Majora’s Mask – Nintendo’s Fluke

Majora’s Mask (along with LTTP) represent the pinnacle of the Zelda franchise. I really hope future games are able to instill that sense of awe and wonder.

I’m just psyched it’s going to finally come out in Wiiware. Hopefully they’ll do the alternate missions or whatever those were as well.

I agree, Majora’s Mask was a true “Mature” title. I never played it on the N64, but almost finish it on the GCN collection disc until I gave up on the buggy and glitchy port.

This article is VERY well done and you’ve raised a lot of interesting and thought provoking points. I’m gonna have to think about this for a bit…

Wow, 4cr, you guys are aligned to my tastes with these Zelda-related articles, despite the fact that there is a disagreement. I’m always afraid of mentioning Majora’s Mask as my ultimately favorite experience within the Zelda series, as the conversation often degrades to “You must be EFFIN JOKING!”

Thank you for this one. I felt that Majora’s Mask was far more interesting, challenging, original, and complex than any of the Zelda titles that preceded it. It’s one of my favorite time-travel mechanics if only for the fact that despite other games attempting to executing such moments, it still comes across as completely unique… Man, thanks 4CR, and thanks Gregory. This article is why I come here in the first place.

Majora’s Mask was the Zelda game I looked forward to the most. I used to follow every preview and news story from IGN (when it was actually good). When the postman delivered it on that saturday morning I actually opened the door and shouted thank you across the street to him.

Usually this causes a massive anti-climax but this was the only game that managed to withstand the hype on the run up. The game was fantastic and I absolutely loved the mood, the last evening of your three days accompanied with the eerie end of the world music still sends a chill through me.

It is unfortunatley something that is missing from modern games, Twilight princess was not a bad game. Midna and Link especially has more emotion than most games but they are just missing something.

I’m glad somebody actually put this into words. Thanks 4cr.

I agree, Majora`s Mask is one of faves. It’s just… twisted somehow, like everything is a bit… off, it’s hard to get a finger on. The world is falling apart, and Link attempts to fix a little bit each time he goes back in time, but no matter what, when he goes back, everything will be broken again.

The dead Deku Scrub at the beginning is one of the darkest things I’ve seen in a game, given when you meet it’s father, and you get this weird feeling, like you know something tragic, but they are oblivious to it. Plus Majora’s Mask is just… creepy. I mean, just stare at it for a few moments.

Great article!

Jokes, as soon as I mention MM in that other thread about this shitty GDC, someone makes a post about this here.

Disagreed about the last part of the article.
Nintendo and their head developers (Aonuma) will never take another leap of faith not because of an inability, but the contrary, because they can. They didn’t make Majora’s Mask because they were given a chance, but because they weren’t given a chance to do otherwise.
I know where you’re coming from and I agree with your points, but MM’s quality is a quality for the niche, and Nintendo’s current game quality is the quality for the masses. Nintendo should rightfully choose what is quality based on how many people will enjoy it. Just don’t see their current time a low point for them, because it’s only a low point for you and me.

Majora’s Mask was the first Zelda game I ever finished all the way through and after playing most of the other console Zelda games, it remains one of my favorites. The Kafei-Anju side story really made the game for me and left Majora’s Mask one of the most memorable gaming experiences.
Talking of mature games, Sadness( http://tinyurl.com/cj3xrh ) by Nibris has great potential to inspire more game makers to explore complex emotions. The game creates the genre of psychological horror and claims to deal with the ideas of schizophrenia and narcolepsy. I have no idea if this will become one of those lost, great ideas, and it very well might, but as of now the website is still up and there is a release date of Fall 2009. Sadness might be the first game in a while to actually earn the 17+ rating.

Very nice article.

Great article!
Majora’s Mask has always been my favorite of the series, but most the fans of TLoZ wouldn’t agree with me. Glad I’m not the only one who thinks MM is such a wonderfully done game.

BRILLIANT. YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT. I remember borrowing this from a friend in fourth grade and being really put off by it. Like you said, everything just seems a little bit off. I need to get a hold of this again…

There were elements in Super Mario Galaxy that I found surprisingly mature.

Rosalina’s story book deals with death– The death of a parent. It’s not quite to the same extent as Majora’s Mask, but I found the storybook parts really moving. I found myself collecting stars just so that I could read the next chapter.

My hope is that Nintendo still occasionally has these flukey, mature moments because when they do them, they do them well.

For me, Majora’s Mask was and still is the best Zelda game out there. I really liked that everyone had their everyday routine, so wehn you were looking for someone you actually had to find them.

And you’re actually right, I think the setting/mood of the game is what makes people remember this game more than others.

Great article for two reason;

1. I agree that Majora’s Mask is by far the greatest Zelda game ever. Simply because of the art direction, the atmosphere, the situation and content. This article sums up why this game is in fact awesome. Something most gamers don’t understand yet.

2. The article addresses what an actual Mature game is. I actually don’t like how games are rated M in fact. Why? Because maturity has nothing to do with the content usually, but simply the blood, sex and so forth. We don’t give a Mature rating to a graphic movie, it’s rated with an R for restricted. Meaning not everyone can see it.

