| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Nintendo 3DS | 10.00 |
| Overall | 10.00 |
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Its not everyday you get to review your favorite game of all time, so how do I go about this. Do I make this more about the port? Do I do an analysis on whether the game holds up or not? I will touch on those aspects but mostly I am simply going to explain why this game is my favorite. We all know Zelda is my favorite franchise because it includes all elements I hold dear in gaming. Majora's Mask takes those concepts and turns the usual Zelda game design on its head to create one of the most unique adventures ever made. Majora's Mask is some what an anomaly for me. My favorite moments in Zelda games are dungeons, yet this game has the fewest in the series. I usually don't give too much weight to the story when judging these games yet this one easily has the best story of all Zelda games. I feel it was the mix of the unexpected with the formula from OoT that captured my imagination like no game has. When I first played this game it was a few years after it had come out, I had rented it and held on to it for nearly a week and a half. I played non stop, I was entranced, every moment brought me so much joy. In case you don't know Majora's Mask is different kind of Zelda game. There is no Hyrule, there is no Zelda, there is no triforce, there is no Ganon; Link gets transported to a new world called Termina. A skull kid from the forest has stolen an evil mask named Majora which is causing the moon to come crashing down, the world has three days until it hits and everyone dies. In three days you must free four giants, who can stop the moon, by completing four dungeons. Three days will not be enough, thankfully you can control time and reset the days at will. So like the movie Groundhog Day you will relive the same days over and over, any items or songs you find carry over. The reason why the time mechanic works so well is because the world and the NPCs within it live their lives in those three days. Without a doubt Majora's Mask has the best collection of NPCs ever put in a game, I will argue this to the death if I have to. Nearly every single character you meet in this world has a story and you will see this story progress over three days. One of the prevailing themes of Majora's Mask is sadness and despair. Everyone in Termina has a problem, most are depressed, some are angry, some are dealing with death, some are dealing with a failing business. Sadness is like a curse that has befallen Termina and it is up to Link to bring these people happiness. All the side quests have one goal, make people happy. This is such a simple concept but it made me feel more like a hero than any world saving quest ever could. Link gets involved in these NPCs lives, they are not just standing around waiting for the player to talk to them. You can see their pain and take part in their joy when you solve their problems. There is a connection to the game world that few games manage to capture. This being a Zelda game nearly all the NPC side quests are basically puzzles. All of it is nicely organized in a journal that keeps tabs of schedules of each NPC and when certain events will take place. The 3DS version greatly improves the notebook, offering far more details on every side quest without spoiling how to solve them. The ability to move time forward to any point in the three days is also a major change that makes managing the timing of some quests so much easier. The 3DSs improvements are almost all for the better, I highly recommend this version over the N64 version. The sheer variety of side quests is overwhelming and so diverse. In what other game will you be trying to unite two lovers one moment, battling UFOs that are stealing cows from a farm the next, and later joining in an under the sea fish band. I love how the secondary masks give Link small abilities, trying to see where they are useful is a huge part of the adventure. The way all the gameplay systems work together is beautiful from a game design perspective. There are the NPCs which are basically the quest givers; most quests are solved by finding and obtaining masks which are found by exploring and solving puzzles. All of that is governed by the time mechanic which is always moving and alters when you may solve a puzzle or complete a quest. The best part is that the player is in complete control of all of it. I never understood the complaints about the time putting pressure on the player, you control the time, what is so hard about manipulating it. One of my favorite aspects of the game are the three morphing masks that allow Link to transform into other species. Majora's Mask has no unique items, you have your hookshot, bombs and bow and that is about it. All the gameplay variety comes from the new abilities given when becoming these different forms. My favorite has always been swimming like a fish at high speeds under the ocean as a Zora. Rolling along as a giant spiked Goron is also a blast. Floating through the air as a deku scrub has its moments as well. They all compliment each other so well and lend to such different gameplay situations. Each has a dungeon that caters to that form and because the abilities are so unique for a Zelda game the dungeons were quite different from what came before in Ocarina of Time. The final dungeon makes use of all the abilities that came before and has an awesome world flipping mechanic which makes it one of the best zelda dungeons of all time. The boss battles are great as well; the 3DS versions alter the battles a bit as some of the weakpoints were vague, now they follow a more traditional pattern. While this game only has four dungeons, the quests to get to the dungeons are just as interesting. Each corner of the world has such a distinct theme, coupled with a new mask in each area it gives every section a very distinct gameplay feel. I love variety, I love exploration, I love when a game surprises me and Majora's Mask does those things consistently. It is a game where for about 8 hours you are rolling through snowy hills like a crazy bulldozer, trying to navigate all sorts of snow based traps. Then the next 8 hours you are in a beach where you can become a fish and swim through the ocean and infiltrate a pirate base. Thats just the main quest, there are still the tons and tons of side quests happening at Clock Town with all the towns folk. The design of this game's world is incredible, there is no game world like it. It practically has everything I want in a game. I will say even my favorite game is not perfect. It is still ridiculously easy; sadly the 3DS version made it even more easy than it was. Enemies do almost no damage, and if they do you can carry up to 7 life potions, why? I never needed one of them. Combat is basic, this is from the N64 days so 3D combat was still in its infancy. Most of the best battles are more puzzle based than they are a combat trial so the lack of difficulty is not as big an issue as it would be if this were an action game. On top of the changes I mentioned before the 3DS version includes a full graphical overhaul which makes all the models and backgrounds more detailed than the N64 version. The 3D is some of the best on the system and really pops. There is the addition of a full on fishing mini game which can take hours to fully complete. Without a doubt the 3DS version is the definitive version, I almost wish they went even further and removed a few other tedious aspects like singing a song for so many actions. Music is a major part of gaming, so many of the songs from the early days of gaming are engraved into my mind. The Zelda theme song is my personal favorite piece of game music. Majora's Mask is the only 3D Zelda to use the main theme in the overworld. Yes some of the original overworld themes for the other Zelda's are majestic but to me nothing beats the original. That is not to say there is not incredible music throughout. The Clock Town song is one of the best pieces of town music of any game, and how the tone changes as the moon gets closer is a beautiful touch. To me nothing beats a Zelda adventure, the mix of action, exploration and puzzle solving is unmatched in this medium. But even I will admit the formula has been getting stale. The reason why Majora's Mask is my favorite is because it takes that formula I love and turns it on its head with such a unique concept and a compelling world with characters you end up feeling for. This is why gaming is the best form of entertainment, it can engage a player in ways no other entertainment media can. From that sense of wonder of exploring a new world, to that sense of accomplishment from solving a brain teaser, to a sense of joy from aiding a game character to fulfill a wish, to feeling at peace while listening to music that will live on in your memory forever; no other form of entertainment can do all those things at once. Majora’s Mask is all of that, it is why I play games, no other entertainment experience is like it. |
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Posted by Dvader Mon, 23 Mar 2015 01:27:38
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travo (4m)
I can't see it as being easy, maybe the combat yeah but a looooooooooot of people will get stuck in 3 of the dungeons and a lot of people even back when it was released couldn't even complete it.
Awesome game, great review.
My favourite part of any game is running about town helping people, maybe that's why I like Animal Crossing.