Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

[MidnightAsaph]

Link to original post: [drupal=2951]Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[/drupal]



A long time ago, I posted how I couldn't stand being the only person who was fond of something. And I've come to the conclusion that I won't actually meet anyone off the net who actually likes this game.

The difficulty was much higher, it was creative, had amazing music, and introduced a much different look on Zelda. Is it that no one likes change? Or was it simply the game itself?

I'm not sure why people don't like it, but I feel that the game's "bizarre" nature was far more. For me personally, it was thought-provoking and unnaturally deep. So many things were unanswered in Majora's Mask. It was left without explanation, such as the Fierce Deity's Mask.

Maybe that's why I like it.

But I wrote this blog to hear your thoughts on the game. Why did/didn't you like it, and why?

 

[Mewter]

I liked playing it, but got stuck at the first appointment with Skull Kid and the attainment of the Ocarina (I was about 5 I think).

So yeah.

 

[finalark]

I loved it for several reasons. I won't write an essay on it because this is the internet and people are stupid and will say "lolz tl;dr nubz." So here are my basic reasons why I liked it.

- Nintendo actually tried something new rather than just rehashing old formuals
- It was suprisingly deep (you cannot tell me that there isn't more to the Mask Salesman than meets the eye)
- It was challanging
- The masks worked not only as a game element, but as a story element as well
- The dungeons were well though-out and original
- The Atmosphere was amazing

Hell, the only problem that I had with it that I can think of was the length. The three-day thing might not have worked for everyone, but for me it uped the difficulty and helped build atmosphere.

 

[etecoon]

majora's mask is probably my favorite game in the series. it's not without flaws but it did a lot of unique things and I consider it amazing on the whole.

 

[Jonkku]

http://www.smashboards.com/showthread.php?t=242702
That's the Majora's Mask thread in the LotZ subforum. There are a lot of people who like the game in there.

For me, it was the first Zelda game I actually really played and liked. (Or maybe the second. Can't remember if I got Wind Waker before it.)
I've yet to beat it without cheating though (just like any other Zelda game, Minish Cap and TP excluded).

Edit: And yeah, I still would choose MM over OoT anyday.

 

[Mr.Freeman]

I liked the game. I didn't like that they reused the same music for each region,though.

 

[TaterSalad0811]

I loved it for several reasons. I won't write an essay on it because this is the internet and people are stupid and will say "lolz tl;dr nubz." So here are my basic reasons why I liked it.

- Nintendo actually tried something new rather than just rehashing old formuals
- It was suprisingly deep (you cannot tell me that there isn't more to the Mask Salesman than meets the eye)
- It was challanging
- The masks worked not only as a game element, but as a story element as well
- The dungeons were well though-out and original
- The Atmosphere was amazing

Hell, the only problem that I had with it that I can think of was the length. The three-day thing might not have worked for everyone, but for me it uped the difficulty and helped build atmosphere.

Speaking of the mask salesman, is it me, or is one of the masks on his backpack a rendition of Mario?

 

[Jam Stunna]

I've gone on at length as to why this is my favorite Zelda game. Basically:

1) Real characterization- The NPCs in this game, instead of simply being repositories for necessary information, actually have personalities and lives that exist outside of Lik's quest. You can listen to the performance manager's woes or trail Anju for days or explore the exuberance of youth with the Romani girls. And they go about their lives whether you're there or not.

2) A story with consequence- Often, people think of mature as being about blood and gore and sex. To me, Majora's Mask was one of the most mature games I've ever played because there were actual repercussions for your choices. If you saved the ranch, then Anju and Kafei would be apart forever. There were many choices like this, and simply put, you couldn't save everyone. You had to pick, and someone's story in Termina was not going to end happily ever after no matter what you did.

And of course, if you did nothing but goof off for the three days, the world ended. It wasn't like Final Fantasy VII where Meteor was imminent, but you could take your sweet time getting to the North Crater, or even like OoT, where the Great King of Evil conveniently waited for you in his tower. You were under the clock, and people's lives hung in the balance.

