Overall: Ooh, bewdy! Stunning graphics, fascinating and believable story, engaging characters, and just darned spiffy all-around! The one problem is, in order for you to actually play this game, you have to go buy a thirty-dollar “extension pack”, which is basically an excuse for Nintendo, Inc. to suck as much money as possible out of unwitting parent’s wallets (“Ooh! I HAVE to get that, Mom!” “Oh, ok dear, let’s just see how much it--good GOD! What does it DO, perform laser surgery?”). Ok, a bit of an exaggeration. But I digress...
Graphics: Possibly the best I’ve ever seen in a game. Not only are there the “standard” graphics used throughout the game, but sometimes when you beat a level, you get to see a “mini-movie” with improved animation, sort of a trippy slo-mo thing. It actually freaked me out a bit when I saw it for the first time--”Dear god, the console’s spazzing out!”--and it’s fairly disturbing even after you get used to it, but still really, really cool.
Sound System: Pretty much like Ocarina of Time, only in Majora’s Mask you get an updated version of the old Zelda theme. C’mon, you know it! Everyone hum along! All together now: “Dah-DAH, dah dah-DAH! Dah DAH, dah DAH dah-dah! Dah DAH dah-dah, dah DAH dah-dah, dah DAH dah-dah, dah DAH!” Yeah, like that. Only COOLER! :)
Plot: Fresh after battling Ganondorf, you and Epona take a leisurely stroll through the woods. Unfortunately, some weird thing wearing a strange mask knocks you, steals Epona from you, and drops you into a strange alternate-universe, where the former citizens of Hyrule live very different lives. Turns out a Skull Kid is under the evil influence of Majora’s Mask, and the moon is going to fall within three days if you don’t do something to stop it. Along the way, you need to get Epona back and solve everyone’s personal problems (and I mean EVERYONE...it’s kinda a pain in the ass). However, unless you get the Ocarina of Time (which the Skull Kid also swiped from you), you can’t go back in time to accomplish anything. Oh, and did I mention you’re stuck in the body of a Deku Scrub? Good luck!
Abilities: In human form (that’s right, human form...more on that later) you can run, jump (when standing directly near edges), climb, swim and use various weapons (including your sword and shield).
There are three different masks you can get at different points, all of which let you completely change form and give you lots of nifty abilities (unlike the “regular” masks, which simply give you a single additional power). In Deku Scrub form, you can’t swim, you can jump a few times on water (emphasize a few...more than five hops and you’re sunk), blow bubbles and fly out of specially placed flowers to hover for awhile. In Goron form, you can’t swim either (you literally sink like a stone); however you CAN roll and produce wicked-cool spikes from your body, pound the ground, and smash stuff into smithereens. In Zora form, you can swim like a fish (which makes sense, since you ARE sort of a fish), and unleash your fins like boomerangs, although fire does double-damage to you.
Masks: I’m making a seperate category for these, simply because they DESERVE a seperate category. There are over 25 masks to get, and some are more helpful than others. I’ll list them in order of when you get them, to make things easier.
Great Fairy Mask: Wearing this makes fairies in dungeons drawn to you. It seems more useful than it actually is, as you can really only wear it in dungeons.
Bremen Mask: Wearing this makes small animals want to follow you. It’s actually kinda useless, but it’s the ONLY way to get the Bunny Hood, which is definately NOT useless.
Bunny Hood: Possibly the most useful mask in the whole game, and thankfully one you can get early on. The Hood gives you “the speed and hearing of the wild” (umm...ok), but it’s only the first gift that comes in handy. You can run twice as fast, and shave seconds off your time (which really adds up). Wear it all the time, and only take it off when necessary.
Kamaro’s Mask: Wear it, and you’re a dancin’ fool. Only really used for one purpose: to cheer up the twin sisters in Clock Town at night. But it snags you a heart piece, so you might as well get it. Besides, it’s lots of fun to use.
Blast Mask: If you’re short on bombs, this mask will self-detonate and blow up anything that’s in your way. Unfortunately, you injure yourself everytime you activate it, so use sparingly. You can get it from the Old Lady after saving her from the thief the night of the First Day.
Mask of Truth: You might recognize this from Ocarina of Time, and works basically the same way here as in that game: Use it to talk to Gossip Stones. You acquire it after lifting the curse off the Swamp Spider House.
