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On 21 February 1986, The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo EAD, 1986) was first released in Japan. The creation of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda launched one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises. This year, I’ve been dedicating every Friday to Nintendo’s most famous silent protagonist, Link and his vast and enduring fantasy world of sword and sorcery.

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Released: 13 February 2015
Originally Released: 27 April 2000
Developer: Grezzo
Original Developer: Nintendo EAD
Original Version Also Available For: GameCube, Nintendo 64, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U  

The Background:
An instant classic upon release, The Legend of Zelda (mostly) went from strength to strength as the concept was refined and expanded throughout Nintendo’s handheld ventures and 16-bit era. Following a long development period, the franchise made a phenomenally successful jump to 3D with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo EAD, 1998). Following its success, Nintendo originally sought to create a remixed version for the ill-fated 64DD peripheral, which would eventually become the “Master Quest” version of the game. Designer Eiji Aonuma was unenthusiastic about this, so series creator Shigeru Miyamoto challenged the team to create an entirely new 3D Zelda adventure using Ocarina of Time’s assets in just one year. Aonuma recruited designer Yoshiaki Koizumi to adapt his concept of a time loop gameplay mechanic; Koizumi also (literally) dreamt up the idea of the impending threat of a falling Moon. Realising that Ocarina of Time’s players would be a little older, Aonuma purposely aimed for a bleaker, more melancholy tone for the game, which was bolstered by the Expansion Pak that allowed the game to run much smoother and boast more complex visuals compared to Ocarina of Time. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was a critical and commercial success; reviews praised the new gameplay mechanics and it quickly gained a reputation as one of the darker, more sombre entries in the franchise. Following a handful of re-releases, and the success of Ocarina of Time’s 3D remake, Nintendo and Grezzo immediately began work on giving Majora’s Mask the same treatment. Alongside graphical improvements, the team purposely aimed to make Majora’s Mask 3D more accessible and included numerous quality-of-life features that were criticised by some. Despite this, the game received positive reviews praising the updated visuals, mechanics, and new elements and the game retained its status as one of the franchise’s most under-rated entries.

The Plot:
After saving Hyrule and being returned to his childhood, Link is jumped by a Skull Kid and has his horse, Epona, stolen. Pursuing the thief to the bizarre world of Termina, Link must manipulate a three-day cycle to stop the possessed sprite from destroying the land.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is a 3D action/adventure game that’s built upon the same game engine as its predecessor, Ocarina of Time, and therefore shares many of the same controls, gameplay mechanics, and features. In a rarity for the franchise, players control the same Link is in the previous game, though returned to his child body (and you can change his name when starting a new file) and exploring a bizarre new land filled with many familiar, but noticeably different, characters. Link’s goal is simple: he has three days to stop the possessed Skull Kid from destroying Clock Town and all of Termina with a giant, nightmare-fuelled moon. To do this, players journey to four areas adjacent to Clock Town, tackle the dungeons (or “Temples”) found there, and defeat the bosses within to awaken the Four Giants, the only beings physically capable of pushing back the Moon. However, your mission is compounded by the ever-present time limit, the drama and side quests of the various non-playable characters (NPCS) Link meets, and the numerous magical masks he obtains along the way. Link’s abilities will be immediately familiar to any returning Ocarina of Time players: A sees you talk to NPCs, open chests, and interact with the environment while B lets you attack with your sword, swiping, stabbing, and even jumping when used in conjunction with A. The Left Trigger activates “L-Targeting”, allowing you to lock on to enemies, NPCs, and other targets and expands your attacking options by letting you raise your shield to deflect attacks and projectiles with the Right Trigger, side hop, backflip, and leap into action.

