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Majora's Mask Is It True That MM is the Darkest Zelda Game?

Twilight

Storming Twilight
Joined
Dec 8, 2009
Location
Twilight World
Just as the thread name suggests...

Is it true that MM is the darkest and eeriest Zelda game? I have a Zelda-loving friend that played most of the games... He said that he agrees that MM is the darkest and eeriest of them all. He also said that the game is very sad as it is full of disasters, misery, sadness, pain and agony. I think he was a little exaggerated, but I can't stop thinking it could be true, after all in my own opinion, the game never shows any happy or cheerful moments until the sweet end. And oh dear God, MM happens to be my favourite game, and I'm a little sad due to the fact my friend could be the one with reason...

I just found out my favourite game may be a sadistic/cruel/whatever thing...

Anyone here disagrees with my friend and can point out a moment of happiness in the game? Because... If the game really has no good, happy moments until the end... I'll never play it the same way I used to.

Aww. I'm sad. This really is my favourite game EVER.
 
Joined
Apr 16, 2010
It's impossible to say that it is true that Majora's Mask is the darkest game, but it is a common opinion amongst Zelda fans. However, I believe that Twilight Princess is darker. Let's compare the two.

Majora's Mask

Have you ever been sent on a mission to save a land you've never been to in only three days? I didn't think so. The compelling mystery and looming disaster are what make the darkness of Majora's Mask amazing. It's crazy to think that when you're in Clocktown for the first time with it's jolly tune swirling around as Deku Link that there's any possibility of something to take away the pleasure of the town. But then you look up, and there's a giant falling moon with an evil smile staring right at you. Is there anything scarier than that?

And then you take Skull Kid for an example. In Ocarina of Time, they were just weird little guys in the Lost Woods that would dance to Saria's Song (besides when you return as an adult). But in Majora's Mask, he was wearing Majora's Mask, and it completely changed his personality. He became evil. Right from the start he took the Ocarina of Time and Epona. Then he sends the moon at Termina, thus beginning Link's quest. But all along, you know he is only doing this because of the influence of the evil mask he is wearing, and you are scared to see what he will do with it on.

Majora's Mask had its light moments as well, and many more than Twilight Princess, but that only helped to exaggerate the darkness and evil moments of the game, of which there were many.

Twilight Princess

After a mere hour or two of playing Twilight Princess, you are pulled into the Twilight Realm. Not only that, but you are turned into a black wolf and locked in a cell. Then this strange imp, Midna, comes and says she'll help you. Right from the get-go, Twilight Princess has dark and mysterious elements.

Throughout the game, you are sent to the Twilight Realm, where strange black particles float about, Hylians are only spheres of light, barbaric beasts roam and on several occasions lock you into battles that can only be won if you kill multiple of them at once. Fittingly, the ruler of the Twilight, Zant, is dark and strange as well. He wears a silver mask with a tongue on it, and under it he has a creepy pale face and sharp teeth. He has a weird relationship with Midna that is unraveled as the game goes on, and tries to kill Link and Midna several times throughout the game.

Almost all the enemies in Twilight Princess are dark and for lack of a better word, monstrous. The bosses are as well. Every location in the game has dark elements. Light parts of Twilight Princess are few and far between.

In conclusion, both Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess have many dark parts, and far more than any other Zelda game, but I personally think Twilight Princess is darker because of the consistency of the darkness.
 

guapo2003

The incomparable legend
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Location
Temple of Light
Well, that question is always up for debate, because everyone has their own interpretation of eerie and dark. While Majora's Mask was the first game to have a dark and creepy side to it, it's not the only as Twilight Princess shares alot of the same aspects. I would personally say that Twiilight Princess is more eerie and dark, but again everyone has their own opinion on this.
 

zellinkda

one of many
Joined
Sep 27, 2011
Location
Talking to the other zellinkdas
Don't feel bad, if you like the game, then why should a friend telling you it's overly sad faze you? Majora's Mask is my favorite zelda game as well. lets look at a few things here.
when you are talking to the four giants, tatl says
"are they...crying? Forgive.....your.....friend... that's what they're saying."
I don't know about you, but my heart melted while reading that. it was beautiful. Also, just because MM is particularly scary or weird, doesn't mean that it's bad. if Majora's mask wasn't like this, it wouldn't be the same. it would be completely different in EVERYTHING. lets keep Majora's Mask the way it is. :)