In a lot of cases a game rated M is not rated for it’s level of maturity. Or that only mature gamers can play it… because maturity isn’t something you gained magically from turning 18, maturity is developed over time and comes to people at different points in their life.

I think a lot of players should read this, the gamers who think that they are mature because they play mature games.

Anyways great read, and well written and well thought out.

It is quite clear that the design of the DS Zelda games are chosen to aim in a “safe realm”. It is quite similar to what they did on the GameBoy Color. Zelda handhelds, while amazing, will always be lackluster to the console counterparts.

I’ve always been intrigued by Majora’s Mask but I haven’t beaten it or gotten very far because of the difficulty. There was always a sense of impending doom that I felt while playing it as a kid, I guess that’s why I wasn’t driven to complete the game. When you’re a young boy all you want is an easy ride when it comes to game difficulty. I’ll probably beat it now.

@videogamerj

I kind of disagree with you there. Sure, most of the handheld Zelda games have been safe and vaguely forgettable. However, the very first one, Link’s Awakening, was a huge departure from the previous Zelda games (at least, in terms of narrative).

It’s a relatively simple game, but Link’s Awakening has one of the most haunting endings of any Zelda game.

Since Majora’s Mask, there’s no possible GREAT Zelda without a recovering of the living world, full of autonomous characters with provate lifes, that Termina and Clock Town represented. The Zelda franchise also needs new deep and emotive stories like the one of Creamia, the bandits, the alienas and his ranch, the Anju & Kafei one, the Ikana Valley mummy and daughter, the North Town robbery event, the four giants and the apocalypse, etc. etc. etc.

Since Majora’s Mask, there’s no possible GREAT Zelda without a recover of the living world, full of autonomous characters with provate lifes, that Termina and Clock Town represented. The Zelda franchise also needs new deep and emotive stories like the one of Creamia, the bandits, the alienas and his ranch, the Anju & Kafei one, the Ikana Valley mummy and daughter, the North Town robbery event, the four giants and the apocalypse, etc. etc. etc.

WindWaker is my favorite Zelda game. It evokes some of the greatest moments in my gaming life. I neves playes MM, but after I read this I will definitely download it when it comes to the VC. Maybe I should go deeper in the Nintendo games I once played…

Majora’s Mask is hands down my favorite Zelda. Followed closely by Wind Waker and Ages/Seasons. Don’t get me wrong, Ocarina is AMAZING, Phantom is neat, Minish is a hoot, Twilight is compelling and Link’s Awakening is a Gem, but I was Sooo invested in my top three.

It took me 3 years to finish Majora. But I finished it. I conquered it. I had to. I had become so invested in that town and those people, I HAD to save them. I needed to!

Going to the farm on Day 3 WITHOUT stopping the invasion is heart breaking! Man! I love that game!

Maybe one day when I finally beat Ocarina Master Quest (soooo close!!!) I’ll play the Gamecube version.

I wanted to add this link to an article about Majora’s Mask;

http://www.zeldauniverse.net/articles/the-legend/the-message-of-majoras-mask/

It’s an incredibly great read into all the fine details of the game and themes that seem to exude within the game.

It’s really excellent read and interesting to think about whether you agree or not. There are several parts altogether. I read it and even learned a few new things I never would’ve known even.

Oh and PS 4CR:

Where’d you find the large images from Majora’s Mask.

I’ve been looking for some of the official art from that game for ages. I’ve found some but they are all low resolution and sadly not quite as nice to look at.

Thanks!

it’s like you’re reading my mind, STOP READING MY MIND! *wow my gf’s sister is hot* STOP IT!

@ Maverickk

I found the images using Google Image Search and setting the size to “large” (or maybe “extra large,” I forget).

Mostly they came from wallpapers.

I was put off by the feeling I only had 72 hours. I’ve been meaning to play it again and try and beat it.

My favorite Zelda games are Link’s Awakening and Minish Cap. You should write an article on either of those.

I don’t take issue with anything you said about why Majora’s Mask was great; however, don’t just blame Nintendo for being conservative. Look at what Zelda fans actually buy. What are the two least successful home console Zelda games of all time? Yep, you guessed it…Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker. Both of those games were excoriated by fans essentially for not being retreads of Ocarina of Time. Then Twilight Princess came out and was a fairly unimaginative rehash…and it became the 2nd best-selling Zelda of all time, after OoT.

Thank you for the article. Majora’s Mask gets way more hate than it ever should. I’ve never understood this.

Thanks for the article! Great.

@FOONT

I couldn’t agree more. Something about Rosalina’s story really set something off in the game. I didn’t feel like I was playing a Mario game anymore. Even though the colors were bright and the music, at the surface, was like a lullaby, there was still a pull of emotion with every line I read. The music even felt sad to me.

We need more mature and pulling moments like these. This article needs to be noticed by heads of Nintendo.

Nice article. I never really loved Majora’s Mask, but after reading I can definitely picture the themes of hopelessness and impending doom. At the time I played it I definitely knew it was something unique, but I guess I didn’t appreciate the overly-complex and repetitive nature of the game.

