So, the other day, I had a mad desire to revisit my past and play a certain game. This game really opened my eyes to the art of videogames, and how they can tell stories in ways that just wouldn't be feasible in books or movies.
This game was The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
I want to take you back to October of 2000. People were waiting with bated breath for the next Zelda game, one hoped to be a worthy successor to the "Best Game Ever", Ocarina of Time. Fans pored over screenshots in magazines, wondering what the sundial at the bottom could mean, and how this could possibly hope to surpass the game before it.
And then, it came out. And reactions were mixed.
For one thing, this game was one of the few to need the "Expansion Pak", a memory expansion pack (adurr) that gave the Nintendo 64 an extra 4 MB to play with, resulting in the game having better and smoother draw distances and textures.
For another, the tone of the game was noticeably darker than previous installments in the franchise. Death is not avoided, and the whole story is ominous. If you thought the ReDeads were scary, this (E-rated!) game ramps it up to a whole new level. Part of that is because of the gimmick that made this game unique.
It is this gimmick that divided fans the most. In this game, Link has three days to do everything, defeat every boss, and stop the moon from falling. The "sundial" at the bottom is actually a slowly-ticking clock, counting down the time he has. However, with the help of his trusty ocarina, Link can warp back to the dawn of the first day...losing everything he has done in those three days in the process.
Now, nine years on, things have changed in the Zelda world, and in the videogame world in general. We have had time to look back at things more objectively, and I want to ask you, what did you think of Majora's Mask then, and how do you view it now?
Personally, I view it as a true masterpiece of videogame creation. The "Three Days" gimmick is absolutely brilliant, and completely unique. The dark tone of the game allows for one of the richest Zelda stories so far, and that combined with the massive amounts of sidequests (Seriously, the sidequests were 90% of the game) makes it excellent in my eyes. You truly care about almost every character, as each one has a story to tell.
The raw emotion in this game is incredible, as is its use of music to further that emotion. You feel the sadness of each character, and the general unease of the town as the moon comes closer and closer. The music in Clock Town on Day 3 is an exquisitely composed piece of work that manages to keep the happiness of Clock Town while having a feeling of doom and unease just lurking beneath the surface.
The dungeons and puzzles are as intuitive as any Zelda game, and making statues in an upside-down Stone Tower Temple will forever be a fond memory.
But the thing that strikes me most about the game is that it is literally impossible to imagine in any other medium. Movies couldn't tell a story like this without leaving chunks of the biggest part of the story, the sidequests, out. Books detailing this would be absolutely massive and confusing. The videogame format is the only one that can do it, and do it right. To me, this game is more than just a game. It is art.
But those are my views. What I want to know from you is:
-What were your opinions of Majora's Mask when it was first released?
-What are your opinions of it now?
-Is it a worthy entrant into the Zelda franchise?
-Was it a worthy followup to Ocarina of Time?
-What are other advantages that the videogame medium has that others don't? How about disadvantages?
This game was The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
I want to take you back to October of 2000. People were waiting with bated breath for the next Zelda game, one hoped to be a worthy successor to the "Best Game Ever", Ocarina of Time. Fans pored over screenshots in magazines, wondering what the sundial at the bottom could mean, and how this could possibly hope to surpass the game before it.
And then, it came out. And reactions were mixed.
For one thing, this game was one of the few to need the "Expansion Pak", a memory expansion pack (adurr) that gave the Nintendo 64 an extra 4 MB to play with, resulting in the game having better and smoother draw distances and textures.
For another, the tone of the game was noticeably darker than previous installments in the franchise. Death is not avoided, and the whole story is ominous. If you thought the ReDeads were scary, this (E-rated!) game ramps it up to a whole new level. Part of that is because of the gimmick that made this game unique.
It is this gimmick that divided fans the most. In this game, Link has three days to do everything, defeat every boss, and stop the moon from falling. The "sundial" at the bottom is actually a slowly-ticking clock, counting down the time he has. However, with the help of his trusty ocarina, Link can warp back to the dawn of the first day...losing everything he has done in those three days in the process.
Now, nine years on, things have changed in the Zelda world, and in the videogame world in general. We have had time to look back at things more objectively, and I want to ask you, what did you think of Majora's Mask then, and how do you view it now?
Personally, I view it as a true masterpiece of videogame creation. The "Three Days" gimmick is absolutely brilliant, and completely unique. The dark tone of the game allows for one of the richest Zelda stories so far, and that combined with the massive amounts of sidequests (Seriously, the sidequests were 90% of the game) makes it excellent in my eyes. You truly care about almost every character, as each one has a story to tell.
The raw emotion in this game is incredible, as is its use of music to further that emotion. You feel the sadness of each character, and the general unease of the town as the moon comes closer and closer. The music in Clock Town on Day 3 is an exquisitely composed piece of work that manages to keep the happiness of Clock Town while having a feeling of doom and unease just lurking beneath the surface.
The dungeons and puzzles are as intuitive as any Zelda game, and making statues in an upside-down Stone Tower Temple will forever be a fond memory.
But the thing that strikes me most about the game is that it is literally impossible to imagine in any other medium. Movies couldn't tell a story like this without leaving chunks of the biggest part of the story, the sidequests, out. Books detailing this would be absolutely massive and confusing. The videogame format is the only one that can do it, and do it right. To me, this game is more than just a game. It is art.
But those are my views. What I want to know from you is:
-What were your opinions of Majora's Mask when it was first released?
-What are your opinions of it now?
-Is it a worthy entrant into the Zelda franchise?
-Was it a worthy followup to Ocarina of Time?
-What are other advantages that the videogame medium has that others don't? How about disadvantages?