You assign different weapons and items to the X and Y buttons, while other items are assigned to the I and II slot on the touchscreen for easy use. By default, your trusty ocarina and, later, the Pictograph Box are selectable from the top and bottom left of the touchscreen, which is also where you’ll find your map, health (represented as hearts), magic meter, and item and mask menu. Though a child, Link eventually acquires many weapons he utilised as an adult. These are found within the game’s Temples and are often necessary to defeat the mini boss and main boss within, as well as being used to solve various puzzles. You can acquire the Hero’s Bow and a variety of elemental arrows, allowing you to attack enemies from afar, hit switches, burn objects, and create ice platforms where indicated. Bombs and Bombchus are used to blow upon walls and discover secrets, Deku Sticks allow you to light torches, Deku Nuts briefly stun certain enemies, and you can snag on to certain targets and parts of the environment with the Hookshot to cross gaps or bring items to you. Magic Beans can be planted to create platforms to new areas, the Lens of Truth will reveal hidden paths and secrets while draining your magic, and you can capture life-restoring Fairies or store various potions in one of Link’s many bottles. Players can also strengthen their sword by following a specific side quest; though the Razor Sword is only temporary and will eventually dull, it can be further (and permanently) upgraded to the Gilded Sword. Similarly, you can earn yourself the massive Great Fairy’s Sword and obtain the light-reflecting Mirror Shield, and eventually purchase large Powder Kegs to destroy larger boulders. Link can also expand his inventory with bigger quivers, bomb bags, and wallets. Though you lose all your Rupees and ammo stock whenever you travels back in time, you can bank your Rupees in Clock Town and will find plenty of ammo by cutting up grass and defeating enemies.

The Ocarina of Time is again used to manipulate the flow of time. You’ll need to travel back in time multiple times as you’ll get a game over once you reach the end of the third day. Luckily, you can speed up and slow down the flow of time to give yourself more time to complete tasks or jump to specific time periods to complete side quests. Other ocarina songs warp you to the various Owl Statues across Termina, where you can also manually save your game, call Link’s trusty steed, Epona, once you rescue her, access certain Temples, and heal disturbed or unquiet spirits to obtain new masks. Majroa’s Mask big gimmick is the mask system; Link will assume three distinct forms (a Deku Scrub, a Goron, and a Zora) throughout the game, each with different playstyles and lacking his traditional weapons. Deku Link is small and spritely, spitting bubbles from his nose and using Deku Flowers to launch into the air and temporarily fly about like a helicopter. Goron Link is big, slow, and powerful, smashing foes with his fists, slamming the ground, and barrelling along in a spiked ball to cross gaps. Zora Link is sleek and agile, easily cutting through water, walking across the seabed, and tossing boomerang-like fins from his arms. Well, I say “easily” but Zora Link can be finicky to control, often ploughing into walls and being a pain. Each of these forms has their own musical instrument in place of the ocarina and is used not just in their main Temple, but to solve other puzzles and complete side quests, such as purchasing Deku deeds, competing in high-speed, aggravating Goron races, and racing against beavers. Link’s other masks all have special abilities, too, such as the Bunny Hood doubling his running speed, the Blast Mask exploding like a bomb, the Great Fairy’s Mask attracting Stray Fairies, and the Captain’s Hat allowing you to command Stalchildren. The Stone Mask renders you functionally invisible, the All-Night Mask keeps you awake, and the Giant’s Mask transforms Link into a hulking giant for a kaiju-esque boss battle. With the exception of the three main masks, all these masks are optional and obtained through side quests, but it pays to acquire them all to make your life (and the endgame) so much easier.

