[Playing…] The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish CapIt appeared for Game Boy Advance in 2004 after an agreement between Nintendo and Capcom, with whom it had already collaborated for this saga with the gamesOracle of AgesandOracle of Seasonsfor Game Boy Color (both developed by Flagship, those responsible for developing this installment).

In this game Zelda has been petrified by the evil sorcerer Vaati, who seeks to find the Triforce to dominate Hyrule, so young Link will have to stop him once again, but this time with the help ofa magical cap that gives him the ability to reduce his size considerably(in addition to other specific skills, such as using it as a parachute or to talk to animals).

Graphically, we could say that this game is a mix betweenA Link to the PastofSNES andWind Wakerfrom Gamecube, since the designs are in the styleWind Waker(despite including characters from other games) and some elements remind us of theZeldafrom Super Nintendo.

In general, everything has a cheerful and colorful design (even the most sinister scenarios), the generic characters are quite nice (some have very funny animations) and the enemies are recognizable and well animated. They deserve special mentionsome boss battles, as they look more epic than usualand some are beyond what was seen in previous games.

Taking advantage of the idea that Link changes size to become small thanks to his magic hat,The Legend of Zelda: The Minish CapIt introduces some striking details, such as giant enemies or being able to see some areas from both sizes, which adds a unique touch to the game.

Following the tradition of this saga, the voices are almost non-existent and half of the sounds are typical ones that have been used for years (such as getting rupees or finding an important object). The melodies are interesting and, although some play to resemble classic themes (such as Hyrule Castle), there are many new and interesting compositions.

PlayablyMinish Cap continues the typical script of the classic Zeldas. During the game we will have to overcome dungeons that are full of puzzles that will test our ingenuity and inventory, which we will increase inside and outside the dungeons. As we progress through the story, we will be marked with objectives on the map and it will be up to us to reach them.

Although this gameintroduces some very striking new items(such as the magic vase that absorbs everything it catches or the upside-down staff that turns things around), as well as some old ones with improvements (the mole gloves are the improved version of the shovel that appeared in other games) its main novelty is the ability to change from normal size to Minish size, which will allow us to explore inaccessible areas. In reality it is something purely visual, but it makes specific areas of the game have more depth and increases the number of hidden areas hidden in the corners of the game.

Another novelty fromThe Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap They are the stones of happiness, items that we can obtain in many ways (in chests, by cutting grass or eliminating enemies) and that serve to trigger events in the game (some of them necessary to complete it).  When we approach someone who has happiness stones, a thought cloud will appear in their head, but the quickest way to use the stones is to use the L button in front of the person (or thing) we think may have one.

During the game (in addition to obtaining items that will give us special abilities) we cantrain with teachers who will teach us special attackswith the sword, thus improving Link's usefulness in combat (something similar to what was seen in recent Zeldas at the launch of this game).

Overall, its gameplay is as solid as any title in this series. It does not disappoint, although it is true that, being a portable Zelda,It does not have the extension of other games in the series. In fact, its world is relatively small, but it still offers many hours of fun and secrets to discover.

The general difficulty is not excessively high (similar to what was seen inZeldasrecent to its launch), although there are some moments where it increases drastically due to specific enemies or because we depend on items that may not be the usual ones.

One of the things that makes the game longer is the possibility of exploring areas in normal or Minish size, something that will sometimes be mandatory to advance. The stones of happiness also lengthen the game, but they can be somewhat repetitive or unsatisfying, since we cannot know if they will cause an important event or if they will simply give us rupees.

Leaving aside the main story,Minish CapIt has enough optional secrets that can be used to extend the game (hearts, remote control bombs, magic boomerang, mirror shield, bottles, etc...). Just as it happened inWind Waker, we can also extend the game by collecting miniatures of all the characters.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Capit's a gamehighly recommended for lovers ofZeldatwo-dimensionaland, because it is translated into Spanish (at least its European version) and because its main story is not extremely long, it alsoIt can be highly recommended for those who want to start in the saga. Veterans will enjoy the game, but they may find it short, although it left a very good taste in my mouth.