The Zelda games have been Nintendo’s strongest franchise since the ‘80s. It always featured a boy named Link trying to save the world from terror and learning more about Princess Zelda. After the events of Ocarina of Time, the future Hero of Time sets out with his steed in the Lost Woods to look for his fairy partner, Navi. There he meets a Skull Kid acting very strangely, with a mask that even defines strange. Just as Link goes up to the Skull Kid, the Skull Kid enchants Link and sends our hero into a parallel world called Termina as a Deku Scrub. Link was amazed with Termina’s striking resemblance to Hyrule. It just wasn’t as big as the place he knew was ‘home’. Our hero also noticed that the moon was undeniably bigger than usual. Link asked a few people in Clock Town what was going on. “The Moon is falling in 3 days!!!” , the villagers told Link. Puzzled by Termina’s many mysteries, Link could no longer take it. He looked for his Ocarina of Time, which he thought was the key out of this bizarre land, and it was nowhere to be found. There was a man inside the Clock Tower who’d give Link the secret into becoming the boy he once was, so he followed the strange man’s orders and became a boy once again. He suspected the events of the moon and the Skull Kid were connected. So at the dawn of night on the Third Day, Link scaled the Clock Tower to find the Skull Kid. After a fierce battle, Link picked up the Ocarina of Time and remembered the Song of Time. He played the melody, and Link went back in time. He just wasn’t at Hyrule. He was at Day One in Termina and the Skull Kid’s fairy, Tatl, joins him. The only way to get back to Hyrule was to save the world of Termina in three days. Can the Hero of Time accomplish such a feat? You take the role of Link as you venture through swamps, scale cold and rocky mountains, swim vast seas, run through meadows, or just hang around. The object of the game is to find out how Termina got into the mess it was, and to stop the person, or thing, trying to make Termina a horrible land to be in less than 3 days. It features a special internal game clock that has its own time for day and night. So it doesn’t matter if you’re in a town, the clock is still ticking. This will challenge masters of the Zelda franchise, but it should be an enjoyable experience. Unlike most of the Zelda games, you’re not trying to stop Ganon. Zelda isn’t vital to the plot of the game either. Using the same gameplay mechanics as Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask continues the tradition of the Zelda games having nice controls. Z-Targeting is back to home in on enemies. B is still the sword, and A is the Action Button. The yellow C-Buttons are there for Link to equip using the Select Item Subscreen. There, he can choose from many essentials, like magic beans or bows and arrows. Nothing at all has changed, so fans of Ocarina of Time shouldn’t have a problem with the game’s controls. As you can tell with the name, the game will feature a lot of useful masks. When the Happy Mask Salesman turns your Deku Scrub look into a mask, you can start collecting. Each mask has its own special use. There are transformation masks and happy masks. Happy masks are those you earn from citizens and can be used for fun or a little advantage on your quest. Transformation masks turn you into another life form. Whether it be a Goron, Deku, or Zora, it’s up to you. They have their own special abilities and control scheme that are very easy to figure out. They also have their own instrument rather than the Ocarina of Time. There are 20 Happy Masks and 3 Transformation maps in the game. Only the transformation masks are required to complete the game, but it won’t hurt to see what happens if you complete the game with each and every mask… It’s hard to notice it, but Majora’s Mask is visually better than Ocarina of Time. It has an upgraded frame rate, and the colors have been somewhat twined to make Termina a sad mirror of Hyrule. The water is smooth and the meadows look very realistic for an N64 title. Nintendo has also finally given Link a strap to put his sword in, and that was something missing in the previous Zelda. The share of cutscenes the game has is also visually outstanding, even by today’s standards. Visually, Majora’s Mask is great. Though people often forget that the Expansion Pak is required to play this game. The original Zelda tunes were missing in Ocarina of Time. Majora’s Mask corrects that problem by adding several classic Zelda melodies to the background while traveling and having fun. It also features some music from Ocarina of Time but also has its share of original music. The soundtrack is outstanding. The sound effects, on the other hand, haven’t been changed. Every Zelda has about the same sound effects though, so that shouldn’t affect how you play or whether you want to purchase the game or not. Like Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask has its own share of minigames to keep you busy and not so focused on your 3-Day quest. It shouldn’t matter since you can just play the Song of Time to go back anyway. Link (along with some spare change) can participate in shooting galleries, navigate through labyrinths, do horseback archery, or even look for buried treasure. There’s also many extras and sidequests to do in the game, so gamers don’t have to be so stressed into saving the world. Later in the game, you’ll play hide and seek with a few kids called ‘Bombers’. After finding them, they show their respect by presenting Link with the Official Bombers Notebook. Apparently, this gang is actually good and they like to help people. Whenever you finish a sidequest and earn a prize, it’ll be marked on your notebook. This is a good chart to count how many Heart Pieces you’ve earned. It’ll also chart any masks you may have earned. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a great game by all means. It’s unlike any Zelda game, and it only contains 4 dungeons. The sheer challenge of them all makes up for it, and they feature incredible bosses that are unimaginable. Sadly, this game isn’t for everyone. Its length, the 3-Day System, or the fact that it’s not like any other Zelda can turn off gamers. However, Majora’s Mask is a must-play, and should be enjoyed by Zelda masters or people unfamiliar with the Zelda franchise. If you do decide to purchase the game, make sure you have an N64 Expansion Pak, or else you won’t be able to play it at all.
Other Helpful Reviews for Zelda no Densetsu: Majora no Kamen (w/Memory Pack)
Ocarina of Time is, for more than 50% of the gamers, the best game ever, and trying to achieve such an amazing mark once again, Nintendo released Majora's Mask, 2 years after OOT, while most of the fans were expecting fo... Read Full Review
Ok, first off, when I first played this gamefor the first time, I beated it, not with 100%. I beated it with few masks, and few sidequests done. Now, although the story of this game is great, what makes it AWESOME are th... Read Full Review
