The Christmas Mega-Blog! Part Two - Majora's Mask - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

danielkempster

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Edited By danielkempster

Welcome to the second part of my tantalisingly ginormous Christmas mega-blog! If you haven't read the first part, you can do so by clicking this link right... wait for it... here. It's not necessary to read it before reading this, but it does kinda outline where I'm going with the whole Christmas mega-blog thing. Part two, as promised, is something I haven't done recently - a Discovering Gaming Greatness blog. This is mainly because now I'm at University, I don't have much time to be playing games. I really want to finish Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, but I don't have time. I really want to get stuck into games like Okami and Canis Canem Edit, but I don't have time. Now I'm at home for the holidays, I have plenty of time to play all these wonderful games. Unfortunately, though, due to a slight hiccup outlined in a previous blog, I don't actually have all these wonderful games with me right now. In a lot of ways though, it's a blessing in disguise. It means I've been able to dust off the ol' GameCube and put it to good use for the first time since I finished Twilight Princess. After debating what to play, I remembered that there's one Zelda game I own but have never actually played through...

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Discovering Gaming Greatness

I never owned a Nintendo home console before the GameCube, so before that my only exposure to the Legend of Zelda series was a fleeting few minutes with a friend's copy of Oracle of Ages. Since then I think I've played, if not completed, pretty much every instalment in the franchise, from the original right through to Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass. Up until recently, there was one exception - Link's second Nintendo 64 outing, Majora's Mask. I played Ocarina of Time three or four years ago on GameCube after getting hold of the special edition of Wind Waker with the OoT bonus disc. I know people say it doesn't hold up, but it really did blow me away. Perhaps it's because I'm part of the Final Fantasy VII generation, but I found myself able to look past the game's shortcomings and appreciate just how revolutionary it was. It remains my favourite of the 3D Zeldas, although for how much longer I can't honestly say. I'm only around halfway through the main quest of Majora's Mask, but it's such a refreshing take on the Zelda formula that I can't help but be sucked into the experience.

Everybody no doubt already knows the plot behind it so I won't get bogged down in explaining it in detail. The gist is, you play as Link (the same Link from Ocarina of Time), who finds himself in the strange land of Termina. Termina's going to be crushed by the falling moon in three days, and it's up to Link to prevent that from happening. The plot may not quite have the epic scale or labyrinthine twists of modern adventure titles, but it sure makes a difference from saving the damn princess. That was the first thing that set Majora's Mask in a league of its own for me - the fact that it completely goes against Zelda tradition in terms of its plot. It shows that a good Zelda game doesn't have to stick to the formula to be successful. It's a shame the developers seem to have forgotten that, because the recent instalments in the series have stuck to the formula so rigidly that it's often been detrimental to the games themselves. It's nice to see a game shaking it up and being different, and this isn't restricted to the plot. It's evident in the gameplay too.

Despite the three-day time limit in Majora's Mask, there's no rush to do anything

Given the three-day time limit Link's on, the game relies on a very well-implemented time mechanic to enable him to get everything done. Time-travel was used in Ocarina of Time to create a dual world-style mechanic - you could either play as Young Link in the present, or Adult Link in the future. In Majora's Mask, because the cycle runs on a three-day loop, time travel and manipulation becomes much more important. You effectively have three game days to complete any given task, and when the 72-hour cycle ends, you use the Ocarina of Time to travel back to the first day, at which point the loop starts all over again. Where this system really shines is in the execution of side-quests. Everybody in the world of Termina has their own schedule, along with their own problems to be solved and needs to be met. With the help of the Bombers' Notebook, which stores all relevant schedule information, the player has to learn to manage their time effectively in order to complete certain tasks. I'd only ever seen a time management system like this in games like Harvest Moon before, so to see it work so effectively in Majora's Mask is a pleasant surprise. It effectively provides the freedom of an open-world game, where you can jump in and out of the main quest as you see fit and take things at your own pace, without actually being a true open-world game itself.

Deku Link can easily traverse these lilypads

Perhaps my favourite thing about Majora's Mask, though, is the use of masks as a gameplay mechanic. While a lot of the masks in the game are little more than novelty items obtained from (or necessary for) certain side quests, the ones that actually change Link's physical appearance add an incredible amount to the game. The different guises he can assume under the magic of the masks each bring with them a unique moveset and a different approach to playing. For example, in situations where Link might usually have to resort to using bombs, Goron Link can get by with the power of his melee attacks. Goron Link can't come into contact with water, but Zora Link is at his most effective when submerged. The effects these different masks have on the way you play the game makes for some great puzzles and truely memorable boss battles (here's looking at you, Snowhead Temple!).

