The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto Eiji Aonuma Yoshiaki Koizumi
Series	The Legend of Zelda
Engine	Upgraded Ocarina of Time engine
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, GameCube
Release date	JP April 27, 2000 NA October 26, 2000 EU November 17, 2000
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: E ELSPA: 11+ PEGI: 7+ (GCN) OFLC: G8+
Media	256 Mbit (32 MB) N64 cartridge Nintendo GameCube Game Disc
System requirements	Expansion Pak (Nintendo 64)
Input methods	Gamepad

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (ゼルダの伝説 ムジュラの仮面, Zeruda no Densetsu Mujura no Kamen^?) is an action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It was released in Japan on April 27, 2000, in North America on October 26, 2000, and in Europe on November 17, 2000.^[1] The game sold approximately 314,000 copies during its first week of sales in Japan^[2] and went on to sell three million copies total.^[3]

Majora's Mask is the sixth installment in The Legend of Zelda video game series, which began with The Legend of Zelda in 1986. It is the second Legend of Zelda video game with 3D graphics. Majora's Mask features a broader and darker story as well as deeper gameplay than its predecessor, Ocarina of Time. The protagonist of the series, Link, is placed in the land of Termina, rather than Hyrule, where most of the series is set. A mysterious mask-wearing imp known as the Skull Kid has persuaded the moon to abandon its orbit and crash into Termina. Link uses time travel to repeatedly live the three days prior to the crash in an attempt to prevent it.

The gameplay is centered around a repeatedly played three-day cycle and the use of masks, some of which are required to proceed and complete the game. A variety of songs control the flow of time and open passages to the four Temples that Link must complete. Unlike Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask requires the use of the Expansion Pak, which allows for a larger number of on-screen characters and improved graphics. Majora's Mask was generally received well by critics, who cited the graphic improvements as well as a deeper and darker storyline.

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay in Majora's Mask expands upon that of Ocarina of Time; retaining puzzles based on the use of different weapons and playing songs that have effects, while also introducing masks, character transformations, and the limit of a three-day cycle. As in previous installments of the series, Link has basic actions including walking, running, and limited jumping, and uses many items to battle enemies and to solve puzzles; the sword, shield and bow and arrows being the most commonly used. He has several sword techniques, some of which can be improved throughout the course of play. Link can stun enemies with Deku Nuts, then inflict damage with another weapon. Bombs can be used to damage enemies and clear other obstacles, while the Hookshot is capable of latching onto an enemy and pulling it towards Link, temporarily stunning an enemy or for latching onto an object to pull Link himself to it.

[edit] Masks and transformations

Masks allow Link to transform into a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora. Here, Link fights a Dodongo in his Goron form.

Masks first appeared as a side-quest in Ocarina of Time, but play a more important role in Majora's Mask. Whereas Ocarina of Time has a few masks of which only one can be carried at a time, Majora's Mask has twenty-four masks, several of which are required to progress through the game.

Unlike previous Zelda titles, Link can transform at will into different species: the Deku Mask transforms Link into a Deku Scrub, the Goron Mask into a Goron, and the Zora Mask into a Zora.^[4] Each transformation grants unique abilities: the Deku Scrub can perform a spin dash, shoot bubbles from its mouth, skip on water a limited number of times (being incapable of swimming), and glide for a short time by launching from Deku Flowers. The Goron transformation can roll around at high speeds, punch with deadly force, stomp the ground with his massive body, enter lava without damage, and weigh down heavy switches with his girth. The Zora transformation can use its sleek body to swim rapidly, throw boomerang-like fins from his arms, generate a force field, and sink to walk on the floors of bodies of water. Many areas of the game can only be accessed by Link's use of these abilities.

Link and his three transformations receive different reactions from various non-player characters.^[5] For instance, the Goron and Zora are allowed to exit Clock Town, but the Deku Scrub looks like a child and the guards do not permit him to pass. Many animals also interact differently with all four forms of Link. For example, Link's normal form receives an indifferent response from dogs, which 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 Zora transformation makes the dog chase him happily.

Aside from the transformation masks, many masks provide some sort of situational benefit. For example, the Great Fairy's Mask helps retrieve the stray fairies scattered throughout the four temples; the Bunny Hood allows Link to run faster; and the Stone Mask turns Link invisible to most non-player characters and enemies. Less valuable masks, however, are usually involved only in optional side-quests or very specialized situations. Examples are the Postman's Hat, which allows Link access to an item hidden in a mailbox, and Kafei's Mask, which initiates a long and complicated side-quest that offers several masks as prizes.

