Gaming The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

[Semjaza]

[img]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/9cecf6d4-f1ab-401b-988b-f61487f3cef6.jpg[/img]

This one has been rumored for weeks now, right down to the actual name. Nintendo.com has finally confirmed its existance along with some screens.

[IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/d34d4d20-6513-42cc-acb0-87105925266f.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/5d147fab-7a3a-4d15-9bd7-aec2590dbbad.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/9c48697d-f095-4f3c-9ed9-bbd295b8999a.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/6ab08b93-fc0a-40c8-841e-ad7c428844f9.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/844632a1-f6a7-478d-b455-cdae78192c3f.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/1ef55266-d2df-419c-a681-cf9528efb834.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/fd06797f-007b-4058-b92a-9378d2a1a5b4.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/352a01c7-d7bd-4d37-bda2-e909e48db885.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/beef3f26-8919-4d58-b552-f11b8457f666.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/4ff67f7e-ffce-4a1f-abbc-e76f6b112434.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/5261ef45-14b2-4be8-8a6c-8b1180d336b7.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/9b94d282-21e4-4071-ad9c-d192b1865d6a.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/ca8be9a1-f252-4c4d-9e8a-f9fc5fe426c3.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE] As he searches an unfamiliar land for fragmented relics called Kinstones, Link will have to take a closer look at the ground beneath his feet. When he discovers a magical hat called The Minish Cap, he gains the power to shrink down to the size of the Minish people, who are in grave danger. As he travels back and forth between their world and his, he'll solve puzzles, fight through dungeons and slowly uncover the evil behind their plight and vanquish it.[/QUOTE]

It's being developed by Capcom, like the excellent Game Boy Color Oracle titles. A few show off his new shrinking ability, which I think is quite cool.

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

Well, the graphics are great. And one can never have too many Zelda games (4 swords, next GCN Zelda, now [i]this[/i]...). Really. Go Nintendo, this year they're really showing they've "still got it!"

[Dragon Warrior]

This is rather awesome looking. They're coming out with so many new Zelda games it's overwhelming. This, Four Swords Legends, rumors of yet another Gamecube one (aside from the Four Swords Adventures), etc. I'm having fun with this. I must learn more >:^D

[James]

[color=#707875]Although this game has been rumored for a while, it's nice to actually see screens of it. It looks [i]gorgeous[/i]. Beautiful art design, from the looks of it. And it comes with an interesting gameplay concept too.

Yet another reason to suggest that Nintendo might be owning this year's E3. ~_^[/color]

[Shinmaru]

Oh man, I'm going insane right now. lol

I absolutely [i]loved[/i] the Oracle games (easily my favorite Game Boy games) and if this game continues along that line (with improvements, of course), then we may have another fantastic Zelda game released by Capcom. The Oracle games, Link to the Past/Four Swords and now this? Freaking incredible lol. The game looks damn gorgeous, too, heh.

I'm running out of adjectives to describe the games now lol. So many threads :p

[Semjaza]

Video (3 MBs)[url]http://media.nintendo.com/mediaFiles/c3bdbf39-b51d-4eec-80a4-b473e71ea8da.mov[/url]

The little one is half the size, so I see no reason to bother. Get this one.

Looks awesome. I'm under the impression that the so-called "kinstones" are required to understand the various Minish people in this game. Like translators of sorts.

[NorykoAngelcry]

[COLOR=darkred][SIZE=1][FONT=Verdana]Woah. . way too overwhelmed with E3 this year. . didn't think about posting any of my thoughts. Thanks for the vid Semjaza. . this game looks really incredible. I love the beauty of this game already, and it seems to be a lot of puzzles, outside of the normal dungeon puzzles, to get around in the world. .

Definitely going to pick this one up. Nintendo just keeps on delivering! Especially with Zelda!! =P [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Shinmaru]

I just saw the video, looks great. I'm liking the variety of puzzles in the video, heh. And the part at the end, with the four Links pushing the giant block, leads me to believe that there's going to be another Four Swords-esque adventure included with this game, which would be very cool. Definitely one to look forward to.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Like I told James, the Game Boy Zelda games started off weird with Link's Awakening, and they've only gotten weirder with each new installment. Capcom seems to be taking the Game Boy games in a totally different direction than the console Zeldas; whereas the console games seem to be focused more on the "normal" Zelda stories of rescuing Zelda/fighting Ganon, the handheld games have always been of the "sidequest" nature. And even though the Oracle games aren't exactly my favorite games in the series, I still had a lot of fun with them and I enjoyed that feeling of originality that they had, so hopefully The Minish Cap will retain that sort of feeling.

