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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube
Release	April 27 2000 United States of America October 24 2000 October 24 2000 November 17 2000
Genre(s)	3D action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single player

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Japanese: ゼルダの伝説: ムジュラの仮面, Zeruda no Densetsu: Mujura no Kamen) is a video game for the Nintendo 64. It debuted in Japan on April 27 2000, in Canada and the United States on October 24 2000, and on November 17 2000 in Europe. The game sold 314,000 copies during its first week of sales in Japan, and went on to sell approximately three million copies worldwide.

Majora's Mask is the sixth release in The Legend of Zelda series, and the second 3D release in the series. Although it failed to match the sales success of its predecessor, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask features a broader storyline. Gameplay is centered around a repeatedly-played three-day cycle and the use of twenty-four masks, some of which are required to proceed and complete the game. It has also been cited as the darkest game in the Zelda series to date, largely due to its plot leading up to an impending apocalypse.

The main character Link is placed in the land of Termina, rather than the usual Hyrule. A mysterious mask-wearing imp, known as the Skull Kid, has been persuading the moon to abandon its orbit and crash into Termina. The player repeatedly lives three days through time travel in order to prevent this catastrophe.

Unlike Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask requires the use of the Expansion Pak in order to function. It received some criticism for this, but was generally given a positive reception for its gameplay and storyline depth. However, while its predecessor had been cited as one of the greatest video games of all time, Majora's Mask has not.

Gameplay

The gameplay of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is based on the 3D computer graphics engine used in its predecessor The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but does not include the Fixed 3D style that was featured in some areas of Ocarina. The storyline places the main character, Link (voiced by Fujiko Takimoto), in a land by the name of Termina, rather than the kingdom of Hyrule that is the usual backdrop for The Legend of Zelda games. The Skull Kid has been causing numerous issues and is attempting to persuade the moon to abandon its orbit and crash into Termina. The player repeatedly returns to the point three days before the crash of the moon using a song called the "Song of Time" on the Ocarina of Time, and repeatedly relives these three days collecting the knowledge and abilities required to prevent the catastrophe.

Majora's Mask was the second game in the Zelda series to take place outside of the land of Hyrule. Subsequent to its release, the game was cited as the darkest in the Zelda series to date. Edge magazine referred to Majora's Mask as: "...the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Zelda games". It was the first game in the series to limit gameplay into a cycle that must be reaccessed. A clock at the bottom of the screen visualizes the in-game time; one game hour is equivalent to one real-time minute. Players have seventy-two game hours (seventy-two real-time minutes) to complete a certain number of tasks before returning to the beginning of the first day to repeat the cycle. By returning to the first day, Link is stripped of all minor items collected during the cycle; major items such as masks, key events, and weapons remain.

The gameplay in Majora's Mask is arguably deeper than that of Ocarina of Time. Its predecessor features bombs, arrows, and music (in the form of an ocarina) as tools to solve many of its puzzles; Majora's Mask includes multiple instruments as well as time travel and character transformations through certain masks to add further layers of difficulty and variety to the quests in the game. Masks appear in the game's predecessor Ocarina of Time; however, there are much fewer masks, their presence is limited to a sidequest, and they do not have the wide variety of functions that the masks in Majora's Mask feature.

Basic controls

Link is capable of performing a variety of basic actions, including walking, running, somersaulting, and limited jumping. Three masks allow Link to change into different species: the Deku mask, the Goron mask, and the Zora mask. Each mask has its own unique ability; the Deku Scrub can do a spin dash, shoot bubbles from its mouth, plant itself into (and launch itself out of) special Deku Flowers, drop Deku Nuts while flying in the air, and skip on water a limited number of times. The Goron transformation can roll up in a ball and spin around, extend spikes and use magic power once top speed is reached, and stomp the ground with his massive body. The Zora transformation is not very agile on the ground, but its sleek body allows Link to swim through the water rapidly. He can also throw boomerang-like fins from his arms and form a forcefield. Other masks enable Link to perform other techniques.

When in human form, Link can use various weapons to attack enemies and defend himself. The sword is his standard weapon and is the most frequently used weapon in the game. Link can attack enemies with a vertical slash, a horizontal slash, and a jump slash, all of which contribute to damaging the enemy. The shield is used for defending. The bow and arrows are typically used when aiming for an enemy that is distanced from Link, or to activate switches. Link can also use deku nuts to stun enemies, then inflict damage with another weapon. Bombs can be used to blow up enemies and other obstacles, while the hookshot is capable of latching onto an enemy and pulling it towards Link.

