A new update for The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes has been released everywhere for download this week. 

This update heavily emphasizes the new Den of Trials DLC dungeon and important multiplayer features that will affect future updates. Nintendo recommends that for to these reasons, all users should download and install the update onto their devices.

This update was announced back in November by Nintendo Direct (4:05 benchmark), but as of this week has finally dropped for players in both North America (Dec 2) and Europe (Dec 3) to enjoy. 

What you should expect in Ver. 2.0.0:

The Den of Trials DLC added

Unlike previous dungeons with a small handful of stages, the Den of Trials is a dungeon DLC that features over 30 stages players must fight through. Each goes progressively deeper underground, providing more of a challenge with each level you go.

A difficult requirement is that every enemy must be killed before progressing to the next stage. Checkpoints will be available, but it's unclear when these checkpoints will appear. So players are directed to use them wisely.

Two new outfits added

These outfits will only be available after clearing certain requirements in the game. Both provide strategic benefits.

• Linebeck's Uniform (Spirit Tracks) 
  This costume let' the wearer see inside treasure chests before they open them, ensuring best pick.
  
  
• Fierce Deity Armor (Majora's Mask)
  This costume increases the wearer's attack power. It also shoots beams in 4 directions.

Multiplayer Matchmaking Improvements

Style match-ups

• Players will be organized based on their styles of gameplay and will be matched up more frequently with those who have similar playstyles through the online matchmaking system.
• To ensure a better matchmaking experience, players must complete a series of questions before starting a match, and answers influence future online team-ups.

Blacklisting

• A major issue with online multiplayer in games are the trolls and otherwise that leave mid-game. Now, should a teammate exit through the pause menu during play, a blacklisting option will be added. To blacklist a player, simply tap their Hero Panel and then press either the A or B button before saving the game. 

Other updates

• Stamps for Miiverse added.
  
• Friendly Tokens will now be available from the street vendor after lifting the cures off of Princess Styla.
• Other small adjustments have been added for a more pleasant gaming experience.

A note before you update

There are a few things to keep in mind before you make the switch to 2.0.0. Nintendo stated:

Update data will be saved on the SD Card that is inserted into the system. 

If there is not enough space on the SD Card, the update will not be completed. In order to check available space, select "System Settings" from the Home Menu and then select "Data Management."

After downloading the update, please do not delete the update data. Update data can be viewed in the "Downloadable Content" area of the Data Management menu.

Despite such major game changes that come with this update, Nintendo also assures that previous save data will be safe and still available to use. No information should be lost during the update.

To install the update, make sure you're already at the latest version, and then download the new one from the Nintendo eShop. Make sure it is labeled as The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Update Ver. 2.0.0. Then follow on-screen instructions, or follow the Nintendo guide to download from the HOME menu.

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes Ver. 2.0.0 is available to users completely free in the eShop. 

Week 14 of the Legend of Zelda Rewind Review is here, and after briefly losing my sanity to The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, I can safely say that Spirit Tracks has revitalized my... spirits.

Bad puns aside, we all know the drill by now. As with all Rewind Reviews, The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks will undergo a review process through the eyes of a modern critic. No nostalgia glasses, no excuses, no rationalizing hardware limitations, and no sparing myself from angry fans and readers. Nothing will excuse this game from anything that we - as modern gamers - would expect to see in the genre today.

So without further ado, let's board the Spirit Train and try to reclaim Zelda's body in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks!

The Plot

Not too bad for a man over 100 years old, huh?

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks takes place 100 years after the events of Phantom Hourglass. The game starts out innocently enough with a picture slideshow of the events prior to Spirit Tracks. The story tells of the Spirits of Good who vanquished the Demon King under the land of New Hyrule, sealing him into the ground since they could not completely destroy him.

The story is then revealed to be told by the last survivor of the original settlers of New Hyrule, Nico, the last living member of Tetra's Pirates.

Shortly after the story, the newest iteration of Link gets woken up by Alfonzo, his train engineering instructor. Having fallen asleep during Nico's story, Link has become tardy for his graduation ceremony at Hyrule Castle. He quickly sets out to make it on time while simultaneously running his exam.

After receiving his graduation certificate, Zelda asks Link to take her with him to the Tower of Spirits to find out why the Spirit Tracks have been disappearing across Hyrule. The train crashes as one of the rails disappears from underneath the train, resulting in Link and company being thrown onto the ground. Alfonzo, Link, and Zelda are then attacked by Chancellor Cole and Byrne - servants of the Demon King - who kill Zelda and take her body away. 

It is soon revealed that the Spirit Tracks are actually responsible for sealing away the Demon King, and Link - as the only person able to see Zelda in her incorporeal form, for some reason - is now the only one capable of helping her destroy the Demon King once and for all.