I’ve had the same opinion about “Mature” games. Violence and nudity? These are not things that stimulate the “mature” parts of my brain. Give me something intelligent.

I think your right, part of it had to do with the ps1 taking over the n64 in gaming public’s eye. I remember hearing Nintendo gave the Zelda team 2 years to come up something using OOT engine to help make up for there loss. I think the team was under pressure to 1up the games that were coming out on ps1 at the time(FF IX, Chrono Cross, in matter of fact I think MM came out the same day as the PS2), that they felt that they needed to come up with something different. Now that pressure is gone. as Nintendo knows know they can poop out a Zelda game every other year with little to no challenge and Millions of people will still buy it.

Fabulous article, though I think it might lean a little too heavily on the “it’s really mature” angle. That said, there’s a *lot* of great insight on what makes Majora’s Mask such a unique game… among all games, really.

Thanks for writing it!

people always talk about casual games/hardcore games

i’d call majora’s mask one of few games that are actually.. hardcore

it’s not casual. it’s oppressing. it’s depressing. so, so, so depressing. it’s touching, i can’t even describe it. i’m glad you’ve mostly put into words how i feel about the game and the connection it manages to make with the player, or even the viewer. there’s so much to it.

and it’s genuinely challenging. the dungeons are some of the hardest in any zelda game. the game doesn’t encourage you to play it. like you said, you’re constantly faced with this danger and fear and it’s enough to really make you give up. this might be venturing a bit, but i think that as you make these connections with the people, you realise that you’re the one who has to save them, and push through the dungeons.

what a surreal game.

my favourite line of the article was “Majora’s Mask and Wind Waker are arguably the two most ambitious games that Nintendo has ever made and neither of them would be approved if they were being pitched today.”

they’re easily the best zeldas, i think. there’s just so much emotion in them, along with fantastic gameplay.

also they have the best music. ww’s music is so inspiring, mm’s music is so twisted.

@LeXxXiNgToN

Yeah Majora’s Mask did release on the exact same date as the PS2.

I remember pre-ordering the game at EB, and I went in to pick it up and they asked if I was there for the PS2, and mentioned he couldn’t wait for FFX. I was just like, give me my Majora’s Mask thank you.

I played it all night and loved it. Instant classic for me. I honestly feel as though Majora’s Mask just had everything going against it… for starters to release on the same day as a brand new “next gen” system can really steal the the spotlight from a great game.

Not to mention people were so hung up on Ocarina of Time (a lot of so called Nintendo fans still are) that they couldn’t see what was great about Majora’s Mask, and instead just saw 4 dungeons don’t equal as deep as a game as Ocarina of Time.

I’m not sure if Nintendo pumps out Zelda games knowing people are just going to buy it. I think Miyamoto is still daring enough to mix things up. For the most part I think they produced Twilight Princess just to try and shut up all the people clamoring for the next OoT. Now they’ve probably seen numerous people still whine and complain (despite them going back to a more realistic style), so my hope is they will simply say “FU whiney gamers, instead we are going to create the Zelda we want, and when we want it”.

I honestly don’t know how they can stand it. I can’t stand the constant complaints like “where’s my Zelda?” and “it’s been two years and no new Zelda trailer” and “Twilight Princess was not epic enough” and blah blah blah.

My question to everyone here is this;

Were gamers this whiny 10 years ago??? I feel as though the game snob attitude has gotten worse and worse over the generations. I mean I remember the constant Nintendo Vs. Sega rivalry, but that isn’t the same as the game snobs we have today I think. Also I found people weren’t that whiny, they enjoyed and loved the games they played. Just curious.

@Maverickk:

Gamers were definitely just as whiny ten years ago. The difference is that they can be more vocal through the internet.

Majora’s Mask has a life and charm about it the other Zelda games just don’t have.

It’s a world, complete and whole, that I can visit and inhabit and impact in ways other games won’t allow. It’s a world populated by some of the most fascinating characters I’ve come across, characters I can follow around and get to know for three full days. It’s a world I’m not simply destined to save; It’s a world I CHOOSE to save.

It’s a strange feeling. I’ve spent months getting to know this world, yet its residents have only known me for three days, and that’s all they will ever know of me, yet I’m their only hope.

I’ve had to come within seconds of the end of the world countless times in order to save it. No other game makes me feel so insignificant and so vital at the same time.

And the music. Cripes, the music is wonderful.

Man, so much about Majora’s Mask these days, its odd… I just played through this game again in the past month, and wrote a blog about it that in ways mirrors this post:

http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8984360&publicUserId=5584711

Regarding mature storylines:

Children’s stories are one method culture uses to educate its youth.

Look at the old children’s stories from our own culture, and compare them to what is marketed as suitable for children today–what happened to the wonder, the danger, the trickster elements? As a generalization, not only do the new stories lack complex emotional states, they fail to provide a solid base upon which a mature understanding of the world can be (later) built.

