Retro Review: The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

There is no denying that many games in the Legend of Zelda series has been widely praised by players everywhere. Not only have the console versions been met with generally favorable reviews, but the hand held entries have likewise been enjoyed by many people. Alas, not every Zelda game can be absolutely perfect, and The Minish Cap is one of those somewhat lesser Zelda games. Released for the Game Boy Advance in 2005, it would be the only original game for that hand held system, and like the solid Oracle games for the Game Boy Color, it was developed by Capcom. This game is far from the worst Zelda and is not horrible by any means, but compared to the earlier hand held Zelda games, it is a bit of a letdown.

Hyrule is celebrating the annual Picori festival in honor of a group of miniature people who helped a great hero banish evil from the land, and Link and Zelda decide to attend the party. They head off to watch the festival's tournament, only to learn that a mysterious man named Vaati has already won it. Unfortunately, Vaati turns out to be a wicked sorcerer, who destroys a box and unleashes monsters in his quest for the light force that will give him immense power. On top of that, he turns Zelda to stone, and before long, Hyrule is once more in peril. Since the Picori are the only ones who can repair the magical sword needed to defeat the forces of evil, and only children can see them, young Link heads off on a brave new adventure. A typical story for a Zelda game, but it is filled with some neat twists and plenty of drama that unfold as you play.

Many of the traditional Zelda elements are featured here: Link must explore numerous regions of Hyrule, from the Minish Woods to Mount Crenel to Lake Hylia, in search of the four elements needed to power up the sacred sword. There are enemies to defeat, dungeons to explore, and treasures to uncover. As usual, there is plenty of combat and puzzle solving, and the battles themselves are quite fun, if mostly on the easy side. Familiar items such as the bow and arrow, bombs, and the lantern can be collected, and new items such as a jar that acts like a vacuum and mitts that allow you to dig through dirt will also aid you on your quest.

As has become something of a tradition in more recent Zelda games, Link is given some help. Early in the game, he encounters Ezlo, a strange being who looks like a mix between a bird and a cap. While riding on Link's head, Ezlo will give the young lad advice at various points, and will remind you of quest objectives and offer some funny comic relief when you press the Select button. Ezlo is also key to the game's main gimmick: at times, Link can stand on such things as tree stumps and rocks, and with Ezlo's help, he can shrink down in size and explore places that he would not be able to enter while in his normal size. This is actually a pretty neat feature, and adds to the overall sense of wonder.

Of course, if you need to take a break from the action, there are plenty of side quests to complete. You can search for Pieces of Heart, which will add to Link's energy meter. You can play mini games, such as a fight simulator and one in which you track down runaway chickens, and have lots of fun with them. You can gather blue shells and trade them in for figurines of characters, enemies, and places that you have encountered in the game, but it will take a good long time to collect every last figurine. There is a lot to do in the land of Hyrule, which gives the game a ton of replay value.

Exclusive to The Minish Cap is the Kinstone fusion system, in which you can find Kinstone halves and fuse them with other people. If the two halves fit perfectly, you are often rewarded with such things as treasure chests, having hidden areas open up, and having people appear to sell you things or help out on other ways. The Kinstone system is mostly optional: only about 10% of the available fusions are needed to finish the game. While a neat little side quest, it can be tricky to get every last fusion, since a lot of them are shared with many people. Also, once you get past a certain point late in the game, people with whom you can fuse with may flee the castle town, and some fusions may not be available anymore.

In fact, one of the problems with the game is that, for those who wish to find everything in the game, there are some items that can be missed forever. For example, for much of the game, an old man named Gregel is haunted by a ghost that is gradually sapping the life out of him. To reach him, you will need to make a specific fusion, and then use the Gust Jar to defeat the ghost. Doing so will net you the Light Arrows later in the game. The catch is, this must be done before you travel to the penultimate dungeon high in the clouds, or else Gregel will die, and you will be unable to get the Light Arrows at all. These arrows are not needed to beat the game, but having to get items before a specific point in the game makes things frustrating, especially when you learn about the missed items after the fact.

Another glaring problem is that, including the last dungeon, there are only six to explore in the entire game, as opposed to nine or more in some other Zelda games. Granted, the dungeons are still a lot of fun to explore, and some of their challenges are quite tricky, but the lack of a few more dungeons makes this one of the shorter Zelda games in terms of simply playing through the quest. Also, some of the required portions of the quest can be tedious, particularly one in which you must gather and return library books that have been checked out for a while. Tingle, that annoying being who thinks he is a fairy, is also present, but at least meeting with him is optional this time, as he serves mainly to remind you how many fusions are yet to be made. You can also get a mirror shield, but only after you beat the last boss, which is pointless. With features such as this, it is hard to imagine that the same team that developed the Oracle games also made this title.

Still, there is much to enjoy in The Minish Cap, from the exciting battles to the addictive side quests to some neat plot twists in the story. Some of the comic relief from Ezlo is brilliant, and plenty of familiar enemies and characters can be found. The side quests add to the game's length, and the shrinking mechanics are implemented rather well. While the game does not surpass either the Oracle games or Link's Awakening and is thus one of the lesser Zelda games, it is still better than many other hand held titles and is certainly worth a try.

The somewhat cartoon-like graphics are a joy to behold, and the visuals are even better while you are small. Smooth animation and neat effects are the icing on the cake. Since the game was released at a relatively late point in the Game Boy Advance's life (with the DS already proving to be popular among players), this should not be that much of a surprise. The soundtrack is absolutely beautiful, with the usual assortment of remixed tracks from previous games, as well as some wonderful new tunes. Just wait until you hear the epic Cloud Tops song, the sweet Minish Village theme, and the mysterious Temple of Droplets tune, and you will find some more excellent examples of classic Zelda music in the making.

The Minish Cap is far from the worst canonical Zelda game, but it is hardly the best one. On the one hand, the battles, exploration, and side quests are as fun and addictive as ever. On the other hand, the length of the main quest is a bit short, some parts are a bit tedious, and some items can be missed forever. Even so, this is still a fairly solid game, even if it is something of a disappointment compared to previous Zelda hand held games. Be sure to try it out, but do not expect it to be quite as epic as other Zelda games. You may still enjoy it, and discover that a little Link can go a long way.