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12 years later, Majora's Mask is still blowing my mind
- Thread starter Anth0ny
- Start date
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
The "Final Hours" track is one of my favorite pieces of video music of all time.
Also, let's not forget the fantastic Haunted Majora's Mask video series, starting with Day Four.
The follow-ups are in the related videos tab.
Also, let's not forget the fantastic Haunted Majora's Mask video series, starting with Day Four.
The follow-ups are in the related videos tab.
I think overall Majora is the better game in a lot of ways. The ending is easily my favorite in the series, what with how hard you, personally, have to work to earn it. It's one of the few games where I've ever actually cared about the people I've been tasked to save.
Wind Waker, on the other hand, plays on all my nostalgia about the series, and uses that to inflict as much pain as it can. Link reaching out for Daphnes' hand is still, in my opinion, the single most heartbreaking moment in the entire series. Wind Waker's Hyrule segments and the characters of Daphnes and Ganondorf are definitely that game's story's strong points.
Majora's Mask is the only Zelda with a legitimately mature story. None of the usual contrived "forces of light vs. forces of darkness" bullshit. Here, we just have people... Scared, insecure, lonely and heartbroken people. And slowly but surely, you set it all right, mending one relationship at a time, seeing each three-day cycle in a new way. It's a game made up of many small human stories, stitched together in a warm tapestry of love and darkness. And everything about it is iconic, from the titular heart-shaped mask to the red-eyed moon to the children playing under the lone tree on a hill inside it.
And gameplay-wise, nothing beats "pod racing" as a Goron, or jetting through the ocean as a Zora. The time mechanics, which truly make MM the first and only 4D game, are the most-discussed aspect, but the transformation masks were something special as well, giving us effectively four playable characters in one. And so many bits I love to revisit, and can without starting a new file, thanks to time travel. The waterfall rapids, the Goron race, the pirate fortress, racing the butler, etc. Not to mention all of the character-driven sidequests like Kafei and Anju...
This needs to come to 3DS. It's such a quick way for Nintendo to turn a profit. So many of the assets have already been updated thanks to OoT 3D, as MM recycled many assets of OoT originally anyway. Just do it, Nintendo. This is your best game. Future-proof it.
And gameplay-wise, nothing beats "pod racing" as a Goron, or jetting through the ocean as a Zora. The time mechanics, which truly make MM the first and only 4D game, are the most-discussed aspect, but the transformation masks were something special as well, giving us effectively four playable characters in one. And so many bits I love to revisit, and can without starting a new file, thanks to time travel. The waterfall rapids, the Goron race, the pirate fortress, racing the butler, etc. Not to mention all of the character-driven sidequests like Kafei and Anju...
This needs to come to 3DS. It's such a quick way for Nintendo to turn a profit. So many of the assets have already been updated thanks to OoT 3D, as MM recycled many assets of OoT originally anyway. Just do it, Nintendo. This is your best game. Future-proof it.
MrOogieBoogie
BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
Okay, the game is stellar, but this section sucked ass. So frustrating.
EDIT: Sorry, thought you specifically meant the Goron races.
Thanks for the replies. I think I'll give it a shot sometime this week.
makingmusic476
Member
It's been my second favorite game (after Ocarina) since I first played it many years ago.
I need to replay it sometime soon. I'd appreciate much of the story more today than I did in the past.
I need to replay it sometime soon. I'd appreciate much of the story more today than I did in the past.
I meant rolling around as a Goron in general, though as I note in my edit of the post, the Goron races was one of the parts I loved. It was challenging, but absolutely doable, and leaning into the turns so tight that you're practically carving out the mountain had its thrills.
I have the most inexplicable urge to do a barrel roll.
coincidence?
Burning Justice
the superior princess
Every time I see a thread on Majora's Mask, it makes me want to replay it. And I must have played through it at least 10 times now.
les papillons sexuels
Banned
i like that you can always choose suicide in the game.
I mean, lets say link finishes the first 3 temples and then just said fuck it, this world is too depressing, there's no point saving these people only to let them continue living lives where they're constantly seperated, working themselves to death, invisible to the rest of the world etc. So he decides to end the game by letting the moon fall.
instead the game really highlights those small moements which give link hope that this land is something worth saving.
the game is hauntingly beautiful.
I mean, lets say link finishes the first 3 temples and then just said fuck it, this world is too depressing, there's no point saving these people only to let them continue living lives where they're constantly seperated, working themselves to death, invisible to the rest of the world etc. So he decides to end the game by letting the moon fall.
instead the game really highlights those small moements which give link hope that this land is something worth saving.
the game is hauntingly beautiful.
I am playing it right now.
My favourite game of all time. It should revolutionised narrative in games the way Ocarina revolutionised mechanics but, sadly, it's innovations seem to have been completely ignored. There are very few games where the reward of a quest is not an arbitrary trinket but the feeling of satisfaction you get when helping someone.
The theme of powerlessness in the face of mortality - the feeling that you can never quite do all you've ever wanted - is central to a lot of my favourite works of art (Never Let Me Go (the novel) and Synecdoche, New York being a couple) and Majora's Mask is the only game I've played that explores that theme with any kind of competence.
