Similar to what happened with A Link to the Past receiving a sequel (Link's Awakening) that took the bases of the previous game to give a more experimental and "different" adventure, two years after the release of Ocarina of Time would come Majora's Mask, a game that gives a very interesting twist to the original formula to offer one of the most singular adventures in video games in general, I dare say.
Before we begin, I'd just like to quickly highlight the parallels between this game and Link's Awakening. For starters, both are sequels to games considered "masterpieces" that instead of trying to imitate their greatness, they try to go beyond and stand on their own merits, in both we control the same incarnation of Link from the previous game, both take place in what is apparently a parallel dimension, and lastly, even though they may have a mostly goofy and illogical tone, this game having a somber tone while LA a more cheerful one, both share deep messages with allegories to fear of change and death. But well, let's start talking about Majora's Mask.
The story of this game begins shortly after the story of Ocarina of Time. Link embarks on an adventure to unknown lands in search of Navi, that friend who left us once she fulfilled her goal in the previous game. However, as fate would have it, we get caught up in a problem that traps us in a three-day time cycle forever... or at least it will be that way until we find a way to save the world, which will inevitably come to an end in that span of just three days (equivalent to just under an hour in reality). I especially like how immersive this introductory section is, as it puts a lot of pressure on you and makes you understand the danger the world is in firsthand. However, don't panic, even though the game has that 3-day limit, thanks to having possession of the ocarina of time, we can manipulate time as we please, giving us access to three songs; one that allows us to slow down time, another that allows you to jump through it and the last and most important, the song of time, which takes us back in time to the moment when all this mess started. So yes, you have a time limit, but anyway the game gives you enough time to play this adventure as you would play any other, I was able to fool around and explore at my leisure without any problems, and it's worth mentioning that I'm the kind of player who takes his time on everything.
I suppose you're still thinking that having a time limit ruins the game and makes it hellishly difficult, after all, Zelda games have a slow pace, one much like a JRPG, however, the three day cycle rather than a challenge, serves more to present a new approach to exploration and side-quests that can arise from the wide repertoire of NPCs that this game offers, but more on that later.
This game gives more importance to the masks, because while in Ocarina of Time they only served to obtain variations in the dialogues of some NPCs, in this game the masks are also used sometimes to give you small passive abilities, similar to the accessories in an RPG, which I like a lot, and although there are some masks that you only use once in the whole game, masks like the kamikaze or the bunny hood were quite good and convenient.
Speaking of one of the main innovations of this game, we have the transformations. Probably since Ocarina of Time the developers realized how limited it could be to have a human with realistic movements to make a more creative gameplay, because you can't really invent things that a human can do, so in this game the transformation masks are introduced, which expand Link's movements and game mechanics, being the forms we can get nothing more and nothing less than that of a Zora (fish man), a Goron (rock man), and a Deku (plant boy).
As for the "main" content that are the temples, this game offers few, and you may think that this hurts the game, but the truth is that no, because the amount of optional content that there is more than makes up for it. But talking about the temples themselves, they are quite good, a bit more complicated compared to other games, but each one offering the traditional structure of getting an item and setting puzzles around it, but not only that, because each temple makes you use each of the transformations, so that in fact the temples are designed around both, the item and the new transformation. My favorite temple is the fourth one, one of the best in the series without a doubt.
Another thing I like about this game is that there are no golden Skulltulas, instead, each temple now has 15 fairies hidden in it, which when you collect them all together will give you a permanent magic upgrade. Needless to say, I prefer this, as it makes exploring each temple more interesting and even though finding some of these fairies can be tricky, they are all hidden just right.
It may seem that this game has fewer items than other Zelda games because there are only 4 temples, but many classic items are not really gone, but are included in the same Link transformations, as the Goron is as if you had the hammer with how strong and heavy it is (or the pegasus boots for giving you a lot of travel speed), the Zora gives you something like the boomerang and a replacement more than superior to the iron boots. In that sense, the transformations are very cool, as they not only change the way you move around the world (being a considerable improvement over Ocarina of Time), but also have their own useful abilities.
But well, let's talk about the real main attraction of the game, which is the 3-day cycle, the aspect that makes this game special, but also imperfect. What really makes it shine is how this system was leveraged to give a little story to each of the NPCs in this game. Unlike previous installments, Majora's Mask gives a greater emphasis on the day to day life of the NPCs, so you will have to pay attention to them, as there are some that have different behaviors depending on the day, time and place. Many of the NPCs are directly re-used from Ocarina of Time, so they will be somewhat familiar to you, but I think the developers of this title took advantage of that factor to give them more distinct situations and personalities. Each one has a problem and helping them will usually reward you with a piece of heart or a mask, or rarely even better things. What's entertaining here is how peculiar and diverse the situations and people we can encounter are. Finding weird NPCs has always been a common thing in Zelda games, but I especially like how for the first time in the series a lot more attention was given to this aspect of the game, they end up making this title particularly very memorable.
The map is smaller compared to Ocarina of Time, and it certainly may seem more linear at first glance for only having 5 areas, but the truth is that there are too many things you can do apart from overcoming the temples to entertain you. Majora's Mask is masterful at giving you plenty of puzzles and challenges that are intuitive and satisfying to complete. Although the scale of the game is smaller in comparison to Ocarina of Time, that adventure and discovery factor that is so characteristic of the series is not sacrificed at all, in fact, in some ways I feel it was enhanced.
In fact, as different as this game may feel from the rest of the series, even its music is there to remind us that this is a true adventure on par with all the other games, with the main theme being a reversion of the classic Overworld theme. The music in this game is great, as it has a certain tetric and chaotic aura, while at other times it can be very calm and even full of melancholy... Although many melodies from Ocarina of Time are reused, the new tracks make up for it by how good they are.
Going back to the 3-day cycle, every time it is restarted you lose your money, unimportant items like ammo, sticks, or nuts, which is not as bad as it sounds, because fortunately the game is fair in terms of what you lose and what you don't lose in each restart, since important things like items or masks you will always keep.
However, the real problem that arises from the 3-day system is the repetition. And although I like that the game is made so that each cycle is different and unique, in a way it makes you take everything with more frivolity, because you are helping people that you know that once you restart the cycle, they will have exactly and again the same problems that you had already solved, and although it sounds like a minor detail, for me this actually breaks a little with the immersion, because I am no longer helping people to solve their problems, but just to get something. And this can become more tedious when you take into account that failing or taking a side quest at the wrong time sometimes means having to repeat it from the beginning. Also when you finish a temple, the curse of that area will be dispelled, but it will return once you restart the cycle, which makes you have to defeat the boss of each temple every time you want to break the curses again (there are some side-quests that require it). This to me also breaks a bit with the logic of this universe, because there are things like the bank that make your money be kept even if you restart the cycle, but on the other hand, why do the bosses of each temple revive even though the mask they give you (proof that they were defeated) you will always keep it?
But... speaking again about a positive aspect of the concept of the 3-day cycle, I like the fact that, even if you have already completed everything in the game, you can replay the parts you liked the most at any time you want without having to create a new file, not something you can do in all games, but in this one thanks to the very nature of the cycle. In addition, living in Termina becomes somehow a daily thing, and little by little, both the place and its inhabitants, become part of you.
Anyway, changing the subject, this remake is pretty good, although it has some questionable changes, but I think I understand, Eiji Aonuma believed that some things from Majora's Mask needed to be changed to make this game a more "suitable" one. However, it's well known that many of these changes were for the worse, and while I don't think they ruin the experience entirely, I understand where the hate from hardcore fans comes from. Be that as it may, the remake also introduces many quality of life improvements and in some ways (just some) feels like a more polished remake than Ocarina of Time. If you want to play this version, go ahead, and if you want to make it even better, use the restoration patch, which modifies some things of this remake to make it more like the original version, but keeping all the good changes of this remake, also adding more quality of life improvements that were not in the original version, nor in this remake.
And well, what to say, if it wasn't for the changes that Eiji Aonuma asked Grezzo, I think this would be one of the best remakes, because the updated graphics make the game look more beautiful and attached to the art style that was portrayed in the concept art, it also adds a lot of detail and color to the scenarios, which makes that unlike the original version, the reuse of assets from Ocarina of Time is considerably less. The downside of the graphical update is that many people don't like it, as the low quality textures and low-poly models, as well as the muted colors of the Nintendo 64 version are for many a fundamental aspect of the experience. In my opinion, again, I don't think they ruin the atmosphere of the game, as I quite liked it, so I think it all depends more on personal preference. The graphic style of Ocarina of Time 3D is great, and I like how this game is just a continuation of that style in many ways.
Conclusion
Majora's Mask is truly brilliant. I love how cleverly the exploration and side-quests are designed, they make it a game rich and varied in content, as well as the approach and often evolution that gives many of the mechanics and concepts established in previous titles end up making it a very outstanding installment.
I don't know how to say it, but it depresses me that there will never be a game like this again. Although the 3-day cycle makes it an imperfect title, it also makes it a very special game like no other.
Additional comments related to the review
I played using the restoration patch made by Project Restoration, which can be found at the following link: https://restoration.zora.re
Before we begin, I'd just like to quickly highlight the parallels between this game and Link's Awakening. For starters, both are sequels to games considered "masterpieces" that instead of trying to imitate their greatness, they try to go beyond and stand on their own merits, in both we control the same incarnation of Link from the previous game, both take place in what is apparently a parallel dimension, and lastly, even though they may have a mostly goofy and illogical tone, this game having a somber tone while LA a more cheerful one, both share deep messages with allegories to fear of change and death. But well, let's start talking about Majora's Mask.
The story of this game begins shortly after the story of Ocarina of Time. Link embarks on an adventure to unknown lands in search of Navi, that friend who left us once she fulfilled her goal in the previous game. However, as fate would have it, we get caught up in a problem that traps us in a three-day time cycle forever... or at least it will be that way until we find a way to save the world, which will inevitably come to an end in that span of just three days (equivalent to just under an hour in reality). I especially like how immersive this introductory section is, as it puts a lot of pressure on you and makes you understand the danger the world is in firsthand. However, don't panic, even though the game has that 3-day limit, thanks to having possession of the ocarina of time, we can manipulate time as we please, giving us access to three songs; one that allows us to slow down time, another that allows you to jump through it and the last and most important, the song of time, which takes us back in time to the moment when all this mess started. So yes, you have a time limit, but anyway the game gives you enough time to play this adventure as you would play any other, I was able to fool around and explore at my leisure without any problems, and it's worth mentioning that I'm the kind of player who takes his time on everything.
I suppose you're still thinking that having a time limit ruins the game and makes it hellishly difficult, after all, Zelda games have a slow pace, one much like a JRPG, however, the three day cycle rather than a challenge, serves more to present a new approach to exploration and side-quests that can arise from the wide repertoire of NPCs that this game offers, but more on that later.
This game gives more importance to the masks, because while in Ocarina of Time they only served to obtain variations in the dialogues of some NPCs, in this game the masks are also used sometimes to give you small passive abilities, similar to the accessories in an RPG, which I like a lot, and although there are some masks that you only use once in the whole game, masks like the kamikaze or the bunny hood were quite good and convenient.
Speaking of one of the main innovations of this game, we have the transformations. Probably since Ocarina of Time the developers realized how limited it could be to have a human with realistic movements to make a more creative gameplay, because you can't really invent things that a human can do, so in this game the transformation masks are introduced, which expand Link's movements and game mechanics, being the forms we can get nothing more and nothing less than that of a Zora (fish man), a Goron (rock man), and a Deku (plant boy).
As for the "main" content that are the temples, this game offers few, and you may think that this hurts the game, but the truth is that no, because the amount of optional content that there is more than makes up for it. But talking about the temples themselves, they are quite good, a bit more complicated compared to other games, but each one offering the traditional structure of getting an item and setting puzzles around it, but not only that, because each temple makes you use each of the transformations, so that in fact the temples are designed around both, the item and the new transformation. My favorite temple is the fourth one, one of the best in the series without a doubt.
