While previous Zelda games took place in the land of Hyrule, this story takes place in the neighboring land, Termina. The player plays as the iconic, green hero of time, Link. The game opens with him riding his horse, Epona, through a forest. He soon stumbles upon a strange figure wearing a brightly colored mask with eyes. The figure then uses his mask to change Link into a Deku shrub, a small shrub like creature in the Legend of Zelda franchise. The transformed Link follows the mysterious figure through a cave and into a clock tower.
Link learns from a mask salesman that the mysterious figure is actually a person named Skull Kid who stole the mask and has become possessed by its power. Now Skull Kid has started the count down for the apocalypse by summoning a giant moon that will make impact with Termina in three days. It is up to Link to stop Skull Kid and save the land of Termina before time runs out.
The scenery is very dark and gritty, setting a perfect tone for the story. There’s even a giant, ugly faced moon hovering in the sky that keeps reminding players that they are running out of time. The music accompanying the visually dark game is beautifully done. It sounds very adventurous and even mysterious.
There are many regions in the game to explore with temples pertaining to the main quest line. With each temple there is a theme such as fire, water, shadow, light, and other elementals. There are three regional masks that turn you into the predominant race of each region.
There are an abundance of weapons that Link obtains in the game such as the hook shot, hero’s shield and the Kokiri sword. Also, there are masks found throughout the game after completing side quests in addition to finding the masks’ locations and helping people in towns. These masks can change Link’s appearance, or give him certain powers that can help throughout the player’s adventure.
Though this game is a classic and adored by many, there are still some minor issues with it. One of these issues is the difficulty of some of the dungeon , an example being the infamous mummy maze.
The other problem is the patience that is needed to defeat any enemy in the game. The waiting mechanic makes the player have to wait until a small window of time where he/she can attack the enemy. The enemies do not have much health, but if the player tries to hurt the enemy before the window of opportunity he/she will only be met with it blocking their attack. The waiting mechanic takes the player out of the game, and it is extremely annoying to deal with.
“Majora’s Mask” is a sequel to the only other Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo 64 system, “Ocarina of Time.” This other Legend of Zelda game was also visually re-mastered on the Nintendo 3DS when the 3DS was released. “Ocarina of Time” and “Majora’s Mask” should be played one right after the other for full immersion into the games.
If you are a fan of the Legend of Zelda games, have played this classic N64 game, or are looking for a dark and fun adventure, then this game is for you. “Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” gets the rating of 4.9/5.