Majora’s Mask is therefore quite interesting as a game: as noted above, it places the player as a completely powerless avatar wholly incapable of saving Termina. Note that the player’s emotional state is a key aspect of MM–as the game unfolds, the player experiences both repeated loss and hope, even as Link grows in power/capability. Moreover, through repetition and gained experience, the player will personally mature and view identical interactions with new knowledge/understanding.

Indeed, by the time Link is capable of saving Termina, the player is performing this act with a gained compassion and understanding for the characters that did not exist when the N64 was first powered on. Additionally, although many of the in-game characters will not have had any knowledge of Link, the player inevitably directs Link to save the town.

I agree with your definition of mature wholeheartedly and second your opinion on the greatness of Majora’s Mask’s themes, but I think that Phantom Hourglass is the best DS game on the market. I did not have a problem with the controls whatsoever and I actually found the characters and story to be motivating and enticing.

Wow, that was well written AND it was about video games!
I find this combination to be a rarity and it’s a shame there aren’t more people who know what they’re talking about doing this sort of thing.
I rarely bookmark and come back to a page I find through reddit but I think I’ll have to make an exception here.

A pretty thorough analysis, you put in words the reason why Majora Mask, Link’s Awakenning and Final Fantasy VI are my favourite games. This ability to evoke sadness, fear, angst, loss or genuine (though cheesy) romantic feelings (“You’ve got Marin…” :-D) was what made it for me.

I was a bit underwhelmed by Ocarina of Time, personally. The story was too much of a rehash of A Link to the Past, the world was too empty, and I was expecting graphics on par with what MM delivered.

The Wind Waker was a good surprise

Amen, my friend. I remember making a comment back when the Wii was announced (and the innernets lit up with Nintendo bashing) about how gratuitous boobs and blood are not signs of maturity; rather, quite the opposite. It was of course met with flames. Let’s hope we see some video games in our lifetime that evoke emotional reactions along the lines of cinematic masterpieces like “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Life is Beautiful”, and “The Godfather Part 2″. Sure, these films contain some boobs and blood, but the use is far from gratuitous. Their maturity comes from the depth of the viewer’s connection with the characters.

This article makes me want to go back and play MM again.

This was mentioned already, but its definately work checking out if you liked this article. It evaluates the inherent themes withing Majora’s Mask, and reached pretty high up in the charts on digg.

http://digg.com/nintendo/The_Message_of_Majora_s_Mask

http://www.zeldainformer.com/2008/05/the-message-of-majoras-mask.php

You did a great job at explaining to me why I like that game so much. All the stuff that my subconscious registered and created all those emotion, you just writed them into words.

Great reading!

Great article! For years I’ve been trying to spread praise for Majora’s Mask, but have been faced with all too many people who quickly disregard it (often because they were unable to make it past the first 3 days, oddly enough- and yet these same gamers demand a more challenging Zelda. Odd). For me, it truly is THE most artistic game, and quite possibly my favourite game.

On the music side of things, whenever I listen to the orchestrated version of the music box song, which on the surface is very happy and clownish, I can’t help but be reminded of the circumstances of the song, and the tragedy therein.

I would very much like to mention a few other games here though.

First of all, Metroid Prime, though it’s story isn’t much, captures the atmosphere and loneliness of the Tallon IV so well, that it deserves praise for artistry. Also, check out Bryyo’s back story in Metroid Prime 3. A shockingly good mature bit of story in an otherwise cookie-cutter storyline.

Now for Okami. Perhaps it’s just me, but I found Okami’s story to be truly touching, and it does endeavour to challenge people’s views and make changes in their lives, both religious and environmental. There is a poignancy to this world as well. The bright colours again serve to increase this sense, because of the looming threat.
*Note of interest: in the real world, Yami (industry and technology), not Amaterasu (nature and religion), won, or is winning at any rate. Something to ponder.

Finally, I would just like to quickly touch on Link’s Awakening. Though for the most part it is your usual video game fare, the ending scene is one of the most emotionally true moments in gaming.

Note that I have not yet played ICO or Shadow of the Colossus, though I desperately want to. And does anyone know if Sadness is actually going to come out, or if it’s MIA.

Majora’s Mask is my second fav game Twillight Princess is my #1 FAV

Majora’s Mask is my second fav game Twillight Princess is my #1 FAV

Dang, you hit the nail on the head. This was like reading my thoughts in someone else’s words. Majora’s Mask is definitely the best game. There is no doubt. I didn’t play it until about a year ago, and it instantly made itself my favorite. The only game that even comes close to tying it is Final Fantasy VI (another dark game that you mentioned in your article). And both are very dark, very mature games.

wow… that’s all I can say. …Wow…
Never mind I’ve found words, anyway, While I have never played MM, I think that you are totally right. Nintendo needs to pick up their slack. I need that inovation you are talking about, we all do. Nintendo, while still making amazing games, Has really never strayed from their original formula… I’m sorry but Nintendo needs to do better. I want to LIVE Zelda, I want to EXPLORE Hyrule, I want something new, something fresh. Nintendo needs to take Zelda to the truly mature level of gaming, I’m not talking rated M, I mean the Dark atmosphere, The SERIOUSNESS of real life, The Depression, the saddness.
All the things we experience in real life. I want to play a game that is so deep that it prys into my feelings, for example, The Minish Cap, I don’t know what it was, someting was depressing and real about that game, I actually cried after beating it… I want a Zelda game that is so real, so dark, that I cry again.

