The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D

You’ve met with a terrible fate haven’t you?

My personal favourite Zelda game has finally gotten the remake it deserves. This outing in the Zelda franchise is perhaps the darkest and most interesting that the series has ever created, but does it still hold up today? Let’s find out!

The story begins with our young hero, Link, wandering through the forest after the events of Ocarina of Time, looking for a friend he lost. He is suddenly robbed by a mask wearing child and his two fairy friends, who proceed to take his Ocarina and Horse. After giving chase Link is brought into the strange land of Termina, a parallel world to Hyrule where characters are repeated but have very different lives. In here he is introduced to the Happy Mask Salesman, a very creepy individual who tells you that he wishes to retrieve the mask that the child stole from him. What he doesn’t tell you however is that he only has three days to do so as the Moon in Termina will fall in three days. So it is up to you to stop the moon fall, defeat the mysterious mask wearing child and save the land of Termina within three days. Sure sounds like a lot for a child to handle doesn’t it? Eventually you are told the idea that you can actually use your Ocarina to repeat these same three days over and over in order to help get the help you need to stop the moon. If this reminds you of the movie Groundhog Day then that is very true as it goes for the same style. The story is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this game as it is completely different from other Zelda games. No Gannondorf, no Zelda, no Triforce, Just you, the moon, and a whole bunch of masks. The story is also very dark and makes a point to show the various character’s reactions to the impending apocalypse and make it seem as though the odds truly are stacked against you. Sister’s comfort each other ready to greet the morning that will not come, Lovers wait endlessly for each other, not knowing the death that is coming for them. It’s all very bleak and sad yet is perhaps the greatest story told in a Zelda game.

The mask this game is named after!

The presentation is the same as the previous game, Ocarina of Time. The game used the same engine and a lot of the characters are re-used but in different places and roles. The world is expansive and each of the areas of Termina feels unique and distinct, all of course with a dark undertone behind it. The remake does an excellent job at remastering the graphics in the same way that it did with the previous game. The models look smoother, the land is slightly more vibrant and the sounds and music are absolutely incredible. This game has perhaps some of my favourite zelda music, the Song of Healing is a particular favourite of mine. All of the characters you meet, while sometimes the same characters as before, are each given unique paths and things to do as the days pass, you will eventually realise that some of them even have schedules. The postman delivers post at a certain time, entertainers practice in the square at times and patrons of the local milk bar visit during the night. It all helps to make the world feel a lot more dynamic and alive instead of having a lot of quest givers with no life given to them.

The gameplay is as you would expect from a zelda game. The combat and questing system is taken straight from Ocarina of Time (with a bigger emphasis on side quests this time) and it will all feel familiar to those that have played a Zelda game before. The big difference comes in the form of the title of this game, Masks. As you go on your adventure you will slowly acquire masks that can give Link certain abilities or effects, and some even have the ability to completely transform Link and his playstyle. For example there is the simple Bomb Mask that allows you to spontaneously combust whenever you feel like it in a similar fashion to a bomb, or the Zora mask that transforms you into the aquatic race of fish people, letting you swim in water easily and even fight on the ocean floor like a normal fighter. Obtaining each of these masks gives a great feeling of accomplishment as each new one has a unique effect that can completely change up how you play the game (Pro Tip: Get the Bunny Hood!). Along with this there are the usual temple dungeons that you must go through in order to get a certain item, then reach the boss and defeat them. The remake changes most of the boss fights in various ways to make them a bit more challenging and exciting which is a welcome change (The last temple boss in particular is changed hugely, and it is amazing!). The remake also brings the new and improved questing system in the form of the ‘Bomber’s Notebook’ that acts as a quest journal of sorts, automatically noting down important quest information and characters so that you can check up constantly on what quests you still have to do and what steps you need to take. The remake also brings new fishing areas into the game, a feature from Ocarina of Time that was missing in this game. I didn’t play the fishing too much as I felt it was slightly out of place in such a dark game but it is an interesting side activity for you to try if you ever get bored.

Our hero for this journey, Link.

There are a few problems with the game however. Many people have complained about the fact that there is always a time limit due to the three day cycle, and while it is possible to easily reset the clock many people don’t like the added pressure of having to keep an eye on the time as well as go adventuring through dungeons. Others also complain that this game is relatively short compared to the likes of Ocarina of Time, and while this is indeed true in the main story department Majora’s Mask has a much bigger emphasis on side missions in order to get extra items and masks. In this sense a lot of people also don’t like this as they prefer to simply play through the main story, but I would advise against doing so as you will miss out on some great characters and side stories that you would get involved in.

In conclusion then, Majora’s Mask 3D is still as good as ever. My favourite Zelda game got a facelift and I can take it anywhere I want, what more could I possibly ask for? If you haven’t tried Majora’s Mask before I would heavily advise picking up this remake as this is now to be the definitive version of Majora’s Mask to play and I would highly recommend giving it a shot. Now if you don’t mind I’m going to look for that last damn bottle…