Storyline

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The story of Majora's Mask begins in an unknown wood, possibly the Lost Woods setting in Ocarina of Time. Link is riding along with his young horse, Epona, searching for someone with whom he had parted ways after the events of Ocarina of Time (presumably Navi the fairy). He is ambushed by the Skull Kid, who is wearing a strange mask with spikes, later revealed to be Majora's Mask (Mujula's Mask in the Japanese version). The Skull Kid is accompanied by two friends, the fairies Tatl and Tael. Stealing the Ocarina of Time and Epona from Link, the three of them race off into a mysterious cave. Link follows behind, and eventually catches up with them, only to be changed into a Deku Scrub. The Skull Kid and Tael race off, but Tatl is left behind due to a door closing in front of her. Being a fairy, she is unable to open it. Tatl apologizes to Link for her actions, and chooses to join him to restore his natural form.

The proceeding rooms are filled with obstacles through which Link and Tatl must navigate. In somewhat of a predicament, Link eventually meets the Happy Mask Salesman, the central character in a sidequest from Ocarina of Time, who says that he can help Link if he retrieves Majora's Mask from the Skull Kid. Exiting from the bowels of Clock Tower, Link and Tatl find themselves in the middle of a city named Clock Town, which is preparing for its annual festival, the Carnival of Time. Link learns that a looming catastrophe is threating Termina: the moon in the sky has abandoned its orbit and is travelling towards Termina; in three days from Link's appearance in Clock Town, it will crash into Clock Town and destroy Termina. Once Link discovers that he can transform himself back into a young boy, the real adventure begins. Link has to fight, puzzle and think his way through through the four major lands of Termina: a swamp, an icy mountain, a beach and ocean, and a canyon. Each contains its own dungeon (effectively a big, enclosed area with many puzzles and a powerful monster at the end) that Link must go through. After defeating the masked boss at the end of a dungeon, Link obtains the friendship of one of four giants that have to be called to save Termina.

When the dungeon have all been completed, and a sequence of events triggered, Link is able to call the giants, who stop the moon's passage towards Termina. Link must then go inside the moon and face Majora's Mask itself to determine the fate of Termina.

As in Ocarina of Time, a fairy accompanies Link on his quest. Tatl and her brother Tael (derived from tattletale) are good friends of Skull Kid. Although Tatl originally joins Link to locate her brother and Skull Kid, she decides to remain with him to save Termina from the predicament of the moon.

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Masks and transformations

Masks, which had first appeared as a sidequest in Ocarina of Time, play a much more important role in Majora's Mask. There are a total of twenty-four masks, many of which are necessary to progress through the game, though it is not required to collect all of them. Some masks in Majora's Mask are invaluable, others are helpful, and a few are used only once.

Some important masks are the Great Fairy's Mask, which helps retrieve the stray fairies scattered throughout the four temples; the Giant's Mask, which intensifies the fourth temple boss battle by allowing Link to grow taller; the Bunny Hood, which allows Link to move at greater speeds; the Stone Mask, which turns Link invisible to most NPCs and enemies; and the Blast Mask, which emits unlimited bombs. Less valuable masks are usually involved in optional sidequests, such as the Postman's Hat, which allows Link access areas only the postman can enter. Most masks are one-use items such as Kafei's Mask and the Bremen Mask.

There are three special masks that allow Link to transform into different species: a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora. Each mask carries its own unique abilites and allows Link to access different areas of the game with these abilities.

The Deku Scrub transformation, Zora transformation, Goron transformation and Link himself all receive different reactions from various non-player characters. The Deku Scrub is not allowed to exit Clock Town due to his height, which leads many to believe that he is a child. Dogs will also interact differently with all four forms of Link. Human Link gets an indifferent response from dogs, and they will go about their business as they would in Ocarina of Time. The Deku Scrub transformation, however, will be attacked if he goes near a dog, the Goron transformation will frighten the dog away, and the dog appears to have some sort of attraction to the Zora transformation.

