Message of Marjora's Mask

Fbu · Jan 3, 2010

I always thought MM was a very deep game compared to OoT, and this article really showed how well the game was made.

The Message of Majora's Mask - Zelda Informer

If you've ever played it, I suggest reading. It's not some fanfiction garbage, but rather a well thought out artistic overview of the game.

Majora's Mask was designed to achieve some of the things Ocarina of Time wasn't able to accomplish. Specifically, the Zelda team wanted to flesh out the character interaction. If you revisit Ocarina of Time, you'll notice that Nintendo made an effort to give some depth to many of the side characters in the game. Most of this was done through two major side quests: the mask trading sequence and the Biggoron Sword trading sequence, both of which built off the trading sequence concept as introduced in Link's Awakening.

Each time you obtained a new mask or trading item, you had to figure out which character in the game would be interested in it. As you interacted with characters such as the Cucco girl and her brother or the Kakariko guard, you'd learn a little more about their families and their personal struggles. As you traded with them, you'd often help them to find greater happiness.

Sound familiar? When Nintendo was developing the premise for Majora's Mask, it seems they focused on the dynamics of these two quests and how they could really flesh them out in a new game. Certainly, the role of the masks in Ocarina of Time heavily influenced the design of the sequel, and thus the Happy Mask Salesman would be important to the new game. Now, if you look at the Salesman's dialogue in Ocarina of Time, you'll notice that there is one line he repeats again and again: "Just have faith..."

Mr. Miyamoto mentions that there is some mystery at the heart of Majora's Mask, something important that the player must discover on his own. I believe this philosophy, to always have faith, is the message that is at the heart of the game. It seems the Zelda team tried to convey this message in Ocarina of Time, but then decided they could do a much better job of it by building a game that would revolve around the idea.

The theme of faith and doubt is reflected in so many aspects of Majora's Mask, big and small. To win the dog-racing minigame, you must seek out the dogs that believe in themselves. To help out people, you need to trust their promises and keep your own promises.

To complete any Deku Flower challenge, you must have the patience to wait until the opportune moment and the confidence to believe that you can fly to your destination. To reach the end of the Goron Moon dungeon, you need to trust the game enough to let go of the control stick and let the rolling Goron bounce off the chests in a straight line. To find the child hiding in the Zora Moon dungeon, you must not worry when you do not succeed on your first, second, or even third attempt. As the owl cautioned you, things rarely go well at first, and impatience leads only to frustration and failure.
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stickmanmeyhem · Jan 3, 2010

I loved those games.

Anyway, I never really thought about this 'til now, but I guess that's right.

Message of Marjora's Mask

Fbu Ancient
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stickmanmeyhem Ancient
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Message of Marjora's Mask

Fbu Ancient Senior Member

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Fbu Ancient
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stickmanmeyhem Ancient
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