Review

The Legend of Zelda – Majora's Mask
Review by Ryan "Rynex" Harper for ZeldaPower.com

It's hard to believe that Majora's Mask was released almost eight years ago on October 26, 2000, a paltry six days after my eleventh birthday. That same year, for Christmas, I was treated to this title, and since then, I've played it all the way though 24 times. With this in mind, I would say that it's pretty logical that I be more than qualified enough to review it. This also doubles as my first real review, so wish me luck. With that said, enjoy.

Note: The following Overview portion of this review contains many plot spoilers. If you haven't played this game yet, you may want to skip this portion and scroll down to the scoring breakdown instead.

Overview
Majora's Mask is one of only five Zelda titles to take place in a world outside of Hyrule. It takes place immediately after Ocarina of Time, and starts off with Child Link exploring a dense forest with his trusty "steed" (really a mare) Epona. Unbeknownst to our little hero, he's being watched by two fairies: brother and sister Tatl (white) and Tael (purple). Together, the two spook Epona, who rears back and throws Link on the ground where he then falls unconscious. From the fog, a Skull Kid wearing a bizarre mask emerges. He sifts through Link's possessions and discovers the Ocarina of Time. Link regains consciousness, and is obviously not happy with the idea of some lunatic rummaging through his belongings. Skull Kid and the two fairies steal Epona and ride off, forcing Link to chase after them. Eventually, he finds himself plummeting into a bottomless pit, ala Alice in Wonderland.

As it turns out, this pit is really a dimensional rift. Once Link lands, he finds himself in a dank room with two torches and what looks to be a deformed Triforce on the ground. Skull Kid then turns him into a Deku Scrub and scuttles off. However, in the process, Tatl is left behind. She reluctantly agrees to accompany Link, and thusly becomes the Navi character in Majora's Mask. After a bit of footwork, Link finds himself in the underbelly of Clock Tower: a massive structure in the middle of Clock Town, which sits at the very center of the land of Termina. Looming above Clock Tower is what can only be described as the cruelest looking celestial body in existence. While there, he meets the Happy Mask Salesman, the guy who ran the Happy Mask Shop in Ocarina of Time. As it turns out, he was the original owner of the mask worn by the Skull Kid, which is called "Majora's Mask." Skull Kid stole it and has been wreaking havoc ever since. He then conscripts Deku Link and sends him off to get the mask back within three days. In exchange, he promises to help you return to your human form.

After a somewhat long quest that spans the three days, you confront Skull Kid atop the Clock Tower. All the while, that moon is inching closer. Once you reclaim your Ocarina (via shooting bubbles at Skull Kid), you're able to return to the very day you arrived in Termina. Somehow, the Happy Mask Salesman recalls everything, and teaches you the Song of Healing, which you then use to revert back to your human form. At the same time, you acquire the Deku Mask, which allows you to transform into a Deku whenever you feel like being a plant. Once he antagonizes you for not getting his mask back, he tells you of its history. Apparently, the mask once belonged to a tribe who used it in their dark rituals. It was sealed away long ago, and somehow, Mr. Happy Mask Salesman got a hold of it. Now that Skull Kid has it, there's no telling what he can do. So, you're sent off, again, to get the mask back. At least this time you actually have a valid reason to do so.

The main focus of the game revolves around the concept of healing. Each of the four corners of Termina (Swamp, Mountain, Ocean, and Canyon) seemed to be plagued by something (poisoned, frozen, polluted, and haunted). Upon clearing the dungeon in these particular corners of Termina, that corner is healed of whatever was plaguing it to begin with. Not only that, but you'll find yourself healing NPCs as well. For the remaining two transformation (Goron and Zora masks), you have to heal the souls of the NPCs who give them to you.

At the same time, your focus is constantly shifted to that giant moon hanging over Termina. Yeah, that thing's falling, remember? Simply healing the land won't do much good. This is where the Giants come in. When Skull Kid summoned the moon, he also trapped the four Giants. Since they were trapped, they couldn't do anything to stop the moon. By defeating the temple bosses, you free one of the Giants. Toward the end of the game, you once again enter the top of Clock Tower, only this time, the Giants are free, and manage to hold up the moon long enough for you to warp onto its surface. It is here that you battle the final boss, Majora's Mask itself.

After you defeat the mask and drain it of its dark magic, the Happy Mask Salesman and Link depart from Termina to continue their quests. Skull Kid, now free from corruption, befriends Link, but opts to stay in Termina with his two fairies. The game ends the same way it began: with Link and Epona traveling through a dense forest.

