26th February 2015, 3:48 AM
I love Majora's Mask. I didn't play it when it first came out, I thought the 3-day system sounded gimmicky and obnoxious. It wasn't until 5 years later that I first tried it. Must have found it used somewhere. I did okay my first playthrough, got to the Zora mask, but must have gotten stuck before I reached the Water temple.
Just this past year, actually, I played through the entire thing. I remembered how the game was a little creepy, definitely darker than the first. The opening scene with Skull Kid is teriffic: you fall down a great hole and awake in darkness. Skull Kid is across the room, illuminated as though by firelight.
He hovers in the air, legs crossed, and titters at you. He has stolen not only your things, but in a sense, your body, as he's transformed you into a pitiful little deku scrub. The scene is quite silent, little music, no ambience, just the sound of his laughter and the rattle of his wooden limbs.
Then you get to Clock Tower, and all the residents are warning you to evacuate, a big moon is coming down to destroy everything in three days time. As the hands of the click swing around and the apocalypse looms, you find yourself running around, trying desperately to fix things you know in your heart that you cannot.
The tone of helplessness and despair runs throughout the game as you meet its characters and learn their troubles. You can choose to help them, learn their backstories and routines throughout the days. But the sad part is, no matter how hard you try to fix things, it all resets again in the next cycle. It's not only impossible but ultimately futile to help anyone.
The game's dreary music helps drive the emotional vehicle of the thing. The Northern lake is downright ominous. Such a heavy story is a departure from Zelda's normal M.O.: adventure, thrills, but ultimately light-hearted as good triumphs over evil and you become the one true Hero. Majora's Mask almost seems like the opposite: hard as you try, your efforts in the long run won't amount to much. (so emo!) It's not a surprise that MM was seen as the black sheep, but I'm thrilled that it's getting recognition and a re-release.
I think my gf has a 3DS (I played the OoT remake on it while we were on a plane last year) but I'm in no hurry to get this release. I'd love to experience it again, but not just yet. A game this fine is like a good book: you read it again when you're ready.
Here's a few links of people discussing MM's subtext. I especially love the idea that the Stone Tower is an allegory for the Tower of Babel.
http://www.zeldainformer.com/news/the_me...O8EIfnF-So
This guy is kinda corny (I had to skip the bad jokes which was frustrating) but his analysis is articulate and spot on:
Just this past year, actually, I played through the entire thing. I remembered how the game was a little creepy, definitely darker than the first. The opening scene with Skull Kid is teriffic: you fall down a great hole and awake in darkness. Skull Kid is across the room, illuminated as though by firelight.
He hovers in the air, legs crossed, and titters at you. He has stolen not only your things, but in a sense, your body, as he's transformed you into a pitiful little deku scrub. The scene is quite silent, little music, no ambience, just the sound of his laughter and the rattle of his wooden limbs.
Then you get to Clock Tower, and all the residents are warning you to evacuate, a big moon is coming down to destroy everything in three days time. As the hands of the click swing around and the apocalypse looms, you find yourself running around, trying desperately to fix things you know in your heart that you cannot.
The tone of helplessness and despair runs throughout the game as you meet its characters and learn their troubles. You can choose to help them, learn their backstories and routines throughout the days. But the sad part is, no matter how hard you try to fix things, it all resets again in the next cycle. It's not only impossible but ultimately futile to help anyone.
The game's dreary music helps drive the emotional vehicle of the thing. The Northern lake is downright ominous. Such a heavy story is a departure from Zelda's normal M.O.: adventure, thrills, but ultimately light-hearted as good triumphs over evil and you become the one true Hero. Majora's Mask almost seems like the opposite: hard as you try, your efforts in the long run won't amount to much. (so emo!) It's not a surprise that MM was seen as the black sheep, but I'm thrilled that it's getting recognition and a re-release.
I think my gf has a 3DS (I played the OoT remake on it while we were on a plane last year) but I'm in no hurry to get this release. I'd love to experience it again, but not just yet. A game this fine is like a good book: you read it again when you're ready.
Here's a few links of people discussing MM's subtext. I especially love the idea that the Stone Tower is an allegory for the Tower of Babel.
http://www.zeldainformer.com/news/the_me...O8EIfnF-So
This guy is kinda corny (I had to skip the bad jokes which was frustrating) but his analysis is articulate and spot on: