The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
Developer: Capcom Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Advance Released in JP: November 4, 2004 Released in US: January 10, 2005 Released in EU: November 12, 2004 This game has unused areas. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused items. This game has unused music. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has regional differences.

To do: everything else, like the unused/debug items

Capcom? In my Zelda? It's more likely than you think.

Unused Graphics

An unused animation of the decorative mailbox above the post office in Hyrule Castle Town. The level of animation suggests that there were to be fully functional mailboxes in the game, much like with Wind Waker.

To do: all the other unused art in the game (there is a lot)

Unused Music

An unused introduction to the final dungeon that sounds far more dark and foreboding than what the game actually uses.

Another unused introduction, most likely used for appearances by Vaati.

An unused rendition of the title theme from Link to the Past.

An unused fanfare, from Ocarina of Time. It's the fanfare for getting a small treasure.

The Lost Woods part of the Credits BGM from Ocarina of Time is also present in the game.

Unused Items

To see any of these items in the game, set the memory address 2002AF6 (A button) or 2002AF7 (B button) to the corresponding value.

Butter

This was originally planned to be included in the game, as was revealed by a romdump returning the text "Your Lon Lon Milk turned into butter!". It doesn't seem to function in the game. (value: 21)

Fire Rod

A Fire Rod, with a graphic similar to the one used in Four Swords Adventures. While the game does not normally feature the Fire Rod, in a pre-release version of The Minish Cap, the description of figurine #108 says Ice Wizzrobes are vulnerable to the Fire Rod, so it was meant to be included at some time in development. Trying to use the Fire Rod leads to some very... unexpected... behavior. It seems to change the tile and its behavior in front of Link, which can be used to create new paths to where Link can't normally go. Interestingly, when the button mapped to the fire rod is pressed and held and then the other item button is press and held together, four tiles around Link will change to different tiles and have different behaviors. There is actually some unused text in the game about the Fire Rod. One of these texts displays info about the item. "You got the Fire Rod! This mystical rod shoots forth mighty flames." This would have displayed once the item was acquired. This text was found at address 9B6CB0D. (value: 16)

It's possible to discover the text of the famous Fire Rod's price with a hex editor. This object was supposed to be sold in a shop for 350 rupees. Text : "Fire Rod 350 Rupees"

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Unused Four Swords

Item Name : ...

(value: 05)

Other Items

There is some text around address 9B5A98 that mentions interesting items. The text is "(DEBUG) Mega Crush", "(DEBUG) Enemy Set" and "(DEBUG) Cell Overwrite Set". As of yet, using these items appears to do nothing of use. This is still being looked into.

USA : (DEBUG) Mega Crush - (DEBUG) Enemy Set - (DEBUG) Cell Overwrite Set

EUR : (Debug) megacrash - (Debug) teki set - (Debug) cell kakikae set

(DEBUG) Mega Crush

(value: 18)

(DEBUG) Enemy Set

(value: 19)

(DEBUG) Cell Overwrite Set

(value: 1A)

To do: all the other unused items, like the hammer and the debug tools...

Unused Maps

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Unused Text

Biggoron's Dungeon

With an hex editor, it's possible to find somewhere in the data of The Minish Cap a list of the places and dungeons of the game. At the bottom of this list, it's possible to find a dungeon named "Biggoron's Dungeon". It has certainly a connection with Biggoron and the Death Mountain.

Actually, it is probably here just to design the caves with the Gorons. Indeed, finishing the "quest" of this cave is the only way to manage to see Biggoron.

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Version Differences

There are some differences between the different revisions of the game. The main differences are in the European version.

Lon Lon Ranch

European version	Other versions

In the Lon Lon Ranch zone, you can go to the Gorons' Cave by using whirlwinds. In the European release of the game, one of these whirlwinds is missing. However, it doesn't prevent you from entering the cave.

Palace of Winds

In the European version, using your Ocarina on the top of the building that leads to the Palace of Winds is not allowed, as it is in the other versions.

Bomb Bag

In the Japanese and North American versions, you can buy a Bomb Bag for 600 rupees at Stockwell's after having bought the Boomerang. There is no way to obtain this bigger Bomb Bag in the European version.

Lantern Bug

In the European version, when you turn your lantern on, then immediately throw your boomerang, the boomerang will disappear for a while, and you will be able to do some strange things as floating in the air. If you repeat the process with the bow instead of the boomerang, you will shoot two arrows instead of one. These bugs are not present in the other versions of the game.

Sword Dojo Music

There is a little different music in the European version of The Minish Cap. Is that of the Sword Dojo. The Japanese and U.S. versions use the old music. The reasons for this change are completely unknown, really strange...

JP and US

EU