I've always been a huge Zelda fan, so I was quite anxious to get the latest installment in the portable Zelda games. I bought the game during my trip to NYC during summer, and became completely addicted to it, and used to spend the entire night playing it at the hotel, but after I returned from my trip, I got a DS, and completely rejected my beloved Minish Cap copy and started playing on my new DS. But now that I'm officially bored with the two games I own for the DS, I remembered the good times I had spent playing Minish Cap, so I decided to give it a second go, and now I feel ready to write my opinion on it. But before we start, you should know that this game introduces a new gimmick. As the name suggests, Link is now able to shrink himself to the size of an ant. One may wonder how this useful, though. Link is completely helpless against most of the enemies, and small puddles become bottomless oceans when Link is in Minish form. Well, turning small is vital to the game, and it is needed to reach certain areas. When Minish, Link can crawl through logs, and he can enter mouse holes. Turning Minish is also the only way for Link to meet with the Minish people, also known as the Picori, who are also vital to the plot. Now, let's begin with the Review.
Like my previous Review for Mario Party 6, this Review will be rated on a scale of 0-5 stars.
Story: **
Vaati, the evil sorcerer who appeared in The Four Swords, has entered the swordfighting contest at the Picori Festival held in town, and upon winning, he recieved the honor of witnessing the legendary Picori Blade. But watching the blade isn't enough for Vaati. He sends a ball of energy towards the blade and shatters it, thus opening the chest that the blade locks. As a result, all of the monsters that the Picori imprisoned in the chest are released, and now they're running free among Hyrule. Zelda tries to stop Vaati, so the evil sorcerer turns the princess into a statue. Now the only thing that can save her is the Picori Blade, which has been shattered. Now it's up to Link to forge the blade and use the Power of the Four Elements in order to turn Zelda back to normal.
The story isn't all bad, but compared to other Zelda games, it's fairly unoriginal. And if you study Greek Mythology, you'll note that this is more or less a Zelda version of Pandora's Box. But the main reason why I had to dock so many points is because the game reveals most of the plot during the beginning of the game, so don't expect too many suspenseful moments while playing Minish Cap.
Controls: **
The controls are fairly simple, and if you've already played Zelda portables, you'll be able to pick these up from scratch. However, if this is the first Zelda portable you've played, you will encounter difficulties ahead. Some of Link's weapons can be hard to manuever. Pegasus Boots, anyone? Also, due to the lack of a targeting system, it's hard to hit enemies with weapons such as the Boomerang or the Bow and Arrow, as you'll need precise aiming, and it's even more difficult to hit them from a far away distance, something that was a breeze in the console Zelda games.
Graphics: ****
Beautiful graphics! Very colorful! But those who didn't appreciate the cartoon-like aspect from Wind Waker might be disappointed, since the game uses the same character designs from Wind Waker. I actually liked the character designs from Wind Waker, and since this is a GBA game, the graphics aren't exactly the same as Wind Waker. They're more of a Four Swords if you ask me. Still, the shading is remarkabky done. The puddles look quite real, and you can tell whether they're shallow or deep. The environments are very well detailed as well. When you turn Minish, you can see pebbles, twigs, and fallen leaves on the ground, so you actually feel tiny. Definitely some of the best graphics I've seen on a GBA game so far.
Sound: *
Not very good at all. I'm not very fond of the sounds emitted from Link's weapons, and having to listen to Link yelling "Yah!" all the time will force you to turn down the volume on your GBA. At least there's more variety to Link's yells in the console games. I'm also not particularly fond of the sounds blurted out by the characters when they talk. Having to listen to that mumbling sound that Ezlo makes whenever he talks is worse than having to listen to Link's constant yelling, and the sinister sneer Vaati makes sounds like a little kid pretending to be evil. Looks like the Mario games aren't the only ones suffering from horrible voice acting. The rest of the sound effects aren't very good at all. But my conclusion is, the sounds are more annoying than they are unpleasant.
Music: **
I didn't like the music too much, but I simply had to give it some stars because of the marvelous Minish theme. A musical beauty! I can spend hours listening to that wonderful theme, but I'm afraid that that's as good as it gets. All of the dungeons suffer from eerie music that isn't very inviting at all, and the mini-boss theme was a failure. The boss theme, however, is quite good, but all of the bosses, except for the final one, have the same music, so it's awfully repetitive. Which tune do I loathe the most from this game? That would have to be the cave theme. It's eerie, creepy, and uninviting, and every cave has it, and I always have to turn down the volume when I enter one! Don't be surprised if you have to turn down the volume whenever you're in a place that isn't Minish Village, Minish Woods, or Hyrule Town.
Characters:
You won't be meeting many new people in this game, but it's good to know that Ganon is taking a break from being the villain in order to let Vaati take the spotlight for a while. Still, Vaati isn't new to the Zelda series, and a lot of the characters here have already made appearances in previous Zelda games, but there is the addition of the Minish, who I think look pretty darn cool. But to make it easier for you, I'll be reviewing each of the important characters separately.
Link: ****
The main hero of the game. Link has
always been one of my favorite Nintendo heroes, and his new look is much
cooler than his older one from games like Ocarina of Time and Majora's
Mask. It's too bad he never talks, though. Maybe then we'd know more about
him.
Zelda: ****
Zelda is my all time favorite Nintendo
Princess. Her dress is awesome, and Peach could certainly use some fashion
tips from her. However, Zelda will be a statue during most of the game,
so you won't be meeting with her very often at all.
Ezlo: *
I despise Ezlo with great intensity.
I once decided that Zill, the kid from Wind Waker with that nasty booger
dangling from his nose, was the most annoying character in a Zelda game.
