The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a truly remarkable handheld Zelda adventure and one that does not get the love that it deserves. One of the most interesting things about this game is that it was actually developed by the people at Capcom. Nintendo was so happy with the job that they did on Oracles of Ages and Seasons they let them loose on the Game Boy Advance too.

It Is Dangerous To Go Alone

The story of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is probably not going to win any awards and if you have played a Legend of Zelda game before, you probably know what to expect. Hyrule is in a period of peace, but an evil tyrant called, Vaati has taken over and turned Princess Zelda into stone! Only our hero Link…. And the aid of his cap which is now alive and called Ezio can save the Princess and bring peace back to Hyrule. One thing I really like about the story is that it is not just Link’s motivations that are driving things, but Ezio also.

Short But Sweet

As much as I love The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. I must say that this is probably the shortest of all the Legend of Zelda games. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but I do think that just a couple more dungeons would have made a huge difference. You go around Hyrule trying to save the day. While there are some classic Zelda items in the game, some fun new ones such as the Gust Jar and the Cane of Pacci have been added which are fun to use.

There are also fun side quests which can get you cool stuff that makes your journey easier. However, they also pad things out and make the adventure longer so they are certainly worth doing.

I Am So Small!

The “gimmick” of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is that thanks to Ezio, Link can now shrink to a tiny size. It is actually the size of The Minish a small race of beings who live in Hyrule. Once this size, Link can use their portals to go into their world and also to complete some puzzles. There are many puzzles that will have you growing and shrinking to get past a certain obstacle and these are fun brain teasers that are a pleasure to experience.

I really like this gameplay mechanic and think it was done very cleverly. I actually think having this in another Zelda game in the future would be really cool.

I have always loved what Capcom and Nintendo did with The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. I know that it is a little on the short and easy side, but for a handheld Zelda adventure, this one here is a ton of fun. I think that it is the kind of game that is fun for long-time Zelda fans, but it would also be a very easy entry into the series. I like the new abilities and love that Link can shrink down to Minish size.

8.5/10

Pros:

• The story is great and a little different
• Lots of fun new items to use
• Shrinking is a lot of fun to do
• The game is very easy to get into
• It looks and sounds fantastic

Cons:

• It is a bit on the easy side
• I would say it is the shortest (no pun intended) Zelda game