• Navigation
View RSS Feed

Serra

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D Review

Rate this Entry
After 2011’s release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for the 3DS, players naturally had one question -- when would the Nintendo 64 sequel, Majora’s Mask, receive similar treatment? After all, in gaming, where remastered versions of our favorite games have long become the (disappointing) norm, the updated release of Ocarina of Time is generally regarded as an example of a remake done right. Many regard Majora’s Mask fondly, but it is one of the more unconventional entries in the Zelda franchise. Like Ocarina of Time 3D before it, the recently released Majora’s Mask 3D is a long overdue update of a phenomenal game that can once again enthrall gamers over fourteen years since its original debut.

For those who have never played it (you uncultured swine) or those who may have forgotten (you slightly less uncultured swine), Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time. After saving the Kingdom of Hyrule from Ganondorf’s machinations, Link returns to his original time to live out his life (and beyond due to soul-crushing disappointment..). However, rather than living out his life in contentment, Link sets out to find Navi, his fairy partner who left him at the end of his original journey. While searching through the Lost Woods, he eventually encounters a familiar Skull Kid who proceeds to steal the Ocarina of Time, a gift from Princess Zelda. Link chases after the mischievous Imp, but is quickly dragged into the world of Termina where the imp transforms him into the hapless form of a Deku Scrub. Link soon finds himself tasked with recovering the Ocarina, returning to his original form, and undoing the chaos the Skull Kid has been unleashing around Termina.

Unfortunately, his problems are complicated by the ever-looming threat of the rapidly descending Moon. One of the defining features of Majora’s Mask is the stress placed on players by the backdrop of the approaching apocalypse. The Skull Kid’s designs have set Termina’s moon on a crash course with the planet and Link only has three days (translated to about one hour) to complete his tasks and defeat the Skull Kid. Of course, this is impossible. It is thanks to the Ocarina of Time’s ability to manipulate the flow of time that Link is able to relive the three days from his arrival over and over as he makes gradual progress towards defeating the Skull Kid. Players need to plan their actions and build their activities around the schedule of the characters and this time limit, knowing that every three days, the world, and their progress in it, will largely reset. For veterans of the game, it’s easier to plan which tasks to complete in a given cycle, but for newcomers (or those who have forgotten much of the game), it creates additional pressure to decide how many activities to undertake in a given cycle.

The other central aspect of Majora’s Mask is the collection of two-dozen masks which Link can amass over the course of his journey. The majority of the masks can be acquired from aiding the various denizens of Termina and many provide useful benefits. These range from the ability to run faster, to the ability to talk to animals, to even the ability blow yourself up in the absence of bombs. However, the most iconic masks are the three transformation masks. Each mask can transform Link into a Deku Scrub, a Goron, or a Zora, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and playstyles. When Link dons one of these masks, it isn’t a simple transformation, but a rather tortuous animation which plays as Link takes on his new form. The pained scream as Link takes on his new form are more than a little jarring, given the familiar tone of the Zelda franchise.

In a lot of ways, Majora’s Mask is a darker game than many of its siblings. While Zelda games have typically had high stakes (Link’s iconic adversary Ganon is bent on using divine power to control the world and bend it to his will), there’s something about a pernicious prank that culminates in the destruction of an entire world just comes across as more than a little macabre. In fact, if you let time expire, the game over animation actually features the Moon crashing into Clock Town and the fiery inferno which wipes out all of Termina. And it’s not just the central quest of the game. While the main quest is fairly short (only four main dungeons), Majora’s Mask is built around the numerous side-quests and interactions with various characters around Termina. More so than many other Zelda games, Majora’s Mask forces players to become intimately involved with the lives of many of the characters Link encounters. However, Majora’s Mask’s unique use of time adds a certain element of fatalism to these encounters. In most games, when you help a character, that’s the end of it -- they thank you, they give you a reward, and their problem is resolved. That’s not the case in Majora’s Mask. For almost every character, no matter how many times you help, restarting the cycle resets Link’s progress and puts the character back to step one. Whether it’s beating Goht for the second time, watching Kafei mail his letter to Anju for the tenth time, or running past the fragment of the Great Fairy floating around Clock Town for the hundredth time, Majora’s Mask really makes you question if you have made a difference in the world.

One of the best things about the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time was the effort to not only improve the graphics, but also improve on the controls and features after over a decade. Majora’s Mask 3D similarly received some long overdue graphical updates. Of course, the textures and draw distances have been improved, but additional details have even been added to the world. For instance, the formerly barren walls of Clock Town are now adorned with posters promoting the various events planned for the upcoming festival. Unfortunately, the dark undertones of Majora’s Mask mean that some of these graphical improvements are less desirable than others. I am, of course, talking about the ever-looming Moon. Termina’s moon has always been terrifying. Imagine if the Man in the Moon was angry and looked like it wanted to crush you. Its angry grimace and distorted features are even more defined and its new visage makes you wonder how the people of Termina can stare up at such a terrifying spectacle in their sky day after day.

Of course, there are also a number of other welcome improvements. The 3DS control scheme means that players have access to more items at any given time, and can easily view the map. Honestly, I think one of the reasons I’m most excited for the upcoming Zelda for Wii U is having my maps visible at all times. The Bomber’s Notebook, used to keep track of the people and events Link has encountered, has also been tweaked to contain more information and can now be used to set alarms and reminders. Another welcome update is the overhaul to the game's save system. In the original version of Majora’s Mask, players were limited to saving when they reset time or by saving at one of a limited number of Owl Statues scattered across the world. However, the Owl saves were only temporary, putting additional pressure on players to not make any mistakes. Players are still only restricted to saving at predetermined locations, but not only are there more locations, but the saves are not as temporary. Let me highlight how much of an improvement this is. While completing one of the game’s longer quests (if you’ve played the game, you know exactly which one I’m referring to), I accidentally jumped into a river and narrowly missed a timed event. Thankfully, it was a simple matter of loading my previous save and remedying the mistake instead of having to redo the entire quest as I would have previously been forced to do.

Another major update which I would be remiss to ignore is the change to Majora’s Mask’s bosses. If you’ve played the game before, don’t expect your previous strategies to carry you through these encounters. Each boss shares the same weakness, a bulbous and unnerving eye that spouts after taking enough damage. However, they’ve all been tweaked to better require the specific mask and gameplay featured in the dungeon to do the requisite damage. For some, the fights are fairly similar to their previous incarnations. But for others, the changes are fairly drastic and will feel far more unique. There’s nothing quite like the exhilaration of competing against one of the game’s bosses during the waning moments of the three day cycle, trying to figure out the strategy and tactics to employ while you watch time tick away at the bottom of the screen.

For gamers, rereleases of classic games have become the norm. While these sometimes benefit from graphical improvements, often times it is merely a port to a new platform or generation. While I’ve got four nearly identical versions of Ocarina of Time, it was the fifth version of that game which rekindled my love and which I now play once every year. Majora’s Mask 3DS is like that. It is a long overdue update of a game that came out over a decade ago that not only stays true to the charm and character of the original, but also manages to reinvigorate those fond memories. Majora’s Mask has always been one of the most unique and creative experiments with the Zelda franchise, and even if you have played it before, I hope you pick up Majora’s Mask 3D.

http://images.bluegartr.com/bucket/g...d338f4fec8.jpg
The Goddess of Time is protecting you. If you play the Song of Time, she will aid you...

All images owned by Nintendo.

Comments