Screenshots :.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
GBA
Matt
02-05-2007
"Eat stick fire demon from hell!"
"I'm on a bit of lime, looking a a floating blue icey rose thing. Ooh this is the world of Zelda alright..."
It’s a pleasing thing indeed that, some fifteen years after the release of the seminal SNES title Zelda: A Link To The Past, Nintendo still see fit to release the odd 2D caper for everyone’s favourite green-clad warrior. Whilst advances in technology have allowed Link to quest across some beautiful worlds in the third-dimension for a number of years now, there’s always been a certain charm to the classic top-down formula when it comes to exploring Hyrule. It just works.
Minish Cap is the latest 2D Zelda game off the production line, having been developed by fellow Japanese gaming gods Capcom. The adventure starts as a visiting Princess Zelda awakes young Link urging him to take her to the Picori Festival in Hyrule Town. The Picori are a mythical race of tiny elves that - as history has chronicled - first gave a green-clad hero a magical sword to drive evil out of the land, and visit earth every 100 years to give the population magical gifts. At the festival there has been a fighting tournament, the winner of which is allowed the honour of touching the mystical Picori blade. Things take a bad turn, the blade is destroyed and Princess Zelda is turned to stone.
From here you will control Link as he traverses Hyrule attempting to restore the sword and rescue his other half. The quest itself features a selection of dungeons, each of which are designed to cleverly make use of items that are discovered within their walls. It’s classic Zelda stuff, and the dungeons are as well designed and fun as you’d imagine. The one slight issue you could perhaps level at the game is that it rests a little on the easy side, although some of the latter bosses will stretch your noodle and your fingers a little bit more.
Whereas Ocarina Of Time made use of a magical ocarina and Wind Waker had a magic wand, the key item in Minish Cap is no more than the hat on Link’s head. The cap allows Link to use special portals to shrink to miniscule size and fit into tight nooks and crannies which he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. More than just a way of adding locations for Link to explore, shrinking in size is often used as a crucial tactic to see off some enemies. Likewise, it allows you to talk to animals and the Picori elves themselves too, which gives Link far more opportunities to grab bonus items.
Talking of bonus items, Minish Cap features quite possibly the biggest selection of them in a Zelda game to date. Expanding greatly on the ‘explore and collect’ theme that previous instalments such as Ocarina of Time’s Gold Skulltulas hinted at, offering a number of different collectables for the player to find. Whilst some of these are series staples such as pieces of heart or different sizes of wallet, two major additions come in the form of blue shells and Kinstones.
Of the two, Kinstones provide the most incentive to gather and at times are crucial to progress. Each stone is given to Link in the form of half a circle with a patterned groove cut out of the side, the task being to find a character around the world who has the corresponding piece to make a full circle. Doing this will cause a range of things to happen, from unblocking previously jammed pathways to dropping treasure chests around the world map for you to find and plunder.
As you’ve probably assumed, there’s quite a bit to do in Minish Cap. The main quest itself is probably about eight hours of adventuring, but with the added exploration and collection that could quite easily be bumped up by another 50%. The best part of it all is that it never becomes dull, nor does it ever feel like a chore. There is the occasional moment where the game leaves you scratching your head and confused as to what the next move should be, but sufficient clues are left smattered around to eventually prod you in the right direction.
Visually, Minish Cap comes across as a mixture of Wind Waker and Link To The Past (and rather like Four Swords Adventure, if you prefer). The sprites are all beautifully colourful and varied, whilst the surrounding world practically springs out of the screen, from the murky blue and green waters of Lake Hylia or the dusty, warm browns and yellows of Mount Crenel. The visuals find themselves backed by classic Zelda themes and effects, with brisk simple tunes overlaying the familiar cries and yelps of Link as he hacks and slashes around.
Although it is by no means Link’s finest adventure to date – even on a handheld, taking into account Link’s Awakening – Minish Cap is still a fantastic game. The quest is both engaging and open enough to encourage and allow exploration, with the game world proving well designed and varied. The biggest credit to you can give to Capcom is that, when held up against previous 2D Zelda Adventures, Minish Cap certainly holds its own. Worth the price of admission? You bet.
Minish Cap is the latest 2D Zelda game off the production line, having been developed by fellow Japanese gaming gods Capcom. The adventure starts as a visiting Princess Zelda awakes young Link urging him to take her to the Picori Festival in Hyrule Town. The Picori are a mythical race of tiny elves that - as history has chronicled - first gave a green-clad hero a magical sword to drive evil out of the land, and visit earth every 100 years to give the population magical gifts. At the festival there has been a fighting tournament, the winner of which is allowed the honour of touching the mystical Picori blade. Things take a bad turn, the blade is destroyed and Princess Zelda is turned to stone.
From here you will control Link as he traverses Hyrule attempting to restore the sword and rescue his other half. The quest itself features a selection of dungeons, each of which are designed to cleverly make use of items that are discovered within their walls. It’s classic Zelda stuff, and the dungeons are as well designed and fun as you’d imagine. The one slight issue you could perhaps level at the game is that it rests a little on the easy side, although some of the latter bosses will stretch your noodle and your fingers a little bit more.
Whereas Ocarina Of Time made use of a magical ocarina and Wind Waker had a magic wand, the key item in Minish Cap is no more than the hat on Link’s head. The cap allows Link to use special portals to shrink to miniscule size and fit into tight nooks and crannies which he otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. More than just a way of adding locations for Link to explore, shrinking in size is often used as a crucial tactic to see off some enemies. Likewise, it allows you to talk to animals and the Picori elves themselves too, which gives Link far more opportunities to grab bonus items.
Talking of bonus items, Minish Cap features quite possibly the biggest selection of them in a Zelda game to date. Expanding greatly on the ‘explore and collect’ theme that previous instalments such as Ocarina of Time’s Gold Skulltulas hinted at, offering a number of different collectables for the player to find. Whilst some of these are series staples such as pieces of heart or different sizes of wallet, two major additions come in the form of blue shells and Kinstones.
Of the two, Kinstones provide the most incentive to gather and at times are crucial to progress. Each stone is given to Link in the form of half a circle with a patterned groove cut out of the side, the task being to find a character around the world who has the corresponding piece to make a full circle. Doing this will cause a range of things to happen, from unblocking previously jammed pathways to dropping treasure chests around the world map for you to find and plunder.
As you’ve probably assumed, there’s quite a bit to do in Minish Cap. The main quest itself is probably about eight hours of adventuring, but with the added exploration and collection that could quite easily be bumped up by another 50%. The best part of it all is that it never becomes dull, nor does it ever feel like a chore. There is the occasional moment where the game leaves you scratching your head and confused as to what the next move should be, but sufficient clues are left smattered around to eventually prod you in the right direction.
Visually, Minish Cap comes across as a mixture of Wind Waker and Link To The Past (and rather like Four Swords Adventure, if you prefer). The sprites are all beautifully colourful and varied, whilst the surrounding world practically springs out of the screen, from the murky blue and green waters of Lake Hylia or the dusty, warm browns and yellows of Mount Crenel. The visuals find themselves backed by classic Zelda themes and effects, with brisk simple tunes overlaying the familiar cries and yelps of Link as he hacks and slashes around.
Although it is by no means Link’s finest adventure to date – even on a handheld, taking into account Link’s Awakening – Minish Cap is still a fantastic game. The quest is both engaging and open enough to encourage and allow exploration, with the game world proving well designed and varied. The biggest credit to you can give to Capcom is that, when held up against previous 2D Zelda Adventures, Minish Cap certainly holds its own. Worth the price of admission? You bet.
9/10