The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (E3 Hands On) (Game Boy Advance) Preview

The Minish Cap, like most Zelda titles, looks at good and evil in a number of differently themed worlds. In this latest adventure Link must shrink down to a very small scale, in order to get through equally small walkways and access new and amazing game areas. Of course there are problems with being a midget, for starters you can't climb things, or swim without drowning very quickly. You can change size by standing on a stump and using the Cap.

The Minish Cap itself is a rather strange item. Link's traditional green hat is now a bird, which casts the spell to make you a midget, and change you back again. It also performs the rather annoying role of the 'much-loved' Navi, by giving you hints in the game as you play. What is most interesting about this game is the way in which you can see it. As a midget, you can either view Link as a little green dot, or zoom in and see him normal size in a world of massive objects and surroundings.

The demo we played was one of the biggest at E3 this year, and there was plenty on show. Two new weapons were available for use; firstly was a pot that could be used to suck items and enemies towards it. It can be used as a weapon, or as a means of exploiting the environment. By sucking at trees you can make new bridges across canyons. The second item was the Four Sword, this is one awesome piece of kit. By executing a spin attack and moving across green squares that are placed throughout all the dungeons, you can summon three other Links who can move about in order to help you solve puzzles, like one where we had to stand on four floor tiles at once; obviously the only way to do this is with four Links.

On another part of the demo we met up with Princess Zelda, and performed some fusing...ooh err. This involves showing off your 'kinstone' to other characters and attempting to 'fuse'. If it works then you can open up previously locked doorways, move objects and reveal whole new sections to the game. By hitting L next to a character you show off your kinstone, they show you theirs, if they match then something will happen.