Termina is full of NPCs, all of whom have different thoughts on the current situation and different issues to deal with. Over the course of the three days, you’ll interact with them several times, with key events being recorded in your handy-dandy Bomber’s Notebook so you can keep track of what’s going on and when. This functionality is great for new players and for people like me, who like to efficiently complete the game’s side quests as quickly as possible. Because of the time travel and three-day loop, you’ll repeat certain events and trigger certain cutscenes multiple times, requiring you to rescue old ladies and injured witches, follow shady characters, and retrieve certain items to complete side quests. Many side quests are ongoing, requiring multiple steps (such as reuniting Anju and Kafei, which will take you right up to the last minute of game time and sees Link and Kafei working together to solve switch-based puzzles in Sakon’s hideout) or occur at specific times (such as the surreal defence of Romani Ranch against alien invaders!) Other quests are more low-key, such as using the Bremen Mask to engross little chicks, defending Cremia’s milk delivery from the Gorman Brothers, besting the various shooting galleries and fishing holes, and delivering fish to the Marine Research Lab. Other side quests can be quite involved, such as reuniting the frog choir, using all of Link’s transformations to form a band, digging up treasure with Dampé, and challenging the mini bosses to a rematch. You’ll also be using all your weapons and skills in Gold Skulltula Houses, taking pictures with your Pictograph Box, visiting Gossip Stones, and answering the Keaton’s quizzes. Your reward for these endeavours is either a new mask, a Piece of Heart to extend your maximum health, a bottle, or some Rupees, all key items to assist your adventure.

Each Temple houses not just a new weapon and the usual map and compass, but fifteen Stray Fairies which must be freed and collected, usually by enticing them with the Great Fairy’s Mask. Find them all and you’ll earn Link’s patented Super Spin Attack (hold B to charge up a magic-draining spin attack), double your magic meter, increase your defence, and earn the aforementioned powerful (if unwieldy) Great Fairy’s Sword. It’s worth collecting these as you explore the Temples to avoid having to return later. Time is always against you in Majora’s Mask, so be sure to play the Inverted Song of Time to stave off Termina’s inevitable doom. Though the game only has four Temples, getting to them is a task in itself: Link must follow cheeky monkeys and sneak into the Deku Palace, feed and soothe the Goron Elder’s son and then use the Lens of Truth and Goron Lullaby to bypass the Biggorn protecting Snowhead Temple with a blizzard, mess about finding seven Zora Eggs to summon a giant turtle to reach the Great Bay Temple, and battle through the undead minions of Ikana Canyon and scale up a puzzle-landed rockface to reach the Stone Tower Temple. While each contains many recycled elements from Ocarina of Time (torches, switches (timed or otherwise), climbable and destructible walls, etc), each also boasts a maze-like structure and fitting gimmick. Woodfall Temple is full of poisonous water and large gaps you must fly over as Deku Link, Snowhead Temple features both lava and ice, ramps to careen over and weighted switches to pound as Goron Link, and a large central pillar that needs to be brought down to reach the boss. The Great Bay Temple is, obviously, water-based, featuring a maze of rushing currents, jet streams, and propellers. You must use the Ice Arrows to create platforms and solve puzzles and pay attention to the helpful colour-based indicators to know where new paths have opened up. The Stone Tower Temple is two dungeons in one, featuring a gimmick where you flip the area upside down to access new areas, light-based puzzles using the Mirror Shield, and plenty of opportunities to use the Elegy of Emptiness to create a soulless duplicate of Link to press down switches. As you’d expect, each Temple also contains a mini boss, a warp point, numerous small keys to open locked doors, and a big Boss Key to access the Temple guardian.

Presentation:
Even in its original Nintendo 64 incarnation, Majora’s Mask had Ocarina of Time beat hands down when it comes to visuals. Although the game always had a bit of a blurry look thanks to it taxing the console (and the Expansion Pak) to its limits, the graphical upgrade was apparent right away in something as simple as Link actually having his sash and his jumping animations being more dynamic. In the 3DS version, the visuals are as improved as they were in Ocarina of Time 3D, reducing the blur in favour of clarity, adding more emotion to Link’s face, and allowing players to immerse themselves in the world (and induce a headache) with the 3D slider. At first glance, Majora’s Mask seems like a smaller sandbox to its predecessor; you spend a lot of time in one central location and there are only four Temples, after all. However, the opposite quickly proves to be true; not only are there more NPCs onscreen at any one time, their personalities, positions, and roles change across the three-day cycle, adding an unexpected level of depth and emotion to this bizarre adventure. In addition to a day and night cycle and each area of Termina sporting different weather effects and seasons, the world is far more diverse than before. Great Bay, for example, is a vast beach home to the Pirate’s Cove, Gerudo Lagoon, and Zora Cape, a coral-like town that puts Zora’s Domain to shame. Similarly, the Southern Swamp sees Koume and Kotake offer a boat ride through the sweltering foliage, a confusing monkey-filled maze, and the nigh-impenetrable Deku Palace, where the woodland folk don’t take kindly to strangers.

