The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

N64 review by Benjamin Sullivan on 13th June 2009

Many good things can be said for the Zelda series. In the past, the famous dungeon traversing, princess saving shut-in from Kokiri was hailed as the hero whose games would set the standard for action-adventure titles to come, and Link now stands alongside Mario as one of the faces to launch 1,000 Nintendo ships. The Legend of Zelda series is immensely popular for a hefty number of reasons: the fulfilling storylines, the enjoyable dungeon puzzles, the classic sword on monster fighting, the unforgettable cast, the often far-fetched obstacles/side quests, and above all, the fairytale motif that often involves saving a loved one, travelling through time to act as your older self, or being able to manipulate the seasons. Sadly, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask possessed few of these qualities when it was released in 2000, and has not since bettered itself in its re-release on Nintendo’s Virtual Console. Although Majora’s Mask maintains some of the features that made Link a star in his past adventures, the journey is often marred by repetition and frustration in lieu of excitement and vibrancy.

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The adventure begins as a near immediate continuation from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as we are given a scene showing Link and Zelda saying their farewells (or perhaps implying his farewell, the silent hero that Link is) and Zelda suggesting that perhaps Link needs to go on a “personal quest, in search of a lost friend”. From here time skips for an uncertain duration, and we are shown Link riding though the woods when he is ambushed by an imp-like child and his two “sidekick fairies”. Link regains consciousness soon enough to stop the strange looking boy from robbing him, and as the child retreats, we are given control of the hero and urged to pursue.

Change is Good

You will immediately recognise the control scheme that has been imported from Ocarina of Time, which has successfully migrated to the Wii’s classic controller with little difficulty, making navigation and combat seem on-par with the series’ history. For 1000 Wii Points, the lack of rumble support is easy to overlook.

After pursuing the thief-child further into the woods it is revealed that Epona (Link’s trusty steed) was “gotten rid of” by the nasty little fiend, giving birth to the seed that will sprout into Majora’s Mask’s dark, lonely, and more mature story theme. As you engage in combat with our little friend, who is revealed to be “Skull Kid”, the mask affixed to his face begins to emit strange magic, and Link is sent through an interestingly animated scene of confusion and pain as he is cursed and transformed into a Deku Kid. The darker story starts to come to fruition as Deku-Link (who is the embodiment of sadness and depression by the looks of his facial expressions) scrawls through the sewers of an unknown town. There he encounters a mask salesman who promises to turn him back to normal if Link can retrieve the malicious and powerful item that the imp-child stole, known as Majora’s Mask. And so begins Link’s only journey that is driven solely on the premise of revenge and personal vendetta, a theme that grants the story a boost to its darker nature and also plagues it with an unsatisfying sense of “personal agenda” that seems unbefitting of Link’s past reputation.

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Entering Clock Town is an interesting experience in and of itself. As you leave the sewers and emerge into broad daylight you will instantly become aware of two things: one, there is an enormous, malicious looking moon facing Clock Town with what is arguably the most evil grin (yes, it smiles) to impose itself on videogame history; two, your adventure is on a timer. As it turns out, our friend Skull Kid has cast a curse on Clock Town, and after the 3-day timer has expired, the ever-approaching moon will destroy the innocent little town and all of its inhabitants. Did I mention the darker storyline? As Link comes to terms with the town’s predicament, he learns that he must ascend the town’s central clock tower on the eve of the fourth day and do combat with Skull Kid once more. During this battle, Skull Kid drops the stolen Ocarina of Time – granting Link the ability to travel back in time three days and attempt to take a swing at Skull Kid in a more successful fashion.

What we’re given here is a number of frustrating factors that play into Link’s new adventure: Not only is there absolutely no sign of interest on Link’s behalf concerning the townspeople who are all going to die at the end of the third day (again, the story is driven by vendetta and the pursuit of Skull Kid), but we are also presented with the non-refundable gift of the ever-present “doom timer” that will follow us like a wet dog throughout the remainder of the quest. For each dungeon you attempt and each puzzle you contend with, you will also be under the steady gaze of a timer (that counts down at an alarming rate) forcing you to travel back in time three days should you take too long to conceive the solution to a puzzle or traverse the finicky outer world environments. Sure, this doesn’t sound too bad, right? Wrong. Travelling back in time has its perks, and not only are you teleported back to Clock Town to start your three days over (which could very well be miles from where you were), but all of the people you aided and dungeons you only partially completed are rewound as well. Long story short, you’re going to get very used to helping out the same denizens in need over and over again.