Would love a remake in the style of the concept art.
The theme of powerlessness in the face of mortality - the feeling that you can never quite do all you've ever wanted - is central to a lot of my favourite works of art (Never Let Me Go (the novel) and Synecdoche, New York being a couple) and Majora's Mask is the only game I've played that explores that theme with any kind of competence.
Would love a remake in the style of the concept art.
Meccanical
Member
This game is heavy man. Really heavy.
They really got that feeling of impending doom thing down.
They really got that feeling of impending doom thing down.
boiled goose
good with gravy
Truly a gem. Games = art does not get any closer than with MM. It is not about the visuals, it is about telling a story and evoking emotions in a way that no other medium could ever replicate.
Mikau's story is also quite tragic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFLKQBOOWe8
From zeldapedia:
When trying to recover Lulu's eggs, which were stolen by Gerudo Pirates, Mikau was mortally wounded and left to die in the waters of Great Bay Coast. When Link arrives in Great Bay, he notices several seagulls flying in circles just off the coast. Here, he finds Mikau floating limply in the water, where he pleads for Link to help him get to shore. When they reach dry land, Mikau tries to get up and walk, but collapses. [...]The last words he utters before collapsing are a plea for Link to "heal his soul".
Link, understanding his plight, plays the "Song of Healing" for Mikau on his ocarina. In a dream-like scene, Mikau is reunited with his fellow bandmembers one last time as his spirit leaves his body. The body also disappears in a faint blue light, leaving behind only the Zora Mask, which contains his soul. Link takes the mask, which transforms him into Mikau. Mikau appears shortly thereafter in spirit form, asking the hero to carve his farewell song onto his grave. Link promises Mikau to help Lulu in his place, and to save the Zoras from their plight. Later in the game, when Link plays the "Elegy of Emptiness" in his Zora form, it creates a shell that looks like Mikau.
Mikau's story is also quite tragic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFLKQBOOWe8
From zeldapedia:
When trying to recover Lulu's eggs, which were stolen by Gerudo Pirates, Mikau was mortally wounded and left to die in the waters of Great Bay Coast. When Link arrives in Great Bay, he notices several seagulls flying in circles just off the coast. Here, he finds Mikau floating limply in the water, where he pleads for Link to help him get to shore. When they reach dry land, Mikau tries to get up and walk, but collapses. [...]The last words he utters before collapsing are a plea for Link to "heal his soul".
Link, understanding his plight, plays the "Song of Healing" for Mikau on his ocarina. In a dream-like scene, Mikau is reunited with his fellow bandmembers one last time as his spirit leaves his body. The body also disappears in a faint blue light, leaving behind only the Zora Mask, which contains his soul. Link takes the mask, which transforms him into Mikau. Mikau appears shortly thereafter in spirit form, asking the hero to carve his farewell song onto his grave. Link promises Mikau to help Lulu in his place, and to save the Zoras from their plight. Later in the game, when Link plays the "Elegy of Emptiness" in his Zora form, it creates a shell that looks like Mikau.
Franklinator
Member
I'm still sad that I was too poor to play this as a kid. One day I will play this game
HYDE
Banned
The way people in here feel about MM I feel about WW. I don't know why I can't get past the time ticking down that drives me crazy. I would probably give the game another chance if it got a remake like Ocarina of Time 3DS. I've tried to like it three times though, and other than the terrible four swords/four swords adventures games, this is the only other zelda I don't like.
boiled goose
good with gravy
the clock is usually not an issue. with the slowdown 3 days is actually quite a bit of time. if u are about to start a dungeon, just restart and go with the full time.
the game is actually good for my OCD inclinations to try and open every single chest and visit every grotto. since everything is reset, it doesnt matter so i dont care.
And don't forget the argument between the soldiers at the mayor's house. Between those who want to evacuate and the chief of the guards :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClchXahEV0k#00m03s
So good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClchXahEV0k#00m03s
So good.
Magicpaint
Member
MM love makes me all warm and fuzzy. It's one of the best examples of the inherent advantages of interactivity in art. I find it peculiar that no one has really taken cues from the best aspects of its achievements, even Nintendo hasn't. Best Zelda game for me.
coincidence?
Holy crap.
scar tissue
Banned
MM is the best zelda. period.
I love the haunting atmosphere and the sense of mystery. So many memorable moments.
Everything is just packed with stuff to discover.
My favorite creepy thing is probably how the zora and goron masks are basically the faces of deceased people. Link is rockin' it Ed Gein style.
I love the haunting atmosphere and the sense of mystery. So many memorable moments.
Everything is just packed with stuff to discover.
My favorite creepy thing is probably how the zora and goron masks are basically the faces of deceased people. Link is rockin' it Ed Gein style.
coincidence?
Mind blown, thank you. But, it will actually be even more mind blowing if there weren't the pig, who isn't part of the Starfox team. Just like it will just have been in a col of 4 out of 4 instead of a row of 5 out of 6.
Franklinator
Member
Pigma was part of the original Star Fox team though, right?