Easily the most impressive area, for me, was Snowhead Mountain. Like Zora’s Domain, Termina’s Goron population have been crippled by inclement weather; in this case, a raging blizzard. Snow and ice covers the environment and the weather has claimed many Goron lives and hides many secrets but, unlike in Ocarina of Time, the snow will melt when you best Snowhead Temple, just as the Southern Swamp with become more habitable. Sadly, travelling back in time undoes these actions and you’ll need to beat the Temple bosses again to re-restore the lands, but just the fact that you can undo the damage done to Termina and see NPCs celebrating in their newfound lives adds so much more gravitas to the game. It compels you to journey on and assist more NPCs, which rewards you with more lore and items, and makes Termina so much richer compared to the more stagnate Hyrule in Ocarina of Time. Ikana Canyon is a desolate, dangerous area filled with undead monsters, rolling rocks, an abandoned village, and the forgotten ruins of Ikana Castle, with its light-based puzzles and spooky inhabitants. The Stone Tower that leads you to the Stone Tower Temple is quite the feat, requiring you to scale it in various creative ways, all before you even flip the Temple on its head to tackle it upside down. Even exploring Termina Field is an adventure in itself; all sorts of respawning enemies lurk in the grasslands, and you can visit the observatory, Romani Ranch, and discover numerous hidden areas all by experimenting with your weapons, mask abilities, and exploring the rich and detailed world. Although the Song of Soaring, Bunny Hood, and Goron abilities make traversal simple, you can rescue Epona and race around on her as Young Link to tick off another desire from Ocarina of Time (though I admit that I rarely used her since she can’t access every area).

Majora’s Mask is easily one of the most bizarre and bleak Zelda adventures. Right from the beginning, the story starts with a melancholy tone, with Link wandering the lands in search of Navi, only to have his horse and ocarina stolen by the Skull Kid and his mischievous fairy companions, lost in a strange land, and transformed into a Deku Scrub! Like in Ocarina of Time, Link is partnered with a fairy, but Tatl is no Navi; she’s rude, obnoxious, and rarely gives much help when searching for an enemy’s weak spot. Over the course of the game, the two find common ground as Tatl’s concern for her friend and her brother, Tael, grow, and Link’s courage is called upon again to aid the aggressive and slightly demonic Happy Mask Salesman in retrieving Majora’s Mask. Most interactions take place using the in-game engine and simple text boxes, but horrific (thankfully skippable) cutscenes play every time you put on a transformation mask, suitably dramatic cutscenes play when Temples rise up or NPCs are laid to rest to increase Link’s abilities, and you’ll get helpful reminders when day turns to night turns to day and the countdown to destruction looms closer. Speaking of which, the grim-faced Moon looms ominously overhead, growing closer and closer and causing small earthquakes. NPCs become more fearful or flee as the game progresses, and woe befall anyone who lets the timer runs out and must watch the Moon obliterate the land! While many of the assets, models, and elements are recycled from Ocarina of Time, they’re all much improved, with characters constantly on the move and doing their own thing, which you can track with the Bomber’s Notebook. Many musical cues and tracks return as well, though the Termina Field Overture is far more bombastic and engaging for me, and each area boasts a fittingly twisted soundtrack that’s both familiar and unique. The 3DS version changes up the presentation a bit, redesigning the countdown timer, area intros, and tidying up the graphics and assets to really make the colours pop, add helpful guidelines to certain areas, and even mixes up the puzzles and locations of certain items.

