Worst in handheld Series: still decent
My biggest gripe is the gameplay due to the controls. I never liked the way DS Zelda games used the stylus to control movement and sword attacks. Meanwhile, the other items in the game like the boomerang work flawlessly with the stylus. The touchpad is sloppy while the control pad and buttons are responsive but stiff, which provides for better action elements. This control flaw reveals itself at the last boss, when Link has to rely solely on his sword.
A big part of the game is conducting (engineering?) a train. These sections were dull and only gets duller throughout the game because no one cares about getting to point A to B only what happens at A and B. Of course, this design choice shows that adventure elements were more important than the action.
The music in the game just rehashes the Zelda theme. I did like the way the flute has a role in the game and they even expect the player to play in time for the performance pieces but one can easily go through them with the DS muted. The 3D graphics are top notch for the DS. It follows the cartoonish style from the last DS game and "Windwaker".
Least importantly, the storyline seems like a cheesy anime - the characters follow strict archetypes and amazing things happen without setting up the audience to understand how or why it makes sense. The only build up in the story was the usual Zelda plot: there is a great evil; go to temples and eventually relinquish the evil to restore the kingdom. I would have liked to see more of a rivalry between the spirit train and the demon train.
Sadly, this game suffers from technical flaws and bad design choices but nothing as bad as freezing or crashing and there are no loading times. When some enemies appear, there is major slowdown; puzzles can only be solved the way the designers thought up; Zelda's frequent texts gets in the way of the map; changing tracks forces the camera to look forward ruining the cannons ability to shoot backward while another train is chasing Link; there is no button for the phantom to drop items; the other characters constantly ask if you want to proceed; and the pathfinding for the phantom is virtually unusable so the player has to guide her. Luckily, these flaws seldom inhibit the player and only come up once or twice.
Overall, I found this game fun until the end, when the train side mission sections were repetitive and unrewarding. I feel no urge to replay the game. Play this game, if you like adventure games or you want to see the upper echelon of 3D on the DS.