The Zelda franchise's own cult classic
Whereas other Zelda games create an epic adventure for Link to tackle, Majora's Mask has you doomed from the start. The moon (with its own smiling face) will crash down on Termina in 3 game days no matter what you do. You can slow down time, but you're only really lengthening your time until Termina is destroyed. Luckily, you can return to the beginning of the 3-day cycle at any time (after acquiring your ocarina), but any connections you have made with the people of Termina, any money you haven't stashed in the bank, and even any puzzles in dungeons that you've completed will all vanish any time you restart the cycle. This lends the game a sense of forward momentum, as you're always hurrying to get things done in time. It can also be frustrating, as certain events only happen at certain times, sometimes even on only certain days. In time, though, you learn the rhythm of life in Termina, and you start to figure out how to help people, even if your work is destroyed at the end of your playtime.
The reason for helping people is simple: they give you masks. These masks help you help others, which nets you even more masks. Seperate from these are 3 different masks that allow you to inhabit the body of other species to use their special powers. You usually get a new mask right before one of the 4 major temples, with the puzzles inside often focusing mostly on use of the masks' powers. The dungeons aren't as memorable as the ones in Ocarina of Time, though they do hold their own special charms (especially the Stone Tower Temple) and there's nothing approaching the frustrations of the Water Temple.
Ultimately though, Majora's Mask isn't about the temples. Sacriligious though it may be, the game instead focuses on yoru impact on the gameworld, and how that impact is erased on a regular basis. There's very little sense of progress in the game, which only makes it more enriching when you do help someone. There are few experiences on the N64 that can match the infamous Anju and Kafei quest, which has you helping numerous people over all 3 days of the game, only to have you reset everything just as you finally get everything to work. On a basic level it's an example of the game defeating the player, and it's a unique experience that hasn't seen an equal since.
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