3) Atmosphere- There was a real mood of forboding, a sense of darkness and dread that permeated the game world. People's responses changed as the days passed; the music became frantic; the moon inched closer; and don't underestimate the psychological effect of the ticking clock. The gameplay mechanics contributed to this feeling of hopelessness as well: every time you went back, you had to start over again (not exactly, but you know what I mean). It was as if your past efforts were for naught.

4) The Gameplay- I've seen alot of people criticize the gameplay aspects of the game. The world is too small, the three-day cycle is limiting, the save mechanics are annoying, etc. I actually thought the three-day cycle was a brilliant deviation from the standard Zelda formula, and everything else about the game, including the small world, helped to add to the claustophobic sense of dread that I mentioned earlier. I can't speak for anyone else, but personally I don't really need seven dungeons; four well-designed dungeons work for me just fine, especially the awesome Stone Tower.


I could keep going, but I think I'll stop here. A poster on another site I frequent wrote a really great explanation as to why he loved Majora's Mask. It was much more concise and much better than anything I could write. When I find it again, I'll post it here.

 

[Fzerowii]

Idk about others, but I loved MM... It was so unique, a fresh start; kind of like how Twilight Princess was...

 

[Teran]

Majora's Mask is pretty much my favourite game of all time, one day I'll write a giant blog about everything I got out of this game.

Its depth is pretty fantastic for a game.

 

[Sucumbio]

Well, ironically you may find that this blog's replies will consist mainly of "actually I loved MM" ... except for my post :D

I did not like this game. It was too hard for me. I can appreciate why many people would like it or even love it, but for me it just... gosh I think I'm getting frustrated just thinking about it. There was this one section before you even leave the city, I think, anyway it had these like, plant things that you got into and it'd spit you way up in the air and you had to angle your drop so as to land somewhere significant, like another plant, or a platform... an elaborate jumping puzzle basically. First, I REALLY hate jumping puzzels... of any kind... but this one was just WAY too hard for me. I literally spent 4 hours trying to get past this area, not even knowing if it was what I was supposed to be doing at that point in the game, if at all (but most of how I get through Zelda games is guess and test, or see something and play with it until something happens, or explore somewhere until something happens) and I honestly gave up.

Now I may one day give it another crack, but another problem I had with the game was the impending time limit. I mean, you have, what, 3 days? In-game? And I spent 2 in-game days just getting as far as I did, lol. I dunno, it's one of those games that if I really cared enough, I could print out a full walk-through and beat it that way, but honestly, that just seems... weak.

Come to think of it, OoT barely made it in my book. WW too... TP, I enjoyed it more than anything coming before it except LoZ, and that I DID use a full walk-through (a old book, one of the first game books, How To Conquer Zelda). Excellent book, tho... beats Zelda 1 and 2 for the NES. >.>

 

[Jam Stunna]

All right, I found that post from another site I was talking about:

To me the biggest part of this game, and the reason it's my favorite of the series, is the overwhelming sense of not belonging. You're a stranger there, it's not your world. Nothing is how it should be. It's rather subtle in general, but it's just different enough to make you feel paranoid. It's a haunting game, and all the more beautiful for it. You go through the game, resetting the days so often that you become very detached from everything. Nothing you do matters. None of the interactions you experience with the characters will be remembered. You meet them again and again, watching them go about their daily business. The town mayor caught in between two groups bickering about the festival. The gang of kids laughing and playing as the world ends. The town guards solemnly standing at their posts as the moon falls on their city and consumes all in flame. The girls from the farm devastated after aliens kidnap their cows and destroy their livelihood. The sorrowful bride-to-be reunited with her transformed lover, happy enough just to be finally together even though they both will die in an hour.

And then, you play a song. And it all begins again. They don't remember anything. The carpenters go back to complaining. The postman makes his rounds. All are oblivious. But you, you remember everything. The silent protector of the world, forced to relive these tragedies again and again.

 

[finalark]

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Majora's Mask is an amazing game. I think I once used the words "hidden depth" to describe it. I don't think I could ever choose better words. Each time I play the game, I notice something new. It's almost as if the dark mystery of the Mask will never be fully solved.

 

[urdailywater]

Can anyone link me to that really long article about Majora's Mask? I think it involved something about the Stone Tower temple, but I don't know anything past that. But it was discussed here before.

I should really read it.