Difference between revisions of "The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap"

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'''''The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap''''' is a top-down action/adventure games in the same vein as [[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]. Once again, you play Link who must save the princess Zelda who, in this game, has been turned to stone by an evil wizard. The story plays only a passing role in the game. All of the typical 2-D Zelda tropes are here, upgrading sword and shield, boomerang, pegasus boots, bottles, octaroks, rupees, etc. The main gimmick of this game is that Link often must shrink down to the tiny size of the Minish, a race of miniature elves. While tiny, Link can perform tasks that will affect the normal sized world. Ultimately, the game seems to exist as the back-story of Link's hat.
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[[Image:Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - USA.jpg|thumb|256x256px|North American box art.]]
  
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'''''The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap''''', known in Japan as '''''ゼルダの伝説 ふしぎのぼうし [Zeruda no Densetsu: Fushigi no Boshi], "Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Cap"''''', is a top-down action adventure game developed by [[Capcom]] and [[Flagship]] and published by [[Nintendo]] on the [[Game Boy Advance]] in 2004. The [[The Legend of Zelda (Universe)|Zelda]] game uses an engine similar to [[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past]]. Once again, you play Link who must save the princess Zelda who, in this game, has been turned to stone by an evil wizard who plays only a passing role in the game. All of the typical 2-D Zelda tropes are here, upgrading sword and shield, boomerang, pegasus boots, bottles, octoroks, rupees, etc. The main gimmick of this game is that Link often must shrink down to the tiny size of the Minish, a race of miniature elves. While tiny, Link can perform tasks that will affect the normal sized world. Ultimately, the game seems to exist as the back-story of Link's hat.
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This is one of the very few games that was released in Europe before being released in North America.
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I never owned a Game Boy Advance, so I didn't play this game when it came out. However, as an avid Zelda fan, I made a point to play it, and beat it around 2010.
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==Status==
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Beat the game with all major items, but not all miniatures or kinstones.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
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* '''Overall:''' 7/10
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* '''Best Version:''' Game Boy Advance
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===Good===
 
===Good===
* I love ''A Link to the Past'', and ''The Minish Cap'' adds more of the same, that's still different enough to make it a uniquely enjoyable experience.
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* I love ''A Link to the Past'', and ''The Minish Cap'' adds more of the same, but it's still different enough to make it a uniquely enjoyable experience.
 
* The game has a lot of side-quests to give it more replay value.
 
* The game has a lot of side-quests to give it more replay value.
 
* There are plenty of new monsters, items, and special moves to find.
 
* There are plenty of new monsters, items, and special moves to find.
* Most of the items have various uses on various enemies or objects so they aren't used for a single dungeon and then become useless. For example, the boomerang not only stuns enemies, and collects items, but also has special effects on sparks, bob-ombs, etc.
+
* While some games create an item just for a single use, most of the items here have various uses on various enemies or objects. For example, the boomerang not only stuns enemies, and collects items, but also has special effects on sparks, bob-ombs, etc.
 
* Shrinking down to Minish size is really interesting and adds a new dynamic to the game.
 
* Shrinking down to Minish size is really interesting and adds a new dynamic to the game.
 
* The kinstones add a lot of secrets to the game.
 
* The kinstones add a lot of secrets to the game.
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===Bad===
 
===Bad===
 
* The game is really easy. Having never played it before, I made it all the way to the final boss before dying for the first time.
 
* The game is really easy. Having never played it before, I made it all the way to the final boss before dying for the first time.
* I like the idea of the Kinstones revealing new secrets, but they're overplayed. A lot of the time, you use a kinstone just to reveal another kinstone, and all of the secrets are repeated too many times. If the total was cut in half, I wouldn't be missing anything. I also didn't like the idea of having to revisit every NPC in the game numerous times because they aren't willing to trade until later in the game. Also, too many of the game's prizes are kinstones.
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* Kinstones are overplayed. They're a reward too often, and, a lot of the time, you trade a kinstone just to reveal another kinstone, and all of the secrets are repeated too many times. If the total was cut in half, I wouldn't feel like I was missing anything. I also didn't like the idea of having to revisit every NPC in the game numerous times because they aren't willing to trade until later in the game. Thankfully, they're mostly optional.
* The miniatures are a cute side-quest that reveal useful hints throughout the game, but they take -way- too much grinding and time to collect. If they could expedite the conversation and decrease the number of shells needed, it would be more tolerable.
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* The collectable miniatures are a cute side-quest that reveal useful hints throughout the game, but they take -way- too much grinding and time to collect. If they could expedite the conversation and decrease the number of shells needed, it would be more tolerable. Thankfully, again, they're optional.
 
* Few of the NPCs have very much character to them. So they don't feel like real people.
 
* Few of the NPCs have very much character to them. So they don't feel like real people.
 
* Since the villain doesn't really do much, he seems tacked-on and boring.
 
* Since the villain doesn't really do much, he seems tacked-on and boring.
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===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* The chicken side-quest is especially annoying. It begins cute, but quickly becomes a controller-throwing frustration of the damn mailman getting in the way, and evil gold chickens pissing you off. I spent well over an hour on it, but still never beat it.
 
