Day 254 - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Nightmare Fuel, Bangers, Immersive Sim ·
Skeeter’s Take:
We are technically only reviewing the intro to Majora’s Mask. We each played until we were able to change back to human form. Just wanted to provide a little context before we head in.
Majora’s Mask is a strange game. Sam and I were discussing this earlier today, but we couldn’t think of another game that utilizes the time loop mechanic quite like MM (Majora’s Mask) does.
But we are jumping ahead a bit. Back to the strangeness. MM is technically a direct sequel to Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Time. The evidence of this coming from a flash-back Link has about Zelda where she talks about him “leaving Hyrule and heading for a strange land” before handing him an Ocarina.
Zelda has the same model that she does in OoT (Ocarina of Time). Link has his trusty horse Epona, Hylian Shield and his sword.
Which makes the decision to rip all those familiar things away 5 minutes into the game absolutely CHAD status.
It’s a pretty standard video game sequel trope: Start the player off as strong as they were in the last game then have some crazy thing happen that reverts their power back to zero, thus allowing the player to progress as if it were a new game. MM decides to do this in the most alienating way possible.
As Link is wandering through the forest, a strange creature with two fairies ambushes him, and steals his ocarina and horse.
The game allows the player a little taste of the familiarity to start. There’s a little grassy starting area that the player can run around in, slashing their sword through the grass and collecting rupees just like the good old days. The game takes just a moment to say “Remember Ocarina of Time? Remember how fun that was?” before Lucy-pulling the football out from the player and saying “This ain’t Ocarina of Time, bitch. We play by different rules here.”
Link chases the strange man known as Skull Kid and falls down a hole landing on a Deku flower. I just want to show a screenshot of what you see as you fall down that hole because I think it’s neat:
Anyway, Link lands at the bottom of the hole and Skull Kid basically tells him he “got rid” of Link’s horse, implying he killed Epona. He then decides that he wants to fuck with Link because he thinks it’s funny and shakes his funny mask.
After being chased by some nightmare Deku Shrubs, Link wakes up as this abomination:
A fucking Link-Deku shrub hybrid monster. The player can no longer swing their sword. The player can no longer roll, instead doing a ballet pirouette while sliding across the ground.
That feeling of comfort MM gave for a moment has been completely demolished. Skull Kid has taken all of that from the player. There is no Epona, there is no ocarina, there is no sword, there is no Tali, no shield, no Zelda, and no human Link. The player has been reduced to a pathetic Deku Shrub, the equivalent of an early game mob from the previous game.
I admire the absolute balls that MM has to pull this on the player. When I was a kid, I remember trying to get past the intro on so many separate occasions, but just found myself angry that I wasn’t Link from OoT. I was a stupid Deku Shrub. Eventually, one of my buddies told me that you just had to get past the intro and I would be able to change back. It was only then I pushed through and was able to get hooked.
Now that I’m an old fart, I can appreciate MM’s approach from a completely different angle.
Majora’s Mask is vastly different from Ocarina of Time. As already stated, it doesn’t even take place in Hyrule, instead some place called “Termina”. Beyond the superficial though, the entire game technically happens in 3 days, with Link having the magical instrument power to travel back in time to the start of the first day whenever he needs.
This time loop mechanic is central to how the game plays and works. I’ll explain it a little more later, but wanted to touch on it briefly to circle around to my point.
I feel like this alienation of the player, while definitely adding to the atmosphere and oppressive feeling of the game, also is a way to prep the player to expect that they are not going to play Ocarina of Time 2. They are going to play Majora’s Mask, which is a very different game.
MM doesn’t have a princess that needs saving. There’s no Pig Gannon in a castle spreading his evil influence through the world. The lines of good and evil are more blurred in Majora’s Mask.
Our main villain is a Skull Kid from the Lost Woods. I was reading through his Wiki here, and I never made this connection, but I guess it is heavily implied this is the same Skull Kid who Link taught Saria’s Song to in the Lost Woods in OoT. I’ll have to be on the lookout for clues to that on this playthrough, because that is a neat connection if true.
Anyway, Skull Kid is not just a bastion of evil chasing the TriForce for godlike power. Instead, he’s a mischievous creature that happens upon an ancient cursed object that bestows an incredible amount of power unto him. From what I remember (it has been quite a few years since I’ve played through Majora’s Mask), we see some glimpses into Skull Kids past before he found the mask, and he was not a happy soul. He just seems like this sad creature that stumbles into something he shouldn’t, and that makes him significantly more compelling than “Evil Guy is Evil”. Instead it’s “tragic creature find evil object that is evil”, but that adds a really good layer to Skull Kid.
In a way, he’s almost sympathetic. You want to help Skull Kid, help him remember his friary friends, and make him realize the influence the mask is having on him.
But then again, he’s also trying to bring down the FUCKING MOON and destroy all of Termina…
And that makes you want to stop him by any means necessary.
