The boomerang makes another appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and it looks quite preserved from its Phantom Hourglass form. This means that the player traces the path he or she would like the boomerang to travel with the DS stylus, and then releases the stylus from the screen to launch the boomerang. In the trailer, Link is seen with the boomerang equipped, although he does not use it. Even though there is no concrete evidence that the boomerang will behave similarly to its Phantom Hourglass incarnation, that this item was one of the significant twists presented at PH’s launch makes our assumptions pretty safe for Spirit Tracks.

A new addition to the Zelda series! Shaped like a gun with a propeller at its end, Link uses the Whirlwind in the Spirit Tracks trailers to blow gusts of swirling wind at enemies within a forest-type dungeon. He also uses the Whirlwind to obtain unreachable items by blowing them to more reachable areas.

To use the Whirlwind to generate gusts of air, the player must blow directly into the microphone of the DS. A yellow aiming mechanism, in the form of a thin beam, aids the player in directing the gust of wind. A yellow spiked circle appears on the target when it has been properly selected, giving the player the go-ahead to blow into the microphone and unleash the Whirlwind’s fury.

Originally just a plain old whip, this item has since taken on a reptilian theme. Link can use it to attack enemies from a short distance, grab onto levers like the Grappling Hook from Phantom Hourglass, and even swing across gaps like the Grappling Hook from The Wind Waker. Link can also use the Whip to grab and throw nearby small items and objects.

Link’s musical instrument of choice this time around is a set of pan pipes, known as the Spirit Pipes. Played using a combination of the touch screen and the DS microphone, Link can use the Spirit Pipes for a variety of things, including laying down new segments of track to reach other areas of Hyrule.

A staple of the Zelda series, a small key is used to open any locked door within a dungeon. They could be hidden within a treasure chest, an enemy, or hidden and retrieved after solving a puzzle. They can also be retrieved by using a boomerang when the key is out of reach.

It is unclear whether or not the Phantom that is included in this game can gather up small keys, since he is indestructible and can pass through fire and other small obstacles.

The cannon was a weapon that was used in Phantom Hourglass on the boat when traveling out at sea. It is now attached to the Spirit Train that Link uses to travel across New Hyrule. Link obtains both the Spirit Train and the cannon that attaches to it from Anjean, the keeper of the Spirit Tower. The cannon is used the same way as it was in Phantom Hourglass; by clicking enemies on the screen, the cannon automatically shoots and takes them out before they can take out Link.

A whistle icon appears for a brief second on the trailer when Link is using the Phantom. It also appears near the Phantom icon on the screen. It can be assumed that the whistle and the Phantom are interlinked and you must use the whistle to call the Phantom over to the enemy that Link is currently fighting. The whistle only appears when the Phantom and Link are fighting different enemies – of course, this might not be the whistle’s function at all. We’ll just have to wait and find out.

Not to be confused with the Tears of Light from Twilight Princess, this rendition serves a completely different purpose. When Link collects three Tears on a floor of the Spirit Tower, his sword gains the ability to stun a Phantom, allowing Zelda to possess it. Several screenshots show both three Tear containers on the top screen, as well as the location of them on the map.

Force Gems are large triangles obtained after defeating mini bosses, and are used to restore the missing Spirit tracks. They come in three colors – green, silver and yellow. Although their color has meaning, we’re not sure what that meaning is yet.