The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - 9/10
It has only been two short years since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and now comes the next instalment of the series, Majora’s Mask. One could ask the question on how you could better a game that has been described as none other than perfect? Although Majora’s Mask is not as long as its predecessor or changed that much in terms of characters or game play, but delivers a very strong in-depth story, and new land to explore and a much darker concept than previous Zelda titles, it makes an excellent sequel for Ocarina of Time and as a game on its own.
Majora’s Mask begins when Link (or name of your choosing) returns to his own timeline and is once again a child. Link embarks on a journey, which he searches for a close friend who has been lost. Slowly travelling through the forest, horseback on a young Epona, they are unaware that they are being watched from a distance.
The two fairies tired of watching fly over and startle the young stallion and Link is flung over and knocked unconscious. Regaining composure, he finds a mysterious figure among his equipment and more specifically, his Ocarina. Before being able to find anything out, Link is pushed aside as he watches the being run away with his Ocarina and horse. So begins a small chase begins between them before Link is crossed with an unusual fate.
It is not long before Link has caught up with the stranger only to see that it is Skull Kid, a wanderer of the Lost Woods. Wearing a mysterious mask, the Skull Kid informs Link of ‘disposing Epona’ and with the power of the mask, transforms Link into a Deku Scrub. Laughing to no end, Skull Kid and Tael, one of the fairies make their way out of the cave; Link in his deformed status attempts to follow them but is only held back by Tatl, the other fairy. Before Tatl can follow the others, she is left stranded with Deku Link and now needs Link’s help to find them.
Not having begun their search, they are confronted by another familiar face. The Happy Mask salesman, a gatherer of masks from different lands, seems to know that Link is not in his normal form. He offers Link to give him his original form in exchange for recovering the stolen mask, taken by the Skull Kid. Sadly, he is only able to stay for three days so in that time, Link and Tatl set off in the Land of Termina to complete the tasks at hand.
As you ask around, you slowly discover that the moon is on a collision for Termina and will destroy everything within three days, hence why the Happy Mask Salesman wants it before then. The first stage of Majora’s Mask is basically to recover the Ocarina and regain Link’s original form but allows you to distinguish how the game will be played.
Once you have done so, the Ocarina is used to revert back to the first day and you will have the same three days to do what you need to do. Simply play the Song of Time and you restart from the first day, before the Moon collides with the town. Everything also resets, including rupees, quantity of items, dungeon progression and the memories of everyone. You can store rupees away in a bank and Link retains any items found such as the Bow and also retains any quest items found so not all is lost.
Along with common items found, the bow, hookshot and bombs, a new element within the game is the ability to gain powers from masks. There are 3 masks (4 including a special mask at the end) which will transform Link into a different being while there are a range of other masks that have a certain ability. You have the Deku, Goron and Zora Masks which do basically as described and transforms Link respectively while others such as the Bunny Mask makes Link run faster and so on and can also affect the response from the town’s people when wearing certain masks.
With that, expect to be involved with their affairs. Given a notebook near the start of Majora’s Mask, you record all the people who will need help in the future and you chose when you want to help them. Some are fairly simple while there are some that can take the duration across the three days to complete. Although they are usually not compulsory to complete, the reward at the end is still worthy.
The control scheme follows the path of Ocarina of Time exactly and works very well. While it is the same, certain masks influence what the attacks are. For example, Deku scrub does not use a sword but a bubble attack which can hit enemies from a distance. Things along these lines also apply to the two other masks with their own unique skills.
With the additional use of the Expansion Pak for Nintendo 64, it has given use to stronger graphical capabilities making for smoother frame rates and clearer designs. While most of the characters are renditions of characters based from the Ocarina of Time, they are slightly more detailed. Enemies of Majora’s Mask also look superb both old and new and goes well together with the dungeon designs and outside fields.
Sounds are refreshing and in tune with the games environments. While some songs have been recycled from Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask brings in a fresh batch of new sounds such as Termina Field and the Great Bay are memorable and fitting. This also includes new songs that are learnt with the Ocarina and are just as enjoyable as those featured in the past. Sound effects of the game do remain the same as its predecessor and do a fitting job.
Now while it’s not necessary to play both, it would be difficult not to since they both follow each other. Majora’s Mask stands firmly on its own two feet and it is a splendid addition to the Legend of Zelda family. With impending doom awaiting the land of Termina; it certainly turns to be a darker side to a Zelda game yet, watching as characters throughout the game pass by without realising what tragedies will cross them in near future. This along with other elements of Majora’s Mask will have you wanting to complete it at all costs.
NOTE: I have reviewed this in the same way as Ocarina of Time so it’s in past tense. The VC version is the same as it was when it was released given that some glitches may have been corrected depending on which version was released. You have the choice of either the Classic Controller or GameCube Controller and both are quite comfortable to use. While graphics are outdated and is not as long, the storyline and side-quests will keep you entertained. Price: 1000 Nintendo Points VC Score: 8/10
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Reviews