Majora's Mask is dark and twisted, but also compelling, original and entertaining
GRAPHICS:
This game uses the same basic graphics as Ocarina of Time, and, for an N64 title, it looks really good. However, since the game uses the Expansion Pak, it has slightly better graphics, which are more noticiable in the details that Termina has, which is a smaller world compared to Hyrule Field, but has much more going on. Characters also animate more, and have more motions than before. There are some ocasional frame rate drops when the screen is too busy, but nothing too major, and the textures are never blury. 5/5
SOUND:
Sound design in this game is something special. Some tunes you will not stand to listen again, like the Clock Town music, but others are just magnificent, like Song of Healing and the Stone Tower Temple music, which are really beautiful and pleasant to listen to. Sound effects are also very pleasing, like blowing up sound and slashing sound, which are the same as Ocarina, but still work just as well. 4.5/5
STORY:
This game takes place in the world that Zelda sent Link after he destroyed Ganon in Ocarina, where he and her are kids. While looking for Navi in the Lost Woods, he is attacked by a Skull Kid and two faries, who steal his ocarina and horse, and gets turned into a Deku Scrub by him.
So Link is pretty screwed in the begining, and he also is somehow transported in a parelel dimension to Hyrule, a world called Termina. This world was cursed to die in 3 days by the Skull Kid, with its moon crashing into it, and it is up to Link to save the world, return his items and to his normal form and return to Hyrule.
The setting of this game is very different from the previous Zelda games. Besides a different shift in place, the tone of the game is very different. It is so dark, with you knowing what will happen, regardless of anything, and characters are also much deeper, and have problems that you can solve. Besides that, the feel of the game is much more different, and it makes you care for the characters and for that world. This storyline is very compeling, and really, really beautiful in the end. Quoting another game reviewer, after you get passed though all the grim stuff the game has, you will see that it is about healling. All the areas of Termina are poisoned in some way, and you have to rid these lands of the curses that they have.
So, in the end, Majora is a much more complex game than Ocarina, and while the dark tone of the game can turn off some, those who endure it will have a very satisfying conclusion. 5/5
GAMEPLAY:
The game is a 3D action adventure. You play as young Link, going around the land of Termina healling it, so in the end you can confront the Skull Kid and his mask (the eponymous Majora's Mask) to end his evil deeds.
The gameplay itself is the same as Ocarina of Time, with you going around an overworld, beating dungeons and their bosses, and rince and repeat until you get to the end. The formula is intact here, with cleverly designed puzzles and a good mix of them and action. Exploration is also very rewarding, with over 50 Pieces of Heart that you can collect in the game. Every 4 equal another Heart Container, and having as many as possible is always nice. The items, like the Hookshot and the Bow, work like they did in Ocarina, and while an aiming reticule for them would have been nice, they still are very fun to use
While the dungeons are a lot of fun and can take a ot of time to figure out, there are only 4 in the game, the lowest number in any Zelda game. This may lead to some thinking that the game is very short, but it really isn't. This game is filled with side quests, which will reward you with pieces of heart or masks (I will go over that down there). They can range from simple, like getting stolen luggage from a bandit, to really big and complex, like reuniting a couple.
This focus on puzzles can turn down many, since people mostly like the dungeons of Zelda games, their puzzles and the combat, and Majora has a much more different structure. However, this really isn't a problem, since it gets you more into the world, and makes you care for the characters. Plus, while a bunch of the side quest are fetch quest, they are rarely boring, and in the end are always compeling to do. Clock Town also has much more than the Hyrule Castle area, with minigames galore to play, and being the main place for the quests. Exploring the town always reveals something new.
As stated earlier, you can also collect a bunch of mask in this game. Now Ocarina had masks to get, but they were only for side quest and not very important, while Majora has more than twenty, and a full page from the menu for them. They can range from something optional like the Bunny Hood, which makes you run faster, to obligatory ones, like the transformation into a Deku Scrub. As I just said, some mask make Link transform in different creatures, which are a Deku, a Goron and a Zora. They are essential for completing the game, and have their own unique features, and are all quite interesting to use. Again, some may find the transformations gimmicky and obnoxious, but they enhance the gameplay, and make Link see in the eyes of other races, and normaly have compeling stories behind them. If you collect them all, in the final area you get another one, which can only be used in bosses, but is very powerfull and satisfying to use
Like the previous game, the ocarina itself also plays a big role in it. Link has to learn 11 songs in the game, and each have a different effect. Some, like the New Wave Bossa Nova, you will only play once to open a dungeon, while other, like the Song of Healling, have multiple uses in different places of the game. None of them is more important that the Song of Time, however. Since you only have 3 days to save Termina, you have to keep going back in time to be able to save it effectively. This is another of Majora's main feature, that Link can go back 3 days in the past to do his actions again. This is a mixed bag, since it is a unique feature, and creates a sense of urgency to beat the game, but it also is the only way to save the game, and you lose all of your items after doing it, so you will have to get a bunch of bombs and arrows again. Saving like this sucks, specially if you are in the middle of a dungeon, since you lose all your progress in a dungeon, such as stray faries for the Great Fairy side quest and keys. You only don't lose the main item of the dungen, such as the map and the item you got into it, such as the Hero's Bow. It is also incredibly frustrating to save a land, only to play the song of time and all the bad things will return to it, and you have beat the dungeon boss again to save the land.
Considering all the side quest and main quest, this a huge game that will have player playing the Song of Time a bunch of times, and will take a lot of time to fully complete it. Even completing the main quest will take quite sometime, since there is a lot to do before getting to the dungeon.
4.7/5
PERSONAL FAUTLS:
As you all know, the control stick for the N64 is the biggest abomination created for mankind, and having to hold it forward for so long in this game will really hurt your thumb, so be prepare for blisters.
OVERALL:
Majora's Mask is very compelling and fun to play, despite so bad decisions in the 3 days structure. It is also very unique, and any gamer looking for something unique and enjoyable should check it out.
The good:
-Compeling, twisted tale to tell
-Dungeons, puzzles and combat are still a lot of fun
-Items are varied and cool to use
-Soundtrack is mostly phenomenal
-Makes you get into the world and care about it, which it succeeds in doing to
-Masks have varied uses, are fun to collect, and have an amazing bonus at the end
The bad:
-3 day structure and saving system are faulty
-Is very diferent from other Zelda game, so some players can feel awkward in the begining
-N64 controler will rap* your fingers