And the graphics are indeed beautiful, especially when Link is shrunk. The one of him and those bugs with the grass hanging over above them and the leaf on the ground is my favorite shot there. And as for that giant Chuchu . . . I can't wait to fight that thing, heh.

Oh, and by the way, did anyone else notice that the sword in the logo is the original design for the Master Sword from A Link to the Past? (Red and silver hilt instead of blue like in OOT/TWW). Makes me wonder if that actually has to do with anything or if it's just a coincidence.[/color]

[Erika]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Purple]Uh, is it me, or am I the only one here that loathes mutli-player Zelda games with a passion?

I'm sick of it all, really. All these damn controllers and GameCube-Gameboy-cable blarg hooked to GBAs are driving me five-hundred miles away from sanity.

Christ. I'm disappointed; I was hoping for Zelda: ALttP graphics. I think Nintendo should just stick to their guns and let Capcom do anything but Zelda. Sure, I'm gonna BUY the GBA game! (The moment I heard of new Zelda games, I freaked until I got a stomachache.)

But I'm scorning the GCN Four Swords crap. I'll probably end up renting the game and just playing the Hyrule adventure. I mean, multiplayers should be left to other games. I'm starting to miss Zelda going solo...connectivity is starting to get on my nerves.[/color][/size]

[Semjaza]

I don't really see the problem. Any multiplayer thus far in Zelda games has been entirely optional. All that has been releases so far was A Link to the Past with the extra multiplayer mode, which I think was a nice addition to what otherwise would have been a standard SNES port.

The Minish Cap is all about the single player. Surely there will be more Four Swords additions, but no one is forcing you to play them at all. What does it really matter? lol I love how the game looks, it's certainly several steps above the technical and artistic aspects of LttP as far as I'm concerned. That's just my opinion though.

So the only truly multiplayer minded Zelda game will be the upcoming Four Swords Adventures on the GameCube. Again, no one forces you to play this game with others. The GBA connectivity isn't required for a single player version of the game, which supposedly is just as long and involving as a standard Zelda game. So considering that and the fact that you seem entirely uninterested in a multiplayer Zelda, how does this affect you? lol Just play single player and be happy, I guess heh.

It's gotten nothing but good impressions thus far. Besides, it's not as though Nintendo is claiming this is a normal entry in the series... it's kind of like a spin-off, like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is to the standard FF series.

I don't think it's a bad decision and I'm personally looking forward to Four Swords Adventures more than I ever was looking forward to Wind Waker. Traditional Zelda gameplay with amazingly good 2D graphics? That's plenty for me heh. I can see why others would not be interested, but yeah.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Can we try and keep the talk of Four Swords Adventures in the [url=http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=38391][u]Four Swords Adventures thread[/u][/url], please? I keep expecting something about The Minish Cap when I see this thread has gotten a new reply, but then it's just a complaint about FSA.[/color]

[Erika]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=Purple][i]SOR-RY![/i] :rolleyes:

Yeah, I AM looking forward to Minish Cap. Weird-a** name, though. :whoops: But still, I prefer ALttP graphics any day. It's so...Zelda. :whoops:[/color][/size]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Whee. Time to dig up a Zelda thread, which is, you know, my favorite thing to do. Really, it's what I live for.

But anyway, if you go to the [url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/index.html][u]Japanese Minish Cap site[/u][/url], you can find a [url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/movie.wmv][u]trailer[/u][/url] (7 MB, wmv format) and a [url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/cm.wmv][u]TV commercial[/u][/url] (4.85 MB, wmv format) for the game by clicking on the bottom two buttons in the flash part of the page. And there are also a good number of screen shots you can find by following the three buttons below the flash section. Plus info on the story and whatnot, if you can read Japanese.

