Admit it: the day they announced the Ocarina remake for 3DS, your thoughts were already going to Majora's Mask. On the other hand, every good gamer has at least once in their life taken part in the epic adventure of the hero of the time, but it is from his sequel, the one that came out in the distant 2000, to which some even refer by naming it "The best Zelda 3D ”Which, in one way or another, we often return to mention in the remakes that everyone would like to see. Without, however, asking you difficult and long-standing questions about "Zeldaverse" and which is the best chapter of the series (by the way, which is yours?), Although there are many opinions, Majora usually manages to meet the favor of many fans. The game at the time came out in a difficult period: the Nintendo 64 was ending its life cycle, with some bones broken by the arrival of Sony in the gaming market.
Not only! In 2000 there was already the air of PS2 and Sega still had a few last arrows in his quiver. In all this turmoil, the future of Nintendo was entrusted to the Dolphin project, or rather, the Game Cube. It is the end of an era for the Kyoto house, the N64 has had several sparks over the years, but it must give way to the new that advances, and it must do so with a swan song worthy of its name. One thing that didn't happen from the NES is thought to be releasing two Zeldas for the same console. The precedents were not exactly encouraging, but Nintendo had a much more solid foundation this time: Ocarina of Time. From here, the ideas of the most "unconventional" episode of Zelda ever were developed: the choices made by the developers made sure that this game, with all its countless strengths and small flaws (very small in reality) became a real Cult among fans of the saga and not.
So we come to last November: in a fairly crackling direct, Iwata surprisingly announces the remake that everyone was waiting for: Majora's Mask will be back. For 3DS. Even in a very luxurious limited edition. I booked it right away. And when it arrived the other day, I didn't let more than a second go by between dusting off my 3DS XL and sticking the cartridge into the console. Suddenly I found myself immersed in the world of Termina and as in the distant 2000, I was in love with it like a child.
The story around Majora's Mask starts immediately with a rather stormy opening: after saving Hyrule in OoT, Link ventures to search for Navi ("Hey, Listen!"), His partner in the first adventure on Nintendo 64. Something in the return goes wrong, in fact Link is thrown into the middle of a forest by a being that we will soon learn about: Skull Kid. Accompanied by two fairies of dubious morality, the marauder steals Link's most precious relic: the ocarina of Zelda, that ocarina protagonist in his past adventures, moreover, the boy also steals his horse from him. The scene proceeds with a chase that sees Link enter a lair and then fall into a dark cave, in a winked inspiration to the works of Cromwell (Alice in Wonderland). The plot obviously proceeds from here in the way we all know, but here I stop, not wanting to anticipate anything to those who want to buy and then play the title for the first time. Suffice it to say, however, that from here the game puts a strain on the player's nerves: in the first part of the adventure, where in other more modern Zelda we would be used to an introduction to the controls and basics of the game (a tutorial phase in through and through), the developers have decided to make the first approaches to the game extremely overwhelming but equally effective to introduce the various events of Clock Town and its desperate and unfortunate inhabitants to those who are playing.: between those who need a hand and those who try to catch you with some catch, you immediately breathe a much darker air than Ocarina was.
Time not even half an hour and you will also discover the purpose of your enterprise: to prevent the end of Termina, trying to stop a Moon that is slowly falling over the heads of the inhabitants. What follows then is a classic 3D Zelda title: you have to overcome a few dungeons before the final battle. Only here it is a little different: having the days numbered (72 hours in game, which correspond more or less to 3 real hours), the dungeons must be faced with clarity, trying not to go around too much, so I recommend that you always face the dungeons on the first day and slow down timeWho may not have understood the last two sentences, know that it is the ocarina, which we will recover after the very first part mentioned above, to guarantee these continuous time travel and to be able to "play" with the day-night system of the game.
