Link's latest 2D adventure is up against some very high expectations. From Flagship, the same developers who created the spectacular Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, comes The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. And like Flagship's last Zelda games, this is not your standard adventure.
Sure enough, the story starts off as basic Zelda stuff: Princess Zelda has been kidnapped and Link has to save her and save Hyrule too while he's at it. So he sets of on his adventure and meets an interesting… hat. A talking hat that can shrink him to microscopic size! Link and his ally, along with the help of the Picori, team up in order to stop the fiendish Vatti who kidnapped Princess Zelda and save Hyrule from becoming a land of statues. The story does have an interesting plot, but you can experience that for yourself.
This adventure plays like any other Zelda game… in fact, it's almost like Link's Awakening but not quite the same in gameplay terms. Many of Link's old items and abilities return and of course there are many exciting new items for Link to use. The excellent puzzles, wonderful levels, and cleaver boss battles are all what you'd expect from any Zelda game. But the world of the Picori is something out of the ordinary Zelda fare.
The Picori world only exists in certain areas of Hyrule that only Link can see and access. The Picori willingly help Link on his mission to stop Vatti, their knowledge and special powers will be important to finishing dungeons and saving the land. In conjunction with the regular sized world, Link must use his miniaturized form to complete puzzles and defeat bosses. But he has to be careful and watch out for new obstacles when he's miniaturized.
Flagship does a wonderful job with the gameplay by combining classic Zelda with new elements. Some of the puzzles and boss fights are hard to figure out and at times there are parts that feel like fetch quests. The game is fairly short though there are a plenty of places for Link to explore, hidden upgrades, and the Kinstone fusion mini-game is pretty fun and addicting.
Minish Cap uses the same engine that the Gameboy Advance remake of A Link to the Past used but still, this game looks fantastic. There is plenty of detail throughout the world, everything looks wonderful. Certain areas are a bit rough around the edges which could have been cleaned up. The sound quality is very good and the sound effects are spot on. The muttering of the town's people and Picori is a tad too frequent and annoying. As for the soundtrack, it is variety of tunes which perfectly fit their respective environments and situations.
In general, this is an excellent game. There are minor problems that hurt the game a little here and there but nothing major, this is one fantastic game overall. Series fans and newcomers, old and young can enjoy this wonderful adventure.
Final words: Flagship does it again, another excellent addition to the Zelda series.
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