I was able to gather some info about the story just from looking at the screen shots, however. Though I can't tell if the game is actually set in Hyrule, or some other land like the previous three Game Boy Zeldas, some screen shots do show Princess Zelda and the king in what I'm assuming to be Hyrule Castle. And then there's this funky magician guy that turns Zelda to stone, it looks like; the reason for Link's whole adventure, no doubt.

Also, three items that are new to the series are shown. One appears to be a pot that can both blow and suck in air -- I think this was also shown in the E3 trailer -- which I'm sure will have quite a few uses. The second is a cane that flips objects over (I can see myself having a lot of fun with this, using it on enemies), which is best demonstrated in the trailer for flipping over spiked platforms to let you stand on their flat bottoms. And the third is a pair of clawed gloves that allows Link to dig paths through deep mounds of dirt; I just wonder if they also have a combat application.

Everything I've seen so far has kept me interested in the game; it seems like a lot of new ideas have been put into it. Like I said in a previous post, the odd, original nature of the Game Boy Zelda games has been something I've always liked, and it looks like The Minish Cap will keep the legacy going.

And now, for those of you too lazy to actually look around the site yourself, it's screen shot time:

[img]http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/bouken/storychara/pi/game04.jpg[/img]
Zelda tagging along behind Link, who is notably missing a hat. He must not have one until he gets the Minish Cap.

[img]http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/bouken/storychara/buzyutu/game01.jpg[/img]
The Master Sword? Kind of looks like it, but I dunno.

[img]http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/bouken/storychara/buzyutu/game04.jpg[/img]
Magician guy apparently turns Zelda to stone. And as always, Link gets knocked flat on his face at the start of the game.

[img]http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/bouken/storychara/ri/game02.jpg[/img]
Yay, Link gets his first sword. But it's not the possible Master Sword from the earlier screen shot. (Ignore the feet in the top right of the screen shot, by the way; that's from the site's graphics.)

[img]http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/action/waza/game03.jpg[/img]
Legolas fangirls everywhere rejoice.

For item screen shots, take a look at the flash part on [url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/bzmj/nazotoki/item/index.html][u]this page[/u][/url]. Is it just me, or is Link grinning like a madman in the art of him with the clawed gloves?[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]I remember seeing a preview of this a few weeks back in an issue of Nintendo Official Magazine UK but those graphics are absolutely beautiful, I have to admit that I wasn't expecting the graphics to be as good as they were but again Nintendo rewards it's loyal followers. I just have on question regarding the Minish people, how exactly have they avoided being crushed if they're so tiny ? By the quote in Des' first post it would seem they live right in harms way.[/SIZE]

[Iori Yagami]

I'm going to be eagerly awaiting this game's release. The graphics look great!!! I love the LoZ style of gameplay and puzzles. I love all the games before this like Link's Awakening, OoT, and Majora's Mask but my favourite game is probably Majora's Mask. I'm hoping this game will be as good as all the other ones.

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Well, I ordered my copy of the Minish Cap only yesterday and received it in the post just this morning, which is very handy. Heh, I didn't even have to go as far as taking one step out of my porch. I haven't played much thus far, only as far as the first dungeon, but my first impressions are extremely satisfactory.

One thing that I can't help noticing is the resemblance that the game bares with TWW. I mean, it's seriously amazing; everything is so colourful and sparkly, just like it. Though, I'm a bit iffy about the transition from cel-shade, it's nothing big, but seeing all the characteristic traits of TWW in a confined environment as such as TMC's feels weird. Regardless, I seriously can't complain about any of the character designs. So far, I've only met about two townspeople who "look the same", and even then it's not like they make much of a difference because they blend in with the background so well. The castle guards look amazing, too; definitely a step up from those in LttP, and I can't wait to see what kind of bosses and enemies are in store for later on.

Like I said before, the overworld is a little too confined, which is a little bit distracting, but it becomes somewhat understandable when you take a look at the map and the structure of Hyrule. For starters, you have to uncover new ground yourself, which means that you're in for a little exploring. The map is divided into separate sections, where each one has its own terrain name and seperate distinction on the map, which I think is cool since it delves a bit more into Hyrule and gives it a little more meaning other than leaving it as heaps of wood and green land. However, it's a bit tough to imagine how the overworld in its current state could compare to how big the overworld of LttP was, but we'll see.