Speaking of Zelda, however, we cannot just discuss the main quest: Termina is scattered here and there with very interesting sub quests, in the opinion of many some of the most interesting and fun of the whole saga (memorable, in my opinion, that of Kafei, of which I do not want to say anything so as not to ruin the game). Compared to the past, solving these missions has become easier thanks to the Bomber's Notebook, in which many aspects will be noted, such as the time slot where you can meet that certain character, etc., which will simplify your agenda to be able to face each session with clarity. and awareness. In addition to this very useful feature, the game reproduces many of the features inherited from the other "Ze-make" of the 3DS such as the use of the console's gyroscopes to move Link's head when passing in first person, in a much more neat and “manageable” compared to the past, except in some moments when the sections with the bow become hectic, where it will be more comfortable to use the stick and remove the 3D effect. Speaking of 3D, I must admit that the step forward compared to Ocarina is quite evident: from here you can perceive the experience gained by the guys from Grezzo, the studio that dealt with the restyling of Ocarina first and Majora then. In short, a lot of stuff, but are they really just roses? Unfortunately not.
The longevity adventure is one of the most lacking in the whole saga, and here the comparison with Ocarina becomes truly merciless, although the labyrinths of Termina are characterized much better on the whole, but what puzzles are the bosses. In fact, monsters at the end of the dungeon never represent a truly dangerous threat, and discovering their attack patterns and weaknesses was simple then, let alone today. However, this does not penalize too much a game that knows how to entertain but above all, damn if it excites! The various storylines that intertwine with Link's personal one will involve you like never before and that's what made this game popular in the world. Majora is absolutely not equal to any of her peers: not even Twilight Princess, although it starts from different assumptions, has never managed to be so poignant, to make the player feel the pressure for every mistake he makes and this will not make you unstuck from the screen. except to perform the usual physiological functions. We cannot forget one of the peculiarities of the game, that is the presence of the masks: that they are linked to the main story, and which therefore will make you take the appearance of some races present in the game, or obtained through sub quests, the desire to collect them all it is always very high.
On the technical side, there is little to say: the textures have all been updated to be palatable in 2015, the dark colors of the game help to make each environment more defined and in general compared to Ocarina 3D the general goodness and care taken in the rendering has been greater and the results are seen quite clearly, but nothing that makes you cry out for a miracle , especially after what we saw with Smash on 3DS. The sound, on the other hand, deserves an honorable mention: we start from a very cheerful general theme (that of Clock Town) and then gradually become brutalized in a litany due to the looming of the celestial body that is sinking its evil face against the earth's surface. Obviously then there are other melodies to be the background to the different settings, and as always each theme is perfectly inserted in its context, in fact we will have Caribbean music for the beaches of the Great Bay or a medieval saltarello in Palazzo Deku; in any case, that of clock town is a music destined to enter your head, both in its normal form and in the more “lively” one.
Clock Town (1st Day)
http://zeldawiki.org/images/f/f6/MM_Clock_Town_1st_Day.oggClock Town (2nd Day)
http://zeldawiki.org/images/6/6d/MM_Clock_Town_2nd_Day.ogg
So is it worth buying Majora's Mask today, on 3DS? Well, if you didn't play it fifteen years ago, you have an important opportunity to redeem yourself. If you have already played it (like myself) but have not been able to appreciate all the details, buying it back today and savoring it is nothing more than reconciling with an experience that somehow you had hidden in your mind, but never forgotten. If you have already finished and stripped this Nintendo 64 swan song, the choice could be a little more difficult, but let's face it, Don't you really want to give the creepy Zelda episode that ever existed a chance?
And not only that, it is not just a question of affection or style. Majora has its roots in aspects that are still revolutionary today: the best example is that of 3 days, Link's only real enemy in this adventure. Not Skull Kid, who is the victim of a curse. Not the Moon, which has no responsibility, although it shows a far from peaceful grin. Over time you must find the answer to Majora. Thinking about it, this is exactly what the game tries to instill at the beginning that the player, willingly, must necessarily undergo in order to fully enjoy the story. Don't expect Ocarina-like challenge and scope though. Don't expect a revolution like Wind Waker. Don't try to compare it to the darkness of Twilight Princess, they have something in common but are actually different. Dangerous beyond way to try to compare it with Skyward Sword, since Majora is not very original in some phases.
Majora's Mask should be taken for what it is: a unique Zelda. Its story is unique (as it is in every episode) but its conception is much more unique, for this reason Majora cannot be explained to a person who has never tried it: must be played. Point.
