Review: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64)

Graphics- 10/10
Sound- 9.5/10
Gameplay- 9/10
Replay Value- 10/10
Overall- 9.5/10

Majora's Mask is a great sequel to Ocarina of Time. The graphics are mind-blowing and many of the elements that made Ocarina of Time a smashing success return, along with some improvements. However, the three day format that was used really bothered me and put a restriction on my open ended exploration, which is what makes Zelda games so good.

This game takes on the darkest tone of any Zelda game to date, mainly because the game is played in a continuous three day cycle that leads up to the moon crashing into the land of Termina, which is where the story is set, instead of Hyrule. The Moon is about to crash into the Earth because Skull Kid, while being his mischievous self, stole Majora's Mask and it took control over him, causing him to do many bad things including attempting to make the moon crash. Days pass as fast in this game as they did in Ocarina of Time, which on the surface makes three days appear to short to stop the moon, but once again some nice incorporation of music saves the day. The music is unfortunately not as easy flowing as expected, but still nicely done. The main songs in this game are about time control, whether it be traveling back to the start of the cycle, speeding up time, or slowing it down. The other big part of this game is masks (duh) there are so many masks - from the ones that make you run faster to the one that transform you into a Zora the masks definitely make the game and are nicely incorporated.

The problem with this game is that the three day format ends up putting a major restriction on what you do, and as a result you have to plan what you are going to do in each three day cycle beforehand. If you don't you might be forced to give up something mid-task and return to it later, which as you guessed can really piss you off. The other problem is that you might have to waste a whole cycle on a single sidequest you feel you must complete. As for sidequests, that is the game's strength, due in part simply to the sheer mass of sidequests, however some people might find this distracting. If it weren't for that, this game could top Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask definitely tops it graphics wise because of what the expansion pack made the N64 capable of. There is so much going on in the game and on the screen at once it's almost unbelievable. The land is also as vast as it was in Ocarina of Time, although not as cleverly mapped out in my mind. Anyways the bottom line is that this game makes a nice sequel and is an excellent purchase for any N64 owner.

Pros: Graphics, good plot, easy controls.
Cons: Three day format, music not as good as expected (almost is).

Review: Dan