I've talked before about how some games leave such an impact on me that they become inextricably linked to a certain memory, time, or place. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask doesn't conjure up a particularly potent memory, or one that is all that interesting, but which has nonetheless left me nostalgic. I remember paying this sitting maybe two feet from the TV (contrary to popular belief, this will not ruin your eyes and is in fact the coolest way to play video games) waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to be ready and wasting hours trying to make heads or tails of its bizarre time looping system. I didn't make it very far. I was a very stupid child - who has become a very stupid man - and at that point in time I was not mentally prepared to chain together any sequence of actions needed to progress.
As an adult, I think that's why I love Majora's Mask so much. A lot of Zelda puzzles are pretty braindead. These are games ostensibly designed for children, after all. But Majora's Mask demands a little bit more thinking out of you, it expects that you engage with its world and its time loop critically and it's not sorry if you don't "get it." Even coming back to it today I find myself needing to pull the Nintendo Player's Guide off my shelf and thumb through its pages for hints, and I gotta admit, that's a pretty good feeling.
There's been a lot written about its darker, edgier atmosphere, or how unnerving and dream-like tone is. And yeah, it's definitely got a more haunting quality to it than any other Zelda game. Anyone who has been following my reviews for any length of time has probably picked up on the fact that I love games with bizarro atmospheres.
There's also a subset of people who desperately want the game to have a more insidious tone than it already does, which I know is a pretty common thing with any kids-oriented media that gets even slightly dark. Lore theorists are rotten creatures, and there's some real psycho shit out there. This is perhaps not even worth bringing up, but I do think part of Majora's Mask's enduring legacy is due to its mysterious, haunting tone, and there's a side to that coin that makes me wanna barf.
You know what else makes me wanna barf? Some of these minigames! I decided to take on the absolutely demented task of 100%ing this game. Some of the side quests can be pretty difficult if not actively unfun, but the reward you get for satisfying the many demands of Termina's residents is pretty satisfying. Obviously the best way to enjoy the game is to take on however much of it feels right to you, and personally I think I'm happier just sticking mostly to the story. Though there are only four main dungeons, each one of them is a total banger, and there's plenty to do to even gain access to them to fill the void. Majora's Mask can definitely seem like a much smaller game than Ocarina at first glance, but it's still pretty meaty.
I also think the main time looping mechanic is a lot of fun. I know some people bounce off of it immediately and I don't blame them. Again, it seems pretty staggering at first and it can be easy to lose sight of how everything you're doing is meant to click together. However, it remains one of the most inventive systems in any Zelda game, and it's remarkable how well it holds up (though there's definitely some QoL issues.) Once you complete a few tasks and get a feel for how it works, it becomes a lot easier to find the rhythm of Majora's Mask's puzzles.
This was the last game I played in 2019, and one I was a little apprehensive to play. I inherited a CIB copy from my grandfather after he passed, along with a bunch of other games we played together when I was a kid. I was surprised to see how good the condition of the box was, as well as its contents. The manual is pristine, and the cart looks brand new. In fact, it was still inside its plastic wrap, which was cleanly opened at the top but nevertheless kept the game itself safe from wear.
I loaded it up and saw my grandpa played 2 hours of this game and gave the fuck up. So, that explains a lot. But hey, at least it has a completed file now.
As an adult, I think that's why I love Majora's Mask so much. A lot of Zelda puzzles are pretty braindead. These are games ostensibly designed for children, after all. But Majora's Mask demands a little bit more thinking out of you, it expects that you engage with its world and its time loop critically and it's not sorry if you don't "get it." Even coming back to it today I find myself needing to pull the Nintendo Player's Guide off my shelf and thumb through its pages for hints, and I gotta admit, that's a pretty good feeling.
There's been a lot written about its darker, edgier atmosphere, or how unnerving and dream-like tone is. And yeah, it's definitely got a more haunting quality to it than any other Zelda game. Anyone who has been following my reviews for any length of time has probably picked up on the fact that I love games with bizarro atmospheres.
There's also a subset of people who desperately want the game to have a more insidious tone than it already does, which I know is a pretty common thing with any kids-oriented media that gets even slightly dark. Lore theorists are rotten creatures, and there's some real psycho shit out there. This is perhaps not even worth bringing up, but I do think part of Majora's Mask's enduring legacy is due to its mysterious, haunting tone, and there's a side to that coin that makes me wanna barf.
You know what else makes me wanna barf? Some of these minigames! I decided to take on the absolutely demented task of 100%ing this game. Some of the side quests can be pretty difficult if not actively unfun, but the reward you get for satisfying the many demands of Termina's residents is pretty satisfying. Obviously the best way to enjoy the game is to take on however much of it feels right to you, and personally I think I'm happier just sticking mostly to the story. Though there are only four main dungeons, each one of them is a total banger, and there's plenty to do to even gain access to them to fill the void. Majora's Mask can definitely seem like a much smaller game than Ocarina at first glance, but it's still pretty meaty.
I also think the main time looping mechanic is a lot of fun. I know some people bounce off of it immediately and I don't blame them. Again, it seems pretty staggering at first and it can be easy to lose sight of how everything you're doing is meant to click together. However, it remains one of the most inventive systems in any Zelda game, and it's remarkable how well it holds up (though there's definitely some QoL issues.) Once you complete a few tasks and get a feel for how it works, it becomes a lot easier to find the rhythm of Majora's Mask's puzzles.
This was the last game I played in 2019, and one I was a little apprehensive to play. I inherited a CIB copy from my grandfather after he passed, along with a bunch of other games we played together when I was a kid. I was surprised to see how good the condition of the box was, as well as its contents. The manual is pristine, and the cart looks brand new. In fact, it was still inside its plastic wrap, which was cleanly opened at the top but nevertheless kept the game itself safe from wear.
I loaded it up and saw my grandpa played 2 hours of this game and gave the fuck up. So, that explains a lot. But hey, at least it has a completed file now.