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The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap Review
Written by Modojo Staff on Monday, January 31, 2005
User Score
Visually stunning, with a number of original elements that make it a ton of fun.
Very few negatives hold any merit.
...Continued From Page 1 In another questionable design choice, many shops, minigames, and other areas of town aren't accessible early on simply because they "aren't ready yet," which is disappointing. Limiting your exploration options (especially with such lame excuses) so much in the first half of the game serves its purpose, but I wish Capcom had more faith in gamers' ability to adventure in a more non-linear fashion. There's no reason to not allow gamers access to the minigames right from the start. Flagship insisted on having them spoon-fed to you over the course of the quest.
These criticisms need to be followed up with a disclaimer, however. The only reason I'm mentioning them at all is because Zelda games are not held to the same standard as other videogames. The series has remained one of the best, most compelling, and most polished since its inception in 1987. Minish Cap is a more than worthy addition to that lineage, and has quickly bullied its way into my top 5 GBA games, booting Castlevania: Circle of the Moon from the rankings.
I never mentioned the Minish Cap plot in this review, because quite frankly, it doesn't matter, and is entirely disposible. That's not to say all videogames are given a free pass to have trite storylines; suffice it to say that Princess Zelda's latest plight offers up the necessary excuse to scale mountains, brave haunted woods, and seek out well-hidden heart pieces.
Minish Cap isn't reinventing the wheel, but its world/puzzle design has remained as sharp and imaginative as ever.
posted June 16, 2005