Majora’s Mask is irreplaceable and one-of-a-kind because of its unheard-of gameplay mechanics (to the Zelda series) and its dark atmosphere and story. MM has not hasn’t seen as warm a welcome as Ocarina of Time had. MM always stood in OoT’s shadow. Two years after the release of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask onto the scene with a much darker plot. While not praised nearly as much as its predecessor, Majora’s Mask was still critically acclaimed and considered a worthy entry into the series. While MM didn’t hog the spotlight due to its release date (which was unfortunately on the same day as the release of the PlayStation 2), it still mustered decent sales. Maybe it’s because other gamers, believed the game to be obnoxious and out-of-the-ordinary. Maybe some thought it was too hard, but there are ways around these things.
The most interesting characteristic of MM is its unordinary plot. Link must save Termina, an alternate world (to Hyrule) that will meet an impending doom at the hands of a deranged being by the name of Majora. “Termina”, “terminus” and “terminal” all mean (or are associated with the word) “end”, which speaks volumes about what sort of ill fate Termina has come across. Link must battle the bosses of the four main Dungeons and defeat Majora itself on its lair inside the Moon. It sounds like quite a bit to do in a three day period, but Link is able to turn back time, speed time up, slow it down and much, much more, which makes completing the game much easier. One reason many gamers struggle so much with the game is because they don’t get to fully appreciate the entire game. There are sidequests that you normally wouldn’t know about without a walkthrough, and really, the time function shouldn’t be much of a bother. What I did was I saved rather often so I wouldn’t lose anything important in the event of a console crash.
Gameplay is generally the same as in Ocarina of Time. Considering that both were N64 games, the control scheme and assigned buttons for actions were mostly untouched when transitioning between OoT and MM. Link can’t save anytime he wants this time around because the only way is to save and return to the beginning of the three days (where all minor items are wiped out). There are only four main dungeons excluding the final dungeon: the Moon. Although four doesn’t seem like an awful lot, these dungeons are a lot more complex and lengthy than those in Ocarina of Time. While many complained about how short the game was, I felt that the insane amount of sidequests and length of dungeons made MM last just as extensive as OoT.
Among Majora’s Mask’s strengths is its powerful soundtrack. It consists of several songs that are, like the game, unique and out of the ordinary. Background music in The Legend of Zelda hasn’t ever seen the likes of MM’s soundtrack. Much like the game, the music in Majora’s Mask is ominous and always seems to foretell of a looming peril. Some of these themes include the four main area themes, Majora’s theme, Last Six Hours, Song of Healing, etc. Each and every track is beautiful yet dark in its own way. Even the Clock Town songs (all three versions) have hints of darkness, as expressed in the random flat/minor notes that mix in with the major, upbeat notes. And as the final day draws close, the music and atmosphere becomes more sinister. The often baleful events in Majora’s Mask are balanced by a few light-hearted sidequests (including that of the invisible guard and the dog races). There’s still much to be enjoyed in MM other than the sidequests, which will be explained.
Dungeons in Majora’s Mask are usually ignored (or overshadowed) by the brilliant plot and sidequests. If no sidequests were to be completed, the game wouldn’t last as long or be as fun to play. Each Dungeon is, however, very extensive (which makes up for the lack in numbers), and any amount of gameplay that one feels he or she is lacking can be made up for in sidequests. There are four major Dungeons for Link to conquer and an additional one (the Moon) that serves as Majora’s stronghold. The Dungeons are Woodfall, Snowhead, Great Bay and Stone Tower. Each Dungeon seems to correspond with one of the four seasons. (Woodfall = Spring, Snowhead = Winter, Great Bay = Summer, Stone Tower = Fall). Majora’s Mask brought more complex and original Dungeon design to the table, improving on several concepts in design and architecture. What really separates MM from OoT is its ingenious Dungeon design. Rooms in Ocarina of Time were very much similar-looking and somehow dull and generic. MM changes this with more vibrant color schemes, more original Dungeon design and beautiful architecture in some areas. Sometimes less is more, especially in the case of MM. The soundtracks for all four Dungeons are also fantastic, ranging from the jungle, savage-like Woodfall Temple theme to the mechanical, factory-like Great Bay Temple theme. The bosses don’t disappoint, either. Like the game itself, the bosses are quite difficult (unless one possesses the Fierce Deity Mask) and take awhile to figure out. Dungeons center on certain items, and puzzles are executed brilliantly. The Stone Tower Temple introduced upside-down gameplay, allowing the player to explore the Dungeon both rightside-up and upside-down.