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Re-entering the sewers with the Ocarina of Time will impress the mask-collector enough to have him teach you a melody to return you to your normal human form, and from here, one of Majora’s Mask’s most interesting features comes to light: masks, of course. As you return to Link’s human form, the mask of a Deku Child becomes available for use, transforming Link into said creature. Further collection of masks grants Link the ability to shape-shift on the spot, granting him new abilities and appearances as well as different reactions from townspeople and creatures. And so, Link ventures out into four unique dungeons to employ the aid of - who better to halt the progression of a giant evil moon? - Giants. The story itself is rich and interestingly thought out, but again the absence of multiple dungeons begs the question “why wasn’t more time spent here?”, and the answer arrives in the form of the the three day time limit that you have come to love by this point. It is a lazy attempt to extend the storyline by forcing the player to re-live obstacles and events that they would have otherwise been done with.

It’s not to say that Majora’s Mask is un-enjoyable at all times, as it features many of the classic Zelda perks that we have all come to appreciate. The characters are particularly animated in Majora’s Mask and it goes without saying that the frenzied, lunatic of a mask salesman is very legitimately in the run for my favourite videogame character of all time. The classic weapons are all to be obtained within the four dungeons, and the mask transformations and collection side quest(s) make Link feel somewhat at home in Clock Town. The closest thing to a redeeming quality that Majora’s Mask possesses is its outrageously macabre themes and storyline. It’s clear that this is a title aimed more at the mature crowd than their younger, sunnier counterparts.

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The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask possesses a shadowy story that is wrapped in cruelty and darkness, but its horrible sense of repetition - that is blatantly used as an instrument in stretching a few more hours out of the gameplay - sadly takes away from the well-written story and enormously entertaining characters. Many of Link’s central motifs are absent here, and Ocarina of Time‘s enormous gust of success that Majora’s Mask sailed in on in its 2000 release is now absent with its Virtual Console re-release. This makes the frustratingly out of place adventure and its daunting repetition even less suggestible for anybody but the most dedicated of Zelda fans, or those who are in dire need of a somewhat shadowy representation of what is otherwise a pleasant “save the day” series.

Six out of ten

Pros

Darker, more mature theme
Outrageously memorable characters
Cool mask transformations

Cons

Frustrating, repetitive gameplay
Only four dungeons to traverse
Unforgiving countdown timer
Lacking in any kind of heroic inspiration on Link's behalf

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About the author

Benjamin Sullivan is a Staff Writer at Thunderbolt, having joined in November 2008. Born into a family of math majors and athletes, he was the outcast, dedicating long hours of the night to catching Pokémon and reading about any world that wasn’t this one. Truth be told, we’re not sure he ever came back.

Comments

Ben
13th June 2009

If trying to stop a moon from crushing a large kingdom isn’t heroic, then I don’t know what is.
Sacul
13th June 2009

I don’t believe that Link’s adventure was motivated by revenge as you said. At first he simply wished to be turned back into a human and regain his lost ocarina. He then became aware of the impending disaster and did what we would expect any Hero of Time to do.
Curry
14th June 2009

I suggest you play this game again ALL THE WAY THROUGH and rethink your review.
ian
18th June 2009

dude…that was the worst review ever…this is one of the best games ever made…and you give it a 6, pathetic…
Ben
19th June 2009

How you can come up with that conclusion without reading ever other review ever written I’ll never know.
Tel Gage
20th June 2009

I agree with this review. I didn’t like MM very much; the time limit and *constant* repetition of tasks really killed it for me. Had the time limit been a bit more generous, or had more tasks remained in place once completed, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

/Customary ‘your opinion is wrong’ rant.
Ryan G. Osborne
20th June 2009

This is, without a doubt, the best review I have ever read for Majora’s Mask. People are bias towards this game because they think just because it’s Zelda, and it’s following up Ocarina of Time it has to be great automatically, but it wasn’t and you portrayed that fantastically.
Matt Wadleigh
21st June 2009

“I suggest you play this game again ALL THE WAY THROUGH and rethink your review.”

