Deep in the Minish Forest lies a small surprise. Well, it’s a big surprise, but small. As in, it’s small size-wise, but big as in it’s another race of sentient beings. Of course, The Minish Cap is full of small big surprises, but this is the first time Link actually gets to meet his new little friends. The Minish Village is an excellent introduction to Minish society. It’s an accessible way for Link to learn about the Picori and explore their microscopic world.
The Minish Village is made up mostly of man-made objects. There’s a house made out of a barrel to the right, a boot directly in front of the entrance, and a pot to the left. Other houses are plant life or other items from nature. There are several mushroom houses, and the Elder’s home is made of some sort of gemstone. It all goes to show how small these little guys actually are and how much Hylian life can shape their world.
When Link first enters the Minish Village, the inhabitants speak an odd language which he can’t understand. After exploring for a bit, Link meets Festari, a local Minish priest who can speak Hylian. He tells Link to visit the Barrel House to find a Jabber Nut. This will allow him to speak the Minish language.
The Barrel House is probably one of the more iconic locations from this game. As the name suggests, it’s literally a barrel. Inside the barrel, Link finds not only the Jabber Nut (which has a mouth and looks like it’s constantly chatting), but Pico Blooms. The Pico Blooms grow Picolyte which Beedle will sell in the Hyrule Town Market. Picolyte temporarily increases the rate at which Link can find certain items like Fairies, Rupees, Kinstones, basically anything that he can find in the grass. This stuff is really helpful. And it’s grown in a barrel, making it the Minish version of whiskey (not canon, but definitely worth researching).
The elder of the Minish Village, Gentari, is in the mushroom house to the northwest. He will help Link on his adventure by allowing him access to Deepwood Shrine, the home of the Earth Element. He also tells Link about his twin brother, Librari, who lives in Hyrule Town. I’m not going to say where he lives, but his name is a big clue. Gentari will also give Link directions on how to fix the Picori Blade and where he can find Melari, the Minish bladesmith.
The village is populated with Forest Minish who Link can fuse Kinstones with or can learn a bit more about Minish society from. Just to the right of the gemstone house, there’s a small dock with a Piece of Heart.
Although a small (both literally and in gameplay) area, the Minish Village has a lot to teach Link regarding the Minish. Their language, their whiskey (under investigation), and even societal structure is explored in one little village. The Minish world is a tight-knit community, even over great distances. And, although the Minish can’t be seen by most Hylians, the Hylian community can make a big impact on their homestead.
