If you’ve been harping and griping for a new Zelda adventure that’s pocket sized, you can stop the fussing now. Link’s new portable appearance, entitled Minish Cap has arrived, and it executes the classic Zelda formula with awesome precision and amazing whimsy. The game play in Minish Cap is almost identical to that of the past games in the series, making it something that Zelda fans will cherish from the moment they start.

In the Minish Cap, Link is once again the hero of Hyrule when a wicked sorcerer named Vaati turns Princess Zelda to stone then sets off to look for the legendary light that will give him supreme power. Early in the game, Link will come into possession of the Minish Cap, a piece of headgear that will bossily instruct him on how to go about completing his quest.

The quest to restore Zelda and also stop Vaati will be aided by the Minish, a race of strong yet tiny people that only children can see. Throughout the game you’ll come across portals that will shrink Link to a minish size. By doing so you’ll be able to solve puzzles, find items, and also see the entire world from a totally new yet provocative experience.

In order to restore Zelda and stop Vaati you’ll need to gather the four sacred elements: earth, fire, water, and wind – then infuse an ancient broken blade with their power. On your quest for these four elements you’ll encounter many people and explore the depths of four ancient temples; each of which implore the complicated, yet massive style of the classic Zelda formula.

When you consider the fact that the dungeons have multiple floors, a unique item in each one and a boss at the end – you’ll quickly notice that it’s standard stuff. Although none of the dungeons are too hard, you’ll get a satisfying sense of accomplishment when you finish each and every one of them.

One interesting new mechanic that links back to last year’s Zelda quest (the four swords adventures) will allow you to create identical copies of Link by using glowing tiles on the floor. When you attack these copies will attack and also maintain their formation based on which tiles you activated them on. You’ll also gain a bunch of extra sword combat techniques if you look for the right trainers.

They will teach you how to perform a downward thrust, rolling stab, spin attack, and many other moves. A lot of these will come in handy when fighting the tougher enemies in the game, while others will help you to solve a few puzzles in the game. All in all – the variety here will surely spice things up.

If you happen to be a fan of the traditional Zelda games, you’ll find the audio in the game to be just as superb as the visuals – with a great mix of the classic music that will lead you to reminisce about the NES days of Zelda. The music here is definitely on par with the theme of game, making this a game that everyone will truly get a great deal of enjoyment from.

With many Zelda games making the move to 3D on the big name consoles, it’s not a bad guess that this might be the last truly 2D Zelda game. This game easily lives up to it’s predecessors with a large enough quest and variety to keep you entertained for a long time. Whether this game represents the end of an era or a sign of things to come – it’s one game that no one should be without!

-Top-GBA-Games.com