Classic octoroks!

Link feels bad for putting bugs in his bottle...

The Minish Cap can be clearly seen here...

The old lady that lived in a shoe?

Luigi isn't the only one with a Poltergust now...

In this game, the story begins as Zelda, princess of Hyrule, pays an innocent visit to Link, who in this game is the son of a legendary swordsmith. The visit is in commemoration of a special festival, an anniversary when according to legend a race known as the Picori entered the land of Hyrule and gave them a sacred blade known as the Picori Blade. The blade has been used to ward away evil, and in honor of the sacred day in years past, a tournament is held. The victor of the series of games is presented the honor of placing his hand upon the sacred blade. The winner is none other than Vaati, apparently in human form; instead of touching the sword, he shatters it, letting loose monsters over all the countryside. Zelda attempts to stop him, but instead he turns the princess into solid stone. He flees, causing mayhem across Hyrule in an attempt to find a mystical power known as the Light Force. The task is soon levied upon Link that he must find the legendary and mysterious Picori so that they might craft another blade to strike down the evil of Vaati's deeds.

The Game:

The primary premise behind Minish Cap is really a variation upon the two-world system first used in A Link to the Past; this time, however, the two worlds are really just a single world from two different perspectives. Early in the quest, Link finds the Minish Cap (who goes by the name Elzo), and this magical cap allows Link to shrink at selected locations, becoming mo more than the size of a gnat. Link will then explore the world, where Hylians tower above him like giants. Link's powers become quite limited in his smaller form, especially considering that normal-sized enemies are unable to be harmed! However, Link is able to use mouse holes on the side of houses as well as climb bookshelves in order to navigate into places he would otherwise be incapable of reaching.

The Minish Cap by itself allows quite a number of new puzzle ideas to be introduced into the game. Some of them will seem familiar, variations of the puzzles involving the Gnat Hat from Four Swords; some however will be brand new, such as rotating a barrel in order to line cracks in the wooden surface to line up with other ledges about the barrel. There is also a great emphasis on normally unintimidating enemies suddenly becoming giant-sized, many times serving as bosses to the dungeon areas. Furthermore, The Minish Cap also has a variety of new items that give the game a new and refreshing gameplay; of course, a few classics will be returning as well, and most of them will at least be used in ways never before thought of.

The Minish Cap's overworld and map system look and feel like any other normal Zelda game, but upon closer inspection they are quite different and feel just a pinch awkward. The world is divided into a series of rectangular areas, and it gives the appearance of being "blocky" and restrictive, yet there still is a lot of liberty involved in getting from one place to another. Many characters from games past, from Ocarina and up, that is, will come back to greet you. In a way, it feels like a big family reunion, but on the other hand, it does not uniquely stand out from among the other Zelda games because of that pre-existing familiarity.

The last big element to be found in the game is the Kinstone system. If you ever thought that the trading system found in most every Zelda game since Link's Awakening was too linear, this game has the answer to you. Throughout your quest, you will pick up these medallions that have been broken in half, each with its own special configuration. Villagers all across Hyrule, from the random Kakariko denizen up through the king of Hyrule (and even a few stone statues!) hold the other half to one of the Kinstone fragments, and the "trading" sequence is based upon matching up your Kinstone halves to the other characters in the game. Every time you do, some unique change will happen across Hyrule, either by revealing a treasure chest or spawning a golden enemy, a much harder but much more profitable variant of baddie.

The Minish Cap, as already said, doesn't really get the chance to really shine out because it feels as if it took the best of the previous games and smashed it together into one product. This doesn't mean that it's a bad game at all, however. The dungeons are absolutely pheomenal, each of them quite different from the others, allowing for a great degree of gameplay. However, the dungeons are only loosely connected by a world that does not feel original. For those eager to find a game with plot, Minish Cap is probably not the game for you; for those who like action and dungeons, Minish Cap is very much worth checking out.