Enemies and Bosses:
In keeping with the recycling of Ocarina of Time’s assets, Majora’s Mask returns many enemies from the previous game, such as the shield-sucking Like Likes, bat-like Keese (also in fire and ice variants), crab-like Tektites, Poes, Wolfos, crow-like Guays, Peahats, Octoroks (and their larger cousins), Deku Babs, Lizalfos and Dinolfos. Anyone who’s played Ocarina of Time will know how to tackle these enemies, which usually comes down to firing arrows or strategic use of L-Targeting, and the same is largely true of many of the new enemies featured here. You’ve got your normal, smaller foes like beetle-like Hiploops, electrical Dragonflies, Giant Bees, and skeletal fish, but you’ll also contend with strange foes like the Dexihand, Eyegore, and Goron-like Nejirons. Snappers are best taken out by lying in wait in a Deku Flower and exploding up beneath them; snowball-tossing Eenos are susceptible to Fire Arrows; the various ChuChus can be popped to quickly earn health and ammo; and you’re better off simply defending against or firing arrows at the “Real” Bombchus that scurry about. Some enemies will better test your swordsmanship, such as the Garos and returning Gerudos and Iron Knuckles (who attack faster and more aggressively as their armour is destroyed), while you can command the Stalchilds and even avoid or converse with Gibdos and ReDeads with certain masks. Similarly, you can bypass the Death Aros altogether with the Stone Mask, must switch to sub-weapons or play the Song of Storms when touched by a Blue Bubble, and keep an eye out for the vulture-like Takkuri flying around Termina Field to avoid having your items stolen.

Each Temple houses at least one mini boss who must be overcome, sometimes multiple times, usually to obtain the Boss Key or the dungeon’s weapon. Many of these will be familiar not just to players of Ocarina of Time, but also long-time Zelda fans: Dinolfos and Iron Knuckles appear more than once and fit into this category, for example, but Majora’s Mask sees the return of series staples such as Wart and Wizzrobe. Wizzrobe is fought multiple times in multiple Temples, teleporting about, creating illusionary doubles, and attacking with fire or ice magic. Wart appears in the Great Bay Temple and is, as usual, a giant eye surrounded by bubbles that Link must destroy to get a clear shot at its pupil, while being mindful of it firing them as projectiles and bouncing around in a frenzy. The Gekko appears twice in the game, first riding a Snapper and attacked via a Deku Flower and then encased within a giant, gelatinous substance that must be frozen with Ice Arrows and shattered to attack the slippery devil. In the Ikana Graveyard, Link chases the gigantic Captain Keeta, fending off his lackeys and hacking the giant’s legs to get his attention. You must avoid his swipes and flaming barriers and pelt him with arrows to stun him, but the main issue here is keeping up with him so he doesn’t flee (but that’s what Hylia created the Bunny Hood for!) Stone Tower Temple is home to two more tough mini bosses: first up is the Garoa Master, a teleporting assassin who drops from the ceiling and attacks with a charge. Stay away from his attacks to strike back when his guard is lowered, and be sure to keep your distance when he’s beaten as he’ll blow himself up with a bomb! Defeating him earns you the Light Arrows, which are key to dispelling the bats protecting Gomess. Gomess attacks with a scythe that can cut through your shield, so be sure to jump-slash his exposed heart when you see an opening.