I also wanted to add, since a lot of people are talking about twilight princess, that sure, Twilight princess was creepy and dark, but there was something that it lacked for me:deep emotion. It was definitely scary in Twilight princess when you got to the twilight realm, and Zant was definitely strange, but I finished Majora's mask after I finished Twilight Princess, and I honestly liked Majora's mask better. When I finished MM, I was at the verge of tears because it was so beautiful, and I felt a contentment of the entire thing. I also felt a creepy feeling over the entire game still lingering over me. But when I played twilight princess, I did not feel as contented. it was more "well this was really good!" I liked it, but I felt a little empty.
 
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Random Person

Just Some Random Person
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Location
Wig-Or-Log
I love this question because I'm always wavering. I used to think Twilight Princess was the darkest Zelda game hands down, but now I keep debating in my mind about it. While I'm not sure I can settle the debate, I can point out some of the features that cause it.

Majora's Mask is dark because its theme is "inevitability" as well as "chaos". Basically, bad things happen in the world and sometimes, there seems like no other option but to accept it. It deals with death in a very heavy sense as all the main transformation masks are spirits of dead beings and there's an entire land dedicated to the dead. Not only that, but practically every character has some dire trouble they are going through, and because time rewinds, even when you've fixed a problem it you know it'll eventually come back. The music in the game is almost always somber as though everything in the land knows that its going to die soon. Any happiness in the game seems fake. Whatever problem you solve, time travel will ensure it gets unsolved. This is heavily demonstrated when you go up to the moon and there's a peaceful atmosphere which is heavily symbolic. As dark as it is though, MM still holds the Zelda tradition of bright colors and goofy characters, which lowers is darkness-meter. Comedy is presented throughout the game which provides a glimmer of light in dark times. And the game gives you a "Everyone lived happily ever after ending."

What differs between Majora's Mask and Twilight Princess is that Majora's Mask started out dark eerie and creepy. Twilight Princess started you with hope, and then snatchd it away abruptly, completely changing the atmosphere from peaceful town to horrific nightmare. That could actually be considered more dark than beginning in a dark atmosphere like MM did because it messes with you more. A Person who has lived their life in the light will be more shocked at darkness than a Person who has grown up in darkness. Also, in contrast to MM, TP had a bland atmosphere. The colors were bleak, the noises were scary and it took you farther away from that fairy tail aspect of Zelda that MM did a better job of keeping you in. TP also ended with an incredibly dark final boss fight and a sad (to some) scene with Midna leaving. However, people debate on TP's darkness because though it is mentioned, death is not heavily portrayed in TP. And while bad things do happen, you eventually start feeling that there is hope. Before the game is halfway up, all the light returns to Hyrule, giving the game a more heroic atmosphere than the dark, bleak one that suddenly appeared at the beginning. Still, the theme of the game is light, shadow and darkness. Very hard to look past that.

I just wanted to give my 2 cents on the matter.
 
Joined
Nov 26, 2008
Like zellinkda said, don't feel bad about that. There are plenty of stories I enjoy because they are dark. There have been happy moments during manga or movies I've seen where I literally was upset they didn't kill a character because it would have been better for the plot and character development if they had. Darkness in a story isn't always a bad thing.

That said I'm with Hero of Time. It's important to note that which story is darkest is a highly personal thing, because that depends highly on personal feelings, but to me Twilight Princess is a far darker tale. The key for me is that Majora's Mask's darkest moments rely on dread, whereas Twilight Princess' darkest moments are of melancholy or sorrow. Fear is not as contrary to happiness as sadness is. When you're afraid, you can stave the fear off by laughing. When you're sad, it's pretty much the exact opposite of happiness or laughter.

Majora's Mask isn't dark to me because its dark elements don't counteract its happiness as much; it's balanced. Twilight Princess isn't to me. I can't say whether or not my assessment is mostly personal or not, but it's definitely how I feel.

I've also never found Majora's Mask to be that dark of a game to begin with. I never felt it was dark or depressing even once throughout my many times playing it. I'm completely serious.


