Zeruda no densetsu: Mujura no kamen (2000) (VG)

Director:

Eiji Aonuma

Release Date:

26 October 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy

Tagline:

The Power is in the Masks

Plot:

After becoming the hero of his land, Link's travels lead him to bizarre universe, where the Moon will crush the world in three Days, by the power of Majora's Mask.

Plot Keywords:

Link | Mask | Moon | Ocarina | Horse

Cast

Fujiko Takimoto	...	Link (voice)
Nobuyuki Hiyama	...	Fierce Deity Link / Zora Link (voice)

Also Known As:

Legend of Zelda VI (Japan: English title) (working title)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (USA)
Zelda gaiden (Japan) (working title)
Zelda: Mask of Majula

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Iran:(Banned) | UK:12 | USA:E

Company:

Nintendo

Trivia:

The story told by the Clock Town organ-grinder involving the Bremen's Mask references the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten" (The Town Musicians of Bremen). The tale follows the story of a dog, cat, rooster, and donkey who all escape their maltreating owners in hopes of reaching the city of Bremen, Germany (a free-trade town representing freedom from the animals' masters). Although they never reach this town, by banding together, the four animals are able to drive away a group of robbers near a forest cabin and live in harmony in the house.

Quotes:

Happy Mask Salesman: Believe in your strengths, believe.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Homestarrunner.com: Everything Else, Volume 2 (2006) (V)

2nd Best

"A worthy follow up to OOT?" "Does it live up to the Zelda name?"

Just two of the many comments that spring to the minds of a lot of people when you say "Majora's Mask". My opinion is different to most. I thought that Ocarina of Time was an extremely weak game, but I won't get into that here. All that matters in this review is Majora's Mask, and what I think sets it apart from any Zelda game released up to that point.

First off, the graphics aren't much of an improvement over OOT's, only the expansion pack offering much of a difference, and the camera remains a bit iffy, but everything else is enormously better than in OOT. The plot (surely the most important feature in any fantasy game?) shows a startlingly original face in this masterpiece, and the Skull Kid is such a brilliant villain, in that he's not ALL bad, he's a victim as well, and it's because of that that he's so much more believable than Ganondorf in OOT. The plot IS extremely strange- the moon's going to crash into the Earth in three days- but it's this weirdness that sets it apart from anything else I've ever experienced. To stop the moon, Link has to travel back in time frequently, so people he's met don't know him, but he keeps the same items.

The music in this new iteration of Zelda is brilliantly written. From the intro theme's gradual change from calm and major to creepy, heavy percussion and strings is phenomenal. The overworld saw the return of the classic "Legend of Zelda" theme, something special to any Zelda fan. The dungeons aren't the games strongpoint, but are much better than OOT's. The Stone Tower Temple is pure genius, and the first time you see it turning upside down, you're sure to freak out. The game has a good level of difficulty too, with the first dungeon fairly easy to see through, but they gradually get tougher, as do the bosses- anyone who's seen Gyorg should know what I mean.

In finishing, I think that when it was first released it was the best Zelda game, only recently surpassed by The Wind Waker. It's emotional, stirring, riveting, at times disturbing, yet gloriously epic. If you want to be sucked into a seriously creepy quest, I suggest you check out The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.