In summary, I'm loving Majora's Mask because it does pretty much everything that I've been wishing a Zelda game would do ever since I finished Twilight Princess. It ditches the tried-and-tested set-up in favour of something much darker and certainly more interesting. The new gameplay mechanics fit in well with the ones established in Ocarina of Time, and provide a fresh take on the series without completely abandoning its roots. If Twilight Princess gets its own Majora's Mask, then it'll be the best thing to happen to the series since... Well, Majora's Mask, I guess. Thanks very much for reading and Merry Christmas. Stay tuned for part three of my Christmas mega-blog, a pondering look at storytelling in videogames, which should be coming in a few hours' time.

DanK

---

Currently playing - The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (GC)

15 years ago

danielkempster

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#1 Edited By danielkempster

Welcome to the second part of my tantalisingly ginormous Christmas mega-blog! If you haven't read the first part, you can do so by clicking this link right... wait for it... here. It's not necessary to read it before reading this, but it does kinda outline where I'm going with the whole Christmas mega-blog thing. Part two, as promised, is something I haven't done recently - a Discovering Gaming Greatness blog. This is mainly because now I'm at University, I don't have much time to be playing games. I really want to finish Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, but I don't have time. I really want to get stuck into games like Okami and Canis Canem Edit, but I don't have time. Now I'm at home for the holidays, I have plenty of time to play all these wonderful games. Unfortunately, though, due to a slight hiccup outlined in a previous blog, I don't actually have all these wonderful games with me right now. In a lot of ways though, it's a blessing in disguise. It means I've been able to dust off the ol' GameCube and put it to good use for the first time since I finished Twilight Princess. After debating what to play, I remembered that there's one Zelda game I own but have never actually played through...

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Discovering Gaming Greatness

I never owned a Nintendo home console before the GameCube, so before that my only exposure to the Legend of Zelda series was a fleeting few minutes with a friend's copy of Oracle of Ages. Since then I think I've played, if not completed, pretty much every instalment in the franchise, from the original right through to Twilight Princess and Phantom Hourglass. Up until recently, there was one exception - Link's second Nintendo 64 outing, Majora's Mask. I played Ocarina of Time three or four years ago on GameCube after getting hold of the special edition of Wind Waker with the OoT bonus disc. I know people say it doesn't hold up, but it really did blow me away. Perhaps it's because I'm part of the Final Fantasy VII generation, but I found myself able to look past the game's shortcomings and appreciate just how revolutionary it was. It remains my favourite of the 3D Zeldas, although for how much longer I can't honestly say. I'm only around halfway through the main quest of Majora's Mask, but it's such a refreshing take on the Zelda formula that I can't help but be sucked into the experience.

Everybody no doubt already knows the plot behind it so I won't get bogged down in explaining it in detail. The gist is, you play as Link (the same Link from Ocarina of Time), who finds himself in the strange land of Termina. Termina's going to be crushed by the falling moon in three days, and it's up to Link to prevent that from happening. The plot may not quite have the epic scale or labyrinthine twists of modern adventure titles, but it sure makes a difference from saving the damn princess. That was the first thing that set Majora's Mask in a league of its own for me - the fact that it completely goes against Zelda tradition in terms of its plot. It shows that a good Zelda game doesn't have to stick to the formula to be successful. It's a shame the developers seem to have forgotten that, because the recent instalments in the series have stuck to the formula so rigidly that it's often been detrimental to the games themselves. It's nice to see a game shaking it up and being different, and this isn't restricted to the plot. It's evident in the gameplay too.

Given the three-day time limit Link's on, the game relies on a very well-implemented time mechanic to enable him to get everything done. Time-travel was used in Ocarina of Time to create a dual world-style mechanic - you could either play as Young Link in the present, or Adult Link in the future. In Majora's Mask, because the cycle runs on a three-day loop, time travel and manipulation becomes much more important. You effectively have three game days to complete any given task, and when the 72-hour cycle ends, you use the Ocarina of Time to travel back to the first day, at which point the loop starts all over again. Where this system really shines is in the execution of side-quests. Everybody in the world of Termina has their own schedule, along with their own problems to be solved and needs to be met. With the help of the Bombers' Notebook, which stores all relevant schedule information, the player has to learn to manage their time effectively in order to complete certain tasks. I'd only ever seen a time management system like this in games like Harvest Moon before, so to see it work so effectively in Majora's Mask is a pleasant surprise. It effectively provides the freedom of an open-world game, where you can jump in and out of the main quest as you see fit and take things at your own pace, without actually being a true open-world game itself.

