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The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a game for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. It is part of The Legend of Zelda series. Like its handheld predecessors for the Game Boy Color, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, it was developed not solely by Nintendo, but instead as a combined effort with Capcom. The Minish Cap is the first original Zelda adventure to be released for a handheld Game Boy platform since Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (both 2001), disregarding the 2003 remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and its multiplayer bonus Four Swords.
The game is based around the idea of a magical 'cap' called Ezlo that Link can use to shrink to the size of the Picori, a race of thumb size people that live in Hyrule. The Minish Cap is artistically very reminiscent of its predecessors The Legend of Zelda: The Four Swords, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures, and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, all released in 2003. It features the same cartoon-inspired visuals. Link, as well as several other characters in the game, strongly resemble characters in The Wind Waker.
Gameplay
The Minish Cap features a number of enhancements that benefit from the more powerful Game Boy Advance platform and draws heavily on the gameplay of previous Zelda titles.
In the overworld and in dungeons, the game replaces the traditional item interface with pictures associating items or actions with buttons on the Game Boy handheld, similarly to the item interface in 3D titles like Ocarina of Time and The Wind Waker. Link can also perform special actions, triggered by the L and R buttons on the Game Boy. With R, Link can for example roll while running, a move also inspired by 3D Zelda games.
The Minish Cap also features a figurine-based side quest, similar to that in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (see Gameplay section of article). The player can collect Mysterious Shell items, which sometimes appear when defeating enemies and can be found or bought in different locations throughout the game. These can then be used in a lottery in the lower left corner of Hyrule Town to obtain figurines representing characters, object or locations in the game. Each figurine comes with a small description which reveals information about the game or the Legend of Zelda series in general. The probability to win a figurine in the lottery can be increased by putting more shells into play. There are 136 different figurines that are collectable.
Kinstones
Kinstones are special artifacts first introduced in The Minish Cap which Link can find throughout his quest. By pressing L, it allows the player to "fuse Kinstones" with non-player characters (NPCs) in the game. They are kept in bags called Kinstone Bag. You receive the bag for free after you completed the first dungeon. Kinstones are generally green, blue or red although they can be gold if they are '"fused" with the wall. Two kinstones with complementary shapes be combined to form a coin. If the player can find the NPCs who possess a kinstone complementary to his, he can perform Kinstone Fusion, which causes special events to happen. For example, fusing Kinstones can reveal a secret passageway in a different area, or make a treasure chest appear. While Green Kinstones are, with few exceptions, minor things such as Golden enemies and treasure chests, Red and Blue Kinstones often produce unique results, such as beanstalks, Heart Pieces, giving people initiative to do a certain task, etc.
Different kinds of Kinstones Main Items
See The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap weapons and items for full list.
Many items are needed to perform different tasks and solve puzzles, and can sometimes be used as weapons, in addition to Link's sword, shield, bow, bombs and boomerang.
Following are descriptions of the main items found in The Minish Cap.
- Gust Jar: a magic jar which can suck in air. Link can use it to bring objects closer to him and suck in enemies. The longer you hold the button, the stronger it will get.
- Roc's Cape: a cape allowing Link to jump to dodge attacks and avoid traps. He can also learn to thrust down to enemies with his sword while jumping.
- Mole Mitts: clawed gloves which Link uses to dig through soft ground and walls.
- Flame Lantern: a lantern found in numerous Zelda games, this item is used to illuminate dark locations as well as to used to melt ice.
- Pegasus Boots: magic boots which grant the bearer the ability to run at very high speed.
- Cane of Pacci: a magic staff used to flip objects over and to allow Link to jump very high out of some small holes.
- Ocarina of Winds: a magical ocarina that brings you to any wind crest you activated.
Skills
In addition to special items, The Minish Cap introduces eight Sword Techniques, similar to skills in RPG games, which Link himself can learn from sword masters and use in combat. For each skill he learns, Link receives a Tiger Scroll describing the technique from the trainer. Players can review all Sword Techniques they have learned on an interface screen. Furthermore, Link can master more powerful versions of some of these techniques later in the game.
- Swiftblade: Swiftblade lives near the entrance of Hyrule Town, and can teach you four different techniques.
- Spin Attack: Link can spin his sword around in a full 360 degrees circle after charging. This attack is a classic in the LoZ series. Required to get to Mt. Crenel.
- Rock Breaker: Link can break stones and jars with his sword. The White Sword is required for him to teach you this.
- Dash Attack: Link can charge with his sword drawn using the Pegasus Boots. The Dash Attack already existed in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but did not require any additional "training" of Link — it could be executed as soon as Link had the Pegasus Boots. The Pegasus Boots are required for him to teach you this.
- Down Thrust: While jumping using Roc's Cape, Link can stab downwards at his enemies. This technique is used by the Doppelganger Links boss in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/The Four Swords. The Roc's Cape is required for him to teach you this.
- The Rest: There are four other Scrolls that four other trainers can teach you.
- Sword Beam: Taught by Grimblade. When the Soldier on the right side of the Hyrule Castle Garden leaves, go there and cut the bushes down to find stairs leading to his dungeon. You have to use the Lantern found in the Temple of Droplets to light his dojo. Link can shoot energy beams with his sword and harm enemies. The attack only works when Link is at full health. In Link's Awakening, the young hero's sword could also produce beams once it had been upgraded.
