Zelda: Majora's Mask Review

For Nintendo 64

By Contributing Writer Jimmy Payne

Rating: Good
   Zelda: Majora's Mask isn't revolutionary like The Ocarina of Time was in 
1998, but at the very least, it's unique.  In a market full of cookie-cutter
sequels that offer the same exact experience as their predecessors, it's 
refreshing to play a sequel that bring some unique ideas to the table.
   The biggest change to Zelda's gameplay is the fact that the story takes 
place within a three-day period (that's three days in the game world, not in
real life).  Using your ocarina, you have free reign to go back to the 
beginning of Day One, or speed up time if you're waiting for a particular 
event.
   Finding, exploring, and conquering a dungeon can take almost three days 
on its own, so you will have to go back and forth within time on a regular 
basis.  The time limit placed on dungeon completion gives the game a 
constant sense of tension as you try to accomplish tasks in a timely 
fashion.  Unfortunately, there is also a downside to this gameplay addition.
   The downside is that it actually hampers the story line more than it 
helps the gameplay.  There is almost no character development other than 
Link and his fairy, despite the fact that there are loads of characters in 
the game that could have been given more depth.  Due to the fact that the 
story takes place within the context of a three-day period, the townspeople 
say the same things for the vast majority of the game and give the entire 
experience the feeling of being stagnant.
   The developers of the game haven't done much to change the stellar 
control, map lay-out, or menu system, but they have increased the emphasis 
on using masks to give yourself specialized abilities.  This will either 
please you immensely or bore you to tears, and you might already have an 
idea of which is true in your case (based on how much you enjoyed the mask-
collecting in Zelda: The Ocarina of Time).
   The music in Majora's Mask is just as good as any Zelda game, with a 
combination of old tracks and new ones to please your ears.  Although the 
music is amazing, the sound effects are quite the opposite.  I don't know 
about you, but I don't enjoy being grunted at whenever I talk to someone in 
the game.  The developers were trying to give you an idea of what the 
characters sound like without doing full voice-overs, but the end result is 
more annoying than anything else.
   The graphics are the best yet in any Nintendo 64 game, but that's not 
saying much these days.  Majora's Mask still has the N64's trademark grainy 
appearance and muddy colors, despite the fact that the game requires the 
Expansion Pak to run.  Some of the special effects were actually taken from 
Rare's Perfect Dark, which is oddly fitting since Rare has been ripping off 
Nintendo games for so many years.
   The world may never know why, but in the process of developing Majora's 
Mask, Nintendo decided to restrict the player's ability to save his or her 
progress.  Only being able to save at specific times doesn't add to the feel
of the game in any way.  It's just a pain in the ass when you want to stop 
playing, but you can't save your game.
   The Zelda series has never been known for having a particularly deep 
story line, and Majora's Mask only makes matters worse.  Despite this 
glaring oversight on Nintendo's part, the gameplay is still remarkably fun 
and rewarding.  If you're in the mood for some entertaining dungeon-crawling
and puzzle-solving, Zelda: Majora's Mask won't disappoint.

Send your thoughts on this review to jimmy@mastergamer.com

    
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