In the spring of 2000, less than two years after Nintendo redefined the action-adventure genre with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, the company released The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, a direct sequel. This kind of story and gameplay continuity is unusual for the Zelda franchise, which tends toward more experimental or generational leaps like those seen between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, or Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild. But don’t let this rare sequel status fool you: Majora’s Mask is anything but a simple follow-up.
Ultimately, Ocarina of Time’s story has little to no bearing on the events of Majora’s Mask, which represents such a radical shift in tone that it almost feels like part of a different series entirely. Indeed, Majora’s Mask is still a dyed-in-the-wool Zelda game, but its dark themes, unsettling imagery, and bold, experimental ideas lend it a sort of alien quality, like it was made in a parallel universe, where Wario is the face of Nintendo instead of Mario. This might help explain the cultural significance of Majora’s Mask, which has captured the imaginations of gamers and non-gamers alike, in a way that other Zelda games simply haven’t.
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Why The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Still Feels So Special, All These Years Later
Zelda: Ocarina of Time is much like a classic fairy tale: a chosen-one orphan embarks on a grand, magical quest to save the princess of the land. Majora’s Mask strips away these familiar tropes, most of which would reappear in subsequent Zelda games, and replaces them with ideas that are far more cosmic and unnerving.
For the record, Ocarina of Time wasn’t shy about injecting darker imagery and themes, but Majora’s Mask takes things up a notch.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
There are two general elements of Majora’s Mask that best exemplify this turn to the “dark side.” First, we have what most would consider the inciting incident of the narrative, when Link is transformed into the Deku Scrub after traveling to Termina. This scene, with its droning, rustling sound effects and bizarre imagery, culminates in Link losing his original body, becoming a wood-and-leaf creature, distressing him greatly. This is not a fun, Mario-style transformation, but a horrifying, confusing curse robbing a child of his corporeal form, and it’s presented as such.
The second symbol of Majora’s Mask’s darker and bolder tone is the iconic Moon that hangs over Clock Town, inching closer and closer to Termina’s surface with each passing day. This grinning, monstrous mass is the epitome of cosmic horror, a perversion of something simultaneously mystical and familiar. It’s visually unsettling, sure, but the inherent insidiousness of this celestial body is what evokes true fear.
Majora’s Mask isn’t Zelda’s “Halloween special.” It’s not a spooky spin on the Zelda formula for the sake of it, but rather a shift into more evocative territory, and the fact that the original 2000 release was marketed to an audience of children is perhaps at the heart of its enduring legacy. We tend to remember things that scare us as children, like the parents’ transformation into pigs in Spirited Away, or any number of moments from the original Alice in Wonderland. But as a video game, Majora’s Mask offers something that scary books and movies simply can’t: an opportunity to overcome such otherworldly terrors.
Behind the Scares, Majora’s Mask Is Still as Delightfully Bizarre as the Best Zelda Games
One of the reasons why Majora’s Mask’s more unsettling elements don’t feel superficial is that they are underpinned by meaningful mechanics. Take the mask-based gameplay, for instance. Using the three main masks, Link can transform into a Deku, Zora, or Goron version of himself at will. Each of these unique forms comes with its own suite of abilities and is feasible in several different scenarios, meaning that they are always available to offer gameplay variety. This is to say nothing of the 21 other masks, which further recontextualize the once-uncomfortable idea of body horror into something practical and fun.
Then there’s Termina’s three-day cycle, which impacts gameplay in ways that were far ahead of the game’s time. Indeed, you could trace a line from several of Majora’s Mask’s core mechanics, such as schedule-based quest design and a looping time limit, to many of today’s modern adventure titles, and even certain roguelikes and extraction games. While Zelda games before and after Majora’s Mask are innovative in their own right, few can claim to be as fearless or ahead of their time as this 2000 release.
And through it all, Majora’s Mask still feels like a proper Zelda game. It still boasts the IP’s unmistakable blend of whimsy and danger, thrusting players into an unfamiliar but endlessly compelling world with surprises around every corner. Perhaps the resounding success of Ocarina of Time gave Nintendo’s developers the confidence they needed to make something far more experimental and risky, but in any case, the result is an adventure game that truly has no equal, even all of these years later.
- Released
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October 26, 2000
- ESRB
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E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Engine
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Proprietary Engine
