I remember when the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was first announced. Back then it went by the moniker of ‘Zelda Gaiden’ and for good reason. From the get go it was intended to be a side story to Ocarina of Time taking place in a new world with original baddies. At the time I wasn’t super hyped.
New consoles were on the horizon, and I just wanted to move on from that generation. I still picked it up and enjoyed it, but played through just once. This was unusual in a time when I didn’t have a lot of disposable income and had to get a lot of mileage out of each purchase. Recently I was curious as to how well this one holds up, and finally dove back in. Majora’s Mask is a great game, but by series standards it’s middle of the road. Let’s talk about why.
Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time. Here you play as the very same Link that went into the future to defeat Ganondorf and save Hyrule from his wicked rule. The story begins as Link (in child form) adventures out to find his fairy companion Navi who left at the conclusion of Ocarina. While in a dark and misty forest he is knocked from his horse Epona by two fairies and a mysterious skull kid wearing an ominous purple mask with glowing eyes. They steal his steed, and the Ocarina of Time and run off deeper into the woods.
Link gives chase but the magic of the aforementioned mask transforms the hero into a mere deku scrub. Links falls into a deep pit and finds himself in a new world called Termina. Ocarina-less, and stuck in his monstrous form Link sets out to find the skull kid.
Oh and did I mention there’s an ominous looking Moon in the sky set on a crash course with Termina? That part’s kind of important. Link has just three days before the land is incinerated and everyone within it dies. Link begins his quest in Clock Town with the simple goal of getting back the Ocarina of Time.
Get used to this location because you’ll be spending a heck of a lot of time here. Moving on, when Link finally gets the Ocarina back he discovers that playing the song of time sends him back to the onset of the three day cycle thus temporarily saving himself and Termina from sure destruction. He’s also now able to remove the deku scrub mask to return to his normal self. It’s now up to Link to release several guardian giants from deep within dungeons in Termina to stop the impending apocalypse.
The story gets extra points from me because it’s such an original take on the classic Zelda plot. There was nothing this dark before nor has there since been in this franchise. At any point you’re outside you can look up at the sky and even see the smirking moon set ominously in the sky. Majora’s Mask let’s you know when the night changes to day, and how long you have until the apocalypse which adds a nice cinematic touch to the game.
The three day cycle also makes for some interesting character interactions. The people of Termina have set schedules, and you’ll need to speak with and get to know them to find out how to complete specific side quests. The world of Termina is smaller than the previous iteration of Hyrule, and it feels remarkably intimate. It’s surprising how much you get to know the Terminanites.
Gameplay is nearly identical to Ocarina of Time on the surface. As Link you navigate a series of 3D environments with an overworld serving as the hub. While he’s armed with a sword and shield through most of the quest you’ll also gain access to an arsenal of tools and other weapons.
In Ocarina of Time several of these could only be used by the adult version of Link, but thankfully here Nintendo re-tooled a few for his young persona to use. This includes the classic bow and arrow, hookshot, mirror shield, etc. Unfortunately nearly all of these are recycled. Majora’s Mask brings almost no new ideas to the table where tools are concerned. This is disappointing because this aspect of the franchise makes or breaks the games.
Instead the focus this time around is on the masks. These are almost entirely all new. Most of these Link simply wears and they affect either him or the way he interacts with the world. For example one allows him to march and makes animals follow him, another attracts nearby fairies to his location, and one more allows him to explode on command like a bomb.
There are many more with subtle effects, but all are necessary in completing specific side quests or even progressing the plot. The three special ones allow Link to completely transform gifting him new abilities. These include the deku scrub mask, goron mask, and zora mask. These are one hundred percent required in the main quest, and frequently at that. They’re also gifted to him in the main story so they’re completely unavoidable.
Let’s now discuss what exactly they do. As a deku scrub Link can use a spin attack on foes instead of a sword. He can also blow bubbles for a projectile shot, skip limitedly on the top of water, and burst out of flowers allowing him to hover high in the air. Goron Link is slow, but has a powerful punch capable of destroying enemies and objects.
His most unique ability in this form is a roll that allows him to cover long distances at high speeds, but drains the magic meter. As Zora Link our hero can of course swim effortlessly in the water and doesn’t need to return to the surface to breathe. He can also throw dual boomerangs to strike foes and his switches which is pretty neat.
While the mask effects are a neat and unique feature in Majora’s Mask it’s also where the game goes awry. To use these masks they have to be set to one of your item slots (designated to the C buttons). Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but you’re required to switch forms frequently. When you’re in a dungeon and also using tools to solve puzzles managing your inventory becomes an absolute chore.
In the past you would find a new tool in a dungeon in this franchise and it would be the gimmick used in most of the puzzles. That’s not the case here. The developer’s require you to constantly switch between masks AND use the item found within the dungeon. What’s more is the other forms cannot use most items. You have to switch back and forth to Link and three other masks to proceed.
Honestly this diminishes both the quality of the dungeons and masks in this game. Unfortunately there are only four dungeons to complete here. Thankfully they’re decently long, but at the same time, you’re working against the clock to complete them. If you run out of time and have to restart the three day cycle you lose progress and only keep the items you’ve collected.
What’s especially infuriating is that completing a dungeon opens new tasks to complete, and some of these are required to access the next one. If you play the song of time you have to complete the dungeon all over again. This design is questionable at best and extremely counterintuitive. Zelda games usually have more polish or thought behind them. I’m really not sure what wrong here.
Another drawback is the design of Termina itself. It’s a round overworld map with Clock Town in the center, and four paths leading to new areas. These have very linear paths to the dungeons, but require you to complete a miriad of tasks before they’re opened up. This design feels kind of lazy in my opinion. There is very little to do on the overworld and it’s really bland. Because this world is so much smaller Nintendo had to pack it with side quests.
You have to collect all the pieces of heart after all, right? To organize these you’re given a handy notebook which gives hints, and tells you which ones have been completed. The sidequests here are mostly not very interesting. There are a few standouts though. Despite the basic sidequests they do serve the purpose of helping you get to know characters and familiarize yourself with Termina.
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is one of the most beautiful games on the Nintendo 64. It should be considering it’s one of the few that absolutely requires the Expansion Pak in order to work at all. It’s a minor upgrade from Ocarina of Time with slightly more detailed character models, much better lighting, and of course improved draw distance.
The framerate is still kind of a slog locked at around twenty frames per second. Back then we didn’t care, and even now I find it perfectly playable still. This time around the terrain is much more varied which is pretty neat. You’ll find swamps, snowy mountains, a tropical beach, and more. The soundtrack is also very good. A lot of tracks are recycled from Ocarina of Time but that’s hardly a bad thing. The new music is also very good and fits the Zelda universe exceptionally well
