The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Summary

Genre: Adventure
Number of players: 1
Rumble Pak: Yes
Controller Pak: No
Expansion Pak: Compulsory

Review

With the original Zelda title for the Nintendo 64, Ocarina of Time, being widely acclaimed as one of the highest quality games for the system - if not for any system - gamers should be delighted at the prospect of a second title, coming only a couple of years after the initial game debuted. But does Majora's Mask live up to the standard set by Ocarina?

Majora's Mask opens as Link ('young Link', that is - unlike the first game, Link remains at one age for the whole game) travels through a wood on his faithful horse, Epona. Suddenly, Link is thrown from Epona as she rears up after being scared by two fairies. The fairies' master, a strange scarecrow-like boy named Skull Kid, steals the unconscious Link's ocarina, then rides off on Epona with Link hanging on for dear life. The chase moves into a dark cave, where Link falls down a deep pit. Arriving in a strange world, he is promptly transformed into a Deku Scrub by the masked Skull Kid. Deku Link then finds himself caught up in another huge adventure...

Gameplay: From the start, it's clear that Majora's Mask is based heavily on Ocarina of Time. Most of the weapons and items from Ocarina are present, and the combat system and many enemies are the same. But this isn't a bad thing in itself, since the system from the previous game was intuitive, effective and very deep. The gameplay itself is undeniably similar to Ocarina, involving four main dungeons filled with puzzles and battles, as well as a large overworld with its own puzzles and dangers.

The game plays as well as its predecessor - and that's very well indeed. The new features to the game are plentiful - most notably the 24 different masks you can collect, three of which transform Link into forms which players of Ocarina will be well familiar - a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora. Each of these new forms grants Link special powers, such as the Deku Scrub's ability to float through the air, and the Goron's roll attack and ground pound. This adds a lot more variety to the gameplay, particularly in the later levels when all three special masks have been obtained and switching between them frequently becomes necessary.

And speaking of familiar forms from the previous game, it's worth noting that just about all of the characters from Ocarina are present in Majora's Mask, but few of them have the same roles they had before. Talon, the ranch owner, is now the proprietor of the town Milk Bar, while the running man now finds his true vocation as a postman. The evil hags Koume and Kotake this time help out Link by running a potion shop and a boat cruise, and the rather nondescript Cucco lady this time features in one of the game's most involving sub-quests. There are 20 main townsfolk in the game, all of whom have various problems they need solving. Rewards for helping the villagers out include heart pieces, empty bottles and masks.

One major change, and a very unusual idea, is the introduction of a time limit. You see, the inhabitants of the gameworld, Termina, have only three days before the evil-looking moon above the town crashes down in a spectacularly destructive fashion. As the days tick by - at the rate of 24 real-time minutes per day - day turns to night, different monsters appear, and different challenges open up. The time limit of 72 minutes doesn't mean that the game is super-short, for Link can warp back in time to the beginning of the first day by playing the Song of Time on his ocarina once he recovers it from the Skull Kid. The only problem with this is that all the dungeon puzzles reset, he loses all his money and ammunition, and any conversations and puzzles he's completed with the townsfolk reset. However, masks, weapons and special items Link has obtained remain in his inventory, so timing the warps properly is essential if Link isn't to redo some puzzles over and over again.

All in all, while perhaps unoriginal, the gameplay is varied, deep, and most important of all, it's extremely enjoyable.

Challenge: It must be admitted that there are only four dungeons in Majora's Mask, compared with the eight in Ocarina, and the dungeons aren't any bigger than the earlier ones. However, the puzzles in these dungeons are undoubtedly more taxing, and require a lot more thinking than merely standing on a Triforce symbol and playing Zelda's Lullaby. You'll definitely be able to get to the end of the game quicker than you would in the first game, but compared with many other games, Majora's is still a very large game.

It's when you decide that finishing the game isn't enough, and move on to try and fully 'clock' it that the challenge really kicks in. Solving all 20 of the townsfolk's troubles, trying to collect all the masks, weapon upgrades and heart containers is no mean feat - and will probably take you as long as the main quest, at least. When you delve deeper into the game, you'll uncover a surprising variety of sub-games, such as an underwater race, a photograph contest, plenty of shooting galleries and even a betting game based on a dog race. Rewards for collecting all these items are plentiful - the end credits get more detailed depending on how many villagers you've helped out, and there is a secret mask which you can get once you've got all the others.

In short, while the game isn't as large as TOOT, it's still a big game, with challenging puzzles, and plenty of subquests and subgames.

Graphics: The game requires the expansion pak, but it makes good use of it. The graphics are superb, and even more believable than in Ocarina - no mean feat. There is plenty of variety, and several totally different environments which all look gorgeous. The character details are similarly excellent, and their animation is equally realistic and well done. As before, the graphics create a detailed, involving and dynamic world. Top stuff.

Sounds: The sounds of this game are equally brilliant. The music is mainly composed of new tunes, although a few sections reuse music from Ocarina - which is no bad thing, and brings another note of continuity. The new music is very atmospheric and evocative, and often really catchy! One especially pleasing touch is the reintroduction of the classic Zelda theme for the Termina Field areas, which was conspicuously absent in the first N64 Zelda title.

Sound effects are also well-used. The various weapon and item noises are spot on, and the monsters let out suitable snarls and howls when they attack Link. In addition, the bit-part characters make sound effects of their own - not much more than a sigh or a 'hmmmm' noise, but it gives them personality and thus more realism than in Ocarina.

Summing up: It might not feature Zelda or even Ganondorf, but this latest Zelda title is still full of the quality which has made its series so deservedly popular. Great graphics, heaps of atmosphere and an opportunity to once again get utterly absorbed in a convincing fantasy world while solving puzzles and uncovering mysteries - a brilliant game, and well worth purchasing!


Gamesmark: 96%


Reviewer: Maverik