Next Friday, only ten days from now, Zelda fans will be able to get their hands on the remake they all called for; Majora’s Mask. Perfect timing for me to forget about my crippling loneliness with Valentine’s Day the next day, so thank you for the distraction in advance Nintendo. My first play through of the game, which I’ll actually be able to complete, will be on the new and improved 3DS version (along with that gorgeous MM New 3DS XL) as my previous attempts to play on the N64 and PC have gone awry.
I’ve always been one to put gameplay before graphics and have this aspect of a game to be somewhat of a bonus; but as I said graphical improvements aren’t the only thing that’s been changed in this remake. In this article by Kotaku they list five changes made, one being graphics, to the remake; A better Bomber’s Notebook means that it’s easier to keep track of everything that’s going on in terms of currents quests, rumours heard and completed quests. A new saving system has been implemented where the only way to save is through the use of owl statues and there are plenty of them. More useful Song of Double Time; as opposed to the N64 version where it only switched between dawn or nightfall, this can now be targeted at any hour of the day. Finally there’s addition of two fishing holes for you to catch 20 types of fish (10 in each) but make sure you don’t spend too long fishing… You know, because of the impending doom that hovers above Termina.
I’ve always felt that Majora’s Mask was somewhat overshadowed by its predecessor Ocarina of Time though it’s a cult classic praised by those who played it. A lot of aspects about the game interested me such as 72 hours until the apocalypse and the need to reset back to the first day when time was almost up, however I think a lot of my appreciation of the game was lost on it when I was younger as I wasn’t able to play the game in a regular fashion. Also after watching The Game Theorist's video about Link in Majora’s Mask my desire to play the game only increased and also will probably affect how I perceive the game when I play through it starting on February 13th. That said I’m still incredibly excited to play this game as I’ve wanted to do so for years.
'If you don't get that mask back soon, something terrible will happen!'
Will you be playing this latest Zelda on release day? Were you ever a fan of the original? Let us know in the comments below!