The Minish Cap: Kinstone Fusions

So, now that I know how many Kinstone Fusions there are in this game and I’ve got a bag full of Kinstone halves, let’s start seeking out the people to fuse with. It seems random, sometimes, and some people can fuse multiple Kinstones. They’re all over the map, not just concentrated in the city and the Minish village; potentially any NPC, anywhere in the game, can fuse Kinstones with Link. Even animals can fuse with Link when he shrinks to Minish size. The rewards for Kinstone Fusion vary. The most common are for a chest or door to appear; common rewards for exploring these include rupees, Mysterious Shells, and Kinstone halves. Less common rewards are a wallet upgrade (up to 500 rupees), a piece of heart, and a third bottle. All in all, I got 39 Kinstone Fusions done before I couldn’t find anyone else to fuse with.

• There’s a Goron pounding at a rock wall near Lon Lon Ranch. Fusing with him causes a Goron merchant to enter town and set up shop in the merchants’ square. He sells Kinstone halves. (He’s immediately north of this game’s version of Beedle, who sells special potions that increase the drop rate of various items.) In the screen to the south, fusing with one of the farmers inspires the pounding Goron to go faster, allowing him to make it through the wall, where he finds another wall he can’t get through on his own.
• A portal opens up in South Hyrule Field near Link’s House. Going through the portal, Link arrives at a house where a man is being tormented by a ghost. Link can use the Gust Jar to exorcize the ghost, and the man gives him 100 Mysterious Shells as a reward.
• Golden enemies appear throughout the map. The Octorok and Rope aren’t so bad, just a little more advanced than usual and taking about a dozen hits to kill. (By the way, if the Two Sword is a damage upgrade over the Smith’s Sword, I haven’t noticed.) However, the Tektite is a bloody nightmare. It’s bouncier than a superball on a trampoline, so hitting it once is hard enough, and hitting it enough to kill it is incredibly frustrating.
• Fusing with the postman causes a woman (based on the Bombchu bowling operator from Ocarina, perhaps) to appear at the post office and sell issues of a newsletter with gameplay tips.
• Two of Tingle’s brothers can be found, and they, along with Tingle, open up three of a series of four trees in North Hyrule Field for exploration. Each tree-cave has a chest, and a button that lights a torch. Presumably, the fourth brother will open the fourth tree, and once the torches are lit, Link can claim his reward for this subsubquest.
• A giant vine (like in Super Mario Bros., or maybe “Jack and the Beanstalk”) grows on Mt. Crenel. Climbing it to the clouds lets Link get another heart piece.

There are a few other things Link can get before setting out to the next dungeon. He can visit Stockwell’s lake house to feed the dog and be able to put his own stuff in the bottle. Back in town, Stockwell’s selling a bomb bag upgrade (to 50). In Lon Lon Ranch, there’s a tree Link can charge into, revealing a Minish portal; there’s a small path nearby with a piece of heart. He can go a little ways into Veil Falls north of Lon Lon Ranch for another piece of heart. In the Minish Woods, there’s a great fairy who says she needs rupees and asks Link to give her all of his. It’s a test, of course, and she not only doesn’t take the offered rupees, but also rewards his generous spirit by giving him the last wallet upgrade (999).

Swiftblade’s not the only fencing instructor in Hyrule, and with some exploration, Link can find a couple other dojos. The first is in the mountains, and Link needs to split himself to step on the buttons to open the door. Inside, Link finds Grayblade, who teaches him the roll attack. I personally found this attack a bit awkward to execute, although I’m sure it’ll come in handy at some point. The second dojo is in southeast Hyrule Castle Garden, however, it’s too dark for any actual training to take place – there are torches, but Link doesn’t have a way to light them yet. However, the real reason to find both dojos is because there are heart pieces Link can nab in each.

Next: Okay, at some point this was going to be the earth dungeon, right?