Reception
The game sold approximately 314,000 copies in its first week of sales in Japan[2] and three million copies worldwide.[3] Majora's Mask is often regarded as one of the darkest and most original games in The Legend of Zelda series. Edge magazine referred to Majora's Mask as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Zelda games".[33] Reviews were generally favorable, with opinions mixed regarding whether the game is as good as its predecessor. According to Famitsu, "The difficulty level of the game is drastically improved [from Ocarina of Time], the limited saves, and the time limit to finish the game all help to make the game more enjoyable to play".[34] N64 Magazine ended their review by saying, "it was told that Majora's Mask should cower in the shadow of Ocarina of Time. Instead, it shines just as brightly", awarding the game 96%.[35] GameSpot said the game was much more difficult than its predecessor.[36] IGN described Majora's Mask as "The Empire Strikes Back of Nintendo 64...it's the same franchise, but it's more intelligent, darker, and tells a much better storyline".[8] GamePro characterized the story as "surreal and spooky, deep, and intriguing"[37] and the game as "living proof that the N64 still has its magic."[37] It has been ranked the seventh-greatest game by Electronic Gaming Monthly, whereas Ocarina of Time was ranked eighth.[38] Nintendo Power rated it the fifteenth-best game on a Nintendo console.[39] The game placed 45th in Official Nintendo Magazine's 100 greatest Nintendo games of all time.[40]
One common criticism is that Majora's Mask is not as accessible as Ocarina of Time. GameSpot, giving Majora's Mask an 8.3/10, lower than the 10/10 that was given to Ocarina of Time, wrote that some might "find the focus on minigames and side quests tedious and slightly out of place".[36] Game Revolution wrote that it "takes a little longer to get into this Zelda", but also that "there are moments when the game really hits you with all its intricacies and mysteries, and that makes it all worthwhile."[41]
