As he navigates through the underbrush, narrow passages, and dense trees, Link begins to realize that there is more to the Minish Woods than what he first assumes. The beams of light that break through the gaps between the evergreens do little to help reveal any secrets however, so Link’s only option is to randomly explore and let his strong adventurer sense lead him. Hopefully, they will lead him to the mysterious woods’ even more mysterious inhabitants.
These woods are the secret homeland of the elusive Minish people, tiny inhabitants of Hyrule who have a long-standing and magical connection to the land. They are hard to see, which means the secrets they hide within the confines of the forest are not easy for Link to spot. He knows of the legends, and he knows he’s in the woods to find a way to re-forge the Picori Blade, but he has no idea of how to find either — until he acquires some new headwear. Some new, talking headwear.
After struggling his way into the depths of the woods, Link finds and rescues the talking and ever-cranky hat, Ezlo. Ezlo is bitter about his situation, but he knows he’s lacking in options and offers to allow the stupefied-looking boy to help him. It doesn’t seem like a fair deal on Link’s part, especially after it dawns on him that Ezlo would be chatting away on top of his head for some time, but the cap’s ability to let Link shrink down to the unexpectedly useful size of a Minish proves to be, well, useful — at least useful enough for Link to put up with the beaked bother. Now it’s time for Link to truly explore this mystic area and find all of the secrets that it is so reluctant to share.
By way of Ezlo, Link is able to find all manner of passageways and secret areas he was previously unaware were even passageways and secret areas. Thanks to this magical quick fix, Link now has access to hard-to-find rupees, Kinstones, and Heart Containers — all goodies that Link is naturally gifted at quickly sniffing out and procuring. Link knows the joy of “Find new item, use new item to find stuff,” but this time the item is a person. I’m sure he thinks it’s best not to think about it.
Past a few more hidden routes and persistent enemies like Octoroks and Chuchus (the Chuchus almost seem to serve the exclusive purpose of setting up some delicious irony later on in Link’s quest), Link and his new thinking cap find themselves strolling into the Minish Village. This village is a peculiar sight for Link, as he is now seeing the world from their eyes. Seeing things that were at one point trivial become almost insurmountable, such as a water puddle that is now no different than a deep lake, certainly puts things in a unique perspective for the young hero.
As Link explores the village, he comes to understand that there is a problem: He can’t understand anyone. Well, almost anyone. He meets one Minish, Festari, who speaks his language, and this Minish explains that for Link to solve the language barrier problem, he must find and eat a Jabber Nut. So, and with little effort in finding one, Link goes and eats a Jabber Nut.
In the manner of magic that one should expect to see from food products found in Hyrule, the nut does the trick, and Link gains the ability to talk to the Minish. He eventually speaks with the Minish elder and learns that in order to re-forge the blade, he will need to find and combine four mystical elements. The elder also explains that the Earth Element can be found in the Deepwood Shrine, which lies past Festari’s abbey. Link and Ezlo venture to the shrine and claim the Earth Element, but the details of that task are best reserved for their own recounting.
Link, now with Ezlo, departs from the Minish Woods with the Earth Element prize in hand. He has what he needs, but he knows there is little chance the forest is done with him forever, and now he will also probably never look at a puddle, mushroom, or (semi-spoilers) Chuchu the same way ever again.