Another thing I like about this game is that there are no golden Skulltulas, instead, each temple now has 15 fairies hidden in it, which when you collect them all together will give you a permanent magic upgrade. Needless to say, I prefer this, as it makes exploring each temple more interesting and even though finding some of these fairies can be tricky, they are all hidden just right.
It may seem that this game has fewer items than other Zelda games because there are only 4 temples, but many classic items are not really gone, but are included in the same Link transformations, as the Goron is as if you had the hammer with how strong and heavy it is (or the pegasus boots for giving you a lot of travel speed), the Zora gives you something like the boomerang and a replacement more than superior to the iron boots. In that sense, the transformations are very cool, as they not only change the way you move around the world (being a considerable improvement over Ocarina of Time), but also have their own useful abilities.
But well, let's talk about the real main attraction of the game, which is the 3-day cycle, the aspect that makes this game special, but also imperfect. What really makes it shine is how this system was leveraged to give a little story to each of the NPCs in this game. Unlike previous installments, Majora's Mask gives a greater emphasis on the day to day life of the NPCs, so you will have to pay attention to them, as there are some that have different behaviors depending on the day, time and place. Many of the NPCs are directly re-used from Ocarina of Time, so they will be somewhat familiar to you, but I think the developers of this title took advantage of that factor to give them more distinct situations and personalities. Each one has a problem and helping them will usually reward you with a piece of heart or a mask, or rarely even better things. What's entertaining here is how peculiar and diverse the situations and people we can encounter are. Finding weird NPCs has always been a common thing in Zelda games, but I especially like how for the first time in the series a lot more attention was given to this aspect of the game, they end up making this title particularly very memorable.
The map is smaller compared to Ocarina of Time, and it certainly may seem more linear at first glance for only having 5 areas, but the truth is that there are too many things you can do apart from overcoming the temples to entertain you. Majora's Mask is masterful at giving you plenty of puzzles and challenges that are intuitive and satisfying to complete. Although the scale of the game is smaller in comparison to Ocarina of Time, that adventure and discovery factor that is so characteristic of the series is not sacrificed at all, in fact, in some ways I feel it was enhanced.
In fact, as different as this game may feel from the rest of the series, even its music is there to remind us that this is a true adventure on par with all the other games, with the main theme being a reversion of the classic Overworld theme. The music in this game is great, as it has a certain tetric and chaotic aura, while at other times it can be very calm and even full of melancholy... Although many melodies from Ocarina of Time are reused, the new tracks make up for it by how good they are.
Going back to the 3-day cycle, every time it is restarted you lose your money, unimportant items like ammo, sticks, or nuts, which is not as bad as it sounds, because fortunately the game is fair in terms of what you lose and what you don't lose in each restart, since important things like items or masks you will always keep.
However, the real problem that arises from the 3-day system is the repetition. And although I like that the game is made so that each cycle is different and unique, in a way it makes you take everything with more frivolity, because you are helping people that you know that once you restart the cycle, they will have exactly and again the same problems that you had already solved, and although it sounds like a minor detail, for me this actually breaks a little with the immersion, because I am no longer helping people to solve their problems, but just to get something. And this can become more tedious when you take into account that failing or taking a side quest at the wrong time sometimes means having to repeat it from the beginning. Also when you finish a temple, the curse of that area will be dispelled, but it will return once you restart the cycle, which makes you have to defeat the boss of each temple every time you want to break the curses again (there are some side-quests that require it). This to me also breaks a bit with the logic of this universe, because there are things like the bank that make your money be kept even if you restart the cycle, but on the other hand, why do the bosses of each temple revive even though the mask they give you (proof that they were defeated) you will always keep it?
But... speaking again about a positive aspect of the concept of the 3-day cycle, I like the fact that, even if you have already completed everything in the game, you can replay the parts you liked the most at any time you want without having to create a new file, not something you can do in all games, but in this one thanks to the very nature of the cycle. In addition, living in Termina becomes somehow a daily thing, and little by little, both the place and its inhabitants, become part of you.