[edit] Three-day cycle and songs

Majora's Mask imposes a time limit of three days (72 hours) game-time,^[6] which is approximately 54 minutes in real time.^[7] An on-screen clock tracks how much time is left. Link is able to return to 6:00 a.m. on the first day by playing the "Song of Time" on the Ocarina of Time,^[6] given to him by Princess Zelda in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Returning to the first day saves the player's progress and major accomplishments, such as maps, masks, and weapons Link has acquired, as well as songs he has learned.^[6] Cleared puzzles, keys, and minor items will be lost, and characters will have no recollection of meeting Link.^[8] Link can also manipulate time's flow by changing how he plays the Song of Time. Doubling each note results in the "Song of Double Time", which takes Link to the beginning of the next morning or evening. The "Inverted Song of Time", played by reversing the notes of the "Song of Time", causes time to move more slowly, giving Link more time to accomplish tasks.

Not all songs are related to time—other uses for songs include affecting the weather and teleporting. Each transformation mask uses a different instrument: Deku Link plays the Deku pipes, Goron Link plays bongo drums, and Zora Link plays a fishbone guitar. Jackson guitars released a limited edition 7-string replica of this guitar called the Zoraxe.

During the three-day cycle, non-player characters follow fixed schedules that Link can track using the Bomber's Notebook.^[9] The notebook tracks up to 20 characters in need of help,^[9] such as a soldier to whom Link delivers medicine, and an engaged couple that Link reunites. Blue bars on the notebook's timeline indicate when characters are available for interaction, and icons indicate that Link has received items, such as masks, from the characters.^[9]

[edit] Plot

[edit] Setting

The game takes place in Termina (タルミナ, Tarumina^?), an alternate version of Hyrule;^[10] the majority of the Ocarina characters were reused in Majora's Mask with slight differences. 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. Also, the unnamed red-head whose Cucco could be retrieved for a reward in Ocarina of Time, is a resident of Clock Town named Anju, and plays a significant role in a very intricate side-quest. Several other characters were also reused in Majora's Mask, some of which include the Ocarina vagrant, who administrates the Clock Town bank; The gravekeeper Dampé, who runs the Graveyard in both games; three Ingos, two of whom run a rival ranch and even steal from Romani Ranch and one of whom is the leader of the Traveling group of performers; the Ocarina carpenters, whose occupations remain the same except with an added position as town counselors; and the Windmill musician, who retains his occupation of music box playing, but for a different use.

Termina resembles an ancient city-state. The lively central city of Clock Town governs the surrounding area, but in the four cardinal directions there are regions outside the jurisdiction of the central city.

Civil human activity is concentrated in Clock Town and (less so) in Romani Ranch, although there are small numbers spread throughout the other regions as well. Goron activity is centered in the Goron Village in the Northern Mountains. The Zoras' turf ranges all across the bay, but is centralized in Zora Hall. The Gerudo are seldom seen outside of their fortress on the coast of Great Bay. Deku businessmen and mad Dekus are spread sparsely across the land of Termina, but Dekus are typically found only in the Southern Swamp and the Deku Palace. The defunct kingdom of Ikana is inhabited mainly by the undead, except for a ghost researcher and his daughter, as well as a thief named Sakon.

The land of Termina contains a wide variety of terrain. Clock Town lies at the center of Termina and is the place Link starts from when he returns to the beginning of the three-day cycle. The centerpiece of Clock Town is the large clock on Clock Tower that counts down the three days before the Carnival of Time. Termina Field surrounds Clock Town; beyond lie a swamp, a mountain range, a bay, and a canyon in each of the four cardinal directions. The main portion of the game features Link traveling to dungeons in these areas and defeating the boss within.

To the south of Clock Town is the Southern Swamp. The resident Deku population has set up a hereditary monarchy within the confines of the dense jungle-like area. The most prominent feature of this area is the Woodfall Temple, an ancient shrine that has fallen into disuse and now plays home to various monsters (including the masked jungle warrior, Odolwa) that have been poisoning the local swamp. North of Clock Town is the Snowhead mountain range where the Gorons live. Though normally temperate as a lush pine forest region, the area has been experiencing an unusually long winter caused by a recently-frozen masked bull named Goht in Snowhead Temple. The western area of Termina is the Great Bay. The Zoras live here along with a society of Gerudo pirates. A giant fish, Gyorg, in the Great Bay Temple is causing a large number of storms and contaminating the water. The Ikana Canyon lies to the east. It is a desolate and barely inhabited area filled with the wandering spirits of the dead. Gibdos haunt the water routes, and undead soldiers protect the graveyard. A pair of giant insectoid serpents known as Twinmold from the Stone Tower Temple are casting an evil aura over the land.