A special mask called the Fierce Deity's Mask can be obtained at the end of the game if all of the other masks have been located. The Fierce Deity's Mask transforms Link into a larger, more powerful version of himself, with characteristic face markings, malicious-looking white eyes, a silver tunic, and mystical torso armor. He also uses a giant two-handed helix-shaped sword (wielded in the same way as Ocarina of Time's Biggoron Sword), resembling the symbol for infinity, and is capable of shooting bursts of magical energy when charged up. This mask may only be used during the four temple boss battles in the game and the final boss battle, but through exploitation of a glitch present in some versions of Majora's Mask, it can be used elsewhere. The appearance of Fierce Deity Link is very similar to Adult Link from Ocarina of Time, and his voice remains the same (he is voiced by Nobuyuki Hiyama); however, he is much taller than Adult Link, and as a result of his height, he is capable of jumping very high and very far.

Songs

The Ocarina of Time plays an important role in Majora's Mask. Link must learn to play magical songs from those he meets in order to gain special abilities, ranging from controlling the weather to such powers as teleportation and time travel. Different transformations use different instruments: Deku Link plays the Deku pipes, Goron Link plays the drums, and Zora Link plays the guitar.

The most important song in the game is the "Song of Time". It is used to return Link to the beginning of the first day; this is the only way to revisit the three-day cycle and permanently save one's progress. Other major songs in Majora's Mask include the "Sonata of Awakening", "Goron's Lullaby", "New Wave Bossa Nova", and "Song of Soaring"; each song contains teleporting or summoning abilities. Link must also use these songs to open the ways to each dungeon he enters. Two secret songs that Link is capable of accessing include the "Inverted Song of Time" and the "Song of Double Time", which manipulate the flow of time. Unlike all other songs in the game which use a preset melody, the player creates his own melody for "The Scarecrow's Song", which is used to summon a scarecrow.

Characters

Masks are not the only elements to reappear from Ocarina of Time; the majority of the Ocarina characters were reused in Majora's Mask, which justifies the story that Termina represents an alternate reality with identical qualities and thus reflects Hyrule in some ways. For example, the younger and older versions of Malon from Ocarina of Time appear as sisters named Romani and Cremia living on a farm on Milk Road in Majora's Mask.

Releases and history

Development

Following the release of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening in 1993, fans waited over four years for Ocarina of Time, the active development of which took two years. By re-using the game engine and graphics from Ocarina of Time, a smaller team required only one year to finish Majora's Mask. According to director Eiji Aonuma, the team was "faced with the very difficult question of just what kind of game could follow Ocarina of Time and its worldwide sales of seven million units", and as a solution, came up with the three-day system to "make the game data more compact while still providing deep gameplay." Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto had a less active role in the production than usual.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask runs on an upgraded version of the game engine used in Ocarina of Time and requires the use of the 4MB Expansion Pak. The requirement is thought to be due to Majora's Mask's possible origin as a 64DD title, which would necessitate an extra 4MB of RAM.

The use of the Expansion Pak allows for greater draw distances, more local lighting, more textures, more animation, and more characters on the screen. The expanded draw distance permits the player to see extremely far in Termina, eliminating the use of fog to obscure distant areas that had appeared in Ocarina of Time. The texture design is also one of the best created for the Nintendo 64. Although some textures have a low resolution, they are colorful and diverse, giving each area has its own unique look.

The music was composed by Koji Kondo, featuring new interpretations of familiar melodies from Ocarina of Time and other previous titles in the Zelda series along with new material. The main overworld theme from the original Legend of Zelda returned, after being conspicuously absent from Ocarina of Time. Fujiko Takimoto, who contributed to the voice of Link in Ocarina of Time, also voiced Link in Majora's Mask. Nobuyuki Hiyama contributed to the voice of Fierce Deity Link.

Reviews

Despite superficial similarities to Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask is often described as very different. Reviews have generally been favorable, although opinions are mixed regarding whether the game is as good as its predecessor.

One common criticism is that Majora's Mask is not as accessible as Ocarina of Time. GameSpot wrote that some might "find the focus on minigames and side quests tedious and slightly out of place". Game Revolution wrote that it "takes a little longer to get into this Zelda", but also that "there are moments when the game really hits you with all its intricacies and mysteries, and that makes it all worthwhile".

