“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask”: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective
What happens when you take the general plot of the Groundhog Day movie, add 2 additional days, add a Halloween atmosphere and have it starring Link from the Legend of Zelda Franchise rather than Bill Murray? You end up with the 6th (mainline) video game in the Legend of Zelda Franchise and the series’ 2nd entry for the Nintendo 64, Majora’s Mask. The 2nd 3D game of the Legend of Zelda Franchise was released in North America on October 26th in the year 2000 which also makes 2025 the game’s 25th Year Anniversary.
For the sake of those who are not in the know, Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel to the 5th (mainline) game in the franchise and the series’ 1st entry for the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time, starring the same incarnation of Link from that game (who is also known by the title of the “Hero of Time”). This also makes Majora’s Mask the 1st game in the series to chronologically take place within the “Kid Link Branch”, one of the 3 paths of history after the events of Ocarina of Time split the franchise’s famous timeline into 3 separate branches. Following the example of the 4th (mainline) game in the franchise, Link’s Awakening, Majora’s Mask doesn’t take place in the kingdom of Hyrule with this particular game being set in a parallel dimension known as “Termina” which provides an “in-universe” explanation for the character models that are recycled from Ocarina of Time. In order to complete Majora’s Mask, Link has 3 (in-game) days to prevent the moon from crashing into Termina and he must play the Song of Time to relive these same 3 days until he succeeds in this goal.
The moon from Majora’s Mask was the stuff of nightmares
Besides the surreal horror present throughout Termina, the Halloween vibe of the game is also present in the use of masks from a story perspective and a gameplay perspective. Besides the game’s namesake, the bosses of the 4 temples of Termina also wear masks and said masks act as the game’s “plot coupons” to collect in order to face off against the final boss. While Link was able to wear masks in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask allows Link to wear a total of 24 masks with 20 of those masks having miscellaneous effects when worn (such as Link becoming faster when he wears the Bunny Hood or being invisible to most enemies when he wears the Stone Mask). The 4 other masks actually transform Link with 3 of these masks transforming him into different species from the Legend of Zelda Franchise (Deku Scrub, Goron & Zora) while the 4th mask (the Fierce Deity’s Mask) is the prize for collecting the other 23 masks and can be obtained mere seconds before facing off against the final boss.
In another manner of following the example of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask would receive a remake on the Nintendo 3DS. This remake was released on February 13th of the year 2015 which is rather amusing as it was released within the same month as Groundhog Day. The 3DS remake brought some significant changes compared to the Nintendo 64 version of the game, such as the owl statues now creating permanent save states rather than suspended save states while playing the Song of Time no longer saves the game. The notable changes are why many gamers debate over whether the Nintendo 64 version or the Nintendo 3DS remake should be considered the “definitive” version of Majora’s Mask.
Whether it’s being the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, the surreal horror atmosphere that encompasses the land of Termina or being the game that introduced the infamous Tingle, Majora’s Mask certainly made an impression on those who played it over the 25 years of its life so far. The fact that other video games within the series have acknowledged its contributions certainly helps in ensuring the legacy of the series’ 2nd entry for the Nintendo 64. It also helps that these acknowledgements aren’t limited to just its home series but also appear in franchises that reach a wider audience, such as the Super Smash Bros. Franchise. Overall, I feel confident in saying that Majora’s Mask became a defining experience for many gamers for a quarter of a century now.
The post “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask”: A 25th Anniversary Retrospective appeared first on Anime Superhero News.
What happens when you take the general plot of the Groundhog Day movie, add 2 additional days, add a Halloween atmosphere and have it starring Link from the Legend of Zelda Franchise rather than Bill Murray? You end up with the 6th (mainline) video game in the Legend of Zelda Franchise and the series’ 2nd entry for the Nintendo 64, Majora’s Mask. The 2nd 3D game of the Legend of Zelda Franchise was released in North America on October 26th in the year 2000 which also makes 2025 the game’s 25th Year Anniversary.
In another manner of following the example of Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask would receive a remake on the Nintendo 3DS. This remake was released on February 13th of the year 2015 which is rather amusing as it was released within the same month as Groundhog Day. The 3DS remake brought some significant changes compared to the Nintendo 64 version of the game, such as the owl statues now creating permanent save states rather than suspended save states while playing the Song of Time no longer saves the game. The notable changes are why many gamers debate over whether the Nintendo 64 version or the Nintendo 3DS remake should be considered the “definitive” version of Majora’s Mask.
Whether it’s being the direct sequel to Ocarina of Time, the surreal horror atmosphere that encompasses the land of Termina or being the game that introduced the infamous Tingle, Majora’s Mask certainly made an impression on those who played it over the 25 years of its life so far. The fact that other video games within the series have acknowledged its contributions certainly helps in ensuring the legacy of the series’ 2nd entry for the Nintendo 64. It also helps that these acknowledgements aren’t limited to just its home series but also appear in franchises that reach a wider audience, such as the Super Smash Bros. Franchise. Overall, I feel confident in saying that Majora’s Mask became a defining experience for many gamers for a quarter of a century now.
