Finally found a copy in an independent shop a couple days ago. Grabbed it, since it was the only one I've seen in like a year. Started it up when I got home.

Impressions so far are extremely positive. Two boss battles I've gone through are nice, progression is kind of linear but the puzzles are nice. Health and item drops are rare enough to keep suspense high. Graphics are gorgeous and the sense of humor is a lot of fun. I like the use of size in different sequences - the rain drops that are like boulders? That was great.

My only qualm so far is that the soundtrack isn't blowing me away, which is kind of vexing after I gorged myself on Spirit Tracks's delectable OST.

Let's talk about Minish Cap.

I wish the game had more dungeons, but it's pretty good. I also have to start a save slot with a game walkthrough just to complete it.

But the keystone linking thing is a bit more tedious than it needs to be, and  gets in the way of exploration. Otherwise the shrinking mechanic is cool, but should have been implemented for more exploration in the dungeons instead of mainly puzzle solving.

loved MC, my favourite handheld Zelda

Minish Cap is definitely puzzle-oriented, but a least it plays that as a strength. I've been through two dungeons, and the puzzles in both have been really strong.

The boss fights are nice, too. The bone dragon in the fire dungeon was great!

It was way past time you played The Minish Cap. One of my favourite Zelda games ever and, although it doesn't have a striking soundtrack, comparing it to Spirit Tracks' is really unfair. I wished it had more areas and dungeons, and that was possible to finish all keystone combinations.

I'm sad to hear you are not so happy with the soundtrack, it's one of my favorites. I do love the town music and the field music very much, I can recall them perfectly right now even though I haven't played Minish Cap in about a year or more.

I'm going to start replaying that game when I get a bit of free time, I love it!

The only thing I never completed in that game was the whole kinstone sidequest. I did LOADS of them, but I could never finish. It doesn't help that some of them are only available at certain times, making it impossible to complete if you miss them the first time.

Without a doubt IMO the most underrated Zelda game.

Talking about Minish Cap, I would love Capcom to make a new 2.5d cel shaded Zelda for the 3DS, the multiple layers of rooms would really benefit from the 3d

It's not that the soundtrack is bad or anything - it's good, and charming. It just reuses a lot of tracks, and I can't help comparing it to Spirit Tracks, which is still fresh in my mind.

Oh, how delightful. I could talk for hours about The Minish Cap. It is one of the few games I have fully completed (the figurines take forever, but it is still better than in TWW), and I would go so far as to say it is, in many ways, my favorite 2D Zelda. You do get a nice reward, too; access to the complete soundtrack (which I will get back to).

I really love the aesthetics, gameplay (the combat system is delightfully developed and a forebear of Twilight Princess great bosses) and puzzles (the Four Sword is used well in this regard) of this game, but it goes beyond that. What I truly appreciate about it is how it ties every facet of to the same core ideals, and I feel the atmosphere created is what makes it such an endearing experience.

Khuutra, I'm a little surprised you would hark on the soundtrack. In my opinion, it is easily one of the best on the system, and one of my personal favorites of the series. It does take a little while to get going - Mt. Crenel is where it really won me over; a truly exquisite composition that incorporates motifs from the Overworld and Dark World themes. The latter tracks are all in this vein, rather than straight up arrangements (with one or two brilliant exceptions). I also really appreciated the thematic unity and progression throughout the soundtrack. And, of course, the temple themes are some of the best in the series.

Give me time; I can only judge based on what I've heard so far. Mt. Crenel, in perfect fairness, was lovely.