Mask of Scents: A disturbing mask, it allows you to locate scents (necessary to find Magic Mushrooms), and you get it after racing the Princess’s butler in the Deku Swamp.
Don Gero’s Mask: Feed the cold starving Goron and he’ll give you this amphibious mask, which allows you to talk to frogs. Locate the seven frogs scattered around the game and get--tah-dah!--a heart piece. Whoop-de-shit. *rolls eyes*
Romani’s Mask: Get it from Romani after saving her from Bandits, and you can visit Romani Inn whenever you like. Wearing in front of cows will give you milk.
Circus Leader’s Mask: Completely useless. Wearing it makes people think you’re Gorman, but so? Who cares? Damn, damn useless.
Garo’s Mask: You get it after beating the Gorman brothers at their own race, and it’s pretty invaluable inside Ikana Valley. Other than that...pff. Useless.
Stone Mask: Get it from the Unknown Soldier near Ikana Canyon, and use to slip past enemies unnoticed. Particularly helpful for trying to evade pirates in Great Bay.
All-Night Mask: Costs 500 rupees, and is only good for one thing: Staying up to listen to the grandmother at Stock Pot Inn’s stories. For that, you get a heart piece apiece. Yawn.
Keaton Mask: Harder to get than you’d think, it can be obtained by cutting down an entire grove of moving shrubs, and allows you to summon the ghost fox of its namesake. Necessary in the Anju/Kafei trading game.
Kafei’s Mask: Obtain it from Madame Aroma between 10 am and 8 pm on the first or second day. Necessary in the Anju/Kafei trading game.
Postman’s Hat: Get it from the Postman the night of the third day, and you can look into mail boxes. Not entirely useful, although one of the boxes contains a heart piece, and random ones are good for green rupees.
Couple’s Mask: How the hell can they call it a MASK, when it has no eyeholes or even vague anthropomorphic shape? Anywho, you get it after completing the Anju/Kafei trading game the night of the third day (which by the way takes freakin’ FOREVER, so you’ll want to devote all three days to it eventually, when you’re fairly advanced).
Captain’s Hat: Get it after defeating Captain Keeta, and use it to communicate with Stalchildren.
Gibdo’s Mask: Play the Song of Healing to Pamela’s father (who’s locked in a closet on the first floor of their house). You’ll receive the mask. Use it to talk to Gibdos and to slip unnoticed past Redead.
Giant’s Mask: “Would you like to supersize your order?” Get it after defeating Eyegore, and use it ONLY in TwinMold’s arena.
Fierce Deity’s Mask: Sally hasn’t actually got this mask, but I’ve seen pictures, and it looks REALLY cool. You can become a dark, mighty warrior...spiffy! You can only obtain it after relinquishing all the masks (except the shape-shifting ones). Also, it’s only useful in boss rooms...I know, doesn’t that just utterly, utterly SUCK?
Additional Stuff: There are so many things I left out, that aren’t covered in other categories. Like the incredibly useful addition of a bank where you can store up to 5000 rupees. The SIX (count ‘em!) bottles you can get at various points in the game (although they’re damn difficult to get). The little notebook you automatically receive from the Bomber’s Secret Society, wherein to jot down all the various appointments (invaluable during the whole Anju/Kafei affair). And last but not least, the delightful similarity of all the characters in this game to the ones found in Ocarina of Time. It’s like seeing old friends again...sort of.
Difficulty: Absolutely hard as hell. If Sally didn’t have the cheat guide, she probably wouldn’t be out of the first dungeon by now. As is, she’s got all but two of the masks (there are about 25 in all to get, including the shape-shifting ones) and has defeated three of the bosses (there are four total). It is a frighteningly difficult, intimidating game, made doubly so due to the fact that it’s timed, and I am actually afraid to touch it, for fear I might screw something up.
Final Review: An absolutely mind-blowing game. Parents, if you really love your children, buy them this game. Although it would probably freak some of the younger kids out; it’s just slightly more graphic than Ocarina, and certainly more intense, mainly because of the timed factor...personally, timed anything gives me the willies. Also, you can only save two individual adventures in this game, instead of Ocarina’s three. But overall, it’s positively enchanting. Slash up one side, Slash down t’other.