The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is a 3D, open world, action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo exclusively for Nintendo 3DS. It is a remastered version of the original N64 game, with improved graphics and controls, and it was released on February 13, 2015. The target audience is just about anyone who is looking for some challenging entertainment and a good storyline. Its price, brand new at the time of release, was £35.
The general plot in the game is that a pesky child, who goes by the name of “Skull Kid”, has stolen a mask with great evil power. Skull Kid causes a lot of mischief with the mask, before eventually setting the moon on its way to crushing the Earth after a period of 3 days. Link, the hero, must use his wits and a spot of time travel to undo the many wrongdoings that Skull Kid put on the land, and eventually stop the moon from crushing the Earth. The game operates entirely within this period of 3 days of impending doom, so Link must continually travel back in time to the start of the 3 days, overcoming challenges that Skull Kid leaves for him and defeating the enemies that plague the land of Termina, until he defeats Skull Kid himself and solves the problem. Think Groundhog Day in video game form.
Link is the main protagonist in Majora's Mask 3D. As the hero in a non-gritty game relevant to all ages, he is someone who tries to do good in all situations and usually his goal is to prevent disaster. As happens in all Zelda games, Link finds himself in a bad situation at the beginning - in Majora’s Mask 3D's case, this situation is his horse, Epona, being taken from him by the Skull Kid, who uses the powers of Majora's Mask to do so. He then tells Link that Epona has been "disposed of", which gives us those feelings of support for Link that are necessary to make us actually want to play the game. Something that adds intrigue to Link is his lack of words - he rarely has conversations with anyone, and when he does, his responses are always given by "......". This mystery about Link makes us want to learn more about him.
In terms of strength, Link isn't the brawniest fellow, especially as the younger Link is present in Majora's Mask 3D - it takes place earlier on in the Zelda timeline. This means that he often has to overcome obstacles and challenges by using his (your) brain, rather than muscles. Adding to the puzzle element of the game is the introduction of masks, which Link can wear to give him certain characteristics. For example, the Goron mask allows him to curl into a ball and roll at high speed, move heavy things and break rocks, while the Deku mask allows him to jump high and glide through the air. These masks add another level to the game, making it unique and keeping it interesting. Your mask collection builds up as you progress through the game, gain allies and defeat enemies.
Another element of the game that I really enjoyed was playing the ocarina, which Link received in the game's prequel, Ocarina of Time. You play the songs using the X, Y, A and B buttons, each one resembling a note, and each song does a certain thing. For example, the Song of Time takes Link back to the start of the three days - you play it when the moon is about to crush the land. Another key song in the game is the Song of Soaring, which can be played to warp Link to certain towns and locations in the game, saving precious time. The ocarina is an imaginative concept which, when coupled with the masks, makes the game original and really entertaining.
One small qualm I had with the touch screen controls was the difficulty in changing masks - you have to tap your current mask to open a menu, swap the mask you want to use with your current mask, and close the menu again. It felt a little fiddly and I thought it could have been done more easily, but this is only a minor flaw in an otherwise smooth and fluid control system.
The music in the game is another important part of the experience. As always in Zelda games, it's beautifully crafted and is often performed by a full orchestra. There are a range of instrumentals to go along with the section of the game you are in, each one evoking different feelings, and they really add an extra dimension to the game.
Another element of the game that I really enjoyed was playing the ocarina, which Link received in the game's prequel, Ocarina of Time. You play the songs using the X, Y, A and B buttons, each one resembling a note, and each song does a certain thing. For example, the Song of Time takes Link back to the start of the three days - you play it when the moon is about to crush the land. Another key song in the game is the Song of Soaring, which can be played to warp Link to certain towns and locations in the game, saving precious time. The ocarina is an imaginative concept which, when coupled with the masks, makes the game original and really entertaining.
One small qualm I had with the touch screen controls was the difficulty in changing masks - you have to tap your current mask to open a menu, swap the mask you want to use with your current mask, and close the menu again. It felt a little fiddly and I thought it could have been done more easily, but this is only a minor flaw in an otherwise smooth and fluid control system.
The music in the game is another important part of the experience. As always in Zelda games, it's beautifully crafted and is often performed by a full orchestra. There are a range of instrumentals to go along with the section of the game you are in, each one evoking different feelings, and they really add an extra dimension to the game.
The challenge in the game is that you have a time limit to save the world. Of course, you can time travel back to the beginning, but you still have to do a certain amount in the three days before you go back to actually progress - many things are reset to how they were when you travel back. Since the game is open-world, there are a variety of locations and biomes to engage us, and the freedom we are given to figure out what to do next feels liberating and fun. The simple yet rewarding “hack-and-slash” style of combat is key to the game's success, as well as the unique masks mechanic.
Gameplay is always evolving throughout Majora's Mask 3D, in the way that there are always multiple side-quests to be done which are given to you from people you meet in the different towns. While you don't have to do these, you can get some handy items and benefits if you do - for example, if you save enough money in the bank, you are given a larger wallet, which means you can carry more rupees with you before it gets full. The benefits you get from side-quests in turn aid your main objective, which is always changing as you progress in the game. All of these things make for a storyline that is never dull, there is never nothing to do, and it keeps you entertained for hours.
In terms of things that could be made better about the game, it's hard to have any real complaints. I've already mentioned the slightly fiddly method of changing masks using the touch screen, so the only other thing I would mention is that the time travel aspect can be frustrating at times. This is because, with any Zelda game, you want to explore the landscapes as you traverse them and view all the details to get the full experience - when you're working against the clock, it can be more difficult to take it slow and really enjoy the environments. It can also be frustrating due to the fact that certain things are put back to how they were three days ago when you travel back - for example, if you didn't quite finish a dungeon when you had to travel back, you would have to start the dungeon all over again. This can be tedious, and so to solve both of these problems, I would increase the time limit so that we can take the game at a more leisurely pace and really enjoy it for what it is. Don't think that this is a major problem though - it's just something that happens every now and again during the game, but it certainly doesn't take much away from the overall experience.
To summarise, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is another solid entry in the series that just never lets us down. In comparison to other titles in the franchise, it is certainly more dark and unusual, with the time-travel mechanic, the crushing moon and eerie antics of Skull Kid. However, it combines action and adventure with puzzle, a trademark of the Zelda series, and Nintendo pulls it off just as well as it ever has. The improved controls and graphics, plus a 3D sheen, make this N64 classic into as good as a new game - it's definitely another one for Zelda and Nintendo fans to pick up as soon as possible.
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