Anyway, changing the subject, this remake is pretty good, although it has some questionable changes, but I think I understand, Eiji Aonuma believed that some things from Majora's Mask needed to be changed to make this game a more "suitable" one. However, it's well known that many of these changes were for the worse, and while I don't think they ruin the experience entirely, I understand where the hate from hardcore fans comes from. Be that as it may, the remake also introduces many quality of life improvements and in some ways (just some) feels like a more polished remake than Ocarina of Time. If you want to play this version, go ahead, and if you want to make it even better, use the restoration patch, which modifies some things of this remake to make it more like the original version, but keeping all the good changes of this remake, also adding more quality of life improvements that were not in the original version, nor in this remake.
And well, what to say, if it wasn't for the changes that Eiji Aonuma asked Grezzo, I think this would be one of the best remakes, because the updated graphics make the game look more beautiful and attached to the art style that was portrayed in the concept art, it also adds a lot of detail and color to the scenarios, which makes that unlike the original version, the reuse of assets from Ocarina of Time is considerably less. The downside of the graphical update is that many people don't like it, as the low quality textures and low-poly models, as well as the muted colors of the Nintendo 64 version are for many a fundamental aspect of the experience. In my opinion, again, I don't think they ruin the atmosphere of the game, as I quite liked it, so I think it all depends more on personal preference. The graphic style of Ocarina of Time 3D is great, and I like how this game is just a continuation of that style in many ways.
Conclusion
Majora's Mask is truly brilliant. I love how cleverly the exploration and side-quests are designed, they make it a game rich and varied in content, as well as the approach and often evolution that gives many of the mechanics and concepts established in previous titles end up making it a very outstanding installment.
I don't know how to say it, but it depresses me that there will never be a game like this again. Although the 3-day cycle makes it an imperfect title, it also makes it a very special game like no other.
Additional comments related to the review
I played using the restoration patch made by Project Restoration, which can be found at the following link: https://restoration.zora.re
6 Comments
however even if I dont like this version, this is still a great review! glad you enjoyed it a lot
Thank you @NOWITSREYNTIME17. Yeah, I played with the restoration patch, in a moment I'll add the note to the review to clarify it
Finally someone else agrees that the new artstyle isn't the end of the world. Great review!
Also bonus points for not taking away 100 stars for the odd changes in Zora swimming and Deku hopping while also acknowledging these points at the same time. Surely it would feel weird if you played the original, but I don't think it impacts the experience at all (aside from maybe the Zora part of the final dungeon, but even then you're given more than enough magic).
Thanks @Lemonstrade!
I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I think the new art style sometimes added more to the atmosphere. I played the Introduction of the original version and the remake when I first started playing the game, and that was my impression, although I suppose the graphics of the original version can convey a tetric atmosphere because of the crude graphic style.
The changes in gameplay and bosses were not that big of a deal to me either. Sure, I played with the restoration mod, so I didn't experience the changes first hand, but they don't look like terrible changes to me, although I don't consider them to have been changes that the game needed either.
The Zora Swimming consuming magic doesn't sound too bad, as the game gives you a lot of ways to restore your mana, and in the case of the bosses, some changes seem interesting to me, although I think adding a giant eyeball to all the bosses wasn't a very elegant implementation haha.
I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I think the new art style sometimes added more to the atmosphere. I played the Introduction of the original version and the remake when I first started playing the game, and that was my impression, although I suppose the graphics of the original version can convey a tetric atmosphere because of the crude graphic style.
The changes in gameplay and bosses were not that big of a deal to me either. Sure, I played with the restoration mod, so I didn't experience the changes first hand, but they don't look like terrible changes to me, although I don't consider them to have been changes that the game needed either.
The Zora Swimming consuming magic doesn't sound too bad, as the game gives you a lot of ways to restore your mana, and in the case of the bosses, some changes seem interesting to me, although I think adding a giant eyeball to all the bosses wasn't a very elegant implementation haha.
NOWITSREYNTIME17
1 month ago