Majora’s Mask: Why So Divisive?

Hey, it's that one game that came out after Ocarina of Time!

With the release of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking back to the game that–for me and what appears to be a vast majority of the VGW staff–defined the greatest portion of my gaming life. I lived and breathed Ocarina of Time. I had strategy guides, soundtracks, multiple copies: the works. In fact, aside from maybe Call of Duty 4, Ocarina of Time is the one game I’ve put more time into than any other. Ever. But that also got me thinking–what about the game that came after Ocarina of Time? What about Majora’s Mask?

Since I can remember, people have been incredibly divided when it comes to discussing Majora’s Mask: either they love it or hate it. Why? Unlike Wind Waker, which put off many fans by switching up the art style they had become accustomed to, Majora’s Mask played and looked almost exactly like Ocarina of Time did. So let’s take a quick look back at the pluses and minuses of Majora’s Mask in an attempt to figure out just what exactly it is that causes the gaming community to be so divided.

THE GOOD

Side quests and mini-games: This game had some of the best side quests and mini-games that I can remember. The Spider Houses were entertaining enough, but I absolutely loved the trading sequence associated with Kafei and Anju’s story. The mini-games were also some of the most difficult that I have come across (Swamp Shooting Range, anyone?). A whole lot of hours disappeared there.

Stone Tower Dungeon: Let’s be honest, this dungeon was hard. Figuring out when to have things upright and when to invert the tower took quite some time. But good grief was it worth it. The Ikana Canyon/Castle pre-dungeon was also most enjoyable.

Transformation Masks: While they were definitely there to be used only in certain situations, Link’s different forms did make for some much needed gameplay variety.

Final portion of the game: Not much in the way of a final dungeon, but the whole experience was so incredibly surreal and out of place with the aesthetics of the rest of the game that it always stuck in my mind.

THE BAD

Only four dungeons: Yes, they were a little longer than the ones in Ocarina of Time. Yes, the Stone Tower was one of my favorite dungeons ever. However, I was really upset that there were only four dungeons in this game. After Ocarina of Time’s epic battle through three intro dungeons, eight temples, and Ganondorf’s castle, I was more than a little irked that my journey through Termina was cut so drastically short.

Having to spend the first portion of the game as Deku Link: Remember how I mentioned the transformation masks as one of the strong suites of the game? Well, allow me to amend that statement a little bit. I loved the transformations; thought they were awesome. However, being forced to play a good portion of the game’s opening as the most awkward of them was a bit aggravating.

Lacking in strong central villain: Without a strong antagonist, things felt very isolated. While going through each dungeon solved the problems of whichever society was immediately effected by the evils infesting their respective temples, there was never really much of a unifying force driving you towards the next one. I crave variety as much as the next person, but give me Ganon! Give me some sort of a reason for purifying these temples aside from the simple fact that I’m Link and it’s in my DNA to do so.

Where am I, you ask? In your memories, making the antagonist for this game seem that much less awesome.

Where the hell is Zelda? This question really just stands on its own. We get a brief glimpse of her when Link recovers the Ocarina of Time, but that’s it. No being kidnapped, no providing Link with a feminine counterpart, no being one of the three holders of the Triforce. She just ain’t there, and that simple fact makes Majora’s Mask a Legend of Zelda game without any Zelda.

THE INDETERMINATE GREY AREAS

Time cycling: While I’m a definite fan of the three day cycle introduced in Majora’s Mask, I can completely understand why this has been a fairly unpopular gameplay mechanic. Being given a deadline in which to complete any tasks you may want to accomplish, in addition to only being able to access certain events at specific times during that three day cycle could aggravate some gamers. However, I think what made some people even more angry about this was the fact that saving and returning to the beginning of the first day took away certain items that were not “permanent” items, including supplies and rupees. I get that, but I think the benefits here certainly outweigh the detriments.

Fierce Deity Mask: I love the ability to go back and take on former boss battles with this insanely powerful transformation mask (that could only be used during boss fights). It was cool to see yourself burn through a battle that may have previously given you some trouble. However, if you’re like me and got this mask before fighting Majora for the first time, it turned what was an insanely difficult final boss battle into something only slightly more difficult than breathing. While that meant that I got to beat the game without having to go through the final boss battle over and over again, I felt kind of cheated. Fortunately enough, thanks to the wonderful ability to replay this final section of the game, I was able to get my satisfaction. But it would have been nice to have that the first time.

CONSENSUS

All in all, I really think that Majora’s Mask is a Zelda game unlike any other. It presented gamers with a world unlike any they had ever encountered, yet somehow strikingly familiar to their beloved land of Hyrule. I really think that fans are so divided on this game not because of the game itself, but because of when the game was released. Majora’s Mask had the misfortune of being the Zelda game released directly after Ocarina of Time. So many of us wanted a direct sequel that we couldn’t really stomach Link adventuring anywhere other than Hyrule and doing battle with anyone other than Ganondorf. We wanted Ocarina of Time part 2, and when we weren’t given that we reacted poorly.

Majora’s Mask really was a good game, it was just unfortunate enough to find itself following what many (myself included) have called the greatest gaming experience of all-time. It provided gamers with some interesting bosses, insanely difficult mini-games, and one incredible dungeon. It was also ballsy enough to take our expectations and tell us to shove them up our asses. I kind of like that.

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