An opportunity to post something that pertains to my limited realm of video game knowledge? Thanks, DeathSwitch109!
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To begin: Is Majora's Mask the best game? I'd say that wholeheartedly depends on by what merits you judge it by. There are a few buzz words that folks often use to describe MM, namely "dark," "atmospheric," or "depth," and while all of that is true, I think Zeldanites often don't pay enough attention to the depth and atmosphere of other games because MM is a bit more heavy-handed in laying out those elements in front of the player. The first thing that players see when entering the cartridge is a zoom-in shot of Majora's Mask, an admittedly unsettling thing to see when expecting the usually cheerful opening title page of a Zelda game, which I think gives the player a fairly accurate expectation on what they'll be in for during the game. However, there's a lot of unpleasant and uncomfortable subject material in other Zelda titles, such as the Wind Waker or Twilight Princess, and yet I see both of those games receive merit for their gameplay and story accomplishments, but they're not typically regarded as having the same sort of atmosphere/darkness/depth that MM has. (Note: I mean this as a generalization, I by no means that there aren't more than a few several lovely Escapists who don't fall into this category)
While Majora's Mask presents scores of disquieting information for the player to sift through, Twilight Princess was also very blunt about showing the player some rather disturbing imagery and backstory to the Hylian canon, though I don't think that TP has received as much credit for doing so. The Wind Waker, almost cheerful to a fault, is much more subtle about cluing the player in that something is very, very wrong with the endless sea, which I believe makes these moments all the more powerful. Majora's Mask is an endless slew of bleak and depressing moments that show insight onto the suffering and plight of the land of Termnia, but after a while I became only so numb to these horrors. However, in the Wind Waker, seeing such a cheerful and optimistic set of characters be dragged down to seemingly hopeless enemies was much, much more resounding (Similar to the Jimquisition's episode about Crying through the Laughs)
I'd present a list of the terrors that MM draws the player through, but I'm sure that the Escapist doesn't need yet -another- person outling the dozens upon dozens of memorable character arcs or events that leave a niggling, unsettling feeling. But if the Escapist community would indulge me, I would like to mention a moment in the Wind Waker that present the player with knowledge that, depending on how invested the reader is in the Zeldaverse, is either unpleasant, uncomfortable, or both.
-When fighting Phantom Ganon in the Wind Waker, his spectral blade has a long string of Hylian characters on it. When translated, it reads, ""Zubora Gabora," which were the names of the two Snowhead swordsmiths in Majora's Mask. This raises two questions, that of why did the pair aid Ganondorf in his conquest, as well as -how- that would be possible. The official Nintendo timeline states that the events of Majora's Mask and the Wind Waker took place in two different timelines (after Ocarina of Time's three-way split) and it would seem impossible for Zubora and Gabora to interact with the WW-era Ganondorf. Does this prove that Termina was in fact a mirror world to Hyrule and that a Hylian Zubora and Gabora do exist somewhere in Hyrule and were just never met in Ocarina of Time? If so, why were their names not changed, as all other characters' were?
I truly do love Majora's Mask and it is most certainly one of my favorite titles and I definitely appreciated the improvements that it made on Ocarina of Time. Being able to replay boss fights, play as a Deku, Goron, and Zora, and embark on dozens of fulfilling side quests made MM a game that has an enormous amount of replay value. To close, I think that since MM was the first Zelda title to really hit the community with something different, something unique, it created the most long-lasting legacy in its wake, despite the relatively lackluster sales, if memory serves.
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TL;DR, I will talk about Zelda for hours if given an excuse.
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To begin: Is Majora's Mask the best game? I'd say that wholeheartedly depends on by what merits you judge it by. There are a few buzz words that folks often use to describe MM, namely "dark," "atmospheric," or "depth," and while all of that is true, I think Zeldanites often don't pay enough attention to the depth and atmosphere of other games because MM is a bit more heavy-handed in laying out those elements in front of the player. The first thing that players see when entering the cartridge is a zoom-in shot of Majora's Mask, an admittedly unsettling thing to see when expecting the usually cheerful opening title page of a Zelda game, which I think gives the player a fairly accurate expectation on what they'll be in for during the game. However, there's a lot of unpleasant and uncomfortable subject material in other Zelda titles, such as the Wind Waker or Twilight Princess, and yet I see both of those games receive merit for their gameplay and story accomplishments, but they're not typically regarded as having the same sort of atmosphere/darkness/depth that MM has. (Note: I mean this as a generalization, I by no means that there aren't more than a few several lovely Escapists who don't fall into this category)
While Majora's Mask presents scores of disquieting information for the player to sift through, Twilight Princess was also very blunt about showing the player some rather disturbing imagery and backstory to the Hylian canon, though I don't think that TP has received as much credit for doing so. The Wind Waker, almost cheerful to a fault, is much more subtle about cluing the player in that something is very, very wrong with the endless sea, which I believe makes these moments all the more powerful. Majora's Mask is an endless slew of bleak and depressing moments that show insight onto the suffering and plight of the land of Termnia, but after a while I became only so numb to these horrors. However, in the Wind Waker, seeing such a cheerful and optimistic set of characters be dragged down to seemingly hopeless enemies was much, much more resounding (Similar to the Jimquisition's episode about Crying through the Laughs)
I'd present a list of the terrors that MM draws the player through, but I'm sure that the Escapist doesn't need yet -another- person outling the dozens upon dozens of memorable character arcs or events that leave a niggling, unsettling feeling. But if the Escapist community would indulge me, I would like to mention a moment in the Wind Waker that present the player with knowledge that, depending on how invested the reader is in the Zeldaverse, is either unpleasant, uncomfortable, or both.
-When fighting Phantom Ganon in the Wind Waker, his spectral blade has a long string of Hylian characters on it. When translated, it reads, ""Zubora Gabora," which were the names of the two Snowhead swordsmiths in Majora's Mask. This raises two questions, that of why did the pair aid Ganondorf in his conquest, as well as -how- that would be possible. The official Nintendo timeline states that the events of Majora's Mask and the Wind Waker took place in two different timelines (after Ocarina of Time's three-way split) and it would seem impossible for Zubora and Gabora to interact with the WW-era Ganondorf. Does this prove that Termina was in fact a mirror world to Hyrule and that a Hylian Zubora and Gabora do exist somewhere in Hyrule and were just never met in Ocarina of Time? If so, why were their names not changed, as all other characters' were?
I truly do love Majora's Mask and it is most certainly one of my favorite titles and I definitely appreciated the improvements that it made on Ocarina of Time. Being able to replay boss fights, play as a Deku, Goron, and Zora, and embark on dozens of fulfilling side quests made MM a game that has an enormous amount of replay value. To close, I think that since MM was the first Zelda title to really hit the community with something different, something unique, it created the most long-lasting legacy in its wake, despite the relatively lackluster sales, if memory serves.
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TL;DR, I will talk about Zelda for hours if given an excuse.