Majora’s Mask Brought About a “Turning Point” in Nintendo, Served as Inspiration for S

Love it or hate it, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was definitely a drastic departure from the traditional Zelda formula found in the game’s beloved predecessor, Ocarina of Time. Though, what most don’t know is how much of an impact this outside-the-box approach had on not only the future of the franchise, but also the overall perspective of Nintendo.

In the latest entry of Nintendo’s “Iwata Asks” column, Eiji Aonuma, the man behind much of the Zelda franchise, explains how the concept for Majora’s Mask was born. The revolutionary idea of setting up a repeating three-day structure within the game came as a challenge from Miyamoto after Aonuma expressed his reluctance in working on a “flip-side” version of Ocarina of Time.

Here’s how it all began:

At that point, Miyamoto-san gave us a tradeoff: he said, if we could make a new The Legend of Zelda game in one year, then it wouldn’t have to be a ‘flip-side.’ At first, we had absolutely no idea what sort of thing we were supposed to make, and we just kept expanding our plans… At that point, the “Three-Day System,” the idea of a compact world to be played over and over again, came down from Miyamoto-san and one other director, [Yoshiaki] Koizumi-san. We added that to the mix, and then, finally, we saw the full substance of a The Legend of Zelda game we could make in one year.

Iwata also interjected, explaining the lasting impact that Majora’s Mask has had on the franchise. “I feel as though, back then, we were given a glimpse of the concept that ‘Deep, compact play is one form of the games of the future.’ I think in that sense, as a product, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was a big turning point for Nintendo.”

With regard to its connection with Spirit Tracks, game director Daiki Iwamoto added, “You’re traveling by train, and if you’re careful to remember where things are, they come in handy later,” which applies the need to recall the game’s earlier events, a mechanic first seen in Majora’s Mask.

So there you have it, a complete lowdown on why you shouldn’t hate Majora’s Mask. Coming hot off the heels of arguably the best game of all time, Majora’s Mask had quite a lot to live up to, and deserves recognition.