The Carnival of Time is central to the Terminian calendar. On this day, people wear handmade masks for good luck and walk along a walkway from the festival tower to the Clock Tower, where they sing an ancient song to the Four Giants to wish for a good harvest and luck in the year to come. Anju's Grandmother tells Link that if a couple dedicates two masks to the sun and the moon and get married on the day of this annual festival, their marriage will be a prosperous and a happy one.

See also: List of characters in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

[edit] Story

Majora's Mask begins with Link riding his horse Epona through the Lost Woods after the events of Ocarina of Time, where he is ambushed by a Skull Kid wearing a mask and his fairy friends, Tatl and Tael. They steal Epona and the Ocarina of Time from Link and run to a cave; Link follows and is turned into a Deku Scrub by the Skull Kid. The Skull Kid runs away with Tael, leaving Tatl behind after a door closes in front of her. She cannot open it and apologizes to Link, offering to help restore his natural form.

Link follows the Skull Kid through the cave to Clock Tower in Termina. He meets the Happy Mask Salesman, who says he can help Link if he retrieves the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask from the Skull Kid. They exit the Clock Tower in the center of Clock Town, which is preparing for its annual festival, the Carnival of Time. Link learns the moon in the sky has abandoned its orbit, and will crash into Termina in three days. He confronts the Skull Kid and Tael at midnight of the third day at the top of Clock Tower. He cannot take the mask, but he retrieves the Ocarina of Time and plays the Song of Time to send him back to when he first arrived in Termina.

Link sees the Happy Mask Salesman, who teaches him the Song of Healing. It returns Link to his human form, leaving him the Deku Mask. The Happy Mask Salesman tells Link that Majora's Mask grants its wielder's wishes, but possesses them with an evil, apocalyptic power. The ancient ones, fearing catastrophe, "sealed the Mask in shadow forever", to prevent its misuse. This tribe vanished and the origin and nature of the Mask was lost. The Skull Kid, possessed by Majora's Mask, is responsible for the moon threatening to destroy Termina.

Link travels between the four major lands of Termina: a poisonous swamp, an icy mountain, a murky bay, and a haunted canyon. Link enters a dungeon in each, defeating a boss that gives Link the power of one of the four giants that can save Termina. When all four have been completed, Link calls the giants, who halt the moon's passage towards Termina. Majora's Mask rises from the Skull Kid and enters the moon. With the help of Tatl, Link follows and defeats Majora's Mask.^[11] The Four Giants return to their sleep and Tatl and Tael reunite with the now-freed Skull Kid. The Happy Mask Salesman takes Majora's Mask, saying that the mask has been purified and its evil power has been destroyed. Link rides away on Epona and returns to Hyrule as the Carnival of Time begins. As the credits finish, the Deku Butler is seen mourning over his son. The game ends with a post-credits scene depicting a drawing on a tree stump of Link, Tatl, Tael, the Skull Kid and the four giants. As this picture is shown, a snippet of "Saria's Song" plays briefly in the background. (Dialogue had previously revealed this to be the same Skull Kid with whom Link plays Saria's Song in Ocarina of Time.)

[edit] Development

Following the release of Link's Awakening in 1993, fans waited five years for Ocarina of Time, the active development of which took four years. By re-using the game engine and graphics from Ocarina of Time, a smaller team required only two years to finish Majora's Mask. According to director Eiji Aonuma, they were "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."^[12] This was also the first 3D Zelda that Shigeru Miyamoto handed main directorial responsibilities to Eiji Aonuma and Yoshiaki Koizumi.

Majora's Mask first started to appear in the media in May 1999, when Famitsu stated that a long-planned Zelda expansion for the 64DD was underway in Japan with no release date set. This project was tentatively titled "Ura Zelda", "Ura" translating roughly to "Hidden" or "Behind". This expansion would take Ocarina of Time and make changes to the level designs, similar to how the "second quest" of The Legend of Zelda expanded upon the original game.^[13] In June, Nintendo announced that "Zelda: Gaiden", which roughly translates to "Zelda: Side Story", would appear as a playable demo at Nintendo's SpaceWorld exhibition on August 27, 1999.^[14] It was assumed by the media that Zelda: Gaiden was the new working title for Ura Zelda.^[14]

Screenshots of Zelda: Gaiden released in August show unmistakable elements of the final version of Majora's Mask, such as the large clock that dominates the center of Clock Town, the persistent timer at the bottom of the screen, and the Goron Mask.^[15] Story and gameplay details revealed later that month show that the opening story of Link's travel to a parallel world where the moon is threatening to crash as well as the use of masks to transform into a Goron, a Zora, and a Deku Scrub are already in place.^[16]

That same month, Miyamoto confirmed in a Famitsu article that Ura Zelda and Zelda: Gaiden are separate projects.^[17] It was unclear if Zelda: Gaiden was an offshoot of Ura Zelda or if the two were always separate. Ura Zelda would become the Master Quest outside Japan, eventually released on a bonus disc for the GameCube given to those that pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in the US and bundled with the GameCube game in Europe; a PAL/NTSC Nintendo 64 release was cancelled due to the failure of the 64DD in Japan.