I don’t get this. So, I would have to play through this game game more than once to enjoy it? I should give more than 20 hours to a game to finally “get it” and enjoy it? Fuck that. I want to sit down, start playing and enjoy a game. We shouldn’t have to spend dozens of hours playing a game just to get a point where we might enjoy it.
James
21st June 2009

Amen to that.
Ben
21st June 2009

“I don’t get this. So, I would have to play through this game game more than once to enjoy it? I should give more than 20 hours to a game to finally “get it” and enjoy it? Fuck that. I want to sit down, start playing and enjoy a game. We shouldn’t have to spend dozens of hours playing a game just to get a point where we might enjoy it.”

I don’t know about you, but I had a great deal of fun when I started playing this game back 9 years ago, and I experienced the same fun when I downloaded it for the Wii. The thing is, Majora’s Mask has a great storyline to it and an excellent atmosphere that the player can appreciate while they are doing EVERYTHING in the game. I don’t want anyone coming and telling me that I only like Majora’s Mask because of Ocarina of Time either, because I played Majora’s Mask first, then I played Ocarina of Time.
Anon Y. Mous
19th July 2009

Wait, did someone just bash him for not reading all the other reviews? What’s the point of a review without an honest opinion? Be honest: it’s good, but not as good as nostalgia makes you think.
P51L0CY81N
23rd July 2009

ok a few things are horribly misinforming in your review, but this is an OPINION piece, so I will respect your opinion. In my opinion, though, the Majora’s Mask adventure which I played through was a more than HEROIC, epic tale of a hero who triumphs over many hurdles, and in the end saves the realm of termina from utter obliteration. For a LoZ game, this game is extremely macabre and could’ve easily made a T rating happen, simply for the impending sense of complete disaster unfolding before Link’s eyes… The gameplay elements lacking from Ocarina Of Time are replaced with new, innovative elements which actually make this a much more challenging tale to complete. The only gripe I have with the game is the timing system, but in the case of this game it makes sense. No it isn’t to blatantly stretch gameplay hours out of you, it is to embibe upon you the same sense of impending doom that is central to the lore of the title itself. On a further note, I believe that both MM and OoT are on my top 5 videogames of all time, due to the immersive stories, compelling gameplay, and even the few flaws which actually help to make a more enjoyable game in the long run. This is my opinion, and I would give OoT a 9.9 and MM a 9.5 out of a PERFECT IN EVERY WAY score of 10
Bob
18th August 2009

“you will also be under the steady gaze of a timer (that counts down at an alarming rate) “

Have you ever heard of the Inverted Song of Time?

“. And so begins Link’s only journey that is driven solely on the premise of revenge and personal vendetta”

He wanted to be turned normal and have his ocarina back. Plus, He’ll be saving hundreds of people, that’s extremely vengeful! (sarcasm)

“there absolutely no sign of interest on Link’s behalf concerning the townspeople who are all going to die at the end of the third day”

Have you ever seen Link concerned?

“dungeons you only partially completed are rewound as well”

Not if you got the treasure.

