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Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
GameRatio Review
N64 |
View Full Game Info
Published by
Nintendo
Released on
2000-10-25
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| 93% GameRatio |
90% GR% Review |
Shay
Reviewed on
2004-01-04
What we have here is an official system sequel for a Zelda game, a feat that has not been attempted on a Nintendo console since the NES. Unlike the sub-par action game that Nintendo crapped out and named Zelda 2 (if you don’t agree then play the game right now and see how much fun it is), Majora’s Mask is a true sequel to the perfect Ocarina of Time, which was the sequel to the perfect A Link to the Past. Place OoT in a blender, toss in some exotic fruits, set the speed to max, and you get a very complete and rewarding game known as Majora’s Mask. While not everyone will be comfortable with this exotic Zelda blend, and while it is not particularly elegant, Majora’s Mask is undeniably the more complete Nintendo 64 Zelda experience.
Majora’s Mask follows a trend that began with the original Zelda: the inclusion of very little plot. While searching for Navi, his fairy companion in OoT, Link is mugged by the Skull Kid, who is wearing Majora’s Mask, and his two fairy sidekicks. His horse and ocarina are stolen, and he is transformed into a deku scrub. This forces Link to chase the Kid into a parallel universe that going to be destroyed by the falling moon in three days. The rest of the story unfolds as you play, showing how to save the world from destruction and why this is all happening in the first place.
The story leads to a very interesting concept that was first introduced in OoT: time travel. In that game we had the very cool privilege of traveling through time seven years, allowing us to control Link as a kid and an adult. In MM, time travel is condensed into three days. Whenever you play the Song of Time and warp back to the start, 72 hours will remain until the moon falls and ends the game. Time is split into three nights and three days, as well as the 72 hours. Most of the events and side quests occur on specific days and times, meaning that planning is a major strategy in this game. Coincidentally, playing the Song of Time is one of the two ways of saving your game, but it also serves to reset many events that have already occurred. Key items that you receive serve to save your progress when traveling through time, but all of the people and their problems will reset to the beginning.
Time travel isn’t the only innovative feature of OoT expanded upon. The masks, while cute and fun, make an incredibly large comeback. There are more than twenty unique masks to amass, many of them essential for completing the game. The three most important masks are those of the Deku, Goron, and Zora. Each one transforms Link into the respective race of people, allowing him to perform special abilities. The deku mask lets Link use Deku flowers and jump on water, the goron mask lets him pound the ground and roll, and the zora mask permits him to swim and throw boomerangs. The other masks play smaller roles, such as winning pieces of hearts and advancing the game along. Finding all of the masks is quite a challenge, but doing so is a lot of fun and never becomes dull.
The rest of the game feels exactly like OoT, with the exception of being longer and more creative. With the exception of the masks, Link is now a kid for the whole game. Apparently, he is now old enough to use items only the older Link could use in OoT, including the bow, hookshot, and huge swords. There are five main areas to explore: Termina Field, Southern Swamp, Ikana Canyon, Death Mountain, and Great Bay. Each one has its own city and environment, and the latter four have a dungeon. Four dungeons sounds awfully small, but they are large and challenging. (Stone Tower Temple gets a special mention for the way that you have to flip it upside down.) In addition, there are plenty of smaller dungeons to fight through, as well as an enormous amount of overworld to explore. Always having enough to do is definitely a strong point with MM.
Everything else comes together to complete this worthy sequel. The graphics are revamped up from OoT, allowing larger areas and better use of colors. However, the game probably took a sales hit because it requires the expansion pack to play. Music is as great as expected, but don’t hope for a soundtrack that tops the revolutionary soundtrack of OoT. In the end, there really isn’t anything bad to say about Majora’s Mask. It’s a very complete game that is stuffed full of innovation and gameplay. Whether you prefer Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask depends on your choice between elegance or plentitude.
Shay O’Neil
GameRatio review by Shay
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