Naturally, you’ll have to best each Temple’s boss to awaken one of the Four Giants and acquire their remains. If you played Majora’s Mask on the Nintendo 64, you’ll be in for a surprise here as each boss has been fundamentally changed, somewhat simplifying them and expanding their attack patterns to allow for new ways to beat them. First up is Odolwa, a manic swordman who dances about and strikes with a gigantic blade. Originally, you’d use arrows or bombs to stun him and strike with your sword, but now you must brave being roasted alive as Deku Link to attack from above, exposing a big slimy eye that is a recurring weak spot for the 3DS version’s bosses. I always found Goht one of the more annoying bosses; the fight takes place on a never-ending track filled with ramps and Magic Jars and sees Goht gallop along, tossing bombs, causing rocks to fall, or summoning a thunder bolt. You’re encouraged to race after him as Goron Link, picking up speed to ram him and topple him over to attack his exposed eye, but you can actually just stand by the entrance and pelt him with arrows or even toss a bomb at him to speed things up. Gyorg was initially a pretty simple affair, testing your patience by having you wait on the central platform to shoot him as he jumps over then ram into him as Zora Link. Now, there’s a second phase that’s completely underwater; you must desperately avoid the mines and detach them to stun Gyorg, blasting his giant eye where possible, something made quite troublesome with the clunky swimming mechanics. Similarly, Twinmold is completely different; originally, you’d be forced to don the Giant’s Mask and attack the worm’s heads or tails with your sword while keeping your magic topped up. Now, you only earn the Giant’s Mask after pelting the boss’s first phase with arrows and must stomp about as Giant Link engaging Twinmold in a fist fight, then grab its tail when it’s stunned. Again, this is a much more aggravating boss battle because of this; Giant Link is a slow, lumbering character compared to the slipper Twinmold and your magic drains very quickly, causing the fight to drag unnecessarily.

Once they’re all beaten, you must return to Clock Town on the final day and play the Oath to Order. This summons the Four Giants and stop the Moon from falling, but causes the Skull Kid to freak out and the demonic Majora to assume full control. You’re then transported to the strangely idyllic Moon’s surface, where you must challenge four short, troublesome obstacle courses themed around each Temple. If you’ve collected every additional mask, you can trade them all in here and gain the Fierce Deity Mask, which can only be worn in boss rooms and transforms you into a hulking adult equipped with a massive sword that fires magic-draining energy beams when L-Targeting. This is the only way I’ve battled the game’s final boss, Majora itself, which has three distinct forms: Majora’s Mask, Majora’s Incarnation, and Majora’s Wrath. You can tackle each using arrows and bombs and traditional tactics, but I never have. I simply L-Target the weird, increasingly grotesque demon and fling sword beams at it until it’s defeated. Its attacks include charging at Link like a buzzsaw, shooting a reflectable beam of fire, circling at super-fast speeds, firing energy blasts, dodging your conventional attacks, and attacking with two disturbingly organic tentacle-like whips. Majora also attacks using the boss’s remains and by summoning spiky, spinning tops and can cut through your shield if you’re not careful, but none of this is a concern with the overpowered Fierce Deity Mask.

Additional Features:
There are fifty-two Heart Pieces to find all around Termina; some are hidden in secret holes, some are up trees or require your weapons to access, some are gifted to you as rewards, and some require you to complete side quests. You’ll be dancing with the Rosa Sisters, giving a weird, disembodied hand some toilet paper, stopping a timer at exactly ten seconds, checking mailboxes, and besting the shooting galleries to acquire these helpful upgrades. Your main objective throughout the game is to acquire all the different masks, which requires interacting with all the NPCs and keeping an eye on their routines with the Bomber’s Notebook. While some masks are more useful than others, each has a specific function and will allow you to get other masks, Heart Pieces, or rewards depending on who you interact with when wearing them. Similarly, it’s worth seeking out the upgrades to Link’s sword, wallet, and items, if only to further explore the world, and making sure you bank your Rupees before resetting the three-day cycle. You’ll also find many Gossip Stones placed all over that will give you hints if you interact with them while wearing the Mask of Truth, and the Sheikah Stones return from Ocarina of Time 3D to provide you with more detailed directions if you get stuck. The manual save system has been revamped, with additional Owl Statues appearing in the game (though you can’t warp to all of them), and some of the rewards and side quests have been changed. Most notably, Link can now acquire seven empty bottles (which is, admittedly, a little excessive), with the last gifted after completing a new side quest involving the Gorman Troupe. Another new feature is the inclusion of two fishing holes, which you can either pay to use or acquire a pass to fish for various fish, though there are no rewards tied to this beyond trying to snag the legendary Lord Chapu-Chapu. Since the game resets when you go back in time, there’s no Boss Rush Mode this time around and, sadly, the developers didn’t see fit to include a mirrored Master Quest mode, though you now have three save slots instead of just two.

