EP 4: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Pros:
Story - "What?" you may ask, "A Zelda game gets points for its story?" Yes, random ambiguous stranger, Majora's Mask does have a good story. Gone are the days of embarking on a grand journey to save Princess Zelda from the clutches of the evil Ganondorf; instead, you must defeat Skullkid, who is currently under the control of the evil Majora's Mask, before the moon crashes into the land of Termina. All in the time span of 3 days. As you heal the souls of the bosses within the four temples, you seal them into masks, thus purifying the land currently under their control. Once all four bosses are defeated, you face off against Majora's Mask in order to stop the world from being destroyed. This story is highly unconventional for the series' standards, and is easily the one that will stick with me the most.
Side Quests - Majora's Mask isn't short on side quests. In fact, it has more side quests than any other Zelda game. And all of them have substance and depth. At one moment, you may find yourself saving an old woman from a burglary at midnight. Or you could fight off aliens alongside a little girl and a horse. Or maybe you could unite an estranged couple before the moon's impact ends their lives. All of these quests feel like they have an effect on the world around you, and the consequences afterwards are evident and easily noticable by the player. I never felt like I was wasting time by doing these, and more often than not, I felt like I had an emotional connection with these characters by completing their quests. Helping them didn't feel like an obstacle towards finishing the game, but rather an essential step towards saving Termina from the clutches of Majora's Mask.
Gameplay - For the most part, the gameplay in this game is standard Zelda fare. You collect items, go through dungeons, fight bosses and enemies with your sword, open chests to find keys, etc. All of that is there. But one thing does shake everything up: the time limit. There are 72 hours in-game to finish whatever you have to do. Each game hour equals approximately one minute in real time, so the entire three-day cycle takes about an hour in real life. However, you can alter the flow of time through ocarina songs. The Inverted Song of Time slows it down fairly subtantially, rendering it perfect for dungeon undertakings. Conversely, the Song of Double Time allows you to fast forward to any hour during the current day. This one is a life saver when it comes to side quests in which you have to wait for events to occur. Speaking of side quests, the enhanced Bomber's Notebook was also an immense help. It lists each quest that you've been apart of, the characters involved, the times in which the events occur and whether you've failed or succeeded at it. I used the notebook very often during my playthrough, and I found it to be very user-friendly. There are only four main dungeons in this game, along with a few mini-dungeons scattered throughout the areas. The dungeons themselves are fairly meaty and don't feel very short, so overall I didn't feel like the game was lacking in this aspect. A vital gameplay aspect is the masks themselves. There are four transformation masks, one of which is a reward for collecting every mask in the game. Most of the masks are only useful in particular scenarios (like Kafei's mask), but others, such as the bunny hood and blast mask, can be utlized to their fullest throughout the entire adventure.
Sound - Let me just get this out of the way: the music in this game is absolutely outstanding. Seriously, I'm tempted to pull up the Milk Bar theme right now and listen to it for the remainder of this review. The songs in this game are so appropriate for their respective settings. For example, the Observatory theme sounds majestic yet highly unsettling at the same time, which makes complete sense considering that's one of the first areas you encounter in the game and it's when you're trapped in the body of a Deku Scrub. Also, I will never get Clock Town's theme out of my head. Ever. It's just a thing I must accept at this point.
Content - Overall, after completing the game 100%, my playtime clocked in at 39 hours and 30 minutes. Which is a pretty hefty sum. There's also a ton of replay value given the amount of hidden secrets, scenarios and the order in which you do things in the game can change the way you experience each quest. It's also important to note that, unlike other Zelda games, there's really no filler in this one. Every second is spent doing something meaningful, and that's something I find to be very impressive.
Graphics - The original game on the N64 doesn't look that awful today. But after looking at the 3DS version, it's very difficult to go back. All the textures and character models have been reworked around the Ocarina of Time 3D engine and the result is magnificent. The colors in this game pop, and the 3D really does enhance the experience. Even though from a technical standpoint, Majora's Mask 3D isn't exactly a marvel in terms of graphical prowess, it's still one of the most beautiful games I've ever experienced.
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Cons:
Uhhhhh. UH. Sometimes the Zora's swimming controls were awkward? I really got nothing here, guys.
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Verdict: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is not a game. It's not even a simple experience. It is art. It's something that you will play and remember for years, decades to come. It is something that game designers across the world should look at and aspire to. This game will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will never forget the magic I felt while playing it.
Graphics: 10/10
Story: 10/10
Control: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
