Yoshiaki Koizumi Sounds Off on the Inspiration for Majora’s Mask

This news isn’t a surprise, but according to an Official Nintendo Magazine interview with Yoshiaki Koizumi, it appears that the very premise for The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask came to Mr. Koizumi in a daydream. Specifically, Koizumi-san recalls that “[he] would look up at the moon and think about what would happen if the moon started to fall towards Earth. From that idea [they] moved onto the world in Majora’s Mask which is threatened by being destroyed by the moon.”

The Magazine makes it a point to differentiate Koizumi-san’s means of inspiration with that of Miyamoto-san; who instead derives his inspiration from real life and personal experiences. Read on for my thoughts on the interview.

Frankly, I would expect nothing less from an experience as dreamlike and frightening as Majora’s Mask, which I might add is hailed as one of the weirdest and creepiest games in the entirety of the franchise for that very reason. Majora’s Mask’s dream-like nature and approach is fitting for such surreal inspiration, this stands in stark contrast with the rest of the series on multiple fronts. Case in point: the Moon, creepy face notwithstanding, is one of the most cliché, but at the same time one of the most originally implemented devices I have ever seen in the medium.

In addition, the constant remainder of impending doom, literally growing ever-closer by the day, supplemented by the importance placed on time itself via the 3-day system, still stands as one of the most unique portrayals of time and the passage thereof, that I have ever had the pleasure to behold and experience. Though many revile Majora’s Mask for the very thing that sets it apart from the rest, I personally find that the variety, suspense, and overall atmosphere very much help in cementing it as one of the most riveting and under-appreciated games of all time.

So, what are your thoughts? Do you agree that the inspiration for Majora’s Mask is fitting? Do you wish that they wouldn’t have taken such a surreal approach? Do you now hate me for having dethroned Ocarina of Time as the greatest game of all time in my heart? Sound off in the comments, I look forward to your impressions. 🙂

Sources:
Official Nintendo Magazine