The beginning of the game is very much like LttP, too, except there's a bit more story to it than *sigh* [spoiler]a mysteriously departing uncle[/spoiler]. You kind of get to know about the characters and their personalities with what short and little dialogue they speak within the introduction. I've met the Minnish elder, who is basically the equivalent of Sarahashla since he gives you the location of [spoiler]four different elements in four different dungeons, which is also kind of like the three pendants you need in order to obtain the Master sword[/spoiler]. Besides the similarities with LttP though, I'm loving the game, and I intend to play it to the bone just like all other decent games.

---

Anyway, I thought I'd type up the introduction for piece of mind...

[spoiler]The scene opens to what appears to be Link's house, where a sword smith, promptly named Master Smith, hands Link a sword called the Smith Sword to give to the King of Hyrule to present to the winner of an annual sword fighting competition at a festival called the Picori festal (the Picori are some mythical type of fairy creatures who supposedly don't exist and are the size of your thumb). Zelda jumps in and can't seem to keep her hair on about going to the festival with Link ,and so, rushes out with him. There's a load of gobbelty goop in between the scenes, so I'll press on...

The King of Hyrule presents the winner of the competition with the Smith Sword and gives him the opportunity to touch the Picori Sword (the one in that picture. Not the Master Sword). The winner, who calls himself Vaati, betrays the King's trust and attempts to break the seal of the Picori Sword in order to obtain the power it holds within, but is barricaded by many guards who he effortlessly slings aside. After breaking the Picori Sword and opening the seal, Vaati unleashes a swarm of monsters instead of the mysterious power he sought. So, a much aggravated Vaati makes his move on Zelda, only for Link to stand in her way with his flimsy shield (which he obtained in between the gobbelty goop scenes) and, like the rest, gets flung aside, face first. Vaati then turns Princess Zelda to stone and takes off.

It's later uncovered that the Picori Sword can defeat Vaati and return Zelda back to her normal state, and so, it is advised that the Picori people are found in order to do so. However, the Picori only appear to children, so Link is sent in to fulfil the quest.[/spoiler][/color]

[Erika]

[size=1][color=royalblue]*reads her past posts and feels like a n00b in disguise* <_<;

Lol. Right. I almost forgot about this game until I scoured past threads. :(

I think there's too much vivid color...it kinda bothers my eyes. I loved the colorfully mild graphics of ALttP, but whatever, lol. I think I said enough about that one. X3

I think Link looksho cuuute with his cap off.
I think Nintendo should've just developed it and not Capcom. V_V;;[/color][/size]

[Petie]

[font=Verdana][color=blue]I've known about this game and had seen some screen shots before this since a while ago but not as many as this. This game keeps getting better and better looking and I can't wait to play it now. It should prove to be an interesting twist to the classic Zelda gameplay.[/color][/font]

[BlueYoshi]

[quote name='Dark Serena][size=1][color=royalblue]I think there's too much vivid color...it kinda bothers my eyes. I loved the colorfully mild graphics of ALttP, but whatever, lol. I think I said enough about that one. [/color'][/size][/quote]

[color=darkred]I think the colouring looks awesome, and is one of the reasons that really keeps me going in the game, just like with The Wind Waker. For me though, I find my taste in graphics to be the complete opposite of yours; I can't play LttP because of its look lol. I think Link looks freakishly dwarfy in it and the surrounding environment you have to play in is just too... old fashioned, to me.

One thing I love about TMC though, is how bubbly all of the characters are. I love those moments where I'm stuck and am at the point of ripping my hair from the roots, only to talk to a random townsperson and hear his murmur-out-loud along with his hilarious dialogue. Not only that, but it also happens when you collect items, too, like the Mole Mitts for example: "You found the Mole Mitts! Now you can dig, dig, dig to you heart's content!"[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=#4B0082]Only about five more days till I can get The Minish Cap! There's just nothing else quite like the excitement I get when the release of a new Zelda game is near. Makes me feel as giddy as -- no, not a schoolgirl -- Shinmaru. ^_~

There was another article in the latest issue of Nintendo Power about The Minish Cap, and I could feel that old excitement creeping back over me as I read it. The same feeling I first got when reading about Ocarina of Time way back when, and every other Zelda game since. Nothing else does it like Zelda does.

