Majora’s Mask is weird. The perfect four letter statement to describe Majora’s Mask, Nintendo’s second 3D Zelda game. The thing you have to ask yourself after such a smash hit is what’s next, and how do we do it soon enough to capitalize on the success of the previous hit.

Nintendo solved this problem by borrowing assets from the previous game, Ocarina of Time, right down to specific character models and making a new game out of them. Nintendo’s new director Eiji Anouma commented on the creation of the game saying:

“ Mr Miyamoto’s goal of completing the game in a short period of time was a result of having spent so much time developing the new 3D Ocarina Engine. He wanted to make effective use of the engine in creating a new game. While we decided that this would be very important for future development, we were faced with the very difficult question of what kind of game could follow Ocarina of Time and it’s worldwide sales of 7 million units. In response to this challenge we came up with the idea that the solutions to puzzles would be found in a series of recurring events. We adopted a three-day time system. This three-day system in Majora’s Mask introduced players to a variety of events that occurred at the same time over this period of three days that the player played through multiple times. Once all the puzzles were solved, then the hidden goal would appear. With this system it was possible to make the game data more compact while still providing deep gameplay.”- Eiji Anouma producer and project manager or the Zelda series

Majora’s Mask only exists in the way that it does because of the time restraints put on Eiji Anouma and his team. I’m not saying the game wouldn’t have existed outside of this scenario but I’m sure there would have been hefty differences.

The game implements a three-day time system. With this system the game accidentally taps into a whole new level of depth rarely seen by other games. This system makes it seem like the characters in the game have a real life. Even though they have a set place to be day by day and set movements, they seem to have actual lives because of the time system.

Since time resets after three days back to the beginning of the first day, it makes sense for the characters to reset their movements and actions. Their lives seem like actual lives and make sense to reset.

The game starts you as Link a young boy who just saved the kingdom of hyrule in the previous game. As he is riding through the woods he is knocked out and robbed you of your magical Ocarina. After a chase after the thief Link falls down the inside of a tree and lands on a large flower.

Your confronted by the mysterious Skull kid with a mysterious mask. He turns you into a deku scrub taking all your power away. When he runs away your left by large doors in a strange mechanical room. When you leave the doors your confronted by the mysterious Happy Mask Salesman. He explains that the mask the Skull Kid wore is his and he wants it back

He charges you with getting the mask for him and in return he would return you to your human form. You agree and go into this strange city known as Clock Town. You learn that the moon is strangely large and many townsfolk are in denial refusing to believe the moon is falling.

Once you find and confront the skull kid you get your Ocarina back and you play the Song or Time resetting the time passed to the dawn of the first day. You get the Mask Salesman to return you to your human form. Your now set with traveling to the four corners of the land of Termina (the land you find yourself in) to summon the four giants to stop the moons decent.

Over the course of the adventure you meet many characters dealing with different scenarios. Some have died and want you to continue their legacy. Some failed at their task and need you to do it for them. These characters give you masks that allow you to turn into new forms resembling the characters to continue their mission.

After you summon the giants you confront Skull Kid again but the mask removes itself from Skull Kid and reveals himself as Majora’s Mask and flies into the moon. As you follow him your met with a fight with the mask. In defeat Majora’s Mask falls and you are returned to Termina and the moon goes back to orbit.

The Mask Salesman finds Majora’s Mask but realizes the evil power in the Mask is gone. He still takes the mask and magically evaporates. Link decides to get back on his horse and return home leaving Termina and Clock Town behind.

The game revolutionized the way games did side quests and optional objectives. Many games started trying to give characters more dynamic stories and working the games theme into each character.

Majora’s Mask is a dark game. The theme of the game revolves around chaos and the looming destruction of the whole world. No matter how hard you try to fix things it all gets reset after the 3 day cycle. While your helpful attempts may not stay permanent it’s your attachment you’ll make with the people in the game that really make this game great.

In the end I believe the game exemplifies hope. Hope that the world won’t end, hope that the characters will go back to being happy, and hope that your character can help anyone he can. Hope drives every character in the game and it makes the game great.

This game changed the way a lot of game developers looked at making games driven by the people you meet. It may not have been perfect, but for when it came out it was a near masterpiece.