thought highly of this track as well, because her arrangement of the theme — entitled “Full Steam Ahead” — is a standout composition even in the midst of Super Smash Bros.’ titanic song list.
The remix was first heard in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, accompanying the brand-new Spirit Train stage. It maintains the same adventurous momentum as the original track, but adds more depth to the instrumentation so it can better assimilate into the setting of a platforming brawl. Low-frequency instruments maintaining a fast, energetic rhythm in the background make up for the absence of the train’s persistent chugging as you traverse Spirit Tracks’ overworld. All of the instruments, and especially the leading flute — which naturally takes after the Spirit Flute — have a more life-like timbre than the ones in the original mix. The abundance of new texture and depth that Naruke has incorporated allows this track to not only enter seamlessly into the fast-paced action of the Super Smash Bros. series, but to also stand out as one of the best remixes the series has seen to date.
