The Transformation of Majora’s Mask: How the Remake Reveals the Decline of Magic’s Value

Posted on February 12 2015 by Tyler Meehan

Majora’s Mask 3D features numerous changes from its original version on the Nintendo 64, and it in turn offers us unique insights into how the minds behind the Zelda series have changed over time. By examining differences between the remake and the original, we can explore the possible motivations behind these changes and learn how the perspectives and opinions of Nintendo’s finest may have shifted and varied over the past fifteen years. Specifically, through the study of certain magical abilities that have been altered for Majora’s Mask 3D, we can reveal a fundamental shift in the mindset concerning magic power in the Zelda games.

For three days we have examined the ways in which magical abilities have been altered for this remake, and with what we’ve learned we can now delve into the core change that has occurred in Nintendo’s perception of magic. Doing so permits us to predict how they may use and employ magic in the future of the series – and I am sorry to report that, for those of us who love magic and the many powers it has afforded us, that future does not appear very bright.

Without further ado, let’s begin today’s analysis.

The Evidence Thus Far

Over the past few days, we have made a series of core observations that we will use as evidence for our final conclusion. These are key observations into how magic was treated in the original release of

Majora’s Mask compared to how it is in the new Majora’s Mask 3D. Specifically:

In Majora’s Mask, magic was something to be conserved; in Majora’s Mask 3D, it is something to be used frequently.
In Majora’s Mask, using magic required the player to exert effort; in Majora’s Mask 3D, they must exert effort to avoid using it.
In Majora’s Mask, conserving magic was a simple task; in Majora’s Mask 3D, doing so is a tedious burden.

When Majora’s Mask released in 2000, the game was far more reserved concerning its magical powers and abilities. Using magic was not encouraged, actually using it required a conscious choice and effort by the player, and there was no punishment for those of us who wished to save Link’s magic for the moments when such a power was absolutely required. Such things have been flipped on their head for the remake, as our analyses have shown – using magic is encouraged, if not required, far more often in the game.

And I feel this needs to be said, especially after seeing some of the comments on previous articles:

all of this was and is a very deliberate decision on the part of the developers.

Yes, certainly, most of the changes to

Majora’s Mask 3D were probably implemented in order to make these abilities and systems easier for the player to use. But this begs the question: why did Nintendo not make it this way originally? Why did the Goron Roll require the button to be held, why did the Bubble only go a short distance before fading away, and why did Zora Link’s torpedo-speed swimming not require magic?

The

Zelda team did not just wake up one morning and find that a wizard had left behind the specific mechanics for these systems on a computer screen in the office. They worked at it themselves over a lengthy period of time, deliberating, play-testing, and refining every single system in the game. It was a conscious decision on the part of the original developers, reached after many ideas and alternatives had been explored. They intentionally programmed the Bubble to move *this* slowly, to wobble around like *that*, to take *this* amount of charge time to reach full size – and they did it because they decided those were the optimal settings for this system to have. Every aspect of every system in the game was crafted with a similarly deliberate reasoning and purpose. Sure, it might have made certain systems less useful, and maybe it even introduced a few frustrations into the mix – but they decided that such costs were worthwhile.

Yet now we see many changes being made to the previous standards. Be they for better or for worse, this implies that the team no longer agrees with the original intent and purpose behind these systems; why alter such things otherwise? It can only be that in recent years the developers have experienced a shift in their reasoning and focus. Examining the differences between the old and new versions of the same ability will allow us to gather insight into exactly what this shift was and how it may yet affect

Zelda games of the future.

The Change Behind the Changes

So what, then, do our three key observations tell us about how this game, and therefore its developers have changed throughout the years? What is the common ground that we can discover behind these three points?

When you examine the first part of each of our points –

Majora’s Mask a) saw magic as something to be conserved, b) required players to proactively choose to use magic, and c) made it simple to avoid using magic – a common theme rings out: magic is valuable. It is treasured. The developers made the original game under the expectation that magic would be used sparingly and that players would not want to use up magic too frequently.

The flipside of our points shows that the opposite is in place for the remake, which a) encourages players to use magic, b) requires players to proactively decide against using magic, and c) punishes players who steadfastly horde their magic power.

Majora’s Mask 3D has been crafted under the expectation, then, that magic is to be used often and that players will be willing and able to use magical abilities at any time. It is no longer considered a power to be reserved for dire situations, but rather a tool to be employed commonly and at the player’s whim.