The story is actually one of the more interesting ones in the Legend of Zelda series for a number of reasons. First of all, there is an actual reference to the Princess Zelda bloodline being directly related to one another through Tetra (right). Also, while Link is not confirmed to be a descendant of the Hero of Winds, it is hinted that his striking resemblance - as noted by Nico - to said hero might mean that he is blood-related in some way. It is also one of the few Legend of Zelda titles to have a final boss that never reappears in another title. The characters are also fairly colorful, sharing that same charm that The Wind Waker did.

Spirit Tracks is certainly a great improvement over Phantom Hourglass, and might be worth it for the story and its characters alone.

The Gameplay

The Beautiful:

While it is by far not the best improvement over Phantom Hourglass, one of the most endearing features of Spirit Tracks is the Spirit Train. Replacing Linebeck's Ship as the main method of transportation, the Spirit Train is much more functional than the ship as the pre-configured track layouts ensure that the player not only know where they are headed (via the top screen's map) but also that the cannon and other features can be readily used without having to readjust the directions every five seconds. This system is so much more efficient that I hardly noticed that I was in control at all unless I needed to change rails, move livestock, or blast enemy trains.

Another bonus is that Spirit Tracks does not pretend to be a regular Legend of Zelda game. Unlike Phantom Hourglass, Spirit Tracks's dungeons and items have all been designed to cater to the touch-screen controls. The boomerang returns with the same unique controls it had in Phantom Hourglass, while several new items have been included that are designed with touch-screens in mind.

The Whip (top left) allows Link to latch onto various obstacles, or to swing across gaps Wind Waker-style with a single tap. The Whirlwind can be directed with the stylus in a straight direction, allowing simple use. The last new item - the Sand Rod - utilizes the touch screen best, allowing Link to target any on-screen area and raise the sand level. Many of these items are reimagined in later Legend of Zelda titles, but only Spirit Tracks uses them in this way.

The Good:

One of the most interesting features of Spirit Tracks has nothing to do with the train or items at all. Instead, Phantom Zelda is actually one of the most innovative additions to the game - albeit one that can be quirky at times. Whenever Link encounters a Phantom he can stun it, allowing Princess Zelda's ghost to possess it. This opens up many new puzzles that function much better than the Command Melody from The Wind Waker since the two characters can be swapped between at any time via the button at the bottom-left of the screen.

Different Phantoms have different abilities depending on their color. Regular Phantoms act like regular enemies, allowing Zelda to traverse many traps that Link wouldn't be able to. Torch Phantoms have red armor and can use their flaming sword to solve many puzzles. Blue colored Warp Phantoms allow Zelda to warp to various Phantom Eye locations. Lastly, the Wrecker Phantoms are black armoured enemies that can break through cracked blocks and enemies.

The controls for Zelda are pretty simplistic, but they are nonetheless an interesting gameplay mechanic that I would love to see in a future Legend of Zelda title. The ability to freely position Zelda to have her distract or fight enemies, as well as solve puzzles is unique to this game and it works fairly well.

This feature also marks the first time that Princess Zelda acted as a playable character in a main series title.

The Downright Hideous:

While I can't find anything in particular to complain about aside from the sometimes inaccurate touch-screen controls, there is one feature that truly bothered me beyond compare. This feature is the use of the microphone.

As if the touch screen controls for this flute weren't hassle enough, the game has you blow into the microphone constantly. While this feature is cute while playing the Spirit Flute, it's annoying beyond all compare when using the Whirlwind. This is a feature that does not only ruin the portability of the game - unless you're the type that likes looking like an idiot blowing into his DS - but it also makes the game downright frustrating at times.

Your Nintendo DS wants you to blow it down there... In its microphone hole...

If your blowing doesn't get read on time in duets it can cause an issue. If you blow into the Whirlwind and it doesn't read in time you can take damage. If you want to do anything with either the Whirlwind or the Spirit Flute you must pray that the microphone works! This should never be part of a game - ever. Microphones are not a reliable source of controls. You would think the industry would have learned this by now!

The Presentation

I'm not entirely sure what Nintendo did, but Spirit Tracks looks a lot more visually impressive than Phantom Hourglass did. In fact, everyone actually looks more like they did in The Wind Waker than they did in the game that acted as a direct sequel.

My guess at the moment is that they increased the polygon count. This is perhaps my safest bet since Link's hair is no longer glued to his forehead, and the model and texture quality (while not particularly impressive) is much better than in the previous game. It certainly pushes the Nintendo DS's capabilities to its limits, and so I must commend them for that. However, I still do not believe this game has aged well at all since the poor texture quality and models still hurt the game slightly.

As for the music, almost the entire soundtrack has been made specifically for this game. It relies heavily on synthesized flute and harp sounds that are not particularly bad. In fact, most of the music is rather upbeat and pleasant to listen to. However, I stand by my position that I had with Phantom Hourglass: this could sound a lot better on stronger hardware.

