Introduction:

This is Ocarina of Time's little brother. That's not to say it doesn't pack a punch, though.

Story:

The storyline is short and simple. Link is seen riding his horse, Epona, when two fairies, brother and sister, surprise his horse and cause Link to be bucked off and knocked unconcious. The Skull Kid, a troublemaker wearing Majora's Mask, a cursed and powerful mask, appears and steals Link's ocarina. As he is blowing it, Link wakes up and springs at the Skull Kid, who jumps on Epona and rides away. After chasing after, Link falls down a hole leading to Termina, a parallel world to Hyrule. The Skull Kid then turns Link into a Deku Scrub as a practical joke. Link then finds the Happy Mask Salesman, who makes him a deal. The deal is that if Link gets Majora's Mask and gives it to the salesman, he will be restored back to his true form. But there's one catch: The Skull Kid and Majora's Mask have caused the moon to fall out of orbit and it is on a collision course with Termina. The Happy Mask Salesman also leaves in three days, the same time the moon will crash. Link has to turn back the clock to obtain Majora's Mask, while collecting different masks and saving Termina's protectors.

Gameplay:

Overall, the gameplay is pretty decent. I myself have only played this game on the GCN on the bonus disc, but the gameplay is very similar to Ocarina of Time. The menus, the sounds, and the fighting is all the same, although a few changes have been made for the better. Over the course of the game While Link's fighting can get repetitive, it is still so fun that you may not care. Plus, in this game, when you jump over gaps, Link does flips, from a front flip to what looks like a cartwheel in the air.

I give the gameplay: 9/10

Graphics:

The graphics are a bit better than Ocarina of Time. In OOT, Link's hair was an orange piece of stone. Now, his hair is blond and slicked down his face. Some of the characters have a bit more detail put into them, and the bosses are each medlies of color and danger.

I give the graphics: 8/10

Sound:

The sounds are pretty good, although there is almost no voice acting. Link's voice, however, is a bit lower than usual, although there are definite traces of the little Kokiri. Occasional sighs and laughs are heard, but nothing special.

I give the sound: 7/10

Replayability:

This is probably this game's strongest feature.
There are 20 masks that you can collect during the game. Majora's Mask is packed with side quests, more than you can shake a deku stick at. After getting all 20, you can get a mask that turns Link into a G-d-like being that is extremely powerful.
The transformation masks help too. You can fly as Deku Link, roll as a Goron, and swim as a Zora. The turning back time is great for anyone wanting to win the Goron Race again or even redo an entire dungeon, keys and boss included. Of course, there is so much that to do it all, you'll need to play the Song of Time a lot.

I give the replayability: 10/10

Challenge:

There are challenges in Majora's Mask. Some of the bosses are pretty hard, along with the time limit in the game. There isn't much to say, but this is one of the slightly harder Zelda games.

I give the challenge: 9/10

Frustration:

This is for the GCN disc version only, but occasionally the game will start to move very slowly. This only happens for a few seconds and then it becomes normal, but this only happens about once every time you play it, but it's no big deal.
Also, the beginning was bad. You couldn't save, and you were a Deku Scrub. When it's the first part of my game, I like introductions, knowing some character, and in Zelda, getting used to the human character, who you'll be playing as most of the time. I couldn't start off by chopping an enemy in half.
The saving: You had to turn back all of time in order to save, and you lost all rupees and items you were carrying. (There is a rupee bank in the game where the money you deposit stays safe even while turning back time.)
If you don't do that, you can use Owl Statues that make you quit the game immediately after using them.

I give the frustration: 6/10

Value:

I have no idea what the value is. The GCN disc is not for resale, but I'd guess it'd be about $15 to $20 right now, for the N64 cartridge.

I give the value: 3/10

Horseback:

When you ride Epona in this game, Epona is a young horse. Controls are the same as OOT, and you can do archery off of it. Link's yell and Epona's high whinny do get annoying, and Epona doesn't go particularly fast. Also, Termina Field is nowhere near as big as Hyrule Field, so you don't need Epona too often. Plus, you need to do a tedious task to get her back.

I give the horseback: 7/10

Alter Egos:

Human: This is regular, you can use almost all of your items.
Deku Scrub:
This little guy is more of an annoyance. He's weak, short, and can't fly very far.
Goron: You're big, strong, but slow. However, you can roll extremely fast if you use magic.
Zora: A bit slow on land, but fast in water. You can even jump like a dolphin. Great.
Fierce Deity: You can only be in boss battles, but you kick ass!

I give the alter egos: 9/10

Overall:

This game is short, but unbelievably fun. Don't rush to get it, but you should get it sometime-this game will leave you breathless, and constantly wondering if it's really a Zelda game. The design and abilities you have are unorthodox, but it's worth at the very least, a rental.

I give The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: 8/10

Conclusion:

This game is a great sequel to OOT. I hope you guys enjoy this game review.

Written By: Adam
E-Mail Address: flashback25@aol.com
Date Submitted: February 18th, 2007

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