Very Well done Article! I’m Working on finishing Majora’s Mask right now and am very impressed with it. It will DEFINITELY be in my top 5 best Zelda games ever. By the way I never thought of MM in this new way you have presented. After I read I really had to take a sec and think about it. (By the way totally agree with you on the whole “what people is ‘mature’ is sooooo Immature”.

P.S. I TOTALLY 200% AGREE with Evan. (the person who commented before me.)
I want to live Zelda. When I beat Twilight Princess (first Zelda Game I completed)
I felt as though a part of me was gone, and if I still had the game (and had no other Zelda games I have never completed before) I would play it over and over and over again!!!!!!!! I want a game that grabs ahold of my heart, and soul and makes me feel like I AM the chosen one, and the hope of everyone depends on me. (I know a little deep) I want a game that makes me want more. Not something I can’t wait defeat and get rid of.

this is the best article ive ever read and i agree

I second you on everything you said. Majora’s Mask is a masterpiece. And I’m looking for a Zelda that is as innovative as it was.

i compleatly agree. i am tired of seeing games make best sellers just because of the body count in the game. the players need to grow at an emotional level ant it has to have an itreging story line. majoras mask made me feel these things as i fought to try and get through the dungeons in the small time they gave me. nintendo needs something new. mabey instead of a quest to save the princess the hero can be involved on a personal level and be questing for revenge starting out following his own selfish needs

I just have to say WOW! Finally an article that really explains what made Majoras Mask so great for me, also it tells why Twilight Princess wasn’t so enjoyable compared to older Zelda games.

Great article indeed.

I think this article just cost me 1000 Wii Points. I need to replay Majora’s Mask now.

I played through Majora’s Mask once before, but I don’t think I really got it then. Sure I got all the masks and beat the villain, but… that’s not the point of the game, is it? If you play through Majora’s Mask fixed on the goal, the time limit will annoy you, the save system will have you curse at the screen and generally it’ll be an unpleasant time.

But now I see that it’s intentional. The game really did feel hopeless in the beginning. The world is in a sad state, depression and corruption everywhere. People are sad, the environment polluted and there’s a freaking moon hitting in 72 hours! Worse, the usual solution of “Apply sword to villain.” solution to everything isn’t working. Even if you could take out Majora, it won’t save the world. It’ll just die slowly rather than in a fire.

In the beginning, Termina isn’t worth saving.

Letting the moon hit is more an act of mercy than anything. But… we (the player and Link) can’t do, can we? We’re “The Hero of Time”, the biggest hero in the history of ever. Courage incarnate. If the world isn’t worth saving, we’ll MAKE it worth saving. Even if we don’t have any of the powers of awesome we used to have. And that’s the whole point of the game:

To make Termina worth saving.

When you’re done, handbook filled out, all masks in hand, Termina is a pretty nice place, actually. People are happier,
nature’s balance is restored and the only thing left to do, is doing what Link does best: “Apply sword to villain.” End the time loop, collapse all the timelines together and restore Termina, not to what it once was, but to what it deserves to be.

That’s why saving Termina is so awesome. Because YOU made it a world worth saving.

Tanget time! I think I just realized what the Fierce Deity Mask is. The Deku, Goron and Zora masks are made from the pain of a creature: Deku Link, the Goron and the Zora (forgot both names), distilled into mask form for Link to use. The Fierce Deity mask is made from the healed pain of Termina as a whole. That’s why it’s so obscenely powerful. It’s the will of everyone to defy armageddon and finally save the world.

Very interesting site. Hope it will always be alive!

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i agree completely , i hav played lots of zelda games and i think that mm is geniouse , but u really hav to play oot to understand why is is so great. it is dark down to the detail , where the ultimatly good hero , link , even takes an evil turn , but it it difficult to notic this . like in this game , as i interperate this , uses the ocaina to steal the souls of dieing and then takes their form to help him fight and stop the moon , which looks remarkably like a skull from destroying the earth .and that all that you actualy do is meaningless in the end ,. save the zora babies , then restart the day and u can do the dungion but the eggs still die in the end :oops: , but it is still the best zelda game going and nintendo does need to redefine its story like in mm , because all games after that are just oot copies , i thought that tp would be differnt but then in the end its still gannons fault , or even just change the game is played wind waker , is great because its like no othere in game play terms , but till mm is amazing and i still havent finnished it but im looking forward to doing so