* The chicken side-quest is especially annoying. It begins cute, but quickly becomes a controller-throwing frustration of the damn mailman getting in the way, and evil gold chickens pissing you off. I spent well over an hour on it, but still never beat it.
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==Media==
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===Box Art===
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<gallery>
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Japan.jpg|The Japanese box depicts a shrunken Link, wearing Ezlo, with the Minish, fearing something beyond the canvas. The box is expertly painted, and is my favorite box.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - EU.jpg|The European box shows Link winding up for an attack with a kinstone in the background. Not as detailed as the Japanese art, but still interesting.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - USA.jpg|The North American and Australian art is similar to the European art, but with a different action pose for Link.
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</gallery>
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===Documentation===
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<gallery>
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Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap - GBA - Manual.pdf|North American manual.
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Legend of Zelda - The Minish Cap - GBA - Manual.pdf|Japanese manual.
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The Minish Cap - Protection.png|Poster of the full Japanese box art.
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</gallery>
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===Maps===
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<gallery>
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Hyrule.png|Hyrule.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Deepwood Shrine.png|Deepwood Shrine.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Cave of Flames.png|Cave of Flames.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Fortress of Winds.png|Fortress of Winds.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Temple of Droplets.png|Temple of Droplets.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Palace of Winds.png|Palace of Winds.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Map - Dark Hyrule Castle.png|Dark Hyrule Castle.
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</gallery>
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===Gallery===
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<gallery>
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The Minish Cap - Attack.jpg|Link attacking.
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The Minish Cap - Map.png|Checking the map.
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The Minish Cap - Ending.png|The ending art scenes.
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</gallery>
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===Fan Art===
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<gallery>
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Enigmasystem.png|Fan art by Enigmasystem.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Poketix.jpg|Fan art by Poketix.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - KIRU75.png|Fan art by KIRU75.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Finni - Falling Raindrops.jpg|Fan art by Finni.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Nufonza - Link Minish Cap.jpg|Fan art by Nufonza.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Jim Svanberg.jpg|Fan art by Jim Svanberg.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Aquanut - Merry Christmas, Minish Village.jpg|Fan art by Aquanut.
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Legend of Zelda, The - Minish Cap, The - GBA - Fan Art - Blopa1987 - Link vs Big Green ChuChu and a Huge Head.jpg|Fan art by Blopa1987.
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</gallery>
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap mobygames.com/game/legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap] - Moby Games.
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* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap mobygames.com/game/legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap] - MobyGames.
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_The_Minish_Cap en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_The_Minish_Cap] - Wikipedia.
 
* [http://www.gamefaqs.com/gba/920670-the-legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap gamefaqs.com/gba/920670-the-legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap] - GameFAQS.
 
* [http://www.gamefaqs.com/gba/920670-the-legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap gamefaqs.com/gba/920670-the-legend-of-zelda-the-minish-cap] - GameFAQS.
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_The_Minish_Cap en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_The_Minish_Cap] - Wikipedia.
 
  
[[Category:Game|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category:Videogame|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
[[Category:Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Video Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
[[Category:Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Game Boy Advance Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
[[Category:Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Action|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
[[Category:Favorite|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Adventure|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
[[Category:Favorite Game|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Games I've Beaten|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Favorite|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Favorite Games|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]
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[[Category: Fantasy|Legend of Zelda, The: Minish Cap, The]]

Revision as of 11:22, 10 May 2018

North American box art.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, known in Japan as ゼルダの伝説 ふしぎのぼうし [Zeruda no Densetsu: Fushigi no Boshi], "Legend of Zelda: The Mysterious Cap", is a top-down action adventure game developed by Capcom and Flagship and published by Nintendo on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. The Zelda game uses an engine similar to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Once again, you play Link who must save the princess Zelda who, in this game, has been turned to stone by an evil wizard who plays only a passing role in the game. All of the typical 2-D Zelda tropes are here, upgrading sword and shield, boomerang, pegasus boots, bottles, octoroks, rupees, etc. The main gimmick of this game is that Link often must shrink down to the tiny size of the Minish, a race of miniature elves. While tiny, Link can perform tasks that will affect the normal sized world. Ultimately, the game seems to exist as the back-story of Link's hat.

This is one of the very few games that was released in Europe before being released in North America.

I never owned a Game Boy Advance, so I didn't play this game when it came out. However, as an avid Zelda fan, I made a point to play it, and beat it around 2010.

Status

Beat the game with all major items, but not all miniatures or kinstones.

Review

  • Overall: 7/10
  • Best Version: Game Boy Advance

Good

  • I love A Link to the Past, and The Minish Cap adds more of the same, but it's still different enough to make it a uniquely enjoyable experience.
  • The game has a lot of side-quests to give it more replay value.
  • There are plenty of new monsters, items, and special moves to find.
  • While some games create an item just for a single use, most of the items here have various uses on various enemies or objects. For example, the boomerang not only stuns enemies, and collects items, but also has special effects on sparks, bob-ombs, etc.
  • Shrinking down to Minish size is really interesting and adds a new dynamic to the game.
  • The kinstones add a lot of secrets to the game.
  • Super strong gold monsters are a cool idea.

Bad

  • The game is really easy. Having never played it before, I made it all the way to the final boss before dying for the first time.
  • Kinstones are overplayed. They're a reward too often, and, a lot of the time, you trade a kinstone just to reveal another kinstone, and all of the secrets are repeated too many times. If the total was cut in half, I wouldn't feel like I was missing anything. I also didn't like the idea of having to revisit every NPC in the game numerous times because they aren't willing to trade until later in the game. Thankfully, they're mostly optional.
  • The collectable miniatures are a cute side-quest that reveal useful hints throughout the game, but they take -way- too much grinding and time to collect. If they could expedite the conversation and decrease the number of shells needed, it would be more tolerable. Thankfully, again, they're optional.
  • Few of the NPCs have very much character to them. So they don't feel like real people.
  • Since the villain doesn't really do much, he seems tacked-on and boring.

Ugly

  • The chicken side-quest is especially annoying. It begins cute, but quickly becomes a controller-throwing frustration of the damn mailman getting in the way, and evil gold chickens pissing you off. I spent well over an hour on it, but still never beat it.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Gallery

Fan Art

Links