Perhaps my favourite thing about Majora's Mask, though, is the use of masks as a gameplay mechanic. While a lot of the masks in the game are little more than novelty items obtained from (or necessary for) certain side quests, the ones that actually change Link's physical appearance add an incredible amount to the game. The different guises he can assume under the magic of the masks each bring with them a unique moveset and a different approach to playing. For example, in situations where Link might usually have to resort to using bombs, Goron Link can get by with the power of his melee attacks. Goron Link can't come into contact with water, but Zora Link is at his most effective when submerged. The effects these different masks have on the way you play the game makes for some great puzzles and truely memorable boss battles (here's looking at you, Snowhead Temple!).

In summary, I'm loving Majora's Mask because it does pretty much everything that I've been wishing a Zelda game would do ever since I finished Twilight Princess. It ditches the tried-and-tested set-up in favour of something much darker and certainly more interesting. The new gameplay mechanics fit in well with the ones established in Ocarina of Time, and provide a fresh take on the series without completely abandoning its roots. If Twilight Princess gets its own Majora's Mask, then it'll be the best thing to happen to the series since... Well, Majora's Mask, I guess. Thanks very much for reading and Merry Christmas. Stay tuned for part three of my Christmas mega-blog, a pondering look at storytelling in videogames, which should be coming in a few hours' time.

DanK

---

Currently playing - The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask (GC)

15 years ago

BiggerBomb

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#2 Edited By BiggerBomb

I didn't read it yet, but I know I'm going to agree. So yes, I agree. Majora's Mask is fucking amazing. I shall read it, nao!

15 years ago

BiggerBomb

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#3 Edited By BiggerBomb

Well, now I have read it. I was right, I completely agree! :D

Majora's Mask says "up yours," to those that claim that every sequel to OoT is a clone. The humor in this is that the only Legend of Zelda game that really ditches Ocarina of Time's formula, is Ocarina of Time's only direct sequel. This being that MM takes place immediatly after the events of OoT. I think you are going to love the game, more and more.

P.S.

That Snowhead Temple boss is bitchin', eh?!

15 years ago

Dalai

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#4 Edited By Dalai

The next Zelda game must take a page from Majora's Mask and just go completely off the tracks and follow its own path to greatness. I still feel Majora's Mask is not as great as the traditional Zelda games (aLttP, OoT, TP), but it has a fantastic original story and some awesome gameplay elements.

15 years ago

Anacleto

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#5 Anacleto

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is the first Zelda game I have played, and I have had really good impression of it too!

The story line was really active, and you could explore and see many places in the game. There is always new places you can interact with in many ways, and the cool part is that they have always a connection with the main stories line.

Something that I felt impossible to achieve was “the four temples’ spirits”, which are the guardians of these temples. But that’s not all. These temples are a maze! In so that you have to solve all the puzzles and fight against tones of different types of creatures, there’s a time limit for you to pass on the temple, and a life total you have to care about. But after all these things, at the end, you have to fight against an boss using a magical mask. When you defeat it, the spirits thanks you for releasing them and altogether help you stop the moon from falling down. Actually this is the main problem of the game. You help to stop the moon form falling down to earth.

This is really frustrating as you have to travel to the past in many occasions and gather all the objects needful for helping you overcome the temples.

The thing that I hated the most was that you lose all the objects and money every time you travel back in time.

It is time line that repeats itself many times but in different situations, but at the end you get used to and you can win the game after all.

It’s a really really nice game and it’s helps you to remember and memorice things when needed in the game.

I highly recommend it, but just to play on free time as well.

5 years ago

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The follow-up to Ocarina of Time sees the series stalwart Link embark on a journey to save the land of Termina from being crushed by the moon in three days. To defeat the Skull Kid, Link has to live the same three days over and over again.

The Christmas Mega-Blog! Part Two - Majora's Mask

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Discovering Gaming Greatness

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Discovering Gaming Greatness

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The Christmas Mega-Blog! Part Two - Majora's Mask

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Discovering Gaming Greatness

The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Discovering Gaming Greatness

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