In November, Nintendo announced a "Holiday 2000" release date for Zelda: Gaiden.^[18] By March 2000, new tentative titles were announced that would become the finalized titles: Zelda no Densetsu Mujura no Kamen in Japan and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask elsewhere.^[19]

[edit] Differences from Ocarina of Time

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.^[7] 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.^[7] The use of the Expansion Pak allows for greater draw distances, more accurate dynamic lighting, more detailed textures, more detailed animation, complex framebuffer effects such as motion blur, and more characters displayed on the screen.^[7] The expanded draw distance permits the player to see extremely far in Termina, and eliminates the use of fog to obscure distant areas that had appeared in Ocarina of Time.^[7] IGN considered the texture design to be one of the best created for the Nintendo 64, saying that although some textures have a low resolution, they are "colorful and diverse", which gives each area "its own unique look".^[7] Finally, all building interiors are rendered in real-time, unlike the fixed 3D featured in Ocarina of Time.

The music was composed by Koji Kondo and Toru Minegishi,^[20] whose score featured new interpretations of familiar melodies from Ocarina of Time and other previous titles in the Zelda series along with the very recognizable "Overworld Theme" seeing new orchestration and life. Fujiko Takimoto, who contributed to the voice of Link in Ocarina of Time, returned for Majora's Mask. Nobuyuki Hiyama who voiced adult Link, contributed to the voice of Fierce Deity Link and Zora Link.

[edit] Reception

Many critics noted that Majora's Mask is darker than most Zelda games. Shown here is a mini-cut scene of Link undergoing a transformation after applying the Zora mask.

The game sold approximately 314,000 copies in its first week of sales in Japan,^[2] and has sold three million copies worldwide.^[3]

Despite superficial similarities to Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask is often regarded as one of the darkest and most original titles in the Legend of Zelda series. Edge magazine referred to Majora's Mask as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Zelda games".^[21] Reviews were generally favorable, although opinions are mixed regarding whether the game is as good as its predecessor. 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 [from Ocarina of Time], the limited saves, and the time limit to finish the game all help to make the game more enjoyable to play".^[22] IGN 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".^[7]

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." It has been ranked the 7th-greatest game of all time by Electronic Gaming Monthly, whereas Ocarina of Time was ranked 8th.^[23]

One common criticism is that Majora's Mask is not as accessible as Ocarina of Time. GameSpot, giving Majora's Mask an 8.3/10, considerably lower than the 10/10 that was given to Ocarina of Time, wrote that some might "find the focus on minigames and side quests tedious and slightly out of place".^[24] 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."^[25] It was rated the 15th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.^[26]

[edit] GameCube version

Further information: The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition

In 2003, Nintendo re-released Majora's Mask on the Nintendo GameCube, as part of the The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition, a special promotional disc which also contained Ocarina of Time, as well as the original two 8-bit NES Zelda games, The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.^[27] 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 Nintendo-published games.^[28] The offer expired in early 2004.

Similar to some other GameCube re-releases, the game is not a port in the traditional sense, but rather the ROM of the original game running on a software emulator.^[27] 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. Also, the manual states that due to the emulation some of the sounds have been altered from the originals. Aside from these, because it is only emulated (rather than altered for the new console), there are some timing discrepancies between the two consoles; some of the music sounds inaccurate on the GameCube and the frame rate is noticeably lower. The game also has a habit of freezing, unlike the Ocarina of Time port, causing unsaved data to be lost (this occurs much less often if the Rumble feature is turned off).^[27] Furthermore, the GameCube's controls are different from the Nintendo 64's. This results in occasional difficulties in performing maneuvers such as back-walking. Despite these problems, the GameCube version has a cleaner look since it runs at a higher resolution than its Nintendo 64 counterpart.^[27] In addition, the GameCube version supports component video connections and progressive scan (480p) or in PAL territories, 60 Hz.^[27]

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• (2000) The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask instruction booklet (in English). USA: Nintendo. U/NUS-NZSE-USA. 

[edit] External links

• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at Zelda.com
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)