Overall score on pook's 100-point system (TM): 88 or 9. A triumphant return to 2d
-the breakdown-
Graphics (27/30, judged by era)- Although it utilizes a rather animated style, Minish Cap manages to be one of the prettier games on the GBA. It oozes personality. The graphics are bright and character animations very well done. Small little animation touches help the world come alive.
Sound- FX/Voice (7/10) Fairly well-done sound, incorporating the usual context-sensitive sounds that tip you off to what's going on. While typical in its Zelda-ness use of sound, this game incorporates the little vocal shouts used since Ocarina in the console versions when you speak to characters. A small touch that adds some personality.
Sound- Music (8/10) Produced by Flagship, formerly of Capcom, it's ironic that the best Zelda soundtrack this generation was not ultimately composed by Nintendo.
Gameplay- Length/Lastability/Replay (15/15) While it does not have the number of dungeons that past Zelda games had, and the overworld at first blush seems smaller, the game is still fairly large. Many parts of the world are visited either underground or in Minish form, which is a sort of magnifying glass view of the world, and these portions are not on the world map. There is plenty of talking to folks and mini-games to participate in, including the large Kinstone meta-game, which greatly extends the length of the game by virtue of what is essentially a large-scale treasure hunt that is ultimately pretty fun.
Gameplay- Story: (3/5) Essentially a similar story to that found in Four Swords Adventures, Minish Cap improves on It simply because where it shares the antagonist Vaati, Minish Cap actually engages you with him. He's appears throughout the game and then finally makes for a satisfying--yet surreal in a way only Japanese designers know how-final encounter
Gameplay- Game Design (28/30)- Handing off the classic Zelda gameplay to another studio did not at all harm this game. The overworld is still fun and interactive as ever, the presentation great, and the dungeons and boss battles a fun combination of exploration and light puzzle-working that never gets frustrating. The Kinstone meta-game, while important and very fun overall, falls flat at the end in a rather disappointing way. Essentially, as you near the end of the collection game, you'll find that you have 3-4 Kinstones left to fuse but the only way to know where to fuse them is to search the entire overworld including every door and underground area to see what you missed. So while earlier on the Kinstone game is engaging, if you actually want to finish it you're in for a brutal and boring final few; and FAQs won't help because there are so many that it will be impossible to recall which you found and which you didn't. That factor is the only thing keeping this game from a 30 in this category otherwise.
**Final Thoughts- A wonderful title. If you like Zelda at all, this is one for you, and if for some reason you've never played a Zelda title, this is a great place to start.
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