Which Zelda is Darker? Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask?

[4VaatiTurtle]

In my opinion, they are equally dark, but for different reasons.
Majora's Mask ; This game is dark in a weird way. Unpleasant sounds, depressed characters. I would say more unusual, sad, weird darkness.

Twilight Princess ; Crazy black characters. Scary, chills places, and everything just shakes you up. Twilight Princess is like Metroid darkness. Everything is scary and freaky. There's a lot more action than exploring [in my opinion] for Twilight Princess.

I rest my Case

 

[Rensch]

I think Majora's Mask is darker story-wise. Twilight Princess is darker in graphical style.

 

[Mikenike]

I would say Majora's Mask. There are alot of people that die and moer suffering in that game than Tp. Like the ghosts of the guards, the lone dancing guy on the tree, and even thefts occur in the game.

 

[Xinnamin]

It depends on how you look at it. I feel that MM was darker but TP had the potential to surpass MM.

The reason MM was so dark, I feel, is because the game did such a great job with the character interactions, Anju and Kafei being the obvious example, but others as well. Cremia losing both her livelihood and in effect her sister due to her refusal to believe They existed. The postman desperate to flee but unable to leave his job for his sense of duty. Darmani and Mikau's deaths and the Butler losing his son to some unknown fate. The game really makes you feel connected with the characters, and as a result you sympathize with them and their apocalyptic fate.

TP, however, touches on darker themes in my opinion. There's a prevailing theme of fear in the first half, with all the people cowering in fear at the shadow insects in the Twilight, the children huddled and crying in Kakariko, the adults back in Ordon grieving the kidnappings of their kids (Beth's dad pops to mind). Then when Midna nearly dies, that really had a sense of fear in it with her pathetic looking state, and by that time the player really started to at least build enough of a connection with her to really feel an impact (I did at least). Honestly, watching a character you care about in that near death state struggling to breathe is, in my opinion, darker than walking in on some ghost whose story you don't know until later. A fear of the unknown, I feel, is darker than a fear of a known doom, since what's to say the people of Hyrule didn't think the world was coming to an end? The problem is we don't know what they were thinking the whole time, there was never enough character interaction for us to care about the character's fear. Plus, after the Master Sword, TP never really revisited that fear aspect until perhaps the last 2 dungeons. If TP had fleshed out the characters some more, then it could have easily surpassed MM in terms of its dark themes.

 

[Octo Rocked]

Majora's Mask is darker, not because everyone thinks they are about to die, but because its presentation is more focused on the psychological aspects of Link's quest, as well as the direct impact of the events (and not always just the moon!) on many of the characters.

The fundamental problem with Twilight Princess is that its characters are so detached from everything that it is difficult to take their problems seriously. Whatever "darkness" is in the game is superseded by the indifference I felt to those characters.

You hit it spot on there. Only for me, it's less of a psychological aspect and more of a character development one.

Sure, Twilight Princess did have a darker story than most Zelda games, and the ending did have some bittersweet elements, and the darker-colored graphics certainly give it a melancholy feel. I will grant TP that.

However, Majora's Mask had something that no other Zelda game has been able to recreate: an emphasis on characters. These weren't characters you were trying to save; they were actual people. They had schedules and routines. They had desires and ambitions. Almost every character had a personality and some sort of character development. These were real people you were trying to save. And to top it off, as many people as you can help, there were others (like the swordsman--you can save his life, but he'll still be a vain coward) whose problems went unresolved, and every time you reset time, their problems would become unresolved again. Also, notably, the game places a large emphasis on the number four. In Japan, "four" and "death" are homophones.

Ironically, even though it's (in my opinion) the darkest game, it's also the one that contains the most hope. While in other games there is little character development, Majora's Mask gives you the chance to actually help people with their problems. You heal the troubled souls of the deceased. You allow a troubled man to vent. You help a depressed Cucco farmer get his final wish. You clear misunderstandings and reunite Dekus with Monkeys. And quite possibly most importantly, you save a child from being abducted by aliens and keep a marraige from falling apart. The best part of all this is that, if you play the inverted song of time and use owl statues, Nintendo made it possible for you to accomplish all that needs to be done in one day, right before beating Majora. Sure, some things conflict, but the Cuccos will grow up on their own, and there will be more shipments of bomb bags. As dark as Majora's Mask is, it is also the most inspiring. Which is why it will always be my favorite of the games.

And on an unrelated note, this topic should really have a poll.

 

[Mikenike]

I loved the Insight and detail given here. The poster really opened up some of the feelings put over some players heads. Nice post Xin

 

[LozzyKate]

Twilight princess is by far darker. Majora's Mask was a tad happy in some parts and especially the ending. In Twilight Princess, darkness, evil, and twilight was going to rule Hyrule thanks to Zant. Midna leaves in the end leaving the game on a sad note. People were killed and it was shown Hyrule Soldiers being choked to death. How isn't TP darker?

