Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

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Edward1
Posts: 297
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby Edward1 » May 30th, 2013, 12:56 pm

It seems everyone either loves or hates this game.  I seem to be in both camps though.

This game has an awesome world.  Its smaller than most Zelda games, but it feels very eventful.  The main Clock Town city in the game is probably the best city in any Zelda game. Its full of life, with people who seem to actual things to do. This is probably also the only Zelda game that has a great story.  It is just odd, and not the standard save Zelda stuff.  You're trying to stop an evil moon from crashing into the planet in 3 days.  Its awesome how you can look up in the sky at any point in the game and see that evil freak.   Infact, everything in the game is just so freaky.  Its fun going around trying to some do side quests (But not all as explained below) to find more masks, especially the ones that transform into other creatures.


However, the game is simply far too cumbersome.  The game is the Zelda version of the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day.  It takes place over a 3 day cycle (a few hours in game time) that you play over and over again.  If you play your ocarina, you go back to first day.  I don't think this was as well done as it could have been.   Whenever you go back to the first day, you lose all your bombs, arrows, dungeon keys etc.   WHY?  Is this to build tension?  All it is, is annoying.  Also many of the sidequests are annoying.  For example, I spent an hour on the wedding mask sidequest, only to determine I couldn't finish it, because I didn't have a right item.  Therefore, when I went back to the first day, I lost all that progress, on a quest the game probably shouldn't have let me even done at that point.   I later used a guide, to determine I couldn't complete that quest until I had most of the items in the game.  Also, it was a long cumbersome side quest that would be very illogical without a guide, even with the right items.   There are several other quests like this, that are very repetitive.  Many of the side quests require you to beat the dungeons bosses over and over again.  Why?  Is this repetition supposed to be fun?

This is one game I recommend using a guide for.  Most Zelda games are better without a guide.  However, you will go down too many dead ends in this game without one.  I have tried to complete this game 2 times over the years, and always quit half way through out of frustration.  However, I recently tried for a third time and managed to make myself beat it, with careful time management and the use of a guide.  As I said I both love and hate parts of this game.  They really need to remake this game.  With some minor adjustments (Especially to the game's terrible save system which makes Dead Rising's look good), this game could be far less cumbersome and a better game.

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby Leo1 » May 31st, 2013, 1:06 am

Why would you want to save your dungeon keys for? If you're in the midst of doing a dungeon and need to save, that's why they have an owl statue outside near the entrance for. And when you learn to slow down time very early in the game, you will have plenty of time to complete such tasks.

Your rupees can be deposited in the bank and carried over. And 90 seconds spent rolled up as a Goron in the field around Clock Town will replenish your supplies as you're crushing all the bushes that supply you with items that are set out there seemingly for that exact purpose. So that takes care of refilling your supply of items like arrows. 

And I don't remember having to re-beat most of the dungeon bosses over again very often. But at least it's easy to warp right to the boss when it's necessary. 

I liked the game although I preferred Ocarina of Time. The time element some criticize it for that I remember being alarmed by ends up being little more than a story element. It provides a little bit of tension but I don't think I ever had to repeat something like a dungeon due to the world coming to a end. Always was able to finish what I was out to do (Although I never got greedy like trying to beat one of those spider houses and a full fledged dungeon in one outing).

I do remember needing a online faq occasionally though. But the sometimes complicated sidequests spread over a period of several days were one of the nice touches that sets this apart I think from the rest of the franchise. 

strat1
Posts: 23
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby strat1 » May 31st, 2013, 11:12 am

It's hard to rank the Zelda games, with each one standing out in at least a few ways.  Majora's Mask probably has the best storyline and overall game world layout.  And to this day I don't mind that there's only 4 dungeons, probably because we were conditioned to think of it as an Ocarina expansion pack.  Snowhead and Stone Tower could both be in the top 5 dungeons of the series and Woodfall and Great Bay are still impressive.  And the little powers you get from the masks keep things interesting.

In the complaints department, there was some annoying busywork with the Elegy of Emptiness (Why have 4 switches when it's not even a puzzle), some of the sidequests make me groan at having to kill time until they can begin, obtaining Epona in particular and Odolwa is the worst boss of the whole series.  The time mechanic isn't really a problem - Just start the dungeon on the first day and you'll be fine.  It did almost get me one time while getting all the fairies at the Great Bay Temple, but it's never been a problem otherwise.

Oh, and it shares one feature with the 3D Zelda's I don't care for, the final dungeon being a mash-up of the previous dungeons.  Still a great game with lots of cool secret stuff.

Edward1
Posts: 297
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby Edward1 » May 31st, 2013, 1:04 pm

The Dungeon Keys are a problem because of the fairy collecting sidequest.   I was gonna go back to a dungeon to collect the fairies.  Of course the ones I already collected needed to be collected again  (Was this really necessary?).  Also, I realised that the dungeon keys were gone again, so I said screw this and decided not to do it.  Also I would say that the 4th dungeon was so confusing, that the 3 day cycle would have been a problem if I didn't use a guide.  It took me over 2 days in game time, even with the guide.  


Yes I knew about the bank, and had over 1000 rupees saved up in it by the end of the game.   However, all this did was add an unnecessary step to the game.   Also, every time I reverted to the first day, I had to warp to 3-4 owl statues to recollect my bombs, arrows, and fairies. You used the goron roll, but the result was the same.   It was nothing more than busywork and added nothing to the game.


And about having to repeat the bosses over and over again.  Several sidequests in the snowy region require you to beat the boss there again to complete them.  Also there is a frog collecting sidequest requiring you to beat several sub bosses in the dungeons all over again to find the frogs.   This quest looked like nothing but busywork, so I decided not to do it.  To be fair many of the sidequests are pretty cool, such as stopping the ghosts in the farm.  However, there is no way to know if a quest will be good, or a repetitive or cumbersome nightmare when you start it, unless you look at a guide.


