This speed run was honestly done without any outside assistance. There were no other individuals who helped me with this run, and I believe this is because the game is not as popular to speed run because of how new it is. The real purpose of this speed run is to get something out there to get the ball rolling so that in a few months, a better run can be done with tricks and stuff. That has not to say this run is bad or anything. On the contrary, it has very few bad parts in it. However, I realize that a speed run done by somebody by himself or she with no help only a few month's after a game's release will not be close to the higher tier speed runs done years from now on this game. I even know of two tricks I could have used in this run as of now that I found out on my own just via messing around after I finished my run.

The reason for the delay of this run, which I promised to be out in February, was the fact I could not capture a run without the audio and video getting out of sync. I finally fixed what was making this happen. That is why this run is so late. I also had personal issues that took two weeks of my life because I was just so miserable I did not want to do anything. I would also like to add I think The Minish Cap is the hardest Zelda title to speed run except for the original Zelda. The reason the original Zelda is so hard is due to random variables that have to go your way to obtain a higher tier run. There are no such variables like this in The Minish Cap. The problem with this title is the consequences for even the slightest mistake. A roll going too far will end your run just like that.

Additionally, you may notice how beautiful this game is. That is all nice, but it comes at a high price for people like me. Hit detection sucks ass in this game. I will swing the sword in the same place at an immobilized enemy, and one time it will hit, one time it will miss, and sometimes I even get hit! Utter crap. In addition, the boss of the Temple of Droplets, Octorok, as far as I know has a final sequence, which is totally random that means the difference of a whole minute. So no matter how good you are, two identical runs flawlessly done could be 1 min apart thanks to this stupid boss. This run, honestly, is not at the level of my A Link to the Past or Ocarina of Time run. Not saying either are perfect or anything (in fact, I will be redoing both sometime soon), but I believe the level of skill in both is very, very high. This run is probably nearer to my Link's Awakening DX run.

Now for the run itself. The settings for this run are text speed set to high, so just know that is how I am skipping all this text quickly. If you wish to compete with this run, please set your text speed to fast. In the beginning, it is a bunch of intro and text junk. Then comes to Chrono Trigger rip-off festival. This whole part is very linear and is just rolling around.

Then comes Deepwood Shrine. I think the biggest area I could improve on is the part you must navigate the water on a petal using the Gust Jar. In addition, my boss battle could have been a few seconds faster. On my journey to Mt. Crenel and Cave of Flames, I stop for the Cucco Gathering game. This is how I get all my rupees. If anybody knows a faster, more convenient way, let me know. I get hit here and there and nearly die on this part, but I did not care because if I died I could start over.

On the Cave of Flames, I was pretty satisfied with this dungeon. There were a few spots I could have been faster, and I think my boss battle with Gleerok could have been faster because you can hit his shell off right away, but I think I miss once or twice before finally connecting. On the way back to the Elemental Shrine and to Castor Wilds, it is mainly just moving around the world and doing chores. It would be nice to have a trick or two to skip some stuff in this part. In addition, if you wonder why I actually go to Castor Wilds before trying to get the Pegasus Boots, it is because you have to activate sequences, and Rem will not fall asleep until you go to Castor Wilds and step into the swamp. This part also has a ton of cut scenes. Sorry, you do not get to enjoy the story in this video...it is a speed run. Therefore, you can listen and watch the action, but good luck trying to read dialogue.

Castor Wilds I felt went really well. I used the Pegasus Boots nicely. On that note, you may ask why they hell I do not use the Pegasus Boots the rest of the run to travel. I also suffered from this in Link's Awakening. I am not sure how much faster running with the Pegasus Boots is than rolling in this game. While I am positive running is faster than rolling, changing directions you have to "charge" up the dash. Rolling you can instantly, on the fly, change your direction without delay. I bet running would have saved time here and there, but I got tired of changing out items and having to line up. Even though rolling is more limited in this game than say Ocarina of Time, I still feel it is smoother and easier to use. But hey, if I find out it saves minutes to use the boots, I will reconsider.

Fortress of Winds is one of the hardest levels to speed run at a decent level of skill. There is so much movement and things you have to do correctly so quickly...I just had a lot of runs end just on trying to do this level. I do get hurt a lot on this level, and nearly die, but I think I got through this dungeon very fast and had a very successful boss battle with Mazaal. The next segment of the game is this boring segment of collecting three books and returning them to get the Flippers. You cannot get into the professor's house, where the second book is, until you return the first book and talk with the librarian again after. This is why I return the first book right away. This is also another area I wish I knew a few tricks for to skip stuff. If you wonder why I talk to the dog, I do not know any other way to move the mutt unless you speak to him as small Link, and then walk away and he will begin to run around. Later on, if you want to go to that area, simply swim or jump across the moat.