“horrible sense of repetition “

That’s kinda the point of the game….
GonF
2nd September 2009

Now that was one of the worst reviews that i read in my whole freakin’ life!
Link seeking revenge?
You gotta be kiddin’ me.
The boy doesn’t even talk,for God sake,how can you say what he feels or what he thinks?
You’re the only person on the face of the Earth that thinks in that way…
If you don’t like this game i can’t blame you but here’s something that i’ll tell you.
This is one of the most original games from the Zelda franchise that i’ve ever played (at least for now).
Everything is different,innovative and for the first time a Zelda game relies more on the story part than the gameplay/technical part.
Now don’t try to compare MM with any other Zelda title,because like i said this one it’s a totally different game.
And stop bitching about the 3-day cycles!
Everyone knows the song to slow down time so you don’t have to get back to the first day so quickly.There’s a lot of side-quests,more than 50 pieces of heart to find and 24 masks to collect!
Zelda MM is great and i know that a lot of people will agree with me,just look the reviews from Gamerankings and you’ll know what i’m talking about.
This game will only be short and boring if you want it.
shadow
21st January 2010

I agree with the others you made it seem all dark only inka canon is realy that dark.
Gamer Girl 19
5th February 2010

I have a N64 and play Majoras mask contintly
its fun and all but I like Ocarina beter because you dont have a time limit on things.
Majoras mask is hard I havent even got past the snowhead temple yet.
I cant beleive how many new characters there are almost 60 characters (WOW!!!)
I have a link for info for the gome so copy and paste on google or somthing : ) www.zeldadungeon.net
Gamer Girl 19 Over and out.
skye
12th March 2010

omfg the song of time backwards is glitched up on mine and makes the time go faster instead of slower.
Stan
15th March 2010

What do you mean your song of time is messed up?
adam
30th June 2010

im not sure where you get the idea of link going through all this to get revenge but your way off. why would link do all those side quest? its not for revenge, its to save termina.

the time system probably made this game better in every aspect. it allows you to to replay the dungeons with out starting over, and it puts weight on your shoulders. it makes it more fun, its a race against time. unlike in oot where you could just fish for ever and ever still not feel any pressure to finish the game. also i feel like the music is deserving of mention. it helped give the game a darker feel. it was dark already but the music really helped it. and the lack of dungeons is simply for the inclusion of many, many side quests which add hours to the game. you should really go back and try and find, and complete them all and get the fierce diety mask. and going back through temples after you run out of time isnt bad. unless you have bad memory and cant remember what youve already done.
Bluelink12
15th July 2010

I disagree with this review, research the game more before you review it.
Caroline
16th July 2010

I’m surprised this review is still getting comments. I am curious about how far the reviewer actually got in this game, and what sidequests he completed. I get the feeling he only blasted through the 4 temples, if that.
Shadowdevo
27th July 2010

Majoras Mask is NOT supposed to be a sequel to Ocarina of Time first of all, which is good in some ways but it would have been cool if they made a sequel to MM taking place after Link saved Clock Town from utter destruction which would come back into OoT where he is looking for a long lost friend of his. That would be awesome because it would be coming from the end of MM which would have been an obstacle during his quest of looking for his friend. So link starts looking for his friend and while he is searching he gets robbed by a kid and he tries to get his things back then it leads to a town that will soon be destroyed by the kid that robbed Link. So, Link gets his things back and decides to save the town and is asked to retrieve the mask-man’s mask that is causing all of the madness before he goes off and tries to find his friend again.
Shadowdevo
27th July 2010

To me, that is a great plot and what I was talking about before was what if they would make a game where Link has saved Clock Town and is leaving the town with his horse and is back to searching for his friend. Then, something happens that causes Link wanting to save a town again or save something from destruction and is distracting him from saving his friend again kind of like MM but a different story, characters, etc… like OoT to MM; OR they could leave it off from when Link saved Clock Town and then he goes off searching for his friend and he finds him/her (for some odd reason I think the friend is Saria) and something is wrong which causes another storyline and plot and becomes a new game and that would be the sequel to OoT because he finds his friend and does whatever happens. So MM was great in my opinion because it was something entirely different but all the same (you understand that?) it was supposed to be its own game but its still Link and him saving the day. The Zelda series is one of the top 3 best video game series EVER. (in my opinion its #1 all the way) and just to show the graphics of OoT and MM aren’t like he ones we have today yet they are still played and loved. That shows you they’re great games. Which goes to show you that anything out of the OoT or MM series does not deserve a 6 out of 10.
Shadowdevo
27th July 2010

Thank-you for your time,
-Shadowdevo
Ben
28th July 2010

I like that Shadowdevo guy. He has good taste in games
Ben
28th July 2010

Actually I like a lot of people posting here.
Shadowdevo
28th July 2010

I think I have good taste in GOOD games =P but thanks anyway Ben =D
Ben
11th August 2010

Haha welcome
Edgar
12th August 2010

Pretty much everything you stated to belittle the game is what makes the game so great, and to be honest you don’t get this game AT ALL and shouldn’t of wrote a review, learn to understand games better, either that or don’t review them at all.

