Since The Minish Cap was released 2 days ago in Europe, I'm going to hand
out some info for anyone who's interested (and to make the wait easier..or
not).
First of all, let me tell you: if you think this game is not going to be
good, forget it! This is in my opinion one of the best Zelda games so far!
Capcom's developers have learned from their 'mistakes' and managed to get
very close, if not perfect in line with Nintendo's own Zelda games. It's
100% Zelda, and still manages to be fresh and exciting.
Storywise, this game is very good. It doesn't involve around Ganon or the
Triforce at all, luckily, but still feels like a 'main quest', where
Majora's Mask and Link's Awakening felt more like side-stories to me. Maybe
it's because this game plays in Hyrule again, but then again, maybe not,
since the world map is so different from other versions of Hyrule...heck, I
think only 3 places are similiar, and it's only in name: Hyrule Castle, Lake
Hylia and Hyrule Field. Everything else is completely new. Makes me think
it's either situated in a slightly other part of Hyrule (or for those who
truly believe The Wind Waker will end by finding new land: a whole new
Hyrule). The map looks pretty small in the beginning (because the map shows
a 'drawn map' at first...after selecting a piece of the map the real size of
the area becomes visible), and even though it's not as big as in other Zelda
games, there's ALOT to do, so I don't think you'll get bored with exploring.
For those who don't care about spoilers, here is the full story:
Spoiler (highlight to read):
A long time ago, monsters began appearing
in Hyrule, but with the help of the Picori Sword, given to the hero by
the small Picori (later found out to be called Minish), the hero
(another Link of course, as seen in the glass stained windows) sealed
the monsters away in a box. Since then, people celebrate for the Picori
with a grand festival every year. A popular event at this festival is
the sword-fighting event. He who wins is allowed to touch the Picori
sword. This year's winner is a stranger named Vaati (tada, big surprise
)..but he destroys the Picori sword and the box to find the 'light
force' - a magic force with unlimited powers. He wants to use it to
become a god and rule the world.
Vaati is actually a Minish, but he stole a special wish-granting hat
from his master, Ezlo, to become a powerful sorcerer. He turned Ezlo
into a bird-hat..then Ezlo has to go undo all this, since he's
responsible. That's when he meets up with Link, and they will become a
team for the rest of the game.
In the game, Link is trying to get the Picori Sword repaired..and as the
game advances, the reforged sword will get stronger and stronger, and
eventually it will become the legendary Four Sword, and with it you can
split yourself in 4 copies at certain points in the game.
If you didn't get it by now, this game is thus the beginning of the
whole Four Swords/Vaati story, but still has a few loose ends...perfect
for another story between this game and Four Swords (GBA). |
Items..this game holds the regular items, but introduces a few new
innovative ones as well, with the biggest hit being the Gust Jar, which adds
a twist to the puzzles in the game. Speaking of puzzles, the items aren't
the only things that make this game interesting concerning solving problems.
Using the Minish Cap, you must travel around Hyrule in both normal size and
Minish size. And hey, then there's that
Spoiler (highlight to read):
White Sword/Four Sword who holds the
power to split you into copies |
. That's 3 whole different ways to solve puzzles and play the game, and
it's nice, because you won't be limited to doing the same stuff over and
over again.
Finally, the graphics are topnotch. They used the graphics from Four Swords,
added a whole lot of new thingies and dingies to it, so this game is a real
beauty. Compare it to, say Link To The Past, and you're in for a blast.
Here's my points:
Graphics: 9/10 (just awesome.)
Sound: 9/10 (great sound effects, catchy music.)
Gameplay: 10/10 (really fresh, yet remains classic.)
Length: 8/10 (I'll admit: it's not as long as the 'old' games which had 8 or
9 dungeons, but it's not as short as The Wind Waker or Majora's Mask
either.)
Overall: 36/40 = 9/10
So...anyone in Europe who didn't get it yet? Get it. As for the Americans
and others who have to wait: it's worth your waiting, you won't be
disappointed.
