The most original/surprising/difficult Zelda game.
This is a hard game. No, really. Many have given up even before leaving Clock Town, the beginning area of the game. That is to say: this game is hard. You enter Clock Town and find that you are given 3 days to retrieve the Majora's Mask from Skull Kid (however, it should be noted that the time is not actually 3 days in real time, but 3 days according to the in-game clock (about 54 minutes), which is conveniently placed on the bottom of screen, so you know how much time you have left). While the 3 day limit may seem intimidating at first, you will be able to restart the clock by playing the Ocarina. There is a catch, however. You lose all your non-essential items, meaning rupees that haven't been stored in the bank, arrows, bombs, bottled items, ect. This 3 day limit seems a little annoying at first, but it will eventually grow on you and you will get used to it.
The way this game is laid out is confusing for a vast majority of the game. There are four major sectors of the game, each with its own boss, side quests, items, and enemies. Link, in order to get past some of the puzzles, needs masks that can transform him into various creatures, namely: a Deku, Goron, and Zora. There are other masks that you can collect, only they only provide a minor role that help with side quests.
The story in this game is a lot darker than any of the other Zelda games, and I kinda like it that way. It is definitely a change from the usual happy-go-lucky story that normal Zelda games follow. I won't exactly mention why the game is darker, due to spoilers.
The game play is exactly the same as Ocarina of Time's, with the same Z-targeting, control layout, and camera controls. The music is still composed by Koji Kondo (many of the classic Zelda sounds are still included), and the graphics are mainly unchanged.
Majora's Mask seems to be forgotten and lost in the shadow cast by its predecessor, OoT, but it is just as good, if not better.