First of all the dark themes, creepiness, time limit and such is all tied to the meaning of the game, a meaning nintendo tried to show in OOT but better showed in Majora’s Mask, it was to never give up, that is the main lesson in Majora’s Mask, there are also other lessons such as forgiving your friends and such, the time limit and everything i stated before was so you would feel pressured, in a world where no one knows you’re helping them, and usually after you help them you go back in time and they forget all about you, it was to test yourself, if you could collect all masks, items, beat the game, all the sidequests and such you would prove that you wouldn’t give up thats why its more difficult. and when all masks are given to the children on the moon you gain the strongest mask, the reward you get for helping a bunch of people, a said evil mask that Link is eventually able to control to defeat Majora’s Mask, as the mask gave it to him in hopes that he would be controlled by it. Again, understand games more…
Ben
13th August 2010

Majora’s mask has those things, and then some, Edgar :)
Amadeus
25th August 2010

I’m gonna have to ask that you read this article about the majora’s mask then rethink your assumption.
http://www.zeldawiki.org/Majora’s_Mask_(Object)
seasaw
28th August 2010

omg ur review is wrong they didnt use the timeer to strech it out bcoz u can slow the timer and if this a dark storyline well then u should try playin the darkest zelda game yet twilight princess and i was 7 wen i 1st played this game i didnt even know wat ocarina of time was and personally ocarina of time is over rated compared to majoras mask and link doesnt have a vendetta on skull kid bcoz the real reson he did it was to save the town get his horse back and get back the present from a very good friend the ocarina and if this was a dark story tell me this y do u get a book that lists the ppl u have helped and u have to reunite to lost lovers how is that dark honestly 1 of the worst reviews i have eva read
komali100
28th August 2010

Are you serious? 1.) Link is NOT motivated by revenge. He is trying to save everyone from being crushed in three days. 2.) It isn’t that repetitive. Once you complete a sidequest or dungeon you don’t have to do it again. You are almost going through a different 3-day cycle since you will be doing something different each time. 3.) The 3-Day cycle is not a scapegoat to try to make the game longer. It is a incredibly interesting plot twist that makes the game different than any other Zelda game. 4.) Based on this review, I don’t even think you played the game and I give this review and your reviewing capabilities a -5/10.
Ben
1st September 2010

Well put
Joe
8th October 2010

If you use the inverted song of time (which isn’t that hard to get folks!) and spend even two days on a temple, it will be over an hour of real-time.. which if you can’t complete the temple in an hours worth of time then you seriously need to re-think your job as a game reviewer.

While this game is certainly no OoT, and has some serious control issues in the alternate forms (zora and goron), it makes up for this partially by creating some of the most artistic and simply interesting settings of any game, let alone the zelda franchise.

All from the musical windmill surrounded by zombies, to the former “evil witches” that do photography, the game easily immerses you in the atmosphere.

Additionally, it also spouts one of the most in your face, nerve-racking plot devices with the only ever-increasing moon threatening to crash. The intensity of this game at all times cannot be understated. In your typical Zelda game, and RPG for that matter, you never *really* feel like you have to hurry, like it matters whether you dilly-dally in fields attacking random monsters or whether you actually… ya know… SAVE THE WORLD.

Majora’s Mask destroys this cliche by forcing players to move, although it does so in a somewhat generous way by allowing time slow and of course 3 day time travel.

Additionally, this game arguably is one of the best in brining to life villager NPCs. With the bomber’s notebook, this game features some of the most meaningful side-quests in any game, ever. Gone are the “get me this item and I give you this” quests and instead, by taking advantage of its 3-day active time calendar, it allows the player to meet NPCs upon talking to them at certain points.

