Review Time: The Minish Cap

There was a time when we as Zelda fans did not have a ton of variety to choose from for our handheld pleasures. There were not very many original Zelda titles that were available on the Game Boy Advance, and in the distant past of 2004 we received the bright light that is The Minish Cap. This game was the last true top down Zelda game until the recent A Link Between Worlds and that was almost a decade ago! The game is under appreciated and I think it deserves an extra little bit of love from us.

Anyway, let’s get to the review already!

Story

The narrative of The Minish Cap is a simple one and can be considered quite generic. It begins with Zelda getting turned to stone and then captured by the villain, Vaati, who is a sorcerer who can also sword fight due to the magical effects of a special cap. This cap allows for wondrous transformations and limitless power to the wearer. The hat drives Vaati to seek the Life Force, for which he then kidnaps Zelda in an attempt to extract the power from her to take over the world. It is Link’s duty to find the four elements to restore a broken legendary sword known as the Picori Sword, which is the only way to defeat Vaati.

Gameplay

The gameplay is very similar to any other top down Zelda game in the past (think A Link to The Past), featuring a variety of items to use in certain dungeons, as well as others received through normal gameplay and side quests. In The Minish Cap, there are a number of new items to the series which allow for even more puzzles and exploration. Among these items are the Mole Mitts, which allow for digging through special walls. This, as said earlier, gives the player a tool for exploration because there are certain areas that are unreachable without this item. Now that’s not to say that this is the only area where a special item is needed to enter an area, but it is one instance. Back to the gameplay, The Minish Cap adds gimmicks to the standard formula that produce many unique side quests. The main source of side quests in this game comes from the magical Kinstones: stones holding a mystical power to clear paths and helps others. The fusing of the Kinstones sometimes is necessary to progress through the story itself. These Kinstones are highly addictive to collect and fuse, and you will often find yourself without the Kinstones you need to complete a fusion. The Kinstones, in partnership with the top-down style of Zeldagames, offers a great deal of playtime, and you will find yourself exploring for hours upon hours to find each and every little secret.

Sound

The sound in this game is incredible and does an excellent job of immersing the player in the world. The sound effects of all the items such as the Gust Jar gave the puzzles within dungeons more meaning by once again engage the player through sound. Giving the NPCs some actual life through tiny sound effects, such as voices, was also a nice touch. In The Minish Cap there were a lot of tracks that were obviously redone to fit the style of this game and the limitations of the Game Boy Advance, and they work brilliantly. Little tunes like the fairy’s fountain and the main overworld theme are done so well for the Game Boy Advance that it should not be overlooked.

Fun

The question is not about if this game is fun, but exactly how fun it is. This game took the top down Zelda formula and changed it ever so slightly to look, sound, feel, and control great. Once those four elements are in place and are implemented properly the result is a truly fun, exciting game that every Zelda fan should play at least once. The fun really never ends in this game; the Kinstones and the main quest do not sound like a ton of action, but turn out to be a lot of fun that spans over at least 10 hours if you complete all the sidequests and the main quest itself. Once again, not only are the quests and fusing of Kinstones important to the game, but they make it a truly enjoyable experience. The game is fun not only because it is a Zelda game, but also because capitalizes on the exploration of the world, and finding all the hidden areas and items within that world. I will go so far as to say that this game is as enjoyable as A Link to the Past,it is just that much fun.

Final Verdict

The final verdict here is an easy one. From what I have outlined I have made it sound like the best Zelda game out there but it is not nearly as good as some other Zelda titles. The Minish Cap takes on a tough role as the only installment of the Zelda franchise on the Game Boy Advance, (other than Four Swords) and does a splendid job in that role. It uses the sound and gameplay to make the dungeons memorable and give the NPCs as much life as possible. Through the usage of its story, the game never becomes boring or worn down, and gives incentive to the player to see what surprise the new fusion holds. This game can consume you (more likely your time), as well as feed you a brilliant Zelda title that is far too often overlooked as just another Zelda game. Once again the final verdict is a five Reggies out of five. Sound off in the comments below as to what you think of this Zelda title.