i agree completely , i hav played lots of zelda games and i think that mm is geniouse , but u really hav to play oot to understand why is is so great. it is dark down to the detail , where the ultimatly good hero , link , even takes an evil turn , but it it difficult to notic this . like in this game , as i interperate this , uses the ocaina to steal the souls of dieing and then takes their form to help him fight and stop the moon , which looks remarkably like a skull from destroying the earth .and that all that you actualy do is meaningless in the end ,. save the zora babies , then restart the day and u can do the dungion but the eggs still die in the end :oops: , but it is still the best zelda game going and nintendo does need to redefine its story like in mm , because all games after that are just oot copies , i thought that tp would be differnt but then in the end its still gannons fault , or even just change the game is played wind waker , is great because its like no othere in game play terms , but till mm is amazing and i still havent finnished it but im looking forward to doing so

sorry i didnt mean to say that twice but thats how much i mean it

I am the same way. Majora’s Mask is my favorite video game.
Ever.
And for all these years, I could only tell people that I liked the colors and visuals, the gameplay, and the music. Which are good reasons for liking any game, sure, but I never thought it quite did my feelings justice. I also realized that I like heartwrenching stories fighting for a happy ending, and that the game had that in spades, too, but that still didn’t quite cover it.

So thank you for articulating what so many of us have felt, but been unable to say, about the game for all these years.

It will be hard for any game to really match what Majora’s Mask delivered, and maybe almost impossible, since it was MM that was truly the start, the original.

Greg, my friend, you have my respects.Great article.

there´s something about majora´s mask that feels different from other zelda games. That something is the fact that you get to know each and every person that you help, to the point that you not only have to help them, you WANT to.
The other fact that also strikes me is the music. As twisted as the game thematic. There´s nothing as the contrast of listening to that eerie melody of Clock Town from the third day, wich really brings you a feeling of doom drawing close, and the sweet yet sad song of healing. It makes you feel
sad, but then you remember Mikau, Darmani, and even yourself, And that brings you hope and pushes you to continue until you save everyone. Again, MM has something special.
Even now, everytime I try to do a new game the farthest I can get to is to Ikana, because I just can´t get past the story of Pamela´s father. I´m not sure if it´s because of the father´s grotesque state or the fact that the poor girl has to deal with the horrible secret.
Majora´s Mask can make you feel that way because it really takes you inside the game in every way. You get involved with Termina and that takes your emotions out.
That´s really what I´m looking as a gamer, and I can say freely that MM is the most mature game I have ever played, and takes a special place in my heart because all the memories it has given to me. I will remember every single character, but most of all, I will never forget Anju and Kafei. Every time I remember them I can almost cry. Bigger than OoT (at least emotionally) for me, that´s for sure.

Very impressive article. Majora’s Mask is one of the last games I’d expect to see analytical writing on.

I never really thought about it, and I was one of those people that didn’t like the game very much. My main problems were that there were only 4 dungeons. Looking back, though, I remember one of the main reasons I didn’t like it was– as a kid — the game freaked me out too much. I cringed, a lot, at that game. I remember I used to sit there, and watch the moon as it slowly grew.

Dead Rising was another game that seemed “Mature” in the sense of the word you use. Beyond all the gore and creative killing, it also evoked a feeling of hopelessness.

You lost me when you said Nintendo isn’t an ambitious company, but I understand what your saying about Majora’s Mask. I think it will only gain appreciation as it ages.

Awesome article, also did you know that “Termina” means End in Spanish =O

I thought this would be an article about how much Majoras Mask suck beacuse it isn’t like the other Zelda games and that it’s wierd and bizarre. Of some reason I’ve seen that very many times. I guess the people who say that is either imature or doesnt dig deep enough into the storyline and just think that it’s the temples that matter… It’s a shame.
Majoras mask is my absolute favorite in the Zelda series. I love who you described it, I totally agree at every point. There’s no other game that had such a big effect on my emotions. When seing Cremia and Romani walk into their house on the final day smiling and saying “See you tomorrow”…that breaks my heart D:
I can see what you mean when you’re saying that the recent games have a safe ground. I too felt that something was missing after finishing Phantom Hourglass… Even if it was a lovely game. I want womething more mindblowing!! >v<
I wanna play more games like Majoras Mask that leaves an effect on me, who cares about how violent or how much blood it is??
I say that blood and violence are not really "mature", it's just something kids are too young for.

majoras mask, ocarina of time, wind waker……

where are games like that now? u r right. its like a child-proof world. that does not work! bring out what we want, and need! zelda games like those in the beginning of this comment!m

agregenme
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agregenme el.samuz.23@hotmail.com

Whoever wrote this, your a fucking genius. You really hit the nail on the head

I love you for this. I used to wish I could write, but now I don’t have to, because you expressed how I feel exactly. Absolutely amazing.

For me, I never enjoyed the game in the past. I’ve always been turned off by time limits and things of that nature… however, I have recently went back and played the game now that it is on the Wii Marketplace… and I have to say I have fallen in love with the game. The moods and settings described in this article are spot on with what I feel now that I am a more mature gamer.

