Anju’s Anguish – The Brilliance of Zelda’s Greatest Side Quest

When trying to describe Majora’s Mask to a player that hasn’t played the game, you might get asked simple questions like, ‘how long is the game’, or ‘how many dungeons are there’? While these seem like rather straight forward questions, it does Majora’s Mask no justice to say that there are just four dungeons. There are a few mini-dungeons around, but some might consider the town of Clock Town a dungeon in of itself. At least that is what writer Connor Worley argues in a recent article.

Clock Town didn’t have the block-pushing puzzles and you didn’t have to flip a dungeon upside down. Instead, the town was centered around the anguish of its citizens and the Anju and Kafei quest served as this dungeons final boss.

The story of Anju and Kafei (known as “Anju’s Anguish” in the 3DS version of the game) is one of the last tasks that can be completed prior to the final battle against the Skull Kid. It tests almost every skill the player has learned up to this point in the game, as well as their knowledge of Clock Town’s persistent in-game schedule and their overall ability to manipulate time to their advantage. It’s painfully difficult if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing, and if you’re not using a walkthrough, odds are that it’ll take you multiple resets of the three-day cycle to complete. It is also one of the most emotional, almost heart-wrenching tales ever told in a Zelda game. It’s Majora’s Mask’s greatest achievement, and the beauty of it is that it’s completely optional.

Check out the full article over at Kotaku to read up more on this author’s perspective of this brilliant quest.