And maybe that’s true – maybe gamers these days

are more willing to use their magic power for trivial tasks like jetting around Zora Cape at full speed. I’m not that way, and I’m sure we have several readers who feel the same as me, but perhaps we’re in the minority these days.

Even then, that doesn’t change the fact that Nintendo’s attitude towards magic has shifted.

Magic is now seen as commonplace, as a tool to be employed often rather than sparingly, empowering abilities that are expected if not required to be used frequently. The once-treasured status of magic appears to faded in Nintendo’s eyes; it is no longer a special or valuable power to keep in reserve, but rather it is seen on the same level as Arrows or Bombs: mere ammunition for Link to use some of the powers that he will have to use again and again and again in order to overcome obstacles and enemies – and ammunition that is expected to be abundantly available for refilling. To put it simply:

In Majora’s Mask, magic was treated as a treasured resource; in Majora’s Mask 3D, it has become a cheap commodity.

The Meaning for the Future

That Arrows and Bombs comparison wasn’t chosen at random; I get the feeling that it is exactly how Nintendo views the Magic Meter. If so, then it is no coincidence that the latest game,

A Link Between Worlds, used a similar meter for the empowerment of both magical and non-magical items – because the developer views such things as equal. This may well be the reason why magic power has all but disappeared from the franchise in recent entries.

Despite fans constantly clamoring for the awesome feeling that magical powers and items can provide, if magic power is viewed simply as ammo, what incentive is there for Nintendo to bring it back for future entries? If there is nothing special or unique about it, why should they bother – especially when such a system can often induce frustrating moments?

Think about it: if you use up all your magic swimming through Great Bay Temple, then come to a room which requires Ice Arrows, you’re going to be prevented from continuing – all because an unrelated system consumed your ammunition of magic. When multiple systems require the same resource to be used, that resource had better be plentiful and easy to find; otherwise players are going to run out and grow frustrated with the experience.

You probably won’t get into that exact situation (the current from the central room of Great Bay Temple will carry you along just as fast without magic), but the example is still effective: why have multiple weapons and abilities tied to the same type of ammunition? Then if you overuse it in one area, you’re locked out from using all those other powers and items that you might need. It is far more reasonable and far less frustrating to just give each a different type of ammo. From the perspective of magic,

if you assume players will want to use and abuse it constantly, the classic magic meter becomes a very impractical system.

As developers who apparently expect us to want to overuse magic, then, removing this system from future games is the obvious choice. Until their opinion on this system changes, until they see it as more than mere ammunition, until they once again recognize it as a power brimming with the potential to unlock the most powerful of moves and creative of items…we simply should not expect it to return to the series. A dedicated magic meter shared among a multitude of items is a hassle that forces an extra set of restrictions and conditions on the developers – they must place refills constantly throughout the world to ensure that the player does not run out, and might not be able to explore certain puzzle ideas if it would run the risk of wiping out the meter in the middle of solving it. Nintendo is certainly up to such a challenging task, don’t get me wrong, but why would they willingly spend time with all that when they could simply remove magic and use that same time to create or enhance

other systems and abilities?

Magic has declined in the eyes of

Zelda‘s developers; perhaps it has even declined in the eyes of the series’ players. Until it is treasured and valued once more, maybe it’s really better left out of our games after all.

Closing Comments

I want to say one more thing before we conclude:

I really, really hope I’m wrong about all this (oh gosh, the critics in the comments are gonna have a field day with that one! Haha). Magic is something I love in video games, and it would excite me to no end if Nintendo confirmed that green bar beneath the hearts in the Zelda U footage was indeed a dedicated magic meter. I’m not getting my hopes up, obviously; I wouldn’t have written this series if I didn’t believe that this theory held some weight. But if Miyamoto and Aonuma wanted to give us a little surprise…well, I certainly wouldn’t complain about it.

Nevertheless, whatever the future of the Zelda series may bring, be it with magic or not, we can expect a fantastic experience. For all its changes, Majora’s Mask 3D is going to be a blast, as will Zelda U, and so will whatever the next game in the series after it is. Nintendo will do things that we’ll like, things that we won’t, things that we can’t understand but end up enjoying anyway. Even if we have to wait another fifteen years for them to rediscover the joys of a well done magical system, the trip to get there is going to be filled with some great games and experiences.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Until we meet again, everyone, this is Alpha, signing off to go do…stuff. Like prep for tomorrow’s launch. Hope you all enjoy the remake as much as I will!

Artwork by: Ry-Spirit