Category: The Minish Cap

Unique items and flashy gear are a staple of Zelda gameplay, but not all items are created equal, and not every game uses their items equally. Some items have deep utilization across multiple games like the Hookshot, Bombs, and Roc’s Feather. Others, however, are so specific in their utility that they rarely see use outside of the dungeon they’re found in. Twilight Princess’ Spinner, Twilight Princess’ Iron Boots, and Twilight Princess’ Dominion Rod all fall victim to this trend. Okay, Twilight Princess is pretty bad about this with…

The Legend of Zelda‘s lore is intentionally open-ended and up to player interpretation. The team has repeatedly stated this in interviews. For example, in a December 2023 interview with IGN, Zelda Series Producer Eiji Aonuma said the following: This is a series that really lends itself well to each person playing, then thinking back and interpreting the story elements in their own way. Sure, there are some fairly consistent story beats, such as Demise’s curse binding the spirit of the…

The Switch 2 is only a week old and The Legend of Zelda already has a strong presence on the new console. With Switch 2 Editions of Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, a game-changing new update to Echoes of Wisdom, The Wind Waker‘s day-one release on the Nintendo Classics library, and with Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment releasing later this year, it seems that Zelda fans will have plenty to play for the foreseeable future. That being said, we have yet to hear anything about…

With the Switch 2’s release date nearly upon us, it is time to bid farewell to the Nintendo Switch. Since 2017, the Switch has delighted fans with some incredibly unique first-party titles, ample third-party support, and enough indie games to give anyone countless hours of entertainment. The Switch is also a Zelda powerhouse! Almost every Zelda game from its nearly four decade run is playable on the Switch, and the Switch 2 only promises to expand that library with the announcement that…

Happy Monday, everyone! The Zelda Dungeon Caption Contest is finally back, and it needs your best and funniest quips! Between the hectic news schedule surrounding the Nintendo Switch 2 and some personal travel plans, I’ve had to unfortunately put the contest on the back burner for the past several weeks. And it’s been killing me, as I’ve been sitting on a pile of screenshots coming out of last month’s Nintendo Direct. But today we can begin to set things right!…

It’s no surprise that we here at Zelda Dungeon love our Zelda spin-off games. While there are plenty of games adjacent to our beloved franchise that we can currently enjoy, the opportunity for more games with a Zelda skin on them feels endless. With The Minish Cap celebrating its 20th birthday last year, I have been thinking about the kinds of ways we could see our friendly, little elf-like folks in a new game, and maybe in a new light. Then,…

The Legend of Zelda has its fair share of strong characters. Thanks in part to sharp dialogue, believable motivations, and satisfying arcs, the likes of Midna from Twilight Princess, Groose from Skyward Sword, Tatl from Majora’s Mask, and Linebeck from Phantom Hourglass represent the larger abundance of effective characterization found throughout the Zelda series, as each game hosts its own significant cast of relatable and endearing personalities. However, for all that Zelda accomplishes in terms of characterization, development of its…

The Kinstone mechanic is one of the most singular gimmicks in the Zelda franchise, melding the quiet frustrations of randomness with a desire to treasure-hunt. The first time I played The Minish Cap, I remember feeling so enthralled by the novelty that it made me eager to talk to every NPC (more than I am already inclined to). As you can see in our deep-dive about the Kinstone function, it succeeded in encouraging players to interact with  NPCs. Unlike other some other…

An objectively unique component of The Minish Cap is the Kinstone mechanic. The Kinstones are creations of the Picori, who are determined to bring joy and good fortune to the people of Hyrule by hiding these symbols of happiness throughout the land. Players traverse Hyrule to find one-half of a Kinstone shard, discovering them by slashing tall grass, digging through dirt, and opening chests. To find one is a good omen, and to engage in Fusion with another being should…

Mastermind is a long-running British quiz show that has become a national institution over its 50-year history. Contestants sit in an iconic black chair under a spotlight and have to correctly answer as many questions as possible in two minutes. For their first round, each contestant chooses their specialist subject, and Project Manager Lewis Jones recently selected the Legend of Zelda video game series! This semi-final episode aired on BBC2 on March 31st, 2025. The occasion had a diverse range of…