The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time defied everyone's expectations when it released on the N64 in late 1998. Not only did it successfuly bring a Zelda game into the realm of 3D, it also managed to weave together an intricate storyline of time travel, allowing you to switch back and forth between a thriving Hyrule in Link's present childhood, or the despair filled future where Ganon ruled over the land. It was a rather emotion filled journey that concluded with Link returning to his childhood timeline in order to fully live out his life. Surprisingly, Nintendo released a direct follow-up to this timeline with Majora's Mask. This was atypical for the series that was never built on direct sequels aside from the original two games for the NES.
Despite continuing young Link's adventure as a child, Majora's Mask was certainly much darker than not only its predecessor, but also any Zelda game up to that point. Link leaves Hyrule and ends up in Termina, has a run in with the Majora's Mask wearing Skull Kid, loses Epona and finds himself transformed into a Deku Scrub. Things aren't really looking up for Link. If that wasn't enough, Clock Town, the place Link finds himself shortly after, has an unfortunate fate of being completely destroyed thanks to a large, scary and evil Moon crashing down, eliminating all life as you know it. Remember when I said this game was dark?
Since time moves at a brisk pace, you'll soon find out that the end of the world is actually a lot closer than you initially thought, and suddenly all those quests that you were hoping of finishing seem rather miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Luckily, Link's Ocarina of Time still proves quite useful and is actually back as a major mechanic of the game. At the end of the three days, Link has the ability to play the Song of Time, which will rewind time back to the dawn of the first day. There is a catch though, any items or rupees collected, as well as quests completed get reverted back to their original state.
Besides Skull Kid, this guy is one of the main reasons you're on this quest
Even though much of the action revolves around Clock town and its four cardinal direction locations outside of it, to compensate for the smaller map size is the abundance of interesting characters that you'll be helping out throughout the repeating 72-hour adventure. Whether its a hand sticking out of a toilet, or the devious Gorman brothers, or perhaps the young Romani and her problems on her Ranch. It's a treat to finally solve someone's problem, and even though that one problem will revert back to its original state after you jump back in time, you now have the knowledge to progress it further and faster.
Thankfully, the Bomber's Notebook somewhat alleviates this whole mess of time unraveling. Given to you by the Happy Mask Salesman this time around, this notebook will keep track of any pertinent quests and promises you make with important NPC characters. For example, one of the earliest uses of the book revolves around gaining access to the Bomber's secret hideout. At first you'll have to play hide and seek with five of them, until they give you the access code to the hideout. With the notebook, the code is now always accessible, meaning you can save some precious time and skip the hide and seek portion entirely, and head straight to the hideout instead. You also have the ability to set certain alarms for important events, that your fairy Tatl will alert you of.
Not only is the Ocarina back in the forefront, but Masks, like the title states, are just as much part of the main gameplay. Throughout the game, Link will get access to various masks, such as the Deku Mask, Zora Mask, and Goron Mask, each transforming him into their respective races and tying various gameplay elements to it. As a Deku Scrub, Link will be able to shoot magic bubbles, hover and even skip on water multiple times. As Goron Link, you'll be able to pound enemies with his fists, or turn into a boulder and roll across terrain much faster. Zora Link gains the ability to swim fast underwater, and also cast an Aura for protection. All three of these extra forms come into play heavily in Majora's Mask as they'll each solve particular puzzle elements. Though these masks are the only ones tied down to important gameplay mechanics that alter Link's form, there are plenty of other Masks you'll be utilizing to complete various sidequests.
Skull Kid, he's basically the worst
The game only contains four dungeons, which is a noticeably lower number than other Zelda titles, but in my case, I actually appreciated it. Since this game revolves all around time that's constantly ticking down, reminding you that the world is coming to an end very soon, it would have been a little cumbersome to have Link go through more than that. The game is stressful as it is, trying to complete tasks for various NPCs, but still finds a pretty good balance of giving you just enough tasks to keep it fair. Having the Ocarina at your disposal whenever you feel overwhelmed basically gives you a portable 'Reset' button at your whim.
The new 3DS version, much like its Ocarina of Time predecessor, keeps nearly everything intact from the original, save for a few different placements of shops and NPCs, as well as getting a few helpful items a little earlier. Of course the visuals got a noticeable upgrade, as well as the game's framerate, which was an astoundingly low 20fps on the N64. The amount of Save points have been increased, making it not only easier to restart, but also giving you a larger variety of places to teleport to with the help of the Song of Soaring. The Song of Double Time gets a new feature, allowing you to pick a specific time to warp to, instead of just Dawn or Dusk.
The top screen is relatively clutter free, only showing Link's two current moves available, corresponding to whichever Mask he's wearing, as well as a redesigned Clock Meter at the very bottom of the screen, which will always remind you how much time you have left before the Moon crashes down. That means the bottom screen will be your go-to area for accessing Link's items, and even hotkeying them to various parts of the touchscreen, as well as having a nice view of the game's map.
The constant, terrifying reminder that the world around you is coming to an end
The gyroscope feature also makes a return, allowing you to aim various thrown items or magic spells by moving your 3DS around you. And if you happen to be playing Majora's Mask on the upcoming New 3DS which comes out the same day, you'll have the added ability to rotate the camera with the new C-stick, which is always helpful, especially during boss fights. Playing on an original 3DS though makes the process slightly more awkward and clunky. While the camera follows Link fairly well, it's during boss fights that things get tougher and the lock-on feature doesn't always do the trick.
Returning from Ocarina of Time 3D are Shiekah Stones, which are perfect, and also completely optional, additions to the game, that allow newcomers who might find themselves stuck and unsure on how to proceed, a glimpse at the 'future.' A little video will play out, signaling the next logical step in the story, or even give you a few choices depending on where you are in the game.
Having come out nearly 15 years ago, it's not only goint to be a wonderful nostalgia trip for those that played the N64 version, but it will undoubtedly be many players first experience with the Ocarina of Time sequel. As expected of Nintendo and of a Zelda title, the production values are through the roof, with the game looking better than ever even on a handheld. Whether you've saved Termina before or embarking on this strange new quest for the first time, don't let this game slip by, it's an absolute must have.
