The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
Platforms: N64, GCN, Wii(VC)
Players: 1
Original Release Date(s): Oct 25 2000(US), Nov 17 2000(EU), Apr 27 2000(JP)
Following on from Ocarina of Time was always going to be a massively hard job for any one to do but that still doesn't stop games from progressing onwards and in many ways from a technical standpoint it does things better than Ocarina of Time as well as massively changing the structure of the game, and much like Ocarina of Time this also started like as a game for the 64DD but was later dropped in favour of a cartridge release when the add on system failed to take off, it is also one of a handful of games that requires the Expansion Pak to be able to play.
Presentation
As far as navigating menus goes from that point of view Nintendo went with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and kept it the same as its predecessor, that is pretty much all that has stayed the same as even things like saving have changes as you can't just save whenever you like you have to either preform a quick save through one of the owl statues or go back to the dawn of the first day.
Majora's Mask is structured radically different to any Zelda game before or since and is time based over three in game days, and as such is very much about the events that take place at specific times each day, in real time this means each day last only about 15 minutes or twice as long if you slow the time down by half so even then you have to act fast.
As a result of the time based gameplay it cuts the overall size of the game world down so it is traversable in that amount of time allotted and the amount of in game dungeons to just four and making the main focus the quests that happen on a daily basis and thankfully you have the ability to track all the ones available with a diary that lets you know what they are and what time they happen as well as when they are completed when you get the mask at the end of it and this game is all about collecting all those masks.
Graphics
The one area that is actually quite an improvement over Ocarina of Time partially because not only the use of the Expansion Pak helps add much better animation rather than a high resolution mode that other games opt for but because of the smaller game world the pre rendered back drops that were is certain places in Ocarina of Time are all gone and the whole world is now fully rendered in game and helps the game look better for of it.
If you have played Ocarina of Time you will know what to expect from Majora's Mask just more detail better animation and better effects so both time and the use of the Expansion Pak really does benefit the game, but don't let you think that it is just a prettier version of Ocarina of Time because it's not and has its own identity and when you use the mask to transform you are treated to some nice visual scenes as well as seeing both the Goron and Zora in action is a site to behold more so the Zora for of Link when you are sailing under the sea at amazing speeds and start spinning about and jumping out the water everything looks so smooth and amazing in motion.
Sound
In many ways they sound certainly matches the previous game and adds its own unique musical score to the series at times it is very creepy and eerie too giving you more of a sense of being in peril than in Ocarina of Time but much like it predecessor it helps at times to convey the emotion of the situations within the game and to good effect too.
Although the mask play the most important role within the game just as equally important is the musical instruments as they act in the same way the Ocarina of Time does for each of the three main masks so rather than just one instrument there are now four of them one for each of the three main masks that transform link and the other of course being the ocarina. So much like the ocarina each of the four instruments has been given just as much attention to detail and each one sounds as good as the other, and although I wont spoil too much in a scene that has all four of them playing at the same time you really can see that attention to detail has gone into each one of the four instruments equally.
Gameplay
As a whole the game plays pretty much identically to Ocarina of Time and that is really to be expected as it uses the exact same game engine and that approach is a good thing as there was nothing at all wrong with how Ocarina of Time plays, the main differences with how the game plays is the addition of the transformation masks and each of the three forms of Link; Deku, Goron and Zora all control in their own unique ways just as well as each other although from a personal stand point Zora Link is above and beyond my favourite just because of his swimming mechanics alone and just for general coolness I guess.
Time also plays a major part in doing things as a whole within the game as you don't really have as much time to explore but at the same time you never really feel restricted in not having enough time to do stuff and of course you can double the amount of time you are playing within the game by playing the song of time in reverse, but as a hole if you have played Ocarina of Time you will feel right at home with this.
Lasting Appeal
A big game but not in the same was as Ocarina of Time but more because of the sheer amount of quests to do in such a small area as the game is packed full of them and you will have to replay each of the three days many times to be able to get everything you need as well as of course beating the four main dungeons. Because the way the game is structured though it doesn't feel as long in length as Ocarina of Time and unlike previous games in the series you don't have to play through the game from the start again to relive your favourite moments or boss battles as once you go back to the dawn of the first day all those things become available to you again and all though the ability to fight each of the four dungeon bosses at any time once you have beaten them is a good idea it also takes some replay value away from the game for me and that is maybe the only negative thing I can say about this game though.
Overall
Majora's Mask always had a tough job in trying to live up to Ocarina of Time and for the most part it manages it and really shows what the N64 can do from a technical level and at the same time it manages to step out from Ocarina of Time's shadow and create an identity for itself and one that will be remembered for be a much deeper and darker game than those that came before it.
The time aspect of the game and the much smaller size of the world may but a few people off as it can feel very different to your traditional Zelda game but it is definitely a very unique experience and one that is worth playing through at least once just don't go into it expecting a grand adventure like Ocarina of Time as it isn't like that but a game based more on puzzles and quests with a lot of repeating what you have already done, but it is still a great game and one I can recommend to any fan of the series or to any one wanting a good adventure game.
