The Minish Cap does not mess with the formula, but it definitely lives up to the Zelda name.
THE BAD: Short adventure. Lackluster side quests. So many Rupees, but nothing to buy. No Epona.
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a mixture of the classic Zelda series fused with a few new elements.
GAMEPLAY is excellent. Link controls just as he did in previous 2D Zelda installments except now he has a lot more moves and tools at his disposal. In fact, many of The Minish Cap's new elements are borrowed from the Ocarina of Time and the Wind Waker, such as Link's moving spin attack and using the shield to reflect Deku Scrub attacks.
However, there are a lot of different things to do and explore in the Minish Cap since Link has the ability to shrink into a miniature form to solve various puzzles. Another new element is fusing kinestones with the people of Hyrule to reveal hidden treasures or unlock secret paths. Furthermore, Link will grow in strength throughout the adventure. By collecting heart pieces, upgrading weapons, and learning new attacks Link can tackle the many foes thrown at him.
GRAPHICS are wonderful. The Minish Cap looks great especially since much of its artwork is based off of the Wind Waker. Everything is very bright and rich with color and detail. Graphically it is a vast noticeable improvement to previous iterations, and still retains all the Zelda charm.
SOUND is fantastic. The Minish Cap has all the classic Zelda music and sound effects; however, it even has many of the songs found in Ocarina of Time.
VALUE is good. The adventure will take 12-18 hours doing only the main quest. Of course, there are many side quests and secret items to collect like all the heart pieces, figurines, kinestones, and even the elusive Mirror Shield.
OVERALL, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap lives up to the Zelda name. It does not mess with the formula, but it has a lot of new compelling mechanics. The Minish Cap is fun from beginning to end is highly recommended to any GameBoy Advance or Nintendo DS owner.