In my opinion, this game is hugely overrated.  It could have been a great game if they removed a lot of the repitition.   I don't think any one of these repetitious factors alone ruins the game.  However, added together, it makes for a very frusterating game.  I certainly liked many parts of it, but I dont think I will be coming back to it any time soon.

ActRaiser1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby ActRaiser1 » May 31st, 2013, 1:25 pm

I remember buying this game when it first came out and thinking it was going to be awesome.  Only to find out it was a confusing affair with little in the way of guidance on what and how to make the story progress.

It might be a great game but it certainly wasn't for me.  

m0zart1
Posts: 3117
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby m0zart1 » May 31st, 2013, 5:18 pm

I think most people have a difficult time at the very beginning in the first three-day period when you're turned into a deku scrub and have to spend that time getting out of that pickle.  But after they get past that, it's a fantastic game.

When I first played it, I was put off by that initial task.  But after getting through, I was generally ok.  I found it confusing at first, yes, but after I figured out how to navigate the space and time of the world, I had more fun playing that then just about any Zelda game I've ever played.  You really have to get used to the daily activities of the folks in the game.  Since you keep repeating the same three day period, you have to treat their activities like a clockwork pattern.  Sometimes you might change the minute or hour hand along the way, and that affects how they might behave later, and you really have to know how to do that for each activity you want to solve.

I've never seen a game use that kind of mechanic before or after.  That mechanic makes it not just one of the most unique games in the Zelda series, but one of the most unique games in gaming, at least in my experience.

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby Leo1 » May 31st, 2013, 6:31 pm

I don't remember being confused much. The time mechanic was confusing when reading about it but quickly became clear once I played it. I used a faq for the water temple since I wasn't enjoying that much and for at least one of the more complicated sidequests. But otherwise it was clear cut enough for me and provided enough guidance. 

[QUOTE=Edward]The Dungeon Keys are a problem because of the fairy collecting sidequest.   I was gonna go back to a dungeon to collect the fairies.  Of course the ones I already collected needed to be collected again  (Was this really necessary?). [/QUOTE]

I completely understand now in light of that. That's one sidequest I never bothered with in Majora's Mask so I hadn't even given it any consideration. I don't like pointless collecting. 

But did you ever try going through the main entrance after beating the main boss? Possibly all of the doors inside will be unlocked then. Worth a shot if you ever decide to revisit it. 

[QUOTE=Edward]Yes I knew about the bank, and had over 1000 rupees saved up in it by the end of the game.   However, all this did was add an unnecessary step to the game.   Also, every time I reverted to the first day, I had to warp to 3-4 owl statues to recollect my bombs, arrows, and fairies. You used the goron roll, but the result was the same.   It was nothing more than busywork and added nothing to the game.       [/QUOTE]

At least it's not like you actually need rupees very often. So it's a minor inconvenience.

Why would you have to warp to 3-4 owl statues for? You revert to the first day, exit out of the closest exit to Terminia Field or whatever it was called, and morph into a Goron and take a couple of spins rolling around Clock Town's perimeter field destroying bushes for the items inside. Like I said, it's about 90 seconds worth of work to get restocked. 

[QUOTE=Josh]It was just too complicated for its own good. I mean, to figure some of it out I literally had to makes notes. I'm all for using your noodle when playing but I don't want to feel like I'm cramming for a final or something.[/QUOTE]

If you're talking at all about the scheduling element of the game where certain tasks happen at specific times, there's an in-game schedule accessible via the menus that tracks that stuff so you don't have to take notes.

[QUOTE=Edward]And about having to repeat the bosses over and over again.  Several sidequests in the snowy region require you to beat the boss there again to complete them.  Also there is a frog collecting sidequest requiring you to beat several sub bosses in the dungeons all over again to find the frogs.   This quest looked like nothing but busywork, so I decided not to do it.  To be fair many of the sidequests are pretty cool, such as stopping the ghosts in the farm.  However, there is no way to know if a quest will be good, or a repetitive or cumbersome nightmare when you start it, unless you look at a guide.[/QUOTE]

I knew about the frog quest and vaguely recall another time or two. But it wasn't exactly many of the quests that required you to re-beat bosses. It was just an occasional necessity.  

I don't remember ghosts at a farm. I remember something about an alien attack when you're defending the cows from getting abducted. Was that it? If not I think there's an unplayed sidequest waiting for me that sounds like it should be fun.

Atarifever1
Posts: 3892
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby Atarifever1 » May 31st, 2013, 9:03 pm

I am playing through it on the Wii right now.  I'm only a few cycles in, and it's already on its way to being one of my favorite games ever.  It probably helps that I finished OoT this generation for the first time (on 3DS), and so this sequel is still very current to me.

A lot of people compare it to groundhog day, which is an obvious comparison.  However, I've never seen anyone make the more niche comparison I see: the Stephen King books "The Regulators" and "Desperation."  Anyone read these two books?  One he wrote as Stephen King, and the other under his pen name.  Both books have very different stories, but the character names, parts of the enemy character, and some parts of the mythos are the same between the two.  The first time I went to the ranch in Majora's Mask and found the little girl singing there who is supposedly someone different than she is in the other game, it struck me that that was the only other piece of media I saw where the two pieces are so closely related, but so completely apart. 

Leo1
Posts: 2325
Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

Majora's Mask (Nintendo 64)

Postby Leo1 » May 31st, 2013, 11:57 pm

I watched video of that farm mission. It doesn't seem clear just what they're supposed to be but we were obviously thinking of the same thing. 

Stuff like that was what made Majora's Mask so unique and entertaining. 


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