The Legend of Zelda series has a strong relationship with handhelds. With games such as Link’s Awakening, the Oracle Games and A Link Between Worlds, we know a lot can be done with the series on the go. The Game Boy Color received two portable Zelda games made by Capcom, and the Game Boy Advance received another in the form of The Minish Cap. The game is a bit different from most in the series, as it is part of the Four Swords subseries, but that does not mean Minish Cap doesn’t have the usual greatness of the series. From dungeons to items to sidequests, everything we love about Zelda is here.
The Minish Cap took full advantage of the GBA to create an experience that had never been seen on a handheld before, and gave us gorgeous visuals, amazing music and actual cutscene animation, The puzzles were inventive and the characters likeable. It may sound strange, but this game’s depiction of Princess Zelda and Link may have actually been the one to lay the groundwork for the depiction in Skyward Sword, a depiction well liked by fans. Indeed, The Minish Cap went above and beyond to create actual personalities for all the characters and followed Wind Waker’s lead by fleshing out the main villain well. This is not even getting into the extremely well designed and unique dungeons, which have some of the most creative concepts of any in the series before or after.
The concept of shrinking and growing managed to add a great new wrinkle into the series, and opened up a new way to experience such a game. The ideas were applied well, and made sense story wise, which is not often done. This mechanic also encouraged players to revisit certain areas and re examine puzzles and sidequests more. The sidequests themselves were interesting, and the introduction of the Kinstones managed to bring a nice collectible into the game, that added much even if it was not always applied well.
Yes, the Kinstones had issues with tracking them all down, only for some to not have a major impact, but it was a decent idea that can be applied better in a future entry. The main issue with the game though, is its length. The game is on the shorter side, both in terms of dungeons and story, and this has rubbed some the wrong way. Something to remember though, is that the game has a world that is a lot more alive than others, and a lot of side content to do. The main part of the game may indeed be short, but there is still plenty to do, from the side quests, collecting the kinstones and getting all the figurines will keep players busy for a long time.
It is also a matter of quality, as the game is one of the best designed in the series and will make longtime fans happy and serve as a great entry point for new fans. This is a must play in the Zelda series, and I urge you all to try this one.