Majora's Mask Can Someone Explain To Me....

[Heroine of Winds]

....how this game got so popular over the years despite not doing very well sales-wise when it came out? I've find it very surprising that this game suddenly got a huge burst of popularity over the years, but I honestly don't see why that's the case. I hear it's because it's a very dark Zelda game, but you can say the same thing about TP & it's not all that different. Is there an explanation for this? Also, I'm not bashing MM. I just want an honest answer here.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

Id, its true MM is a dark game, more dark than TP in my opinion because TP is dark as in, everybody in your world is going to die as soon as zant and Ganon blanket Hyrule in full Twilight. Every game kind of has that if the villian wins everybody is going to die feel to it, so TP is very close to how OoT was in terms of dark. MM is more like you got three days to live and this moon is going to crash into your world and blow up... happy new year! So its way more dark, most of the time in games like TP the people are unaware of the threat, but in MM they can look right up and see it moving closer and closer. MM is way more dark I think.

As for your question though, its not that everybody thinks MM is popular, its more of the fans, like all of us, that its getting popular with. The general public still probably doesn't know about MM. OoT got a remake because the majority of non-fans at least knew somewhat about OoT. MM is only popular amoungst fans, at least for now.

 

[kingofhyrule]

The game really grows on you. The first time I played through it, I hated it. But in my second play through, i am really enjoying it.

 

[Dio]

It's not that popular. It is popular amongst the more dedicated fans of the Zelda series, those who come on Zelda fan websites in other words. It is a generally unknown and unplayed game amongst the general gaming community.

It's quite a bit different from TP which is like the traditional OOT and a spiritual successor to that. MM did something new that has never been done again.

 

[Maikeru]

Honestly, I think a big reason for this is that the fanbase has gotten older. I have seen many cases where people have said that they didn't like the game when they were younger because they couldn't understand it or it was too difficult or too different from other Zelda games. Now that we've gotten older, many of us can appreciate the things Majora's Mask gave us. For me it was tragic doom and gloom atmosphere. The dungeons were meh to me, but I loved everything else. The story and side quests combine to create this awesome world of darkness, with only the tiniest light of hope running around in a green hand me down suit. The NPCs change as the Moon gets closer, you can see them getting scared just by looking at them, and by talking to them. And you only have three days to save them. Granted, it's probably impossible to save everyone in one playthrough. But that adds to the feeling. You know that even when you finish your final timeline, there is going to be at least one person whose life you couldn't make better. Perhaps Kafei and Anju never found each other because you didn't have time.

Either way, for me is just does such a wonderful job at capturing that atmosphere, that I can't help but love it.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I liked MM when I was 6 it seemed really cool to me back then and I still think its cool now. I admit that it was kind of hard for me to play back then so I'd easily give up on it, but I still really liked it and eventually went back to playing it. When I finally beat it when I was 8 I was so happy. So yeah maybe its because the fa base got older and learned to appreciate it more. Still its only the fans who are starting to like it more and more. I always liked it though.

 

[DarkestLink]

It's a niche. The entire online fandom is. Compare MM to OoT or TP.

OoT and TP have a much larger fanbase, but the fans are generally casual about it.

MM has a tiny fanbase, but its fans are fiercely loyal and many love the game to the point of blindess.

 

[Salem]

I sais this before, but the sales data does not explain the big picture, and no, the vocal "minority" is not a satisfying explanation either.

It could because this game was so well received critically and among fans that the popularity radiated and other fans that did not play it when it first came out might have bout it used which explained why the sales data is low despite the game's popularity.

I mean seriously, look at it's price:http://videogames.pricecharting.com/game/nintendo-64/zelda-majora's-mask It's sold high for a used game, so that might mean it's highly demanded?

And another explanation is BECAUSE it's so popular it got emulated and downloaded often so that adds a perpetual cycle of increasing the "awareness" of the game. so yeah.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

It's a niche. The entire online fandom is. Compare MM to OoT or TP.

OoT and TP have a much larger fanbase, but the fans are generally casual about it.

MM has a tiny fanbase, but its fans are fiercely loyal and many love the game to the point of blindess.

Really? I like MM but not to the point of blindness. Are there really fans of MM like that out there?

 

[PalaeoJoe]

Really? I like MM but not to the point of blindness. Are there really fans of MM like that out there?

Exactly, what Spiritual Mask Salesman said.

DarkestLink What do you meen by "blindness"?

 

[DarkestLink]

Exactly, what Spiritual Mask Salesman said.

DarkestLink What do you meen by "blindness"?

I see "blindness" when I see fans putting more effort into finding deeper symbolism and messages than Christians do deciphering the bible. This is just one example though.

 

[Justac00lguy]

Ok so you have the most popular/highest rated Zelda game of all time being the ever famous Ocarina of Time, the thing is that some people don't necessarily agree with this rather popular view and Majora's Mask becomes the perfect antithesis to antagonise that view point. It used the same foundations, but completely mixes it up to create one of the most unique and fresh experiences within the series - this is why it becomes, like I said, that perfect antithesis.

It's quite similar to this hipster trend really, were the most popular meets the underrated. OoT was the most popular and MM was the underrated; however now I'd say that's changed quite a bit. I honestly think some of the more knowledgeable and experienced Zelda fans would majority pick MM as the better game.

Of course Majora's Mask is an amazing game in its own right--it's different, darker, side quest heavy--so naturally it appeals to the more niche section of fans. However it still doesn't explain why it has gained increased popularity over the years, such is why I'd put a lot of that down to what I mentioned in the first two paragraphs.

 

[ColdRadio]

I'm going to agree with Maikeru on this.

Majora's Mask is a much more complex game than Ocarina of Time. The three-day time limit, the daily schedules of the supporting characters, and the multitude of sidequests make it a deeper, more mature game. Don't get me wrong, I love OoT, but it's focus was on breadth and the epic quest. MM focused on depth and the more personal stories, evident from the sidequests to the primary conflict between Skull Kid and the four giants.

The themes of death and loss that run throughout the game are also more mature in nature, and more appealing to a more mature audience. I loved MM when it came out, but even I have a greater appreciation for it now that I can better relate to those themes. MM has increased in popularity because it now has the (older) audience it was intended for.

 

[Mask-Salesman]

I love both games for the N64 extremely much. Both of them were and are milestones in my childhood. OoT was the first Zelda game I had for my own. MM was the second but had awesome transformations which gave the game extra depth. Both were extremely good. But how is it possible I always said OoT was my favorite as a kid and now it's MM?

I think it's the themes and hidden motives in the game. Majora's Mask leaves a lot of room for speculation and interpretation. The dark theme is something that I learned to appreciate in videogames when I got older. The sidequests are some of the best I've seen in Zelda games. The characters are awesome and give much needed depth to the game, better then many other Zelda games. That is some fine story telling skill from Nintendo, considering the game was made for N64. The dungeons are some of the best in the entire Zelda series.

I guess it's hard to say. It's not that I like the game because it's not mainstream or something... It's just the atmosphere, the story, the characters, the constant treat of the moon that treatens to destroy everyone you are trying to save... I guess it also depends what your taste in videogames is. Much of the younger Zelda fans prefer Skyward Sword. But I think I will never appreciate a Zelda game more than MM. Still play it once every 1-2 years and that's the only Zelda game that managed to do this!

 

[ihateghirahim]

I guess people just misjudged it a lot when it came out. I mean, at first glance, it does seem really weird and not that Zelda-y. I guess its just a matter of people playing it and spreading around word of how great it really is. It's like some old cult tv show that ran only briefly but is now regarded highly. It just took time for people to appreciate its unusual beauty.