By the time Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was released back in 2005, I'd already moved on to new things my collection of GBA gear was distributed amongst nieces and nephews, as the DS and PSP had become my new favourites. Little did I know, that Capcom and Nintendo has set out to prove, that there was plenty of life left in the Game boy Advance with a final hurrah for Zelda in glorious 2D.
All is not well in Hyrule
The enchanted land of Hyrule is once more in danger, and our hero Link again finds himself thrown into heroic deeds. His friend, and Princess of the realm, Zelda is turned into stone by the evil Vaati, who's clearly up to no good. To save Zelda, Link must seek out the elusive Picoli race. Only they have the skills to re-forge an ancient sword, which can bring Zelda back to life.
Add one pinch of hero and two doses of action shake and bake
The Zelda games are action adventure design boiled down to the essentials; The Minish Cap luckily is no exception. Our diminutive hero still traverses a word filled with dangerous dungeons, solves tricky puzzles of the "find item, push rock, solve maze"-type and dispatch tricky, fearsome bosses. The Minish Cap might stand firmly on the shoulders of earlier entries, but isn't entirely satisfied with resting on the laurels from yesterdays.
Something old, something new
Mother, Father,
so young, so hot, so jazzy,
so like zelda and Scott
with drinks and cigarettes and turbans
and designer slacks and frizzy permanents....
—Anne Sexton (1928–1974)
Fans of the series will recognize a few new tools for example the 'Gust jar', which puts moves into your arsenal. Link's ability to change size at secret places through out the world of Hyrule adds extra layers to puzzles and a pleasant additional viewpoint. Game play is amazingly fun. Pacing is varied and level design near perfect you simple want to progress in this game! Controls are tight and precise, something that can't be said about the Zelda games on Nintendo DS.
Graphics are cute and bright; very much in line with previous Zelda games. Sound effects are barebones, while some good compositions sets the mood brilliantly.
The Minish Cap is both worth your time and money. Don't expect presentation at the calibre possible on today's handhelds, but charm never goes out of style. Actions fans looking for a few hours of fun can do a lot worse than Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, no matter which platform you're looking for your next fix on.
Verdict: Get it!
Verdict guide:
Get it Ebay, Amazon or bargain bin just find it! This game belongs in your collection.
Borrow Not worth paying premium dollar for, but worth your time.
Never mind Might've been great in its day, but now . forget it.
Article is part of the Summer of Retro series on the Handheld Gaming Age blog, more at Summer of Retro.
Veteran gamesjourno with several years of work for numerous commercial websites, covering industry news, reviews, previews and various articles. More from the handheld video game scene at Handheld Gaming Age.