Scores
Players: 1
Original Release Date(s): Oct 25 2000(US), Nov 17 2000(EU), Apr 27 2000(JP)
Following on from Ocarina of Time was always going to be a massively hard job for any one to do but that still doesn't stop games from progressing onwards and in many ways from a technical standpoint it does things better than Ocarina of Time as well as massively changing the structure of the game, and much like Ocarina of Time this also started like as a game for the 64DD but was later dropped in favour of a cartridge release when the add on system failed to take off, it is also one of a handful of games that requires the Expansion Pak to be able to play.
Presentation
As far as navigating menus goes from that point of view Nintendo went with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach and kept it the same as its predecessor, that is pretty much all that has stayed the same as even things like saving have changes as you can't just save whenever you like you have to either preform a quick save through one of the owl statues or go back to the dawn of the first day.
Majora's Mask is structured radically different to any Zelda game before or since and is time based over three in game days, and as such is very much about the events that take place at specific times each day, in real time this means each day last only about 15 minutes or twice as long if you slow the time down by half so even then you have to act fast.
As a result of the time based gameplay it cuts the overall size of the game world down so it is traversable in that amount of time allotted and the amount of in game dungeons to just four and making the main focus the quests that happen on a daily basis and thankfully you have the ability to track all the ones available with a diary that lets you know what they are and what time they happen as well as when they are completed when you get the mask at the end of it and this game is all about collecting all those masks.
Graphics
The one area that is actually quite an improvement over Ocarina of Time partially because not only the use of the Expansion Pak helps add much better animation rather than a high resolution mode that other games opt for but because of the smaller game world the pre rendered back drops that were is certain places in Ocarina of Time are all gone and the whole world is now fully rendered in game and helps the game look better for of it.
If you have played Ocarina of Time you will know what to expect from Majora's Mask just more detail better animation and better effects so both time and the use of the Expansion Pak really does benefit the game, but don't let you think that it is just a prettier version of Ocarina of Time because it's not and has its own identity and when you use the mask to transform you are treated to some nice visual scenes as well as seeing both the Goron and Zora in action is a site to behold more so the Zora for of Link when you are sailing under the sea at amazing speeds and start spinning about and jumping out the water everything looks so smooth and amazing in motion.
Sound
In many ways they sound certainly matches the previous game and adds its own unique musical score to the series at times it is very creepy and eerie too giving you more of a sense of being in peril than in Ocarina of Time but much like it predecessor it helps at times to convey the emotion of the situations within the game and to good effect too.
Although the mask play the most important role within the game just as equally important is the musical instruments as they act in the same way the Ocarina of Time does for each of the three main masks so rather than just one instrument there are now four of them one for each of the three main masks that transform link and the other of course being the ocarina. So much like the ocarina each of the four instruments has been given just as much attention to detail and each one sounds as good as the other, and although I wont spoil too much in a scene that has all four of them playing at the same time you really can see that attention to detail has gone into each one of the four instruments equally.
Gameplay
As a whole the game plays pretty much identically to Ocarina of Time and that is really to be expected as it uses the exact same game engine and that approach is a good thing as there was nothing at all wrong with how Ocarina of Time plays, the main differences with how the game plays is the addition of the transformation masks and each of the three forms of Link; Deku, Goron and Zora all control in their own unique ways just as well as each other although from a personal stand point Zora Link is above and beyond my favourite just because of his swimming mechanics alone and just for general coolness I guess.
Time also plays a major part in doing things as a whole within the game as you don't really have as much time to explore but at the same time you never really feel restricted in not having enough time to do stuff and of course you can double the amount of time you are playing within the game by playing the song of time in reverse, but as a hole if you have played Ocarina of Time you will feel right at home with this.
Lasting Appeal
A big game but not in the same was as Ocarina of Time but more because of the sheer amount of quests to do in such a small area as the game is packed full of them and you will have to replay each of the three days many times to be able to get everything you need as well as of course beating the four main dungeons. Because the way the game is structured though it doesn't feel as long in length as Ocarina of Time and unlike previous games in the series you don't have to play through the game from the start again to relive your favourite moments or boss battles as once you go back to the dawn of the first day all those things become available to you again and all though the ability to fight each of the four dungeon bosses at any time once you have beaten them is a good idea it also takes some replay value away from the game for me and that is maybe the only negative thing I can say about this game though.
Overall
Majora's Mask always had a tough job in trying to live up to Ocarina of Time and for the most part it manages it and really shows what the N64 can do from a technical level and at the same time it manages to step out from Ocarina of Time's shadow and create an identity for itself and one that will be remembered for be a much deeper and darker game than those that came before it.
The time aspect of the game and the much smaller size of the world may but a few people off as it can feel very different to your traditional Zelda game but it is definitely a very unique experience and one that is worth playing through at least once just don't go into it expecting a grand adventure like Ocarina of Time as it isn't like that but a game based more on puzzles and quests with a lot of repeating what you have already done, but it is still a great game and one I can recommend to any fan of the series or to any one wanting a good adventure game.
Scores
|
|