to say: Here lies Ryan. He loved his wife, he loved his children, and he loved The Legend

of Zelda. The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap holds a very special place in my heart. It

came out right at the end of the Gameboy Advanced’s lifetime and everyone knew it was going to

be the last Zelda made from the classic top down perspective. And I did not know how to

handle that. I mean, I loved Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask but there was something

just, magical, something special about top down Zelda. If it was good enough for A Link

to the Past, than it was good enough for me. But atlas, The Minish Cap was the last ride,

and thankfully it is a memorial one.

The game starts out like most Zelda games start. You are a young, cap-less, Link and

you are asked to the Picori Festival by Princess Zelda. Nothing could go wrong, right? Well,

things do go wrong and Zelda is turned to stone and it is up to Link to save her. Link

soon meets Ezlo, a minish who got transformed into a mix between a bird and a cap. He becomes

friends with Link and joins him on his quest and because he doesn’t have legs he rides

ontop of Link’s head. This is where Link first gets that green hat that will stay with

him throughout the series. Link’s quest requires him to restore power to the mythical

Picori Sword. You will grow to love Ezlo, with his funny comments and actions. This

is how he quickly became my favorite of Link’s companions.

Minish Cap introduces some new things to the Zelda formula. While A Link to the Past had

you go back and forth between worlds, the Minish Cap has you going back and forth between

sizes. There is a new race here, the Minish. They are a race of small people that are invisible

to humans. With help of Ezlo, Link can shrink down to Minish size and see Hyrule from a

whole new perspective. This will help you with puzzle solving with some areas only being

accessible when you are Minish size. These moments also look really great, with objects

like raindrops becoming boulders and leaves that are bigger than Link. It really makes

you feel like you are the size of a thumb nail. And this wouldn’t be a Zelda game

without items to help you explore. Of course some stables like the boomerang and shield

are back but new is the Gust Jar, which can be used to suck up enemies or shoot out gusts

of wind. It comes in handy and you will feel comfortable with it right away. Also new are

Kinstones, which are broken medallions you will find throughout your adventure. Most

of the characters in the game has Kinstones pieces and if you find the other half and

combine them, you can unlock things in Hyrule, such as new areas opening up or treasure chests.

It really encourages you to explore everywhere.

The game truly looks amazing. Link is animated very nicely and the world of Hyrule really

comes to life. The game is squeezing every little ounce of power out of the GBA. But

it goes beyond just the graphics. It’s the little tricks like when Link is Minish size

that really bring you into the world. With the graphics, the characters and classic gameplay,

it makes the game one of the best in the series, which is saying a lot.

If this as it seems to be and the last Zelda game from this perspective, it is great to

see its last entry be this good.