Not only was that booger disgusting, but the little toddler would follow
you around whenever he spotted you. However, I changed my mind when I met
Ezlo. I won't reaveal much of his background since it would be a spoiler,
so I'll just tell you that he's this annoying, uh... duck-like hat that
travels on top of Link's head, giving him long and boring speeches about
things you already know. You'll be longing for duct tape whenever you have
to put up with the chatty hat.
Vaati: ***
I didn't like Vaati before because
he was basically a giant blob of dark energy with a huge eye. But now,
Vaati is a cool-looking sorcerer in human form, with pale and bone-chilling
skin. Though his new look is certainly a huge step up from his previous
one, I was disappointed by how Nintendo made him look like a Link recolor.
As soon as you see him, you'll note that Vaati is basically Link with long
blue hair, blue threads, and pale skin. Couldn't he at least have a different
outfit? Ah well, I still like him, he just has to work on that evil laugh.
The Minish: ****
I love these little critters! (Yes,
I know that sounds weird coming from a guy.) Though it seemed like they
were just Zelda's answer to Toad. Well, thankfully, the Minish look WAY
cooler than any Toad, and if you thought Toads were cute, wait 'til you
see these guys.
Those are all of the important characters. There are some others, such as the King of Hyrule, but I'm too lazy to review those, so you'll have to put up with these. Those are the most interesting ones anyway.
Items: ***
You'll more or less see the same items from previous Zelda games, so I won't bother to describe them all. Besides, they're all pretty self explanatory. Sword, Boomerang, Bow and Arrow, I'm pretty sure you know what they do. I docked some points because it's kinda repetitive to have to deal with the same items over and over in every Zelda game you've played. But I had to add some sweet extra points because of the addition of new items such as the Gust Jar, a vacuum-like weapon that allows Link to eject strong blasts of wind. It can also be used to suction dirt and reveal buried items, so it has many purposes, and it's probably the most original and bizarre item I've ever seen in a Zelda game. There are a few more items, but to avoid spoiling any more secrets, I'll let you find out what they are on your own.
Bosses: *
What?! One star?! How could that be?! Well, ya better believe it. One of the game's major lacking points is its boss battles. Most of the bosses are just larger versions of normal enemies. For example, the first boss is a Giant Chu Chu, which are those jelly-like critters. It's not really giant, but since Link encounters it while in Minish form, it appears huge to him. This happens in a lot of the boss battles, and I didn't like it one bit. Also, the bosses are SO easy! Even if you aren't a Zelda vet, you shouldn't have much trouble at all handling the bosses. The only hard boss would be Vaati. Now he was tough... It took me a sweet amount of time to beat that guy. But that doesn't make up for the horrible bosses in this game. Why, Nintendo? Don't you know you could ruin Zelda's reputation? Zelda games are famous for their awesome and creative bosses! This is really dissapointing!
Difficulty: ****
Like I said before, the bosses are a breeze. But the dungeons can be quite tricky, and you'll often find yourself stuck. The land of Hyrule is vast, and there are many paths you can take, which is why I often get frustrated when playing this game, you'll be wondering which path to take, which can drive you crazy, and result in major frustation. And sadly, the tips Ezlo gives you will hardly ever help you, as he mostly says stuff that you already know. There are certain times when he does tell you important things, but those occasions are rare, and having to hear him say stuff you already know can provoke more frustration, which is why I grew to hate Ezlo. Aside from that, getting all the items in the game is an insanely difficult task, and it'll take you more than a few months to do so.
Length: **
Very, very short. There are only like six dungeons in the game, which is very little compared to other Zelda games. It took me more than a month to reach the end because I stopped playing the game when I was about halfway through, but if I had played it non-stop, I could've beaten this in about a week. Of course, if you count the sidequests, the game can be long, but the storyline is very short, and it won't take you long to reach the end. Still, the frustration this game can provide is enough to bide some of your time.
Fun Factor!: ****
Despite some notable flaws, this game is indeed quite fun, and if you're a die-hard Zelda fan like me, you'll become immediately addicted to it. There are also various items you'll enjoy collecting. I had to dock a point though because of the boss battles. For me, boss battles are the most entertaining parts in a video game, and the bosses were so easy and stupid, they sucked a lot of fun out of the game.
Replay Value: ****
Zelda games are also famous for their sidequests, and Minish Cap is no exception. While you're out trying to save Hyrule from the evil sorcerer, Vaati, you'll meet lots of people who need your help. There are also these things called Kinstones, which are like tokens of sorts. You'll find tons of Kinstones throughout your journey, and collecting them can become a quite a hobby. You see, you won't find the entire Kinstone, but rather half of one. After that, you must locate someone who also collects Kinstones and see if they have the other half. If they do, talk to them in order to fuse the Kinstones, and doing so can open new paths in your journey. Rumor is, Kinstones bring good luck when fused, so they're vital in order to reach secret areas and to locate hidden items. Collecting and fusing Kinstones is also a lot of fun, so you can spend hours fusing them with other people. Aside from that, there are also Heart Pieces and other things hidden out there, and to fully beat this game 100%, you'll have to find them all!
Overall: ***
This was really fun, but Nintendo could've done better. They threatened the series' reputation by tossing in easy and unoriginal bosses, and the frustration can often get to you. But the game's charm and fun factor is more than enough to help you get by those serious flaws.
Recommendation: ****
If you're a die-hard Zelda fan, you should get this. Despite the cliched story, the somewhat bad music and sounds, and the horrible boss battles, this is quite an entertaining game, and can keep you hooked for hours.
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