Majora's Mask RemasteredOn October 26th, 2000, Nintendo released the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, that game was Majora's Mask for the N64 in North America. That's one of the more unique games in the Legend of Zelda series. Nearly 15 years later, the game was remade for the Nintendo 3DS, called The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, and was released on February 13, 2000. Is this remastered version better than the original? I'll tell you by making this review.
Graphics: 10/10 When compared to the N64 version, Majora's Mask 3D's visuals are superior in every way. Just looking at each environment in this game truly shows just how far graphics in gaming have come in 15 years. Everywhere from Clock Town to the Swamp area and Snowhead truly showcases just how diverse each area in Majora's Mask truly is. The biggest improvement in the graphics though has to be the moon. Now the moon actually looks very realistic, (other than the fact that it has a face of course). Overall, the visuals in Majora's Mask 3D are not only much better than the original, but they're also amazing compared to other 3DS titles. For these reasons, I'm giving the graphics a 10.
Sound: 9/10 The soundtrack in Majora's Mask 3D is unchanged from the N64 version. The music still fits the tense and creepy atmosphere that this game possesses. This soundtrack is perfect for a game in which the end of the world is only a few days away. The soundtrack still holds up nicely to this day, even when compared to other 3DS titles. Overall, the soundtrack in Majora's Mask 3D is worthy of a 9.
Addictiveness: 9/10 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D's replayability has definitely been improved over the N64 version because of some seemingly small improvements that make sidequests so much less tedious than before. One reason for this is because in this version, you can see exactly what time of the day it is on the screen. In the N64 version you could never see the exact time, just a clock that shows what hour it is. Also another reason sidequests aren't as big of a pain in this version is because the song of double time can now take you to any hour you want, so now if you're doing a sidequest where you need to be at a certain place at a certain time but there are still several hours before that event can occur, you can skip to that hour instead of having to kill time by doing something else. It makes sidequests more convenient and less tedious, which really improve the overall experience.
The gameplay itself is just as fun as in the N64 version. Being able to transform into different beings by putting on a mask is very interesting and extremely fun to do. Certain boss battles have been improved, such as the Gyorg battle, which is now far less annoying than the N64 version. Not only that, but now it's one of the best battles in Majora's Mask 3D. The other battles are fun as well. Overall, the gameplay is extremely fun and sidequests are more convenient than in the N64 version, so I'm giving the addictiveness a 9, which is a higher score than I gave the N64 version.
Story: 9/10 The story in Majora's Mask 3D hasn't changed at all from the N64 version. I'll keep it brief since I already made a review for Majora's Mask on the N64. Link's riding on Epona looking for Navi, an old friend of his in Ocarina of Time. Along the way, he runs into Skull Kid, who steals Epona and his Ocarina, and Link goes after him. They go to the world of Termina and there, Skull Kid turns Link into a Deku Scrub with the power of Majora's Mask. Now, Link, in his new form, must find Skull Kid and get back his stolen Ocarina in 3 days, or the moon will fall and destroys the land of Termina. He succeeds, and he gets his human form back. Now, he must awaken 4 giants and with their help, save Termina. Will Link succeed, or will he along with the entire land of Termina be destroyed by the moon? This is one of the more interesting and ominous storylines in the Zelda series. I do think that Ocarina of Time had a slightly better storyline, so I'm giving the story a 9.
Depth: 5/10 Unfortunately, Majora's Mask suffers the same main issue that the N64 has, and that's a severe lack of dungeons. Normally there are 8 or more dungeons in Zelda games, but this game only has 4 main dungeons, not including the final dungeon. Fortunately, there are a good amount of mini dungeons and sidequests that give Majora's Mask 3D at least a decent amount of depth, but it's the fact that there are so few main dungeons that causes Majora's Mask 3D to have less to do than other games in the series. Even though the lack of dungeons really hurts this game's depth, I'm giving this category a 5 because of the good amount of mini dungeons and sidequests. They don't make up for the lack of main dungeons, but they do give this game an okay amount of content.
Difficulty: 6/10 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is easier and more convenient than the N64 verison. The clock and song of double time changes I mentioned earlier make this game less tedious and a little less challenging, and the Gyorg battle isn't as tough as it was in the N64 version. Another reason why Majora's Mask 3D is easier than the N64 version is because of the hints that can now be viewed in your notebook, which is used for keeping track of sidequests. This is another great example of how much more convenient sidequests are in this version of Majora's Mask. Overall, Majora's Mask 3D is less challenging and less tedious than the N64 version. For these reasons, I'm giving the difficulty a 6.
Overall Score: 9/10 The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is not only far more accessible for people who never played the N64 version, but it's also the definitive version of Majora's Mask. The graphics are vastly improved, sidequests are far less tedious, the Gyorg fight is far more fair now, and you can actually see what time it is in the game now, unlike the N64 version. Overall, Majora's Mask 3D is a great example of how great a remake for a game can truly be. I'm giving the overall score for The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D a 9 out of 10. I hope you enjoyed this review.
Graphics
10 Sound
9 Addictive
9 Depth
5 Story
9 Difficulty
6