I feel this game is a mixed bag; it had some very clever and very lame elements to it. I can tell Minish Cap (MC) was made for younger players and that was fine since it didn't treat them like idiots. It was easy but challenging enough to keep my interest. The main gimmicks of MC we shrinking to very small, 'minish' size and back to normal, some toned down 'Four Sword' multiple Links puzzles and 'kinstones' that you had to find half of and combine with another character's half to make good things happen like doors in trees opening.
The good:
The main premise of having little elf-like minish people living in secret holes and mushrooms was charming. It allowed for interesting and fresh puzzles.
Kinstones ended up being addicting to collect and complete. The game is full of secrets and extras. Having kinstones gave the player a reason to talk to everyone and find all the nooks and crannies minish might be hiding in.
Some elements were really cool. Bosses like the fire, wind, sky and final boss had cool premises.
The whole take on the LoZ format was true but fresh. It felt like it's own game (unlike Oracle games which copied Link's Awakening).
The bad:
Your partner was a grumpy old worrywart. He was my least favorite partner of any LoZ. He also was unhelpful with information that review the obvious objective and offered no hints or insite to solving a problem.
The hitboxes and hurtboxes were vague and often worked against you. If Link brushes against a hole he'll fall right in but his sword attack is smaller than the swing visual effect for example. Due to the ease of the game this didn't interfere with the enjoyment too much except in a few challenges.
Although some bosses were clever and fun, others were lame and tedious, specifically the earth and ice boss. The final boss had a cool premise but felt very tedious and drawn out due to poor game mechanics. The lame bosses could be hard to hit, even if you knew what you were aiming for, but also very easy to dodge. You took hits trying to get hits in but could run around them for hours without taking damage.
The 'Four Sword' mechanics didn't work and became obvious but tedious fast. Link had to charge his spin attack, build up an energy gauge, and step on glowing panels to split into multiple Links to hit multiple switches or pressure plates at once. If Link could charge his sword energy much faster it would have made the puzzles requiring him to do so not nearly as annoying.
Most of Link's moves and items felt like toned down versions of other LoZ items. The boomerang was much more limited than in ALttP. The lantern felt like a cruddier fire rod. Shielding was slow and limited mobility. Sword swings had little reach and charging spin attacks took longer than any other LoZ game. Etc.
Finally, many story elements were limited by progression triggers. You couldn't enter a shop or house because it "wasn't open yet" or some NPC was standing in the doorway and wouldn't move until you progressed far enough elsewhere in the story.
The overall game was enjoyable and kept my interest. It wouldn't rate with the great LoZ titles but could hold it's own against most bird's eye adventure games. The downsides usually didn't interfere with enjoying the game. It was only $10 on Wii U E-shop and worth that price.
My rating is 7.5/10
PS here's a nifty exploit I found:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRzMnCIjsgA
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