 

[Tony]

Majora's Mask by far it's like a giant suicide/apocolypse trip that keeps repeating

 

[Linky]

Majora's Mask is WAY darker because the moon is evil all the characters look creepy and everyone is sad. Twilight Princess isn't as dark because just only half the parts of the game are dark, when it's not in twilight it's probably the happiest game in the series because it's peacful music and everyones happy. And even when it is twilight it's not dark like creepy just twilight dark...which is different than actually darkness

 

[StrangeWig]

You hit it spot on there. Only for me, it's less of a psychological aspect and more of a character development one.

Sure, Twilight Princess did have a darker story than most Zelda games, and the ending did have some bittersweet elements, and the darker-colored graphics certainly give it a melancholy feel. I will grant TP that.

However, Majora's Mask had something that no other Zelda game has been able to recreate: an emphasis on characters. These weren't characters you were trying to save; they were actual people. They had schedules and routines. They had desires and ambitions. Almost every character had a personality and some sort of character development. These were real people you were trying to save. And to top it off, as many people as you can help, there were others (like the swordsman--you can save his life, but he'll still be a vain coward) whose problems went unresolved, and every time you reset time, their problems would become unresolved again. Also, notably, the game places a large emphasis on the number four. In Japan, "four" and "death" are homophones.

Ironically, even though it's (in my opinion) the darkest game, it's also the one that contains the most hope. While in other games there is little character development, Majora's Mask gives you the chance to actually help people with their problems. You heal the troubled souls of the deceased. You allow a troubled man to vent. You help a depressed Cucco farmer get his final wish. You clear misunderstandings and reunite Dekus with Monkeys. And quite possibly most importantly, you save a child from being abducted by aliens and keep a marraige from falling apart. The best part of all this is that, if you play the inverted song of time and use owl statues, Nintendo made it possible for you to accomplish all that needs to be done in one day, right before beating Majora. Sure, some things conflict, but the Cuccos will grow up on their own, and there will be more shipments of bomb bags. As dark as Majora's Mask is, it is also the most inspiring. Which is why it will always be my favorite of the games.

And on an unrelated note, this topic should really have a poll.

Exactly what I was thinking (except, I didn't know that "4 and death" japanese thing ).

I would add that, the main reason why we get so attached to the characters, is because we'd see and interact with then MUCH MORE than in OoT. And because of the "3 day" system, the player is basically obligated to notice what happens in the town (unless you're blind or something like that!). The big amount of interection between the majority of the citizens makes it feel like a real society.

@edit:
oh, and I think the Zelda games have always emphasized character interaction. It's just that Majora's Mask WAY overdid it.

 

[yann]

MM, it's deliberately a pessimistic game.
Even the music used in the game has a generally downwards feel to it.

 

[Gooey Fame]

MM, it's deliberately a pessimistic game.
Even the music used in the game has a generally downwards feel to it.

Definitely, especially Clock Town on the Third Day. I especially loved how they mixed the happier melody with the demising music.

 

[athenian200]

I think that TP is darker, but I admit it's subjective. The main reason is that the entire game had this heavy, suffocating feel that reminded me of the Shadow Temple in OoT. It might be partially because for me, the game was full of "ghosts" from OoT, and in some ways felt like looking at a desecrated corpse in terms of story, and OoT on steroids during the dungeons. Especially since after WW, I never expected to see that version of Hyrule again.

Let me put it this way... the song I usually associate with the Shadow Temple is "Nightwish - End of All Hope." That song feels appropriate throughout ALL of TP. Especially when learning skills from the old Hero... I don't know how to describe it, but there two things in TP that seem to symbolize the experience. The undead Hero you learn your sword techniques from, and what Rusl says near the beginning:

"You have at last mastered all of the hidden skills. Although I accepted life as the hero, I could not convey the lessons of that life to those who came after. At last, I have eased my regrets. You who have marched through countless foes, each mightier than the last... You, who now gaze to the future with vision unclouded... Surely you can restore Hyrule to its stature of yore as the chosen land of the gods. ...Farewell! Go and do not falter, my child!"


"Tell me...Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls? They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs... ...The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world. That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..."

The whole game did have that lonely, regretful "Twilight" feeling he talks about here for me, and it felt so heavy and depressing that it almost made me ill at times.

 

[dizzy_me_up]

I wouldn't say one is darker than the other. It's more like two different types of darkness. Majora's Mask had a twisted, dimentia kind of dark. Everything just looked crazy and off the wall, while Twilight Princess sounds like Aonuma and Miyamoto went back and listened to some old Nine Inch Nails albums all throughout the production of it. It's intense, scary, and you truly sense the evil and atomosphere, while Majora's Mask seemed more chaotic and turned upside down.

 

[jbkarate9]

No matter what I will always say MM is darker. You have a giant moon slowly crashing to Termina. Nothing you can do to stop it. Besides time traveling back in time. Losing eveyrhting you have. On day 3 people are packing up and leaving. The carpenters staying to face their impending doom! Anju waiting for Kafei in hopes they can spend their happilly ever after together. Its alot for me. People on the first day realizing the moon is going to crash. Not having enough time to finish that one thing they wanted to do. Its alot.