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.

This game is brutal in the best way, and the maps feel endless. I got stuck several times, and sometimes it was properly maddening, but it’s the kind of frustration I actually love. I never felt like quitting, just like I needed to figure it out.

What really got me is that it never stops surprising you. Just when you think you’ve seen everything it has to offer, boom, something new shows up with completely different mechanics. It kept me on my toes the whole way through.

For me it’s a masterpiece. An 8.5/10.