Majora's Mask 3D Review

My history with Majora’s Mask goes back almost as far as I do. This was the first game I ever actually owned, having gotten it for one of my birthdays. It’s also the first Zelda game I’ve ever played.

Since then, I’ve played at least part of every Zelda game released on a Nintendo system. My opinion of the series has ranged from great to bad. But ever since I first played this game, it’s always had a special place in my heart.

PROS:

-The tone of the game is dark, but not too dark. A darker tone for a story is hard to pull off. You don’t want to go too dark, or you’ll just be seen as trying to be edgy for the sake of being edgy, like Shadow the Hedgehog. But if you don’t go far enough, you end up with Twilight Princess.

Majora’s Mask is the only Zelda game to feature actual death and other depressing topics. The entire game only gives you 72 in-game house to live, and if you fail your task, everyone dies.

-The music is outstanding.

Koji Kondo, the man behind many of Nintendo’s most popular soundtracks, was the composer for Majora’s Mask, and as a result, Majora’s Mask 3D. The soundtrack has a perfect mix of somber and bright and cheerful.

-The graphics are wonderful.

When looking at the graphics for Ocarina of Time 3D, I got a little bit worried about how Grezzo would re-capture the art style in Majora’s Mask for the 3DS version. I’m happy to say, my worries were in vein.

The graphics of Majora’s Mask 3D are greatly detailed. The textures are sharp, and the models are highly detailed. And yes, the moon is absolutely terrifying.

-The controls are excellent.

If you have a Circle-Pad Pro or New 3DS, you can control the camera the same way you can in the Gamecube and Wii U Zelda games. This extra camera control isn’t necessary to enjoy the game, but it does add a sense of freedom.

Aside from the camera, you can equip items to the X and Y buttons, as well as two touch screen buttons.

You can also use gyro controls for items that use a first person perspective.

-The story is absolutely fantastic.

The story begins with Link looking for a friend, when Skull Kid uses his two minion fairies to scare Epona, enabling Skull Kid to steal Link’s belongings, including Epona. After chasing Skull Kid, Link is transformed into a Deku Scrub.

Tatl, one of Skull Kid’s minion fairies, joins Link on his quest to turn back into a human. But as soon as Link finds a man capable of returning him to his former self, he is also informed that the world will be destroyed in just three days.

This is the main storyline for the game, but it’s not the only one.

-The focus is on the world, not the dungeons.

You only have a total of four dungeons in the entire game, but the game is still decently long. This is because of the focus on the world around the dungeons, rather than the dungeons themselves.

Throughout the world building, you’re seeing the frustration of the people who live in the town. And by the time you get everything and talk to everyone, you will hate Skull Kid, that’s why I enjoy the item you get for completing the game. You want Skull Kid to die a painful death. If you want to see me go into more detail, stick around after the end slate. There will be spoilers, this is your spoiler warning.

CONS:

-The bosses are bad.

Three of the bosses ranged from bland to bad in the original game. But they were changed in stupid ways the 3DS remake, especially fishy over here. The final dungeon boss was probably hurt the most. They made the fight itself way more cool, but it takes forever to finish.

The bosses should have been tweaked, not changed entirely.

-The Bombers Notebook.

The Bombers Notebook is a mechanic in the game that keeps track of who you meet and what they want you to do. This problem is that it always brings up another screen tells you meaningless information about who you just talked to. This ruins the flow of the game. You should have had the option to turn it off.

OVERALL OPINION:

Majora’s Mask is my favorite game of all time, and this remake is what I’ve been asking for for years. I will admit, I didn’t enjoy this remake that much at first. But after a bit of time, and a second playthrough, this remake truly is excellent. If you haven’t played Majora’s Mask before and you have a 3DS, I would greatly consider getting Majora’s Mask 3D.