Though I skipped past the walkthrough section of the article (I like to get through the dungeons myself), reading about the backstory and some of the cool features/items was enough to nearly get me shaking with excitement. I'm really looking forward to seeing how The Minish Cap ties in with the two Four Swords games; we're finally getting a direct prequel to Four Swords, whereas Four Swords Adventures was a direct sequel. And that should complete Vaati's storyline, though I have a feeling the Four Swords line will continue, even if they don't bring back Vaati -- the story was conveniently left open at the end of FSA.

You know something interesting about the Four Swords storyline, though? It fits together all nice and neat in itself, but it's a bugger to try and fit into a complete Zelda timeline, heh. I'm still waiting to play The Minish Cap and see what ties it has to the rest of the Zelda series before even trying to write up any sort of timeline. Hopefully it'll have at least a few, because Four Swords had absolutely none, and the ones in FSA were few, far between, and really vague. Worse even than the Oracle games were in that regard, heh.

Something positive about the Four Swords storyline, though, is that it does actually fit together nicely within itself. You know, there's never been three directly linked Zelda games before. LOZ/AOL, LTTP/LA, OOT/MM, OOT/TWW, OOS/OOA. ... Notice how there are only pairs? (I don't count OOT/MM/TWW as one, since we have no idea how MM is linked to TWW other than chronological order.) But now we have TMC/FS/FSA, and also, the new GCN Zelda looks to continue the OOT/TWW line.

This trend is something I'm really enjoying. A huge storyline spanning hundreds of years, told through multiple games, is pretty much what the Zelda series is, but now that they're actually making some effort to connect the games' stories, it feels much ... bigger, I guess. Whereas the earlier Zelda games have been largely disconnected from the rest of the series and felt kind of like the same story being told over and over again (LOZ, LTTP, OOT, TWW, you know?), when there are connections being made, it feels more like one big story spanning Hyrule's history and each game gives you another glimpse at that history. The gameplay has and hopefully always will be the core of the Zelda series, but having more complete and detailed stories in the games does add to the overall enjoyment of the series. So as much as I like piecing together the clues to try and fit the games together into a timeline, I'm liking the more cohesive storylines even more.

... I wonder how people I just lost in all the talk about storylines.[/color]

[BlueYoshi]

[color=darkred]Hmm, makes sense. I never really noticed that the games had a coherent storyline like that; with the pairs and all. I haven't played FSA enough to tell, but TMC plays so much like TWW, except that it's in a totally different perspective. Though, I don't see how that could have any effect on the story line, heh.[/color]

[Billy Shears]

[COLOR=DarkRed][SIZE=1]Though not as far as I'd like to be, this has overthrown OOT as my favorite Zelda game The whole Minish Cap-srhinky-dink ability is really cool ([spoiler]running around in hollowed out books made me feel really...cool?[/spoiler] I dunno, lol.). The game is just...great. It's classic, great Zelda. The characters are all so cute looking, adding about a million points to their personalities, which is already at 5 million. I don't wanna say anything important, so the fellow OBer's don't stone me. :sweat:

Ouch! I didn't say anything, dammit!

-the one and only[/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Semjaza]

This kind of came out of nowhere. I was at the store and there it was. I just stumbled upon it.

I'm quite impressed. The game looks great and animates wonderfully. The story and characters are enjoyable and I was glad to see the continued development of Zelda as an active, talking character. It's better than saving some mute like in the old Zeldas.

The Minish stuff is quite cool. It does a good job at making this one feel quite different from previous titles. For some reason I like the stupid little hat too. It's funny when Link has to nudge the hat back awake when they take a nap.

[2010DigitalBoy]

I picked it up last night in desperation, wanting to be one of the first million people to have it, (I bet Im 1,000,001) anyway this game is sweet. I had a tone of fun in the 2 hours I played it, in which I only beat the first dungeon, because I got lost, and then I started going for the extra stuff : )