The Summary:
The debate about which game is better, Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, is seemingly never-ending and, honestly, it’s a tough choice. Majora’s Mask is definitely a more daunting challenge; I can play through Ocarina of Time with my eyes closed but I’ve never beaten Majora’s Mask without a guide, purely because I want to complete all the side quests before facing Majora at the end and have the overpowered Fierce Deity Mask on hand. Yet, Majora’s Mask is such a step up in terms of visuals, scope, and world-building. Termina feels alive in ways Hryule does not and the stakes feel so much higher since you can see how the impending doom affects the different NPCs. The three-day cycle is as daunting as it is annoying at times, resetting all your hard work but also pushing you to restore the next area and save this bizarre land. Majora’s Mask may seem smaller due to its more focused approach, but the game and its land is as big (if not bigger) than Ocarina of Time, expanding upon and improving every element of its predecessor and really making you feel the gravitas of its bleak narrative. Link may not acquire any new weapons here, but the mask-based gameplay mixes the formula up in surprising ways, changing Link’s form and altering the way you play (even if the controls can be a struggle at times). The 3DS version makes way more changes to the original game compared to Ocarina of Time 3D and, while some (like the simplified bosses and tweaked controls) can be frustrating, the benefits outweigh these issues. The expanded Bomber’s Notebook, being able to jump to specific time periods, and the changes to side quests help make the game accessible and fresh for old and new players, in my eyes. Ultimately, I think Majora’s Mask is a dark horse of the franchise; it’s an incredibly engaging experience, packed with side quests upon side quests, and more than stands alongside its predecessor as one of Link’s finest (if surreal) adventures.

My Rating:

Fantastic

Have you ever played the Nintendo 3DS remaster of Majora’s Mask? If so, what did you think to the graphical overhaul and additional features included? Which of the masks and many side quests was your favourite? Would you like to see this version ported to the Nintendo Switch to make it more accessible? Did you own Majora’s Mask back in the day? If so, did you ever tackle the final boss without the Fierce Deity Mask? Were you a fan of the three-day cycle? I’d love to hear your memories of Majora’s Mask so leave a comment below and go check out my other Zelda content! 

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On 21 February 1986, The Legend of Zelda (Nintendo EAD, 1986) was first released in Japan. The creation of legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, The Legend of Zelda launched one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises. This year, I’m dedicating every Friday to Nintendo’s most famous silent protagonist, Link and his vast and enduring fantasy world of sword and sorcery.

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Released: 9 February 2023
Originally Released: 4 November 2004
Developer: Capcom / Flagship
Also Available For: Game Boy Advance and Nintendo Wii U

The Background:
After making an immediate impact upon its release, The Legend of Zelda franchise was further refined and expanded throughout Nintendo’s handheld ventures and 16-bit era, but changed forever after a successful jump to 3D with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo EAD, 1998). After further 3D success with the bleak follow-up, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (ibid, 2000), Nintendo surprised everyone by adopting a cartoony, cel-shaded aesthetic for Link’s GameCube debut, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (ibid, 2002). The visuals were as widely praised as the gameplay and The Wind Waker enjoyed rave reviews, prompting Nintendo to adopt the style for further adjacent, handheld adventures. After a successful collaboration with Capcom and Flagship on The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons (Flagship, 2001), the teams returned to develop a new Zelda title for the Game Boy Advance, a spiritual successor to The Wind Waker and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (Nintendo EAD, 1991) whose story and aesthetic mirrored a whimsical fairy tale. Development specifically focused on Link’s new ability to shrink in size, thereby opening new avenues for exploration and puzzle solving, and providing some unique new items for players. The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap was a best-selling title for the Game Boy Advance and was met with critical acclaim. Reviews gushed over the cartoony art style, innovative dungeon designs and puzzles, and the new shrinking mechanic, though its short length and repetitive elements were criticised. Despite winning a Game of the Year award, The Minish Cap was stuck as a ridiculously expensive Game Boy Advance exclusive for many years until finally being made available on Nintendo’s online stores.

