Come See Nintendo 64 Microphone Commands Demonstrated in Majora’s Mask
Posted on January 05 2025 by Josh Wittmershaus
Back in 2018, Nintendo 64 ROM hacker Zoinkitty discovered voice commands programmed into The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. These unused lines of code suggested scrapped plans for the game to utilize the Nintendo 64’s Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), a microphone adapter officially utilized for only two games, Hey You, Pikachu! and Densha de Go! 2. As documented by outlets like The Cutting Room Floor and DidYouKnowGaming?, these voice commands would have allowed players to perform an assortment of different actions, like giving commands to Epona or waking up a sleeping Deku Scrub.
If you were hoping to one day see more of these unused voice commands in action, you’re in luck! Last week, YouTube user Skawo further demonstrated Majora’s Mask‘s support of the VRU in a comprehensive informational video. Skawo presents all the abilities of the microphone, all on the original hardware. It should be noted that, despite all versions of Majora’s Mask having these lines of code, you won’t be able to just plug your cartridge in and start chatting away. The lines of code are blanked and therefore require some reverse engineering, as well as a Japanese version of the VRU and voice commands in Japanese along with it.
These unused voice commands still foster a lot of follow-up questions on what Nintendo’s plans for the VRU were, and how it would have potentially played a role in Majora’s Mask. It would seem the microphone never became fully realized for the console before its time was up. I can’t help but speculate on how fun it would have been to talk to certain NPCs or give voice commands in certain scenarios.
What do you make of these unused features? What are your thoughts on using a microphone in Zelda games? Voice your thoughts in the comments!
Source: Skavo (via Nintendo Wire)
Editor’s Note: This article has been edited to reflect the fact that Nintendo 64 Voice Recognition Unit (VRU) support in Majora’s Mask has been public knowledge for quite some time.
Josh Wittmershaus is a writer at Zelda Dungeon. Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, he now resides in Northern California. Aside from Zelda, Josh enjoys playing music, seeing live music, music history, and all other things music. He also enjoys skating, hockey, and the occasional political or philosophical thought exercise.