(sorry about previous post, a glitch due to copying from word caused the strange spacing)
Speak only for yourself “nasedase”. Even children can be compelled by challenging game-play and can even harbor a certain early form of art appreciation. From a very early age I was unmoved by games designed for pussies. I view any sequel that is less challenging than it’s predecessor, to be a step backward. At any rate, I really dug this piece on Majora’s Mask. It’s nice to know that some people were affected and impacted by this brilliant game, as deeply as I was. I was about 15 when I first played MM and what made it so special, on a personal level, was that I didn’t even know that the game existed until it was at my house. I didn’t have the internet back then and I didn’t really keep up to date on the gaming industry at the time. I discovered everything the old fashioned way; word of mouth and coin flip purchases. But this game happened on me a little differently. I had just completed OOT (I so loved the game and was so immersed in it for weeks, that I was really quite emotional when it was over), anyway it just so happened that after about a week since I’d completed the game, an old friend of mine showed up at my house with a gold cartridge in his hand which was shockingly revealed to be “The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s mask”. I nearly shit myself I was so elated. Obviously I had been playing OOT a bit late in to it’s cycle (of which I had no idea) and I had no earthly expectation that a sequel could exist. Anyway, this kid didn’t even own an N64 and I have no clue how he acquired the game. He was also a few years younger than me and sort of looked up to me ‘ya no. It didn’t take much effort on my part to convince him to let me barrow it for a while. At any rate, I’m not going to describe my feelings about the game, as you have pretty well summed those up for the most part here. Well… I’ll at least say that being able to play MM shortly after completing oot, coming down off that first high with no hope of ever matching it, was simply magical. For me it completely succeeded as a sequel and than some. I didn’t really compare it to oot at all, my jaw was dropped from the first to last moment in MM. It was a sequel that stepped everything up and blew me away. Perhaps my reason for MM being my favorite game of all time, even over oot, has something to do with the way and time that I was introduced to it, but it also has to do with the undeniable fact that it was creatively and thematically more complex than ot. It was surrealism at it’s finest. For me, there is no possibility of this happening again. I have been a bit jaded about video games since this period of time actually. Anyway, thanks for this well written, thoughtful and most agreeable piece. One thing I have to disagree on though, is your praise of Wind Waker. The art style and exploration was great, but it ultimately failed for me as I found it to simplistic and childish. I did like it, but I really didn’t love it. Thanks again, Peace.

Now… I know it seems rather inappropriate for a p.HD graduate like myself to comment on a pop-culture medium such as the video game, but since I grew up with LoZ, Mario and etc, I feel I had to comment this piece of art. You see, Majora’s mask, which I actually just recently fully completed, grew on me, not as the best game ever, but rather as one of the finest pieces of art. Personally that is.

I am going to tell you why.

As a game, Majora’s Mask is too inconsistent to be placed in the elite category of games. The combination of the game’s temples and it’s time framed basis might eventually make an average gamer, or shall we say the so-called “mass-consumer” (of LoZ games), drop it to the shelf. This is not new information. Most of us KNOW that MM is relatively harder to get into, both practically – and story wise. Some other things as well, but I am not going to elaborate on that.

However, it succeeds immensely as a medium of art. I honestly have never been drawn into a virtual/imaginable world as I did playing MM, no matter what kind of medium we’re talking about, weather it be novels, movies or albums. The general atmosphere of Termina and its people reminded me much of our own world, where each individual’s schedule mirrored our own lives; forgetful of life and its non-material values (like “service to others” per ce, gimmicky as it might seem). Much like ourselves, every character is too drowned in life’s day to day “must do’s”, until the third day. In opposition to OoT or WW, where innocence is dominant among Hyrule’s civilians (civilians…really?), Termina actually HAS a Sakon and there ARE quarrels within clock towns leaders. Even love is questioned by it’s pre-dominantly “what will the world think” or “what will she (Anju) think”. It’s basically us, right now (2011).

It’s hard to put in words, but the game basically functioned as a border of our own parallel world and a surreal grotesque-ish fantasy world. Our parallel world in the sense of lurking doomsday theories that have always existed (presently as “2012″). A fantasy world in the logical sense of it’s own merits of fictional objects, which is inclusive in all forms of art. My point is that the game evokes feelings not too distant of what I sometimes feel in our world of doom and gloom theories and incidents (in the form of sudden catastrophes perhaps)

Therefore, I rank MM as a top tier with the hip hop album “illmatic” as the finest of art.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is most certainly the world’s most mature game of all-time. Maturity, as said, does not mean hardcore sex, blood & guts ultra violence, excessive drug usage and more profanity than of a drunk Scotsman. Maturity is an intellectual level of capability and understanding. Majora’s Mask deals with an apocalyptic doomsday cycle of 72 hours in which every lapse has residents, including women and children, smiling or crying in despair as they face the inevitable oblivion of a large, celestial moon. Every 12 hours it is shown ever-closer to the pinnacle of Clock Tower as the residents grow more and more frantic.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask doesn’t just brush up on an ‘end of the world’ theme. but instead introduces a psychologically sick antagonist just wanting to watch the world burn, much like a Nero of video games. The antagonist takes pleasure in torturing and humiliating its victims before having them perish to predetermined death. This is the sort of villain that makes films masterpieces – the kind of mastermind critics love. Link, the protagonist, accidentally stumbles upon this lost world and is tasked to save it if he wishes to return to home. He suddenly becomes a part of the game, like another pawn thrown into Majora’s torture cell, rendered helpless and vulnerable. As a result, the feeling of loss and disorder in Majora’s Mask is immense and truly grasps the player’s interest.