The realistic and innovative nature of this cannot be stressed enough, once again gone are the “I’m the guy who stands here all day giving you a quest to find my….” instead you must strategize and prioritize your time by balancing main quest objectives and side quests that are only available for a short period of time.

Now, this game has its fair of faults, mostly the 4-dungeons offense is the greatest, especially when the first three is of average OoT design, its only the stone-tower temple which really impresses. But this is also compensated for by the often lengthy and artistic “plot” sidequests that must be done before entering the temple.

In conclusion, any respectable review of this game MUST take into account the very well executed artistic presentation of this game, something which far surpasses a simple “dark” setting. Really, its morbid, and the fate of some of the characters would fit a tragedy. But ultimately, it sacrifices too much typical zelda temples for this art and as such I would give it a 8.
Benjamin
12th October 2010

Well look at you, writin’ a fancy old review, and right here in the response column no less! Cute!
Luke
24th October 2010

I thought the guy who responded wrote a great review. He was able to address both the positives and the negatives quite well.
Snipkins
27th November 2010

If anyone would like to know… the lost friend is Navi the fairy that left at the end of OoT. The review is deeply flawed and should go into a deeper look into the game before rating it, because it could be frustrating if you are into a straight forward game, but you gotta appreciate the creativity and originality put into this game.
Mitchell
2nd January 2011

Game of the decade, oh yeah!
THE END
18th January 2011

Finally, i agree:)
This game is atrocious, hideous, creepy, weird, bizzare, very difficult, i don’t even know how to save the game, i don’t even know where to go & what to do.
Good job!
Mike
19th January 2011

Downloading Majora’s Mask on my Wii as we speak (beat it on the n64 about 5 years ago)… time to sit back and enjoy life, 100% completion here I come!
Dave
2nd July 2011

Have you even played Majora’s Mask for more than 10 minutes? It feels like you were grasping to find faults with this game, so you began making them up. For starters, you’re completely off base by thinking Link is motivated by revenge here. Link gets his ocarina back in the very beginning of the game, after that he is on a quest to retrieve Majora’s Mask and save the whole world of Terminia. How can you misconstrue that to be a “personal agenda?” Also, one of the central themes of the game is helping all of the various citizens of Terminia, so how then can you say Link disregards them? The game is short, that is the one fault I can concede. However, this game is a masterpiece.
Joseph Walsh
6th August 2011

Although I disagree with your score (I’d present a 9/10, maybe 10/10), this is a well written review and and interest perspective.
I don’t disagree with your points as such, if anything I see your angle, but those were the things I love about the game.
Yes, making a gamer reply sections is lazy but I feel that Majora’s Mask did it in a smart and necessary way. Going back to previous sections was the backbone of the game and I believe Mr. Shigeru Miyamoto wouldn’t have it any other way.
This game is a masterclass and it’s a shame you weren’t able to enjoy it like others did.
Jakeiiii
24th September 2011

(Going against your cons)

The gameplay is anything but frustrating and repetitive; the controls are so smooth and you’re 100% in control of your character the whole time, if anything makes it frustrating, it’s your fault. The whole interest on Link’s behalf thing is not true; you, the gamer, are Link! You personally do the sidequests for the characters because you want to help them. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel good about rescuing Pamella’s father. And repetitive? There are 24 masks, and 3 transformations that you use throughout the entire game which really expand on the gameplay and keep it fresh by utilising each with new gimmicks as you go through the game (goron racing, swimming, shooting galleries, etc.). Every quest and puzzle in this game is different from the rest, which means that it’s not repetitive in the slightest.

The great amount of sidequests and things to do OUTSIDE THE DUNGEONS more than makes up for the grand total of 4 dungeons. Seriously, do people just forget that Zelda games don’t only take place inside dungeons? There are so many different, enjoyable things to do in this game that make it feel bigger than OOT.