The Temple of Droplets is another dungeon I do not like. The ice physics suck, and I have trouble on some blocks early on. Nothing that bad, but it could have been better. My boss battle went well except for one missed rock. Yes, I know that is actually quite bad, but it evens out. He shoots out two rocks at the end before he dies. So the time I lost from that missed deflection was the time between the second to last rock and the last rock the boss shot at me before I die. Which is like 5 seconds? Also, pay attention to my petal trick near the start. I skip a lengthy ice block puzzle. Yes, I could have been faster in pulling this trick off, but it is not very easy (at least I do not know a sure fire way) to do on the fly without slowing down.

The next segment of the game is the coolest. The Royal Valley. This part of the game I have very minor mistakes, usually getting hit here and there. I love the Lost Woods maze, the Graveyard, and the Royal Tomb. The music in there is awesome. Try to see if you recognize the sound effect when a key appears in that area. Later on, in the cloud area above Veil Springs, I get screwed over in a few places. Twice I fall right onto a whirlwind and get flown back up to the higher level. One enemy blocks my path for a few seconds, and another enemy simply would not jump out of his cloud to get hit. And the best mistake of the run is here. I go on my merry way ignoring a chest that contains an item I need and then rush right back to it. A rare time I will go the wrong direction in a Zelda game. It was a memory lapse, honestly. Cost me a few seconds at most.

Palace of Winds is a cool dungeon. Not very hard, but a lot of fights. I found two shortcuts after I did this run. One is in the room with those whirlwinds in the air, and those exploding machine things fly around. You can jump diagonally from the top to a whirlwind to the right of the start of the room, and fly safely across to the right side of the room. I think it may save like 20 seconds. The last trick is a way to make your clones walk on air, when they would disappear. This is useful on my boss battle with Gyorg. Sadly, I did not know this, and during the second attack sequence, I mess up. This is the "mistake" of the run that will probably get me the most criticism. I lose 40 seconds getting owned by these stupid bubbles. I totally lost my timing, and just lost my train of thought. Oh well, I never thought this run would stand as the WR for long or forever, that wasn't the reason for this run.

The final part of the game, Dark Hyrule Castle, is long. A lot of battles, at lot of ways to have your run end quickly. This is a part of the game where I wonder if the Dash Attack would be useful. You see, in this game are Tiger Scrolls that are bestowed upon Link by the Blade Brothers. I only go to one, who teaches me the Spin Attack, the only required Tiger Scroll. Others include breaking pots, a laser shot, a down stab, a dash attack, a hurricane spin, and a faster charging of your meter to make clones. The Hurricane Attack and the Faster Charging are really out of the way to get, and you need all the other Tiger Scrolls first to get them. The Dash Attack is not that far out of the way, and it is very useful on Dark Nuts. You can "dash attack" into them, and when you make contact, Link will spin attack. My strategy is basically getting in the Dark Nut's face to make him attack, and when he is exposed, I spin attack it. I would like to know if the Dash Attack is worth it or not.

Anyway, after some close calls and an annoying Ball and Chain Trooper battle (they would not toss their damn balls at me), I come to Vaati. I think the first segment I did well, and the second as well as could be expected. There is a way, with the down stab, to kill the second and final form without clones. But as I said, this move is really out of the way to get. Now, the final form of Vaati, I get screwed over twice. You see, in his last phase of attacking, he shoots four energy balls at once. I have my clones lined up two times to hit them back, and magically all four of them do not hit the balls back! Whatever. Did not cost me that much time, but it still pissed me off.

So, overall, boss battles could be improved, and there is room for improvement via tricks that need to be discovered. More research also needs to be put into possibly obtaining other items/moves to speed up areas, and I need to check if the strategies I use are even optimal. But only you people can help. I can only do so much myself as authors are not the best critics of their work. It is harder for us to catch mistakes and other things.

So, hopefully people will now get into this game. And somewhere down the road, when a much faster run is possible, I will return to this game. But for now, new revelations in Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past beckon. I have to make a decision to forgo my The Wind Waker run in order to capture to coveted records that are lifetime goals of mine, or stick to my already delayed schedule. What goals do I speak of?

A sub five hour Ocarina of Time run and a sub one-hour and forty-minute A Link to the Past run. Not possible you say? You say I said I would not play those games again? I said "maybe" and "possibly". Check out the SDA forums to see what my decision is later. For now, though, it is Spring Break and I am doing what any other hardcore college gamer would do!

Play my newly acquired Resident Evil 4 all week!

For questions and comments, IM me at SolidTSASnake on AIM.