The Plot:
Apprentice blacksmith Link accompanies his childhood friend, Princess Zelda, to the Picori Festival, where monsters are unleashed by the evil wizard Vaati. With Zelda petrified, Link teams with wise-cracking magical hat Ezlo and assists the pixie-like Minish people in restoring the legendary Picori Blade to confront the threat.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap is a traditional, 2D, top-down action/adventure game in which players take control of Link (or whatever they choose to name him), in the “toon” style of his Wind Waker counterpart, and embark on a quest to save Hyrule, and the Princess Zelda, from new sorcerer on the block, Vaati. As a Game Boy Advance title, the controls are as basic as it gets and akin to the previous handheld Zelda titles. You equip any of Link’s weapons and items to either A or B and then use that button to attack, defend, hit switches, solve puzzles, and whatever else your items are capable of. The Right Trigger performs a roll, speeding up your travel time, and also performs similar actions to A (like speaking to non-playable characters (NPCs) and opening chests). R is also the only way to open locked doors, which can be clunky as it would’ve been easier for Link to simply manually use any keys he possesses. The Left Trigger also performs a dedicated function, fusing “Kinstones” with NPCs, which I’ll detail in a bit. The + button pauses the game and brings up your inventory screen, the pretty basic map (which uncovers the more you explore and highlights notable areas), a subscreen showing how close you are to extending your health bar, total Mysterious Seashells and Tiger Scrolls, and allows you to save the game or enter “sleep” mode. As I’ll also get into in a bit, Link is joined by a hat-shaped companion, the insolent Ezlo, who constantly interrupts your gameplay to offer blindingly obvious advice that would make Navi blush. Also like Navi, you can choose to ask him for a tip by pressing -, though I’d just as soon never speak to him again. As you’d expect, Link acquires his standard sword and shield but the enigmatic Grimblade Brothers will teach additional sword techniques, such as a rolling attack, the aerial downthrust, and patented moves like the Sword Beam and Spin Attack. Some of these are more like padding, though, such as Link having to learn to attack with his sword when running with the Pegasus Boots.

Many of Link’s recognisable weapons return here and function exactly as you’d expect. The bow and arrow lets you to hit eye switches and take out Eyegore statues, bombs blow up walls and discover new areas, and you can purchase a boomerang to stun targets or hit switches. This can be further upgraded into the Magical Boomerang, allowing you to manually direct it. Eventually, you can swap out the regular bombs for remotely detonated ones (though there are few benefits to this) and obtain the optional (and missable) Light Arrows for extra arrow damage. The Flame Lantern lights up dark areas, ignites torches, and burns certain enemies and spider webs. The Roc’s Cape lets you jump and glide short distances, the aforementioned Pegasus Boots let you run really fast, and the Ocarina of Wind warps you to any Wind Crests you’ve uncovered. The Minish Cap debuts three new items: the Cane of Pacci (which flips certain enemies and objects and creates temporary boosters in holes to launch you higher), the Gust Jar (which sucks up enemies, propels you across gaps when used on spring mushrooms, and turns lily pads into rafts), and the Mole Mitts (which dig through dirt). The Flippers, Grip Ring, and Power Bracelet are all passive items that don’t need to be equipped to use and let you swim and dive, climb certain walls, and pick up and toss jars and such, respectively. Link can capture life-restoring Fairies or store potions in bottles, increase his total bomb and arrow inventory with bigger bags and quivers, and also carry more Rupees by finding bigger wallets. Link’s sword is progressively empowered as you acquire the four Elements, duplicating Link into as many as four copