Once again despite there being plenty of new games that I could be getting on with (Metroid Prime 3 at this very moment is looking at me with sad puppy-dog eyes), I find myself drawn to a game that I have completed time and time again. (no pun intended)
“Majora’s Mask”was originally released on the N64 in October of 2000, so for the games birthday I thought I would treat it to another outing. The game was the sequel to “Ocarina Of Time” and took place not in Hyrule but a land facing great peril called Termima.
Link is lured to this foreign land by a Skull-kid that has stolen a strange mask and also steals Epona, and the Ocarina of time. When Link arrives in Termina he finds that the Moon is far closer than usual and it becomes clear that the Skull-kid intends to pull the moon into the world.
A face even a Mother couldn't love
Using the power of his ocarina Link must re-live the same 3 days over and over, trying to stop this event from happening, in a ground hog day plot that would even make Bill Murray’s head spin.
Where MM differs from OOT, is the fact that the map is smaller and there are not as many dungeons. Despite this however the game is far larger than OOT, as almost every NPC (non playable character) leads their own little life that takes place during the course of the 3 day period.
Link in Deku form
The game also delves much deeper into the lives of the other races inhabiting the Zelda universe. By using the powers of various masks Link is able to become a Deku scrub, a Goron and a Zora giving the game a whole new way to explore and play with every form you unlock. A variety of other masks also appear in the game that allow you to do many other things such as talking to frogs, making you un-noticeable, all the way through making your head explode, (just in case you’ve run out of bombs.)
MM is also one of the most original Zelda games around. All the bosses are new (bar Twinmold but Nintendo thought they would make them 1000 times bigger just in case they both felt left out).
Twinmold
The art work and design is so dark and colourful that it will Keep you stunned at the sight of every new encounter. The dungeons are also some of the most challenging they have ever made, including a temple that must be frequently flipped upside down and right way round to get you where you need to be. Oh and a quick note, for any one who has ever played a Zelda game, the water dungeon in MM is the worst one to make your way through, just like it always is.
In short this game truely deserves the title of a true sequel to OOT, and is a very underrated and unappreciated Zelda game. (saying that makes me want to play LOZ: Seasons and Ages, but that’s another story for later). As well as the N64 version, the game was released on a collectors disc for the Gamecube so it is still available to those of you who have a Cube, and the game is set to be released on Virtual Console in April 2009.
A game that should be played by all with a fantastic story to boot. Hope others will enjoy it as much as I have.
All that’s left is to wish you all a Happy Haloween.
Fish
Trick or Treat