The clock/counter in this game is awesome. It gave the game a more realistic and heart-pounding experience in which you can experience many different events at different times (rather than a character waiting for you in the same place the entire game for a single quest that can be done at any time). You can slow down time, and always rewind it back; so it is forgiving. If you ever run out of time, it’s because you’re just un-organised, or just plain slow and aren’t good enough for the game.

Also, lack of any heroic inspiration?! Are mental?
There is a menacing moon that is threatening to abolish an entire planet in which there is no escape from. The whole thing about the masks is that they’re ‘happy masks’. The whole moral behind these is that you’ve made a positive difference in these people’s lives and now Link has a new found strength (but physically in this case). The game and it’s events/items are much deeper than what they appear; everything in this game happens for a reason, and there is a great sense of accomplishment after earning each.

There, all your cons are proven wrong; hence, the game is perfect! Haha!

I understand this review is your personal opinion; but I can’t help but feel that you’ve missed out on pretty much everything amazing that this game has to offer. I suggest you revisit the game while keeping my points in mind.
Ben
14th October 2011

Oh the game is not perfect; it does have flaws and limitations. The cons here (and inherently, the score that came with them) are bizzare though.
Zach
21st October 2011

There was a “revenge” factor of sorts. Link wanted his things back, including his natural form, but he also had to step beyond that to save everyone which is more heroic. I’m not going to say the game isn’t redundant at times either, but I also feel that watching these poor people relive their lives over and over again helplessly as the moon is coming crashing down on their heads added to that dark vibe. Link was their only hope, as they were trapped in the cycle of oblivion created by the evil of Majora’s mask. Growing ever more powerful and standing a midst the denizens of clock town, I pitied them and truly felt like their only hope. As a child, I was able to truly be the Hero of Time. I thank Nintendo for that from the bottom of my heart and will never forget the lessons this tale taught me.
Ben
28th October 2011

It really does sadden me though. Majora’s Mask was (and to this date still is) a game exploding with passion and raw emotion. It seems quite a few players are unable to get that out of the game though, which would no doubt make the game that much less appealing for them.
Dahole
24th November 2011

MM deserves a 6.0.
This jewel of gaming is reserved for the real gamers, not retards like this editor.
bawlsforface
7th May 2012

This is one of the worst reviews I’ve ever read. Why? Because it’s full of factual faults. It’s one thing if you didn’t like the game, but putting lots in incorrect statements in them is another.

Link isn’t out after revenge. The mask salesman asks him to retrieve his mask (Majora’s Mask) and stop the moon from crashing down. Simple as that.

Link shows very little concern for the townspeople because he’s a silent protagonist, not because he doesn’t care. Just like Link in Ocarina of Time, Chrono in Chrono Trigger or even Dovahkiin in Skyrim. That’s how silent protagonists work.

The “doom timer” is almost an hour long, almost three hours if you use the Inverted Song of Time which you learn very early in the game. That is NOT an “alarming rate”. That is called a challenge or level of difficulty. And three hours is hardly a challenge for anyone to finish a dungeon unless you are under 6 years old. The game is rated E, so people over the age of 6 should be capable of finishing this game, not to mention an adult like yourself.

Also, you fail to mention how the time aspect influences the game, like characters only being available at certain times or how you can’t access the farm until the third day and by then it’s too late to get Epona.

You don’t need to help the citizens over and over again. You only need to help them once to get their item/items. After that you never have to deal with them again.

There aren’t as many dungeons, but the game is not much shorter than Ocarina, because there are a lot more of sidequests and mini-dungeons/requirements for entering dungeons than in Ocarina, and you don’t need to relive any of them unless you either fail to complete them or you feel like reliving them.

There. Now you can rethink your profession as a game reviewer. At least rewrite this review so that it isn’t full of lies anymore.
Sean
7th May 2012

A nitpick, but Dovahkiin isn’t really a ’silent protagonist’. There are dialogue trees, which means your character is saying the things you select; he/she has a voice, it just isn’t audible. It’s only ’silent’ because Bethesda didn’t want to pay several voice actors to voice two separate genders across however many races there are.

Link is definitely a true silent protagonist otherwise.