Certainly the grandest contributing factor is the game’s atmosphere. Twisted, psychedelic rays of purple, blue, pink orange, and green compose some extravagant textures giving the game a very alien-like tone. That and small instances, like the beginning when Link enters the vortex corridor, tells the player that there is something very wrong with the world and they should not be there.

If you like a game where you’re in power, where you can embark on an epic quest to save the world from a “potential” disaster and triumph as thousands of citizens kneel before you, you’re looking at the wrong game. Majora’s Mask is all about weakness, misery, psychosis, morbidity, and inevitable darkness. ‘Darkness’ is not a deeper tone of grey or a cloudy grim sky, but in Majora’s Mask it is something far more sinister.

This is an incredible gem and it is truly sad that it is looked down on as a failure of the Legend of Zelda series. Game critics are about the most moronic as they get. If you’re reviewing a game, “revolutionary” has NOTHING to do with “best”. The series a game derives from also has NOTHING to do with its quality. A game must be viewed as that single game and that single game alone. Never should the lack of ground-breaking material affect the game itself. Majora’s Mask IS better than its predecessor, revolutionary or not. It is about how good a game is – how much improvement it offers, not how revolutionary it is seen, ESPECIALLY to a series. But as far as the game industry goes, Majora’s Mask is more revolutionary in terms of concept, atmosphere and emotion than the previous Ocarina of Time – which is far more contributing, yet unfortunately not used in today’s games. Film critics understand, yet game critics, and gamers in general, do not.

It is very sad that today repetitive gameplay has conquered the ingenuity classic games had going. Majora’s Mask was an enormous leap in the right direction, but ignored and replaced with such garbage like Call of Duty (games where young children think they’re ‘badass’ because the games contain sex and gore). Though, as sad as it is, most of the world is retarded and unable to enjoy creative masterpieces like this.

I have to totally agree with this. When I first played Majora’s Mask back in 2000, I was 6 or 7 years old. I found the whole game terrifying, I used to have nightmares about Skull Kid, and I would always worry that the world was going to end. I used to have to hide behind my brother, or the sofa, when I used the masks to transform. I couldn’t bear to watch the pained look on Link’s face and that awful scream. This game had such an impact on me when I was younger, the sense of despair and tragedy used to make me cry. This is DEFINITELY not a kids game. Even now, when I hear the song of healing, it sends a chill down my spine. This game far surpasses OoT in most ways, but is definitely on a much deeper level.

I very much agree with the “mature” game statement. What we call “mature games” can be very misleading. Violence and Nudity is something that is more for the immature gamers. You get can that from so many video games now that It has become very old. A mature gamer would be more interested in the atmosphere and storyline of the game. Ocarina of Time was such as simple game, a very good game, but simple. The plot was simple, there wasn’t much character development and it seemed to revolve around the gameplay and graphics.

Majora’s Mask was something totally different. It was dark, it was depressing, it was terrifying. It took gamers into a world where hopelessness ruled and the “good will defeat evil” in OOT was not explored much here. The characters in MM are all scared of what might happen to them. They are angry now that their town is going to be destroyed by a giant moon in the sky. The skull kid, and innocent little child gets taken over, possessed, by a very very dark figure of evil. The fate of the world rests in a childs hands. How is a little kid going to stop the entire moon from falling? People are dying, losing their minds in fear. They know they can do nothing, They are helpless characters. Even Link, the hero seems pretty helpless until the end of the game.

It’s a much more complex storyline in a world unexplored by any other VG out there. That is what makes MM so unique. This article was very very good. It made me really think about what made Majora’s Mask so great. I agree with almost every point in here. I have only played OOT, MM and TP, but I am still a big Zelda fan. Unfortunatley, OOT will go down in history as the game everyone has to play while MM will be the one that people will skip, but for the people who haved played it it won’t e forgotten. It will be interesting to see where Skyward Sword and other future Zelda and Nintendo games go and if they will ever be as daring and deep as MM again.

It’s a much more complex storyline in a world unexplored by any other VG out there. That is what makes MM so unique. This article was very very good. It made me really think about what made Majora’s Mask so great. I agree with almost every point in here. I have only played OOT, MM and TP, but I am still a big Zelda fan. Unfortunatley, OOT will go down in history as the game everyone has to play while MM will be the one that people will skip, but for the people who haved played it it won’t e forgotten. It will be interesting to see where Skyward Sword and other future Zelda and Nintendo games go and if they will ever be as daring and deep as MM again.
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An excellent article. I enjoyed it very much. Have you read Dathen Boccabella’s article on “The Message of Majora’s Mask”? If not, you should. I think it would appeal to you.

All images are colorful. I like it.

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Why will not the particular Silent celestial body Slide?

awesome article Greg, i never commented on my first read through but i came back to this article in wake of SS; looking to be a big disappointment in my book.

rrrrrrrrrrrrr

esting to see where Skyward
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