The Legend of Zelda…just the name of it is enough to make any gamer wide-eyed, mouth agape, and in a state of total awe. While there may be different genres, different consoles, different age-groups and different interests, it all comes back to Zelda. Zelda is arguably the greatest franchise in all of video games – every Zelda game is top-notch entertainment of the highest caliber – many of which are responsible for revolutions in graphics and gameplay, the echoes of which still seep through today. Mario may be Nintendo’s franchise player, but Link is its enforcer, its ace in the hole, the one it goes to when the going gets tough. I can safely say that I’ve personally never played a bad Zelda game (not ever going to touch the CD-I games, nope), and while different series may come and go, Zelda remains my all-time favorite, without any question. Now, with arguably the biggest entry in the franchise to date coming soon to the GameCube, Nintendo has decided to lessen the wait a bit by releasing the first-ever original single-player Zelda game ever made for the Game Boy Advance – The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap.

It’s kind of shocking that this is the first original Zelda title for the GBA, but if you’re shocked that Capcom is developing the game, don’t be. Capcom worked on the last 3 Game Boy Zeldas (Oracle of Seasons, Oracle of Ages, and Link to the Past/Four Swords), and all three turned out to be wonderfully polished games with the trademark 2D Zelda gameplay intact. And from all that I’ve seen, Minish Cap looks more than capable of making it 4 out of 4. This game plays into the currently evolving “Four Swords” storyline that Link previously visited in Four Swords and Four Swords Adventure, and seems to be a prequel to those games. As Hyrule holds a carnival, the evil sorcerer Vaati turns Princess Zelda to stone and breaks the Picori Blade, a magical sword once used by a great hero. As usual, it’s time to call on the man in green (not Luigi, the OTHER one). This time, however, Link won’t be alone – although the elven enigma is rarely seen without his trademark green headgear, he won’t start the game with it this time around. Instead, he soon comes across the Minish Cap; a sentient hat that can shrink Link to a small size, not to mention has 5 times the spunk of Tatl from Majora’s Mask. While tiny, Link can fit through holes and other areas he normally couldn’t while in his larger size, and can also visit the land of the Minish, a race no smaller than Link’s big toe. Only they possess the ability to re-forge the sword, and allow you to defeat Vaati and save the Princess once and for…well, not exactly all, but you get the gist.

This is the only way Link will ever suck.

Of course, Link’s back-talking hat won’t be the only tool of the trade he makes use of. Minish Cap is chock-full of the legendary Zelda swag only Link knows how to wield, such as the Bow and Arrow, Bombs, and Boomerang. There are also a few new items – one of which is a cool little trinket called the Gust Jar. Basically, it’s used as a primitive vacuum cleaner, as it allows link to blow out puffs of air in order to move objects (such as a giant lilypad), and also can be used to suck up enemies and other objects in some pretty cool ways, such as pulling a mushroom over so Link can latch onto it and spring over a gap, and whatnot. There’s also the new Mole Mitts, clawed gloves which Link can use to dig underground in order to find treasure, and of course, solve puzzles. Link will even gain the power of the legendary Four Sword, used in both previous games of the same name. With the sword equipped, Link will be able to split into his four separate selves, which will allow him to solve puzzles and unleash four times the punishment. All in all, these new additions look to make this new 2D Zelda incarnation into something really quite special.

Not only does this game look like it will be extremely fun to play, but it looks amazing as well. Although the character models look the same as they did in the Four Swords games, Capcom and Nintendo look like they made many improvements to the worlds and backgrounds in this game, as they have a sense of space and depth to them not often found in 2D games, but done extremely well here. A perfect example is when Link enters the world of the Minish, the landscape is extremely detailed with gigantic leaves and other oversized plant-life, which really makes it seem that Link is actually this tiny size, instead of just looking like it. Also, the game’s graphical power allows for the best 2D incarnations yet of classic Zelda enemies (some of which look as though they were ripped straight from The Wind Waker), and provides an interesting concept for the games bosses – while the enemies that Link normally faces at his normal size are little more than pushovers, they become huge, and I mean HUGE problems when Link is tiny. For example, the boss for the game’s first level is nothing more than a mere Chuchu (you know, those green things that electrocute you if you hit them at the wrong time). Sounds easy, right? Well, he would be, if you weren’t two inches tall, making him comparatively around TWO STORIES tall. From this moment alone, you realize this game isn’t going to be easy. It’s also worth mentioning that the Koji Kondo’s legendary score is all here as well, and all of the sound effects, from Link’s grunts to the explosions of bombs.

Link? Copying other fairy tales? NEVER!

In all, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is looking to be so far the must have title of next year for the GBA. From the graphics alone I can tell that this is the best-looking 2D Zelda title to date, and a shining example of the standard of excellence and the immense polish and immersive gameplay that goes along with the Zelda name. Readers in Japan and Europe are lucky enough to already have access to this title, but for the rest of us, this game will hit stores on January 10th.

Eric Jones