Nintendo always put gameplay first and sacrifice storyline and such?

[Khuutra]

Galaki said:

The most recent example would be Zelda Spirit Tracks.

They killed Zelda for the sake of gameplay, stuffing her inside armoured knight to help link's adventure.

 

If I remember correctly, 1 of the interview, said that the storyline was crafted/tweaked to make such gameplay possible.

 

(Would they kill Mario for the sake of gameplay?)

How does Spirit Tracks qualify as sacrificing storyline for gameplay, exactly? You're describing a story built around gameplay, but that does not imply sacrifice.