The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap 2004

About

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a top-down action adventure game that tells the origins of the evil Vaati from Four Swords. Like most other titles in the series, The Minish Cap features the fully explorable land of Hyrule, although it can be viewed from the eyes of a human or the eyes of a Minish, a race of tiny people and an alternate form that Link can transform into. Unlike the multiplayer focus of the other games in the series, The Minish Cap retains the original form of exploration and dungeons as seen in A Link to the Past, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages, as well as returning characters and game mechanics such as Malon and the Spin Attack. New features include fusing Kinstones and shrinking to the size of a Minish.

Story

While at a festival with Princess Zelda, Link encounters a mysterious mage called Vaati who turns the princess to stone. Helpless to stop them, Link is asked by the king to meet with a race of tiny people known as the Minish, who may be able to help with their predicament. On his travels, Link teams up with a talking cap called Ezlo, who is able to shrink Link to the size of a Minish so that he can meet with them. With his newfound abilities, Link must save the kingdom from Vaati's menace.

What is happening now

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap stands as the final 2D Zelda game developed by Capcom's Flagship studio, released in 2004 for Game Boy Advance as a capstone to that era of handheld adventure design. The game has since become available through Nintendo Switch Online's Expansion Pack. Recent attention has centered on fan efforts to reimagine the classic. CryZENx, known for his Unreal Engine 5 remake of Ocarina of Time, has begun work on an UE5 version of Minish Cap, with early development footage recently shared. Separately, an unofficial 3DS port has emerged, reflecting ongoing community interest in bringing the Game Boy Advance title to modern platforms. These projects underscore the enduring appeal of Capcom's final Zelda collaboration, which continues to attract both retrospective appreciation and creative reinterpretation from fans.