With Zelda title again.
There are many good reasons why Majora's Mask is considered a masterpiece, but that doesn't mean nostalgia doesn't play a part in how the game is looked back on. From its decidedly aged graphics to how easy it is to get stuck at times, there are some issues with the game that are hard to overlook while replaying.
The Graphics Of Majora's Mask Have Aged A Lot
There's no getting around the fact that the early N64 era of 3D graphics has aged a lot thanks to the rapid improvement in model detail and texturing that came afterward. For anyone who played it as a kid, replaying Majora's Mask now is a brutal reminder of how much work the imagination used to do.
With the same low-detail models from Ocarina of Time re-appearing and backgrounds looking no less barren at times, it's very unlikely that Majora's Mask will live up to many people's memories in of its visual qualities at least. In fact, modern screens only serve to emphasize the game's shortcomings in this area.
A Walkthrough Is Still Almost Certainly Required
For anyone who assumed that all the times they got stuck playing through the first time were due to naivety and that a playthrough today wouldn't have those kinds of roadblocks, the bad news is that Majora's Mask really is just that mystifying at times. From difficult puzzles to periods where it's truly unclear what the next step is, the game doesn't mind baffling the player at different points.
Majora's Mask doesn't need a ridiculously large open world for the road needed to advance the story to be ambiguous as it manages to do that simply by being structured in a slightly odd way. Except for players with excellent memories or who played the game relatively recently, a walkthrough will probably still be needed.
The Time Resetting Mechanic Can Be Frustrating
It's been well over two decades since Majora's Mask was first released on the N64, and it's long been clear that no other game could pull off the time-resetting mechanic in the way it did. Giving the player a deadline of 3 days to complete everything they need to do or they'll have to reset the timeline was a bold choice, and it formed an important part of the game's distinctive identity.
However, there is a reason why it didn't exactly catch on as a mechanic. Freeform exploration and finding secrets have consistently been one of the Zelda series' strengths so putting a hard limit on how long the player can be out before needing to reset is automatically a little jarring. In general, it puts unnecessary pressure on the player that other Zelda games simply don't have.
The Giant Moon Is A Little Too Ridiculous
Everyone knows the experience of going back to something they used to find scary only to find it laughably silly in hindsight, and it's likely there's no shortage of people that went through this exact process with Majora's Mask. Whilst ReDeads and the game's iconic grimacing Moon retain some fear factor, they aren't exactly the horror movie-level threats some may .
The Moon is one of the best examples of how Nintendo was far bolder in of putting outright weird and disturbing elements into Majora's Mask, but it's one that perhaps goes a little too far the other way. Defying physics and logic by hovering just above Clock Town the entire game, it's still iconic if not necessarily so threatening anymore.
Majora's Mask Is The Reason Everyone Wanted Darker Zelda
With The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker celebrating its 20th-anniversary last year, it seems strange to there was something of a backlash to its lighter tone and cartoonish style. It's obvious why when replaying Majora's Mask, as its uniquely dark and disconcerting tone is so absorbing that it's easy to see why people weren't ready for a lighter Zelda game after.
Majora's Mask undoubtedly thrived as a result of its willingness to be dark and existential, but those are hardly the defining traits of the Zelda series as a whole. Along with Twilight Princess, Majora's Mask is likely the reason why some fans still get disappointed by the cheeky, more fun parts of the series.
Majora's Mask Shows How Good Zelda Can Be Without Ganon
Ganon may be the Zelda series' iconic antagonist and part of several of its best boss fights but that doesn't mean every game needs him to be amazing. Majora's Mask proved that in some style by being the first great mainline Zelda game to not feature the iconic Kind of Thieves.
With Ganondorf already featured in the trailer for Tears of the Kingdom, the Zelda title will likely be yet another Zelda game that has the villain at its heart. Playing through Majora's Mask again drives it home that the franchise isn't necessarily better off for this, showing just how interesting of a threat Nintendo can come up with when forced to do something different.
Majora's Mask Suffers From Water Dungeon Syndrome
Ocarina of Time's water temple may deserve its reputation for being the worst dungeon in the Legend of Zelda series, but that doesn't mean it's the only Zelda game to suffer from this problem. In recent years, more and more players have begun talking about Majora's Mask's Great Bay Temple in similar .
With strong water currents that can take the player far away from where they want to go and a typically confusing layout, the Great Bay Temple is pretty much just as liable to leave the player stuck and scratching their head in frustration as Ocarina of Time's equivalent. If anything, replaying Majora's Mask may leave the player inclined to look at the older game more kindly.
Nintendo Won't Make A Zelda Game This Weird Again
From masks that make Link take on the guise of a deceased character, sometimes even one that died right in front of him, to the constant threat of destruction caused by a giant grinning moon ridden by a creepy masked child, Majora's Mask has to take the prize for being the outright strangest Zelda game.
One thought that's likely to occur when traversing this strangeness during a replay of the game is that the Zelda franchise is simply too big and long-established at this point to ever produce something so weird ever again. Whilst it might be better off for it in of monetary success, it's a shame for fans of such oddities.
Majora's Mask Never Left Ocarina Of Time's Shadow
It might be a wildly different game from Ocarina of Time but, partly thanks to using the same game engine and a lot of the same character models, Majora's Mask has never quite ever stopped being "the other game" to its better-selling and better-received predecessor.
Even while playing through the game again, it's impossible not to compare it to the more conventional game it followed up and that's a shame because Majora's Mask truly is a unique experience that should be enjoyed for its own merits.
The Zelda Series Rarely Does Remakes
While it might not seem directly related, playing through Majora's Mask now does drive home the reality that the Legend of Zelda series doesn't really do remakes. Aside from Link's Awakening for the Switch a few years ago, the fanbase has had to make do with occasional ports and visual remasters in recent years.
What makes Majora's Mask even more unlikely to be remade anytime soon is the fact it already had an enhanced remake for the 3DS that brought an extra dimension to the title. Considering how much a big-budget remake could do to enhance the experience again, the relative lack of Zelda series remakes is sad news for Majora's Mask.
