32_Footsteps's Full Review: The Legend Of Zelda: Majora'S Mask for Nintendo 64
Note: I'm back, and I'm again quoting from my favorite webcomics. This time, the numbered quotes are from "Real Life," Greg Dean's look at him, his friends, and the adventures that they have. Of course, I'm assuming that he and his crew do have a time machine, do have sentient computers and video game systems, and enough old computers to build a mech. After all, who doesn't? If you enjoy this, read his comic, and learn how to overclock a microwave. (2)
As I've said many a time, nothing means so much to gaming as the Legend of Zelda games. For this reason, people almost fear any new addition to the series - afraid it will mess with Zelda canon, afraid that it won't live up to the expectations, afraid that the game will merely be good rather than epic. I guess this game makes the risk even greater - for the first time, the game has completely left behind the namesake heroine, Princess Zelda. With this in mind, I chose this game to recover from the long ago Weekend of Pain, hoping I didn't add to it instead.
So for the basic premise of the game, Link is off riding Epona, the foal that he tamed in Ocarina of Time, when he encounters two fairies and an odd looking kid wearing a mask. Just because he's a delinquent, the kid, creatively called the Skull Kid, scares Epona, steals the Ocarina of Time, and turns Link into a walking plant called a Deku Scrub. You know, for good measure, he should have given Link a wedgie and conspired to destroy the world.
Well, Link was thankfully spared the wedgie, but in an alternate universe, the world really is ending, in three days. Of course, Link is roped into finding four giants, waking them up, and saving said alternate universe. It could be that Link is heroic, but considering the methods used by the Mask Salesman, who dispatches Link on this quest, I'd say that Link is rather victim to confidence games. Man, I always knew it, ever since the gambling game in the first Zelda game. You'd think he would have enough sense... wait, no good. He's already senseless. (3)
Anyhow, I must admit, the story does strike me as a little weak. The main plot is rather straightforward, and for the most part, by about a third way through the game, you can figure out what's going to happen at the end. I'm not about to ruin it here, but a little more surprise would have been nice. But then, the Zelda games have always been about obvious plot devices, with the notable exception of Link's Awakening. Maybe, then, that's why I prefer that one above all others. Finally, the 'twist' the game gives, that Link basically relives the same 3 days repeatedly until he gets things right. Now, pardon me, but I never thought "Groundhog Day" would work as a video game. And it is frustrating to see that the things you do for the plot don't stay in place. I think the idea works better as a movie plot rather than a game plot.
The game really shines, though, with the side quests. The game then allows Link to interact with dozens of characters, most of them clones of characters from Ocarina of Time. This time, though, the characters are much more detailed, and have personalities well beyond a "I'm nice, so I'll tell you to go there to advance the plot" flatness. In fact, running around and trying to develop the side quests is interesting more for the look into the daily lives of people in adventure games. You almost tend to forget that you're also getting neat stuff at the same time. Almost. However, the game suffers again because the story effects of the side quests is only evident in a notebook you get early on. Without lasting effects of side quests beyond the new items, they ring kind of hollow.
However, the game does have the excellent game play that Ocarina of Time had. The battle system is the same, although the fairy accompanying Link this time, Tatl, is vastly less annoying than Navi was. However, Navi did actually give real hints on how to beat monsters. Tatl will just insult your lack of knowledge about the monsters of Zelda. This is amusing to me, admittedly, but Nintendo ought to be aware that she could have been at least marginally more helpful for newcomers. Of course, I can see it in the future - Zelda games will have an option to set the fairy either on "helpful" or "insulting."
However, the gameplay is limited by the size of the world. I'm the kind of guy who steps out of a town in a video game and says, "I'm not lost - I'm exploring!" (4) Of course, it would help if the world was big enough to get lost in. The game is rather small, and filled with so many landmarks that you'll quickly know how to get from point A to point B. The game leaves you feeling rather boxed up, and it is almost ultimately frustrating to find that you're in an area that you can completely cover in less than the three days the game gives you.
One problem I have, though, is that the masks, the most emphasized part of the game, don't have that great of an effect on the game. About a quarter of them are useful outside of side plots, but that's about it. Moreover, for all the talk of innovation that they bring, they just open up different powers and areas for Link. Sure, it's great, but games have been doing it for years. From Legacy of the Wizard to Donkey Kong 64, games have played around with giving you different characters with different powers. The only major difference this time is that this time, it's only different suits on the same character. It's effectively as if Mario could choose between the Frog suit, the Tanooki suit, and the Hammer Bros. suit at any time during Super Mario Bros. 3. Granted, it would have made SMB3 much more cooler, but I digress even more than usual.
The graphics are quite possibly the best that the system ever produced. Some people might quibble that another game has this beat, but the game is frequently so busy with graphics that you have to realize that good looking games on this system were possible. People just were too lazy to make them. Granted, this game still has some problems with fog and clipping planes, but we are going to be dealing with those for the next five years, so I'm not sure if I should complain about them or not. They aren't a obvious as they are in Turok or Summoner, that's for sure. All in all, I'd say this game's graphics are like a lava lamp. At first, you won't be impressed. But five hours later, you'll still be staring at it. (5)
The music is fairly decent for the system, never known for its aural delights. Indeed, you still have the classic theme, which still drives my mom mad, and admittedly, that alone makes me glad for the music. Most of the music does fit the mood of the areas, and I must admit to a fondness for the sound effects. However, the game shifts into 'battle music' whenever an enemy closes in on you. I'm rather annoyed by this - what ever happened to the old days, when you had that classic theme playing without end? You really end up avoiding battles because the music shift ends up being annoying.
Finally, I've got to admit to a special fondness for one thing, very tricky to get in the game. If you play your cards out right, you can get one final, optional mask late in the game. This mask, the Fierce Diety mask, will turn Link into an armored, sharp looking adult Link with the kind of attack that makes you think about how sweet it all is. Just looking at Fierce Diety Link made me, for the first time in years, truly impressed with graphics outside of an FMV. While the powers need to be toned down, Nintendo really needs to bring this back for a future game. Or maybe refuse to tone it down and make FD Link a miniboss in a Smash Bros. game. It's the kind of think that makes you want to get a energy-blasting replica of the Master Sword. (6)
In the end, Majora's Mask is certainly a very satisfying game, and it really is a fitting heir to the Zelda legacy, even if the princess is absent. However, the game will leave you frustrated that the plot has to be consistently reset. You'll discover what Phil Connors did in "Groundhog Day": living through the same sequence of time ad nauseum just quickly gets noisome. If you want to take it as a part of the Zelda series, the foundation of modern gaming, it is a bit out of place. But simply on its own merits as a video game, it's worth sitting down with a 900 ounce soda sized for a cupholder, your lucky RAM chip, and your girlfriend's understanding that you won't be getting up or sleeping for a while. (7-9)
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