This is the magic of Majora’s Mask. Here is a giant creepy-faced moon that will destroy everything in 3 days. It’s up to Time Traveling Link to save the day (Hey, this really is an OoT sequel!) by looping back in time and getting closer to collecting the mysterious “four” to bring to the final showdown.
Majora’s Mask shows the player the entire game right through the tutorial. Sure, there are places you can’t see or get to yet, but the player gets to see the entirety of the three days play out. The entire intro of this game is… well, the whole three day cycle that the game will take place in.
This means that every person has a 3 day schedule that they follow, and much of the progress is linked behind helping the townsfolk out. Not only does this really make every character feel… I don’t want to say “alive”, but they somehow feel more realistic than the Cyperpunk 2077 NPCs that wander down the streets in entire hordes at a time.
This makes not only interacting with people necessary, but also learning their schedule throughout the three days so you know where to find them. The player will not be able to help everyone each time, so they’ll have to make decisions about what to do during each loop before time runs out.
A lot of quests will start out simple, then unfold into this crazy connection with a completely different group of people. Take for instance the “tutorial” of this game. The first thing the player is likely to try is jumping in the Deku flower they’ve just been prepped to hold “A” on. Upon approaching the Deku flower, the rightful owner comes soaring in claiming that the player cannot use it, but he might be willing to part with it for a Moon’s Tear.
The player is told to go see the Great Fairy in Clock Town. Upon finding the Great Fairy, the player discovers that she has been shattered by that pesky Skull Kid.
After the player finds the missing fairy, the Great Fairy bestows the player with magical power that allows them to shoot a bubble. Immediately outside the Great Fairy’s cave are two balloons.
For some reason, I screenshotted the Tingle balloon. He falls if you shoot it and yells and it’s funny.
The other balloon (not pictured), is a giant Majora’s Mask balloon. Upon popping it, the little kid shooting his slingshot at it will take notice and tell the player they can get into their secret clubhouse if they catch all of the members.
The player then uses this code to follow the path to the Observatory where the kids have their hideout and some old man watches after them (not creepy). Once the player gets to the, observatory, the old man shows them his telescope, where the player can gaze at the clock tower to find Skull Kid dancing madly at the Moon. The telescope whips towards the moon as a tear drops and lands outside the observatory… That’s right! A Moon’s Tear! I also love that the player will have to complete part of this quest again (the password stays the same through each playthrough) right before the final Skull Kid encounter. [EDIT: Apparently you can just climb up the tower as Human Link and I just forgot, but I’m definitely doing this as a final “Goodbye” ritual on my next playthrough]
I just want to note that the player does not exactly know that the moon is going to fall at this point. I know, because I’ve played this game before, but the moon isn’t exactly on display when you are in town. You can always look up and see it, but I didn’t even think to use first person mode while running around. This might be the first glimpse the player has at the moon:
Anyway, the player can finally take the Moon’s Tear back to the little bitch Deku Scrub by the clock tower and finally gain access to the tower.
A lot of progression works this way in Majora’s Mask. You set out to do something simple, and end up doing a bunch of different tasks that lead into one another. I love that design. Somehow, it doesn’t really feel contrived. I think because the things the player actually does are fairly restrained. Chase some kids around and play hide and seek? Doesn’t seem like World Hero Saving stuff, but alright. Help a stupid ass Deku Landlord get his wife a shiny new rock? Sure, why not? It makes these people’s lives feel sort of mundane, which life very much is, but it’s also a great juxtaposition against the panic and dread these people will be feeling by the end of three days. Pretty much “just another day living” to “Oh, now I have to deal with an apocalyptic death with the moon squishing my face”.
The end of the third day in Clock Town is designed so well. The music is sped up a bit, increasing the feeling of anxiety. It’s the night of a big carnival, and the streets are absolutely empty. Even the people that live in town are sparse. I wandered into the mayor’s office while I waited for the clock tower to open on the third day, and ran into the guards and the construction men arguing about the state of evacuation while the mayor sat there with decision paralysis.
It’s pandemonium. People are arguing and panicking. We get to see the chaos unfold into a once mundane and quaint town. I love that.
The game does a great job at making each day feel important. Each time the bell on the clock tower rings, signifying a new day, the aspect ratio on the screen shrinks until there is nothing but a single bell ring that holds through a black screen on white text - impossible to ignore:
It’s highly effective. I really feel the weight of the ticking clock each time one of these screens appear.
I’m tired and am going to stop talking about Majora’s Mask in a second, but I noticed something this time I wanted to point out.
After the initial encounter with Skull Kid, the player rewinds time and heads back to the first day. So, time has re-wound, people’s memories are what they were on that first day.
But, the Mask Salesman remembers everything. He remembers your deal, he remembers that you’re supposed to get an item for him. Who the fuck is this man?