Here's the soundtrack for your own listening pleasure:

The Verdict

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is one of the most enjoyable handheld titles I have played - excluding the times where I begged my microphone to obey me. Aside from the one severe flaw, the game brings a lot of innovation and interesting puzzles that could not possibly be played out on other hardware. For this I applaud Spirit Tracks despite being at first skeptical of having a locomotive of any sort in a Legend of Zelda title.

For interesting gameplay, a fun story, and decent presentation, I give The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks an 8/10. Improvements that could have been made include the removal of microphone support, better visual and audio presentation, and perhaps a more reliable control scheme than touch controls if at all possible without damaging the integral gameplay elements.

This marks the end of Week 14 of my Legend of Zelda Rewind Review. There are only 2 more games left to go, and then it will be only a matter of time before Twilight Princess HD and Zelda Wii U come to grace us with their presence!

What do you guys think about The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks? Did you enjoy this game? Did you share a similar experiences with the microphone controls? Is there anything I might have missed that you feel necessary to mention? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

Reviews in this Series:

• The Legend of Zelda (NES)
• The Adventure of Link (NES)
• A Link to the Past (SNES/GBA)
• Link's Awakening/Link's Awakening DX (GB/GBC)
• Ocarina of Time/OoT 3DS (N64/3DS)
• Majora's Mask/MM 3DS (N64/3DS)
• Oracle of Ages/Oracle of Seasons (GBC)
• Four Swords (GBA)
• The Wind Waker (GC)
• Four Swords Adventures (GC)
• The Minish Cap (GBA)
• Twilight Princess (GC/Wii)
• Phantom Hourglass (DS)
• Spirit Tracks (DS)
• Skyward Sword (Wii)
• A Link Between Worlds (3DS)
• Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

Organizing a game marathon to raise money for charity is a pretty neat idea, and has been used successfully in the past. Zeldathon, a Zelda game marathon organized by Matthew Moffit (SuperMCGamer), is a bi-annual event, and the most recent one started yesterday at 4 PM EST. 100% of the proceeds go to a charity chosen prior to the event.

There are specific "unlock goals" that are set at certain monetary intervals. Every time a specific monetary interval is reached (say, $8,500), a new game is unlocked that will prolong the stream. There are even non-game unlock goals that occur more regularly, such as the chance to name Link when the group of friends involved starts a new file, as well as remake and hard mode unlock goals.

This year's proceeds will go to charity: water, a group that helps provide clean water to the millions without access to it, and the Zeldathon team hopes to raise $150,000 dollars through their marathon live stream. Check out the stream here, and consider donating to help the cause!

1. Master Sword

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• Featured in nearly every iteration of The Legend of Zelda
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• There's a ton of variations
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Let's be honest, people. While it sees a number of variations, that falls into the rules of this countdown (like the Goddess Sword). There is nothing like the Master Sword, which is deemed as the most nostalgic and important sword in the Zelda stratosphere. It's used to kill Ganon multiple times, it can be found in almost every Zelda game, and it's the main sword in two of the most successful Zelda adventures: A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. In my eyes, the Master Sword is the clear winner without question.

What are your thoughts on the sword countdown for The Legend of Zelda? Where would you have the swords listed? Are there any you would put on or drop off the list? Let us know in the comments below.

Image credit: Forbes

2. Fierce Deity's Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
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• Also known as the Double Helix Sword
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Whatever you want to call it, the Fierce Deity/Double Helix Sword has been a fan favorite for years. The unique style that reigns different from any other Zelda sword, its incredible power, and importance in Majora's Mask makes it considered by many as the series' best sword overall. Link is stuck with the sword until he removes Fierce Deity's mask, and it requires two hands to wield, so there are some limitations to the sword. But overall, it's hard to argue that it's one of the coolest looking swords in Zelda lore.

Image credit: 405th Infantry Division

3. Four Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and The Minish Cap
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• Unique ability to create four souls with a similar power
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While the sword may not be the most powerful or attractive, it's one of the deadliest and most useful swords in Zelda history. Not only can it create up to four Link clones, it can repel evil, create time traveling portals, lift curses, and seals evil. It was made famous in the various Four Swords games, but it also had an appearance in The Minish Cap.

Image credit: Deviant Art

4. Great Fairy's Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
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• Not a standard sword (falls under the item/equipment category)
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While I wasn't the biggest fan Majora's Mask personally, I'd be damned if I didn't admit it had the best looking swords in the series. Arguably, the Great Fairy's Sword is one of the coolest and most colorful. Not to mention one of the most deadly as it wields four times the attack power of a Kokiri Sword.