I think he was a little exaggerated, but I can't stop thinking it could be true, after all in my own opinion, the game never shows any happy or cheerful moments until the sweet end. And oh dear God, MM happens to be my favourite game, and I'm a little sad due to the fact my friend could be the one with reason...

I just found out my favourite game may be a sadistic/cruel/whatever thing...

Anyone here disagrees with my friend and can point out a moment of happiness in the game? Because... If the game really has no good, happy moments until the end... I'll never play it the same way I used to.
I actually very much disagree there are no happy moments. First off, there's a lot of humor throughout, just like in any Zelda game. And I don't see how anyone could interpret most of the events as anything but happy. What happens when you first learn the Song of Healing? The scene where Link is cursed shows Link getting overrun and attacked by Deku Scrubs, but when he's cured, the Scrub shrinks away as Link waves, making peace with whatever afflicted him and making use of it as an ally.

When Link cures Darunia, he cries tears of joy at a last cheer of his heroism, acknowledged as what he was (a hero) even in his defeat, so he didn't have to feel shame, because Link finished what he set out to do and protected his people. Mikau's mission was accomplished in exactly the same way, and he even, in a spiritual way, got to play with the Indigo Gos one more time when Link returned to Zora Hall after Great Bay Temple. Igos du Ikana, the evil ghostly king of Ikana, was cured of his evil and recognized what he had done wrong and overcame all his regret, and virtually the same was true of Sharp.

See, Majora's Mask is a game about death. That's absolutely true. That's pretty much entirely what the game is about. But it's about death not in the evil, dark sense, but the spiritual sense. It's a game where death doesn't have to be bad. Death isn't just about ugliness. It's about peace, about passing on, about resolving your time on earth. Those are the themes that are present throughout the story of Majora's Mask. Every time I watch one of those Song of Healing scenes, I feel like crying not because they're sad but because they're beautiful. I think all of the scenes concluding each of the sidequests in the game are the same way... you help people. And they're happy because of it.

Majora's Mask is a game about the good and spiritualism in death, and a game about friendship. Friendship with those you help, with the Skull Kid. Even the children on the moon talk about friendship.

...gah I'm crying while I type. Lmao.

To me Majora's Mask is philosophical. Not dark. Not as dark as people make it out to be, anyway.
 
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I

Internetfan15

Guest
I want to add that Majora's Mask was not dark. The art style of Majora's Mask (I do not technically mean the game engine but the environment setup and the colors in the surroundings) was very nice. Together with Skyward Sword they are my favorite 3D Zelda art styles. The art style of Twilight Princess though technically more advanced than Majora's Mask, it is darker. And at least Twilight Princess has not been stuck in my memory, Majora's Mask has. I am a fan of more colorful art styles and I hope the Twilight Princess-style demo for Wii U remains a demo!
 
I

Internetfan15

Guest
When calling MM dark we aren't referring to how bright the art style is. We are referring to the mood of the game, subject matter, scare factor and things like that.

In my personal case, the art-style influences the mood extensively that's why I call Twilight Princess dark and Majora's Mask not dark. Additionally for the scare factor, Twilight Princess had more scare factor than Majora's mask so in that respect it was also darker. Scaring things in Twilight Princess were Arbiter's Grounds, Twilight Palace, the Twilight creatures and the "never-ending" and "bottomless" cave of ordeals with minimum hearts rewarded in the process. Majora's mask was not scary, it was more mysterious, exotic and melancholic. Don't forget that the skeletons in the MM graveyard had a fun-tone to them: "Yessss Sir!". Also the skeletons in the ocean-spider house playing cards on the table or whatever they were doing!
 

Zelda_1224

Hyrule Knight
Joined
Jan 7, 2012
Location
Hyrule
I think that the moment you heal the half-gibdo man and then his daughter starts to hug him is a pretty sweet moment
 

Tingletopic

Just another Lets player
Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game and definitely had its dark moments but you really had to understand what is going on to know there dark, for example, Your deku mask, if you don't understand what the masks are, you probably might not have gotten that later on in the game when you navigate your way through that cave following the assistant from the Deku palace when you get to the end and get your reward, he talks about his son and how he never has seen him again and how he hopes he isn't dead but the mask you're wearing was his son. but overall i think twilight princess was a little darker cause Nintendo really wanted it to be more of a dark less mysterious game.
 

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