With Nintendo's recent release of their brand new handheld console, the Nintendo DS, many wondered if Nintendo's support of their previous handheld, the Game Boy Advance, would wane in any way. However, just a couple of months after the DS's release, Nintendo has proven that this is not the case at all by putting the latest installment in arguably gaming's greatest franchise onto it's beloved portable. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is the first fully original Zelda game ever made for the GBA, but does it live up to the astronomical standards that go with the Zelda name?

Minish Cap's story begins with Princess Zelda inviting a hatless Link (this gets explained later) to the Picori Festival in Hyrule Town. Link obliges, seeing that he has to bring a sword made by his grandfather over there anyway, which is the prize for the winner of that year's sword tournament. The winner of said tournament turns out to be Vaati (who some may remember as the villain from the Four Swords games, except this time looking a bit...smaller) who proceeds to break the legendary Picori Blade and turn Princess Zelda to stone…the fiend. So, as usual, Link gets his magic sword and shield, and has to save Zelda…again. Does the guy ever get a break?

However, there's a twist to the normal Zelda fare here. A bit later in the game, Link comes across a magic hat being tormented by Octoroks. Always the nice one, Link saves the hat, which subsequently latches itself onto Link's head. The hat, whose name is Ezlo, also has a beef with Vaati, not to mention he can shrink Link to the size of the Minish, a race of creatures no bigger than Link's toe, who are the only ones who can reforge the broken Picori Blade. Therefore the two set off together on the usual great adventure to obtain magic treasures, defeat evil, etc.

Link's better than an antacid any day.

Ezlo basically is the "Navi" of this game, and while at times can seem just as annoying, players can get used to it after a while. Every gameplay aspect players will know and love from the Zelda universe is here; legendary characters like Malon and Talon, Sturgeon, Beadle, and yes, even that damned Tingle make their returns, plus plenty of new characters as well. The game has the classic 2D Zelda feel intact, with all of Link's classic weapons for use, not to mention some new ones, like the Gust Jar (which allows Link to suck things in and blow them back out…erm, yeah…) and the Cane of Pacci (which allows Link to flip stuff over). All in all, this game truly feels like an evolution of the 2D Zelda style that was created back in the original Zelda and perfected in Link to the Past. There's a ton of puzzles in the game, some of which are throwbacks, but most of which are all new brain-crunchers that fit together seamlessly with the usual sword-slashing and ass-kicking. The big/small system works really good as well, and adds a lot to the game - unlike previous Game Boy Zeldas which relied on traveling through time and changing seasons, changing size adds for some even more unique experiences that Capcom obviously had a ball with making this game, as it can usually pay off to check out an area in your small form to find areas and secrets you wouldn't be able to get to in larger form, not to mention change goings-on in the larger world as well.

However, the coolest addition has to be the Kinstone system. Similar to the Gasha seed/ring system of the Oracles games, Kinstones are basically the Pokémon-esque collection system of this game. Kinstone halves are hidden throughout the world in chests, caves, and even blades of grass. Finding them is only half the fun, though…and I mean that literally. After players find Kinstone halves, they must find another person in the vast world of Hyrule who has the other half in order to fuse them - do so, and players can unlock new areas, new features, and some other special hidden secrets. Overall, the Kinstone idea is a really fun, cool concept, and is both a major gameplay element, as one as one used with various side-quests, which the game has a lot of (it's Zelda, duh). Although the promised Kinstone trading system between GBAs using the wireless adapter was removed from the game, the Kinstone system is still fun and unique.

Most every Zelda game has set a new standard for the graphics available to the platform it is on, and Zelda: Minish Cap does not change this in the slightest. These are some of the best graphics ever seen on the GBA, with crisp, clean, colorful visuals that make this game look amazing. Enemy creatures are well animated, bosses are simply massive, but the coolest part about the visuals is how the game differentiates between big and small Link, which is simply mind-blowing. While small, the screen usually remains the same, with Link simply a small speck (a helpful indicator tells you where he is on the screen). However, when Link goes into special areas while small, he returns to a normal size visually, but the game does such a great job differentiating this fact that it is hard to notice. For example, Minish town features Minish who make their home in discarded shoes and cans, as Link travels over mere pebbles that to him appear the size of boulders. Not to mention that enemies that are usually Link's size while large become absolutely enormous when Link is small, making for some clever ideas for boss fights. While the character designs and sprites are mostly taken from previous 2D Zeldas like Four Swords, Minish Cap represents a new evolution in graphics for a 2D Zelda title.

Phase 1: Get Underpants. Phase 2: ... Phase 3: Profit!

Of course, this is a Zelda game, so it's going to have a pretty awesome soundtrack. Koji Kondo's legendary (pun intended) theme song is here in all of its glory, and sounds pretty damn good for the GBA and amazing on the stereo-equipped DS. There are quite a few new songs as well, and many of them are very cleverly done, and add so much to the Zelda experience to give this game the Zelda polish we all know and respect. While some of the sound effects and voices can sound a bit off or distorted at times, everything else is as close to perfect as one can attain on the GBA.

However, Zelda's calling card has always been its gameplay, which is exactly the reason why it's considered among gaming's best. Minish Cap once again doesn't stray much from the tried-and-true, but does add in a few new gameplay elements that work quite well. For example, Link won't be stuck with the simple spin attack the entire game. As Link's sword evolves, he'll be able to learn new moves and sword techniques. Link also can roll by pressing R while moving - a trick normally reserved for the 3D Zelda titles. In all, The Minish Cap goes a long way in bridging the gap between the 2D and 3D Zelda games, as it seems to take some of the best aspects from both, and replicate the 3D feel using the 2D controls, if that makes any sense.

It's hard to build any sort of case against this game, but here goes. The game is a bit short for a Zelda title, as there are only 6 dungeons instead of the usual standard of 8. While most of this is made up for in side-quests, it still would have been better if the game was longer. Still, this by no means takes much away from the game, as it is still an incredible action-adventure title worthy of the Zelda name. Nintendo has proven with this game that they plan to stick behind the GBA, even with a new portable out, and this is a very good thing indeed. Simply put, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is one of the best portable achievements to come out in years, and a must-have for GBA or DS owners.