He also teaches you the Song of Healing, which cures the curse from Link, returning him to his former Human self and imbuing the Deku power into a Deku mask. This gives some pretty interesting implications about the masks he currently has on him…
Just thought that was interesting.
Good night.
Recommend: Oh fuck yeah. You haven’t played Majora’s Mask? What are you doing here? You only have 3 days left!
Replay Percentage Chance: 60%
Time Played: 2 hours or something idk
Sam’s Take:
For even more context, after this project is done at the end of April, I have plans to work on a Pathologic 2 video every day for the next year (one big project instead of a bunch of small ones). While I’m not actively working on it until this is done, I have been doing some light prep. I’ve scheduled out a flexible weekly schedule; some days will be dedicated to reading Russian lit, others to playing a Pathologic game, but importantly for this review, some are dedicated to Pathologic-like-but-not-actually-Pathologic-games. This includes other games based on Russian folklore, or games with similar mechanics, which is where Majora’s Mask comes in.
MM was one of the first games that came to mind when thinking about games where the constant flow of time is used as a stresser. Obviously there are differences, but I knew I was going to replay this at some point after April, so one night when I had some free time I decided to get the game and emulator set up. After downloading the rom I launched the game and played a bit to test it. Then I had played the whole intro and was screaming to my wife about how precise and ahead of its time the intro to MM is… so I asked Skeeter if we could review it, only to learn that he’s a massive MM head and knew the game by heart (where as I have not played it in almost 20 years). So here we are, reviewing Majora’s Mask right after Author’s Purpose as God intended.
As I type this, it looks like Skeeter is gettin’ geared up to explain the plot, so Ima assume you’ve read his review and I’ll dive into the good stuff. First, the way this intro builds up the stakes is incredible. You’re turned into a lil fucker! OH NO! Then the only FREAK who might be able to help you is leaving in three days! Then an actual timer appears on your screen and never leaves until you finish the game. So you’re on a time crunch, and you don’t really have time to consider that the moon is close and angr- wait what was that about the moon?
OH WHAT THE FUCK?!
As Skeeter explained, the tasks you must complete as the deku child forces you to run around the whole town. You’ll probably talk to a few people and learn that you are not the only one concerned about the moon. You don’t have time to worry about that, but maybe after you solve this deku thing, you might wanna look into it.
You run around, getting used to the controls and pacing of the game, and then you meet the Skull kid at the tower, and he starts bringing down the moon. OH FUCK! Even the kid’s fairy knows this is messed up and is yelling hints at you, it’s desperate, chaotic and apocalyptic. Once you reset time all the game has to do is say “hey that mask is bad, please get it” and you are all the way on board. You know the town, you met some people, and you’ve seen what is going to happen to them. The stakes are so clear, yet you have no idea how the hell you’re going to be able to stop it, especially in 3 days.
Let’s just run down everything this intro accomplishes in roughly 90 minutes. You’ve learned the controls, you understand the layout of the town, you’ve probably understood that NPCs have a planned schedule for each day regardless of your actions, you intimately understand the stakes, you also understand that you can restart time while holding onto important items, and in case you ever forget your goal, that moon is always there to remind you. The way the game accomplishes all that while raising the stakes from “I want my body back” to “The world will end” throughout those 90 minutes is astounding. It’s one of the best tutorials as well as its own crafted arc.
There are so many little tricks that work for both gameplay and story. Skull kid taking your ocarina functions both as a story incentive to find him and get it back, as well as preventing you from resetting time early, allowing the game to have tighter control of the starting minutes. Skull kid trapping you as a deku child obviously is the main story reason for finding him, but it also limits your ability to move, forcing you to go through the whole rigmarole of getting access to the flower in a way that gives a linear series of quests for a structured intro, without having to change anything in the main game (since human link can simply climb up to the clock tower). It’s all so clean and effortless that I almost feel like a freak talking about it. It’s all so simple and tight that, in a some magical contradictory way, it works both as a contrast and introduction to the more open gameplay to come. It’s everything Vault 101 from Fallout 3 wishes it could be.
Also that timer is legit stressful! You really are timed and will fail if you take too long. It’s the most Pathologic thing that will probably ever exist in a Zelda game, and we should celebrate that forever. Obviously the time is MUCH more forgiving than either Pathologic game, but it’s still less forgiving than any game without a timer! I fear that the fact that Majora’s Mask was my favorite Zelda as a kind, and Pathologic is one of my favorite games now means I was always a sicko.
I’ll conclude by saying that I opened Majora’s Mask as a test to play on a later date, then got sucked in so hard that I’m probably just going to finish the whole thing now. Everyone should have talked about Majora’s Mask. Those of us that did talk about Majora’s Mask should have never STOPPED talking about Majora’s Mask. Those of us who never stopped talking about Majora’s Mask, should continue spreading the good word of Majora and of their mask!
Recommend: Yes
Replay Percentage Chance: 50%
Time Played: 2 Hours
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