Shortly before the demise of the beloved Nintendo 64, Miyamoto pulled out another Zelda title, one that fans had been thirsting for after searching every inch of Ocarina of Time for the alleged Triforce that he “forgot” to include in it. Here was the chance to play a whole game as young link and even ride tiny Epona! But there was a twist: time. No, not the normal night/day cycle of the last game, but something different. Would fans and casual gamers alike adapt to this unusual concept? Perhaps, perhaps not, only time would tell.

    Majora’s Mask took a huge risk with fans by incorporating a concept that at first sounds impossible: complete the game in three days, IN GAME days. So how do you save this strange world from colliding with the moon in three days while switching between human, deku, zora and goron form? Why, of course, you use the ocarina! All new songs (and a few that return) enable Link to manipulate time in new ways in addition to new owl statues. The owl statues serve the purpose of save points and “time resets”. Upon wanting to save and/or go back to the very first say you began playing, you must ask the one of the many statues scattered around the world. The drawback is that all “nonessential” items are lost, and saving means you must turn off the game (and still set back the clock) or continue without saving. Still, this idea really adds several layers to the strategy, essentially forcing you to complete a dungeon in these three days before the moon’s glare is so close you can touch it. Of course this is a major turn off for those of us that tend to savor and enjoy the game (in addition to needing a lot of time to play the game. There are alternatives, like ocarina lyrics that slow time down by one-half or double the speed in case you need to reach a certain day to complete a certain quest. On top of that, you must decide which “form” Link takes on to tackle a certain objective. Over the course of the game, masks take on a HUGE role. Most masks allow you to do one or two different special abilities in addition to the three (or four, at the end) that change Link into his own little version of a Deku Link, Zora Link or Goron Link. The normal masks allow you to do such things as become an animal bandleader (making all the animals in the vicinity start a marching line behind you as you play a little tune on the ocarina) or jump high and run very fast (the bunny hood, a reoccurrence from OoT).

     The ”special” masks (Deku, Zora, Goron) transform Link into a smaller version of that species and give him special strengths and weaknesses. Miyamoto, in a sense, expanded on one of the smaller and one of the larger parts of OoT and did it effectively. The sense of danger associated with a time limit, and the fun of simply playing with the skills of the different masks help to make playing the game great.

    Of course, what is a Zelda game without unique and top notch visuals and aural pleasure? The tradition music and some new stuff add to the spicy fried-tenderness that is The Legend of Zelda. Majora’s Mask implements the Nintendo 64’s best graphics output (of it’s time) and slightly improves on the visuals of OoT. One thing is very prominent though: the game is much more colorful and varied. The characters, locales and enemies are so much more original and vibrant than Ocarina of Time.

    Majora’s Mask may not have been quite as popular or as traditional as Ocarina of Time, but the game vastly improves upon the previous game and adds a vibrant flare to the Zelda universe. The implementation of the masks, time and new, innovative design makes this one of the most fun games to play on the Nintendo 64, and still holds its ground with games on the current systems (although today, the graphics would gravely lower it’s value). The simple “coolness” factor of this game will make any say wow. In fact, it’s safe to compare Majora’s Mask and it’s originality to the upcoming Wind Waker.