- Peril Beam: Taught by Waveblade. When you get the Flippers, swim left from Mayor Hagen's lakeside cabin to find his dojo. Ten or more Heart Containers are required to learn this. Allows Link to use the Sword Beam technique when he his health bar is low.
- Roll Attack: Taught by Grayblade. Once you get the ability to split into two Links, climb near where you bought the Grip Ring, and enter a cave. Split into two, and step on two switches, opening his dojo. At the start of or after performing a roll, Link can get up with his sword drawn and stab enemies.
- Great Spin Attack: Taught by Swiftblade I. Requires the other seven Scrolls for him to teach yout his. Go to Castor Wilds, and move the giant grave to enter his dojo. Link can spin his sword several turns. This technique is similar to the one used by the Doppelganger Links boss in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/The Four Swords.
- The Secret Blade Brothers: There are three more of the Blade Brothers that do not give Scrolls, but upgrade Link's current abilities.
- Scarblade: Fuse Kinstones with Grayblade, and a waterfall will open up in Castor Wilds. His training will shorten the amount of time needed to charge your Spin Attack.
- Splitblade: Fuse Kinstones with Grimblade, and a waterfall will open up in Veil Falls. His training will shorten the amount of time needed to charge up your Link Splitting Meter.
- Greatblade: Fuse Kinstones with Waveblade, and a waterfall will open up in North Hyrule Field. His training will allow you to perform the Great Spin Attack eight times in a row.
Wind Crest Locations
Screenshot from The Minish Cap. Wind Crests crests that when they are activated, they can be reached with an Ocarina of Wind. This saves time of moving from one location to another.
Locations are all Wind Crests:
- Minish Woods
- South Hyrule Field
- Hyrule Town
- Mt. Crenel
- Castor Wilds
- Lake Hylia
- Veil Falls
- Cloud Tops
Great Fairies
- Great Butterfly Fairy: She lives in Minish Woods. She asks for all of your Rupees. Agree each time she asks, and she will give you a Big Wallet for your generousity, and lets you keep your Rupees.
- Great Mayfly Fairy: She lives on Mt. Crenel. Throw a Bomb into her Fairy Fountain, and she will ask you whether you dropped a Gold Bomb or a Silver Bomb. Say Neither, and she will give you a Big Bomb Bag for your honesty.
- Great Dragonfly Fairy: She lives in the Royal Valley. Approach her fountain, and she will ask five questions. Answer: No, No, Yes, No, No, and she will give you a Large Quiver for your honesty.
Bosses
- Big Green Chuchu: Found in Deepwood Shrine (Guards the Earth Element)
- Gleerok: Found in Cave of Flames (Guards the Fire Element)
- Mazaal: Found in Fortress of Winds (Guards the Ocarina of Wind)
- Big Octorok: Found in Temple of Droplets (Guards the Water Element)
- Gyorg Pair: Found in Palace of Winds (Guards the Wind Element)
- Vaati: (3 forms) Found in Dark Hyrule Castle (Final Boss)
- Mini-Bosses:
- Madderpillar: Commonly found in some dungeons. Getting hit in the head makes his weak point, his tail, vulnerable.
- Big Blue Chuchu: Similar to Big Green Chuchu, but is electrified, and invulnerable until he becomes unelectrified.
- Black Knight: The strongest Dark Nut, that only appears in Dark Hyrule Castle. Also has the best defense, and is more resistant to bombs than Red and Regulars.
Story
The mystical creature Ezlo helps Link find his way through the most dangerous parts of Hyrule kingdom in The Minish Cap. Long ago when Hyrule was about to be defeated, the Picori, who call themselves the Minish, came with a sword and a light force to save Hyrule. Every 100 years the Picori return to Hyrule, to provide humans with magical gifts.
The coming of the Picori is celebrated in Hyrule with a large fair and a sword fighting tournament. On one such day, Princess Zelda and her childhood friend Link, grandson of the royal blacksmith, decide to visit Hyrule town to join the festivities. These are short-lived however, as the winner of the tournament, the unknown stranger Vaati, is in fact a powerful sorcerer who breaks the sword given by the Picori centuries ago and turns Zelda to stone.
The king of Hyrule and his counselor, placing all their hopes in the tiny Picori who had been invaluable allies, send Link to seek the legendary beings' help. It is an old belief in Hyrule that the Picori show themselves more willingly to children.
On his way to the Minish Woods, home of the Minish, Link rescues Ezlo, a strange being resembling a green cap with a bird head, who joins him in his quest and can make Link shrink to the size of the Minish themselves through a ritual he can perform on Minish altars. Link then meets the Minish elder of woods, who tells him that to restore power in the magic sword broken by Vaati, he must find four elemental artifacts and imbue the blade with their essence at an elemental sanctuary found in Hyrule Castle. Only then can he face Vaati and defeat him.
It is later revealed that both Ezlo and Vaati were once Minish, Ezlo being a renowned sage and craftsman and Vaati his apprentice. Vaati eventually became corrupted by the madness and egotism of men and took a magic hat Ezlo had made for the humans in Hyrule. The hat granted the bearer any wishes, and Vaati chose to become a powerful sorcerer. He then turned his old master, who had tried to stop him, into a hat. Devoured by his own desire for power, Vaati took a twisted, vile appearance and set out to search for the mythic Light Force of Hyrule, which would make him even stronger.
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