Nocturnowl
Member
The last time I played through this game was also the first time in years, it was as if the game took on a completely different tone that I hadn't noticed when I was younger. Sadly the dungeons were still lacking, no doubt in my mind that if there was an improvement on the dungeon front it might be my favourite Zelda game.
It could also have done with some new items, granted the masks fill this role well and they made the elemental arrows a main item.
And yes Pigma was part of the original Starfox team, the one who betrayed James and Peppy
It could also have done with some new items, granted the masks fill this role well and they made the elemental arrows a main item.
And yes Pigma was part of the original Starfox team, the one who betrayed James and Peppy
Pollux
Member
All three of the masks are deceased people. Deku mask is the Deku Butler's son.
it's 5 out of 5, not 5 out of 6. The transformation masks don't count (since they have their own little sidebar and everything).
Spieler Eins
Member
Still the best world ever created in an adventure game. Doesn't matter how big these sandbox and WRPG worlds get, they can't compete with this. So many details put in, haunting atmosphere and probably never repeatable because of the Groundhog Day concept behind it.
I just might love you.
Indeed.
Pigma was a Star Fox team along James McCloud and Peppy, that'd be all the star fox members alive, even if Pigma left for Star Wolf.
I've heard of Pigma's redemption in Assault, but I never got to play it.
Guerrillas in the Mist
Member
1. A 3DS remake with spruced up visuals and (more importantly) a fixed framerate would almost certainly convince me to buy a 3DS.
2. The writing is superb, which means the translation must have also been excellent. I'd love to see a feature on the process of translating a Zelda game, especially as it's unusual in still largely relying on text.
2. The writing is superb, which means the translation must have also been excellent. I'd love to see a feature on the process of translating a Zelda game, especially as it's unusual in still largely relying on text.
I say this in every Majora's Mask thread.
It's not even a time limit really. It's just a way to redo your favorite parts of the game, to explore different areas at different times, and to see how each and every NPC spends their 3 days.
You want to do a dungeon? Restart time, slow it down, warp to the dungeon entrance, do the dungeon, you'll probably have 2 whole days left when you finish. And that's not rushing at all.
After beating a dungeon once, you can then skip straight to the boss and clear a dungeon in very little time at all. Since clearing a dungeon changes the local areas a bit, this is really useful.
It's not even a time limit really. It's just a way to redo your favorite parts of the game, to explore different areas at different times, and to see how each and every NPC spends their 3 days.
You want to do a dungeon? Restart time, slow it down, warp to the dungeon entrance, do the dungeon, you'll probably have 2 whole days left when you finish. And that's not rushing at all.
After beating a dungeon once, you can then skip straight to the boss and clear a dungeon in very little time at all. Since clearing a dungeon changes the local areas a bit, this is really useful.
I never used that song and loved the game, it is supposed to be like that, you do all the sidequests to open the temple, get the song, RESET the time, open the temple and beat it.
The 3 days are more than enough beat any dungeon.
I remember after finishing the game, I went and killed all 4 bosses again to clean all areas, saved and started a new game.
Ultimadrago
Member
coincidence?
Holy shit.
I have to pick up my brain chunks from the floor.
Yeah, so he actually does have some sort connection with that group.
Afraid, there's no such thing.
Whenever I'm at the point where I'm ready to go to the moon, I always clear the dungeons before night of the final day.
Holy Order Sol
Member
Dungeons 3 and 4 are among my favorite of the whole franchise. Overall it really feels like the devs went into my brain and tailored the game to give me exactly what I wanted but didn't know I wanted. Other games that did that for me were Persona 3, Chrono Cross and Baten Kaitos Origins.
I don't care much for that debate, but when it comes to what you described, in all fairness Mother 3 is really great at that as well.
I don't care much for that debate, but when it comes to what you described, in all fairness Mother 3 is really great at that as well.
invaderzim69
Member
A spruced up Majora's Mask would be great for 3DS, but would that be enough?
SteveWinwood
Member
Daddy screamed reeeeaal good before he died!
Reading through this thread has been an awesome nostalgia trip, and a reminder of just how different MM's writing and subject matter was.
Yep. I didn't connect with Skyward Sword at all. When people talk about tearing up at parts of SS, I just... can't understand that at all. The characters and the world were too cartoony. I didn't really care about them.
MM felt like a living, breathing world that I was actually immersed in. There were strong connections with the characters, and real emotional resonance there. It was legitimately weighty. It would be nice if they could recreate that feeling in the future.
<3
Yep. I didn't connect with Skyward Sword at all. When people talk about tearing up at parts of SS, I just... can't understand that at all. The characters and the world were too cartoony. I didn't really care about them.
MM felt like a living, breathing world that I was actually immersed in. There were strong connections with the characters, and real emotional resonance there. It was legitimately weighty. It would be nice if they could recreate that feeling in the future.
<3
Madrugador
Member
This thread made me realize I NEED to replay this game. Last time I played it must have been at least 7 years ago.
Such a mindblowing and beautiful game.
Such a mindblowing and beautiful game.
DragonKnight
Member
Absolutely amazing game. I played in 100% to completion a summer ago. The only thing I hate about the game was teh lackluster dungeons. Thankfully, teh great fairy quest helped to make up for that.