The game focuses more on sidequests, bringing NPCs into focus. As we follow Link along for this wild adventure, we meet many side characters that have their own individual stories and roles in the game. Watching the Moon begin to fall on these everyday people brings a sense of reality to the game - there are living beings at stake in this game, and Link will get to know some of them quite well (if he decides to aid them during their times of struggle). NPCs play a large role and which direction Majora’s Mask will take as a video game. If one wishes to just trudge through the Dungeons mindlessly and complete the game as a minimalist, that’s fine. But these are usually those people that don’t appreciate Majora’s Mask for what it truly is: a masterpiece. Sidequests are what made the game so addicting and enjoyable for me. There are literally dozens and dozens to be completed, and what makes them different from sidequests of previous Zelda installments is the three day time limit. Each NPC has a strict, unchangeable sequence that he/she must follow throughout the three days. The player must arrive exactly on time to witness a certain event in order to complete said sidequests. These may stretch through all three days (for example, the Anju and Kafei quest) while sometimes a sidequest can be completed in a single particular day. If the player misses a single event in a succession... the entire quest must be replayed and the player is left with nothing to show for his/her hard work. This may prove to be a substantial annoyance to the less enduring, but if you’re a hardened gamer, you’ll find Majora’s Mask to be less irritating.
Going through all the trouble to meticulously plan and execute your plan to complete a long and tiring sidequest will come to fruition when you finally gain possession of that item you so cherish. And believe me, it’s a great feeling you’ll get when you finally obtain that one elusive item. These sidequests can either be the heart and soul of the game or something that the player flat out ignores. It all depends on what type of gamer one is - a completionist or a minimalist. If one decides to go through with each and every sidequest and aid all the NPCs in the game, a few special rewards will be gifted to the player. First, the coveted Fierce Deity Mask will only be available to those who have obtained each and every mask in the game. Secondly, what is shown in the End Credits is completely dependent on how many sidequests and what percentage of the game was completed. More unlockable scenes in the credits will be shown if the player decides to complete the sidequests. If the game’s 100% completed (which lets the player fully experience Majora’s Mask and is the best way to play the game in my opinion), the credits will be fully unlocked and everything may be seen. Majora’s Mask also makes you feel like you’re in a realistic world because of how complex these characters’ emotions are. MM may or may not become like a living, breathing world to the player. It all depends on whether the player had the patience to complete all the sidequests and try time and time again to acquire a certain item. It’s infuriating and tedious, yes. But in the end, it’s worth it (and if you’ve played the game all the way to the end before, you’ll know why).
Unlike traditional Zelda games, Majora’s Mask’s final battle was not with Ganon, but rather with the evil entity known as Majora. What makes the battle so unique is... well, everything. It takes place in an unidentifiable room in the center of the Moon (definitely a change), and Link must fight Majora instead of Ganon. The Four Giants are barely holding up the Moon before it crashes into Termina, and it’s Link’s job to enter the menace’s lair and defeat the being. Luckily, when Link enters the final battleground, time is frozen so he has ample time to fight and defeat Majora. But why would the Moon stop so that Link could enter? Knowing Majora’s childlike demeanor, the being probably intended for Link to enter just to make things interesting. Once Link defeats Majora and the Four Giants are able to stop the Moon from crashing, the Ending Credits will roll and leave the player with a satisfied feeling. I find this quite interesting because the credits only show what the player has completed in the game. Although the credits weren’t very tear-jerking like its predecessor, but Majora’s Mask stands strong as an incomparable experience.
In recent memory, MM showed what it's got by beating out both Twilight Princess and the Wind Waker for the title of "Game of the Decade". We all know of Majora’s Mask’s less-than-expected critic scores, but times have certainly changed. Critics’ original assessments of MM weren’t very accurate, and I think the new generation of gamers can more fairly critique Majora’s Mask.
That being said, I give Majora’s Mask a
9.75/10.
Note: I’ve used my previous MM posts as a source to draw from for this post (since I’ve made so many posts about the game).
