All aboard! Nintendo has been showing off The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for DS on the E3 show floor this week. It has trains in it..

Yes, Link is no longer on a boat. Rather you’ll be choo choo-ing around the world, doing your best to arrive at your destination unscathed. changing speed, bombing bad guys, and blowing your whistle to scare animals off the track is all part of it.

 

Nintendo say it’s an all new story as well - so we’re not sure if this is somehow a sequel to Phantom Hourglass. Link gets some new help as well; you can take one of those big, bad Phantoms from Phantom Hourglass under your control. He’s near invincible and can be used to navigate lava and fire, as a shield, or a platform. More touch-screen puzzles are coming our way!

 

It’s a given that Link has a few new weapons and items up his sleeve, including the ’whirlwind’ ability - blow into the microphone and... well, something cool happens. All the great touch-screen functionality returns from Phantom Hourglass, including the ability to draw notes on your map.

Spirit Tracks is due out in the United States late in the year; hopefully we’ll follow soon after (or before! We can dream!)