When the first trailer for Spirit Tracks

was released earlier this year at GDC, the one thing that stood out to

people and stuck in their memory was undeniably the train, which played

such a predominant role in the trailer, the game’s title, and of

course, the game itself. People responded quite strongly. ‘A train in Zelda? What is the world coming to?’ People really need to realize that the train of Spirit Tracks isn’t anything to warrant such a response. It fits into the overall picture just fine.

Spirit Tracks, at the moment, has a timeline placement of 100 years after Phantom Hourglass. Phantom Hourglass, you know, the game that has the S.S. Linebeck. A steamboat. Hence the S.S. prefix. And what do we see in Spirit Tracks?

A steam train. Surely the progression of 100 years from steamboats to

steam trains really isn’t something that amazing. Actually, research

tells me that on earth, steamboats and steam trains were pretty side by

side in their invention and progression throughout the 18th Century.

Why didn’t Phantom Hourglass get the same reception for having

a steamboat? Probably because it’s not really steam technology in boats

and trains that you have the problem with.

We could ponder why there were steamboats without steam trains in Zelda,

but that’s pretty easily answered by the fact there were only minuscule

islands founded, which take about a minute to go for a jog around. Once

a larger land was founded, the progression and application of steam

technology to trains was a logical progression. After all, Hyrule and

the world, spans millenia across the timeline. To those of you who

place games after The Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks timeline arc, I ask you, how do you explain the recession in steam technology, without pinning anything on the developers?

Really,

there’s nothing to get worked up about here. The train fits in with

Zeldaran Era Technology without a fuss. Be glad it didn’t have a subway

like Valley of the Flood proposed, which would’ve compromised

the series, because this steam train compromises nothing. In an

interview with Reggie Fils-Aime on Spirit Tracks, MTV Multiplayer asked, “If you can have trains in the “Zelda” universe, can you have planes in the “Zelda” universe?”

Sheer ignorance I say. Mr. Fils-Aime simply forked any responsibility

for an answer to that onto Aonuma. But, seriously. Learn that this

train fits in. It isn’t a massive leap in technology that compromises

and changes everything. It’s okay young ones; Link will not travel by

an Airbus A380 in Zelda Wii.

For something so small,

it’s warranted such a negative response. All of you who frown and

cringe at the mention of the train need to simply get over it. There’s

nothing wrong with it. Realize that it is not the usage of a steam

train that will make or break a Zelda game. Maybe, worth more concern about Spirit Tracks,

is the continuing evidence of Nintendo’s turn towards targeting

hardcore casual gamers. For those who are really hardcore, at being

casual gamers. I think a lot of you are putting all of your anger and

blame about this casual turn on the train, even though it need not be

so. It’s a steam train – get over it!