Some feel that Majora's Mask is significantly better than Ocarina of Time in certain areas. According to Famitsu, "The difficulty level of the game is drastically improved , the limited saves, and the time limit to finish the game all help to make the game more enjoyable to play". IGN.com described Majora's Mask as "The Empire Strikes Back of Nintendo 64. It's the same franchise, but it's more intelligent, darker, and tells a much better storyline". GamePro also characterized the story as "surreal and spooky, deep, and intriguing".

Majora's Mask was one of the last major titles for the Nintendo 64, and may have suffered in terms of popular interest due to the familiarity of the technology. Nevertheless, GamePro described the game as "living proof that the N64 still has its magic". The game sold 314,000 copies in its first week of sales in Japan, and has sold approximately three million copies worldwide. It has been ranked the seventh-greatest game of all time by Electronic Gaming Monthly, one position ahead of Ocarina of Time, although Ocarina of Time is unchallenged between the two in the majority of such lists.

GameCube re-release

In 2003, Nintendo re-released The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask on the Nintendo GameCube as part of the Collector's Edition, a special promotional disc which also contained Ocarina of Time as well as the original two 8-bit NES Legend of Zelda games. This disc could be purchased with a GameCube console, as part of a subscription offer to Nintendo Power magazine, or through Nintendo's official website by purchasing and registering a certain number of first-party Nintendo games. The offer expired in early 2004.

Like other GameCube re-releases, the game is not actually a port in the traditional sense, but rather the ROM of the original game running on a software emulator; this has been proven by the ROM-dumping community, who have been able to extract N64-format ROMs from the disc that can even be booted on a Nintendo 64. The only differences are the colors of the action buttons due to the Gamecube's green A button and red B button and the pause screen's use and depiction of the L button as the left page scroller, as opposed to Z. Aside from these, because it is only emulated (rather than altered for the new console), there are some timing discrepancies between the two consoles, and some of the music sounds inaccurate on the GameCube. Another issue that has been raised is that the game unexpectedly crashes on the GameCube occasionally; this is once again caused by the inaccuracies of the emulator.

See also

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask characters
• The Legend of Zelda series characters
• The Legend of Zelda series races

Notes

• Aonuma, Eiji. Cube. Ign. Eiji Aonuma speaks out about the essence of Zelda. March 25, 2004. Retrieved December 3, 2005.
• GameSpot. Majora's Mask is a great game, but it isn't for everybody. October 25, 2000. Retrieved December 3, 2005.
• Famitsu. Majora's Mask. Retrieved December 3, 2005.
• Liu, Johnny. Majora's Mask review. Game Revolution. Retrieved December 8, 2004.
• "Time Extend - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" . ("In the first of our second sittings with important titles of recent years, we look at the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Zelda games.") Edge issue 143 (December 2004) pp. 121. Retrieved December 10, 2005.
• Miyamoto, Shigeru. N-Sider. The Making of the Game: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Retrieved December 11, 2005.
• IGN.com. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask review.
• GamePro. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask review.
• Electronic Gaming Monthly. Top 100 Video Games of All Time. As available online in December 2001, from the Internet Archive.

References

• "'The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask', sales for the week ending March 2, 2003". (2002/2003). Retrieved from http://www.n-sider.com on December 3, 2005.
• "GDC 2004: The History of Zelda". Retrieved from http://cube.ign.com/articles/501/501970p1.html on December 3, 2005. Eiji Aonuma speaks about the essence of Zelda, March 25, 2004.
• "Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask". October 25, 2000. By Mirabella, Fran III. Retrieved from http://ign64.ign.com/articles/151/151933p1.html on December 3, 2005. The Legend of Zelda continues.
• "Zelda sales charts and sequel announced". OptiGamer. Retrieved from http://www.optigamer.com/ on December 3, 2005.
• IGN.com. "Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask". Retrieved from http://ign64.ign.com/articles/151/151933p1.html on December 12, 2005. The Legend of Zelda continues. Could it be as glorious and perfect as the Ocarina of Time?
• Zelda Universe. Walkthrough guide of Majora's Mask. (2000). Retrieved from http://www.zelda.com/universe/game/majora/walk.jsp on December 15, 2005.

External links

• Collection of reviews of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• Music from Vgmusic.com — scroll to "Zelda: Majora's Mask"
• Speed run videos at Speed Demos Archive
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at MobyGames

• Legend of Zelda games
• Nintendo 64 games
• 64DD games
• 2000 computer and video games