Gameplay
For the most part, Majora's Mask's gameplay is a carbon copy of Ocarina of Time's. The obvious exception, though, is the introduction of the masks and the three day time limit. There are 24 masks in all. Four of them have the ability to transform you into either a Deku, a Goron, a Zora, or the enigmatic Fierce Deity. With each of these forms, you gain new abilities and weaknesses. While you're a Deku, you gain the ability to fly via Deku Flowers, skip across water, and shoot surprisingly powerful magic bubbles out of your nose. (Mucus, perhaps?) Sadly, you're also vulnerable to fire. Very, very vulnerable. You're a plant, after all.

As a Zora, you gain the ability to do kung-fu like the best of them, swim faster than a dolphin, and generate a field of electricity around your form. Sadly, as with the Deku, fire is deadly, so don't jump into pits of lava.

As a Goron, you possess a 100% impenetrable shell while you're in defense mode. You also have the ability to smash most everything with your fists, as well as...your butt? Odd. Anyway, along with those abilities, you can perform the signature Goron roll, as well as an upgraded roll if you have enough magic. While this is in effect, you roll much faster and you have spikes protruding from your skin. Goron Link is also immune to lava damage. Sadly, he swims about as well as a rock, so don't go diving into any deep wells.

The Fierce Deity is an odd one, to be sure. He's your most powerful form, and he takes on the same basic form as Adult Link from Ocarina of Time, only a lot more stylized with a white tunic, armor, face markings, and massive sword. There's a lot of speculation over exactly who the Fierce Deity is, ranging from him being Link's dark side to being the hero who slew the original Majora to an evil god. Regardless, the Fierce Deity is ungodly powerful, and thusly can only be used in boss rooms. The Fierce Deity mask is also acquired at the end of the game and only if you've collected all of the other masks barring the transformational ones.

Another feature that is unique to Majora's Mask is the inclusion of a 3-day time limit. Each day is roughly 24 minutes long, so the three days are around 72 minutes. (There are two special songs in the game that allow you to either skip ahead 12 hours or slow time down - you'll use them both a bit if you plan on getting everything.) As time inches forward, the moon looming above you gets ever closer. By the end of the third day, it takes up the entire skyline. At the same time, the game's NPCs are altered for every day that passes, and there are subquests that can only be completed on specific days. (The longest subquest spans the entire three days!) If you find yourself a little too close to oblivion, you can also use the Song of Time to warp back to the first day. (Doing this emptys your wallet and ammo bags, though.)

Graphics
By today's standards, Majora's Mask looks very, very bad. However, if you were to rewind a decade minus two years and took a look at it, you would've blown your load. When it was released, Majora's Mask had some of the best graphics of any video game to date, as was exemplified by its requiring the special RAM Expansion. Basically, if you planned on playing the game, you had to spend another $40 or so for the expansion. Majora's Mask was expensive to play.

For the most part, Majora's Mask's graphics were similar to Ocarina of Time's. Seeing as the same engine was used for both, this is to be expected. However, Majora's Mask wins in the graphics department by a long shot. The models were cleaner, the textures were sharper, the world was more detailed, and new animations ranging from Link dancing to doing acrobatic flips and spins when he jumped made Majora's Mask feel prettier and cleaner than any title before it.

Sounds and Music
This is the field where I truly believe Majora's Mask both shines and falls short. The sound effects are mostly recycled from Ocarina of Time with no real change. There are some new ones, but for the most part, they're the same. The music fares a lot better though. Many of the tracks are original to the game, although four of them are remixes of each other and one is a remix of the old Hyrule Field music. My personal favorite in the game is definitely the Oath to Order, as well as the music to the Stone Tower.

Difficulty Majora's Mask stands proud as one of the harder of all the Zelda games, coming in just behind the original Legend of Zelda in second and its brutal sequel, Adventure of Link, in first. Luckily, unlike those two games, Majora's Mask is hard but in a tolerable way. You won't find yourself going mad over a boss, and you won't find yourself yelling explicit language at your TV over a puzzle.

Entertainment
Majora's Mask is a very entertaining title, hence why I've played it all the way through 24 times. It has a multitude of subquests for you to complete, 24+ masks for you to collect and play with, as well as numerous other items that are just waiting to be found. Needless to say, it will keep you busy.

Ratings Gameplay: 96/100 Graphics: 87/100 Sounds and Music: 72/100 Difficulty: 98/100 Entertainment: 100/100

Overall Score: 90/100

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