An interesting caveat to this sword is unlike many other swords in Zelda adventures, it's not a standard sword. Players must equip it to an item button. To use its spin attack, players must rotate the analog stick on the controller instead of traditionally holding down the button. It's unsure if this was created on purpose or if it was a programming error.

Image credit: Deviant Art

5. Biggoron's Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons
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• Two-handed sword that's an upgrade from the Giant's Knife in OoT
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While not a requirement in any edition of Zelda, the jointly-named Biggoron's sword is a blast to slash around with. Requiring two hands to wield, players opt to drop the defense in order to have a stronger offensive attack. The sword is received after completing various tasks in Ocarina of Time, but its downfall is not being able to be used to defeat the final boss.

Image credit: Deviant Art

6. Magical Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
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• Considered to be the original Master Sword
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It's a pretty standard blade that has a blue hue fused with red around the grip. So why is it so high on the list? Because of its important place in Zelda history. Many fans believe this was Nintendo's intention of the ultimate sword before it became the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and various iterations of the series afterwards. It's the ultimate sword in the original and it's the only sword that's used in Zelda II -- it just continues to get upgraded with the RPG-like elements of the adventure game. 

Image credit: GoPixPic

7. Phantom Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
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• Forged by Oshus and Zauz
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Once again, the Phantom Sword has a similar look to the Master Sword, and it's the most powerful sword that Link can receive in Phantom Hourglass. It fends off Phantoms the best and is the tool needed to defeat Bellum. The design slightly edges out the Lokomo, but both swords are very similar in the back-to-back Nintendo DS releases (with Spirit Tracks).

Image credit: Deviant Art

8. Lokomo Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
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• Given by Anjean after receiving the Bow of Light
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It's in similar taste to the Master Sword, but the Lokomo Sword is one of the most handiest swords in Spirit Tracks. After wielding it, Link becomes twice as strong when compared to using the Recruit's Sword. It can also stun Phantoms in the game for Zelda to possess. 

Image credit: Deviant Art

9. Goddess Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
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• Other forms include Goddess Longsword and Goddess Whitesword
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The main sword in Skyward Sword has various upgrades throughout the adventure, and we'll include them all in this category. Its blue hue is captivating and attractive, and unleashes a Skyward Strike attack to unveil artifacts around Hylia. It may not be the most powerful sword in the game (that belongs to the True Master Sword), but it is named after it. That's important enough, right? 

Image credit: Zelda Dungeon

10. Phantom Ganon's Sword

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• Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
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• Also known as Beast's Blade
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Kicking off the countdown is a sword that's barely used during the game, but breaks into the list for two reasons. Spoiler alert on the first reason -- it plays a big role in Ganon's Tower, the final dungeon in Wind Waker. Another is the extremely cool design. The cel-shaded nature of WW created some great sword illustrations. Since it's only a temporary sword that's wielded when Phantom Gannon drops it, the Beast's Blade can't go any higher than the entry point.

Image credit: Zeldapedia

Man at Arms recently recreated a real-life Fierce Deity's Sword (also known as the Double Helix Sword) and used it to slice a pumpkin in half. The video and GIFs were so damn awesome that it inspired us to create a list of the ten best swords that players can find in the entire Legend of Zelda series.

This was a fun list to create, and should spark a huge debate over what swords should be ranked where. With an arsenal as huge as the Zelda universe, it was really hard narrowing it down to just 10. But it happened, and here's the result.

Image credit: Zelda Universe

I'm a very hardcore Zelda fan, and I invested in three handheld Zelda games. For some reason I just can't bring myself to play them, and I think I found the reason why. This may seem silly, but I think they reign true for most gamers.

Handheld games are more casual for me than long-term

When I pick up my Nintendo DS, I'm not preparing to play for days on end, but more for the moment. I play games such as Animal Crossing and Style-Savvy. These are all games that are a day-by-day basis, instead of a long-term game with a story plot. You can miss days without many repercussions (most of the time), which is good cause I usually forget I even have a DS on most days.

Although I bought Minish Cap, Phantom of  the Hour Glass, and Spirit Tracks on the DS they seem a little out of place for myself. When I think of a Zelda game, I think of my Nintendo 64, GameCube, and even Wii. It clicks in my head that these games are Zelda, but it still seems a bit odd. Something else must be missing.

I love playing Zelda games with others

When I'm playing a Zelda game, I usually like to pull other people in to play it with me. I've always been that was since Ocarina of Time, when I would play it with my sister and cousins. While playing on the DS or handheld device, you can't share the experience with people, or watch it on a TV. That takes away a big part of gaming I enjoy, which is playing with others. It brings in a whole new social interaction beyond a normal conversation. You're set together to play a game and figure it out as a team.

So what do you guys think? Are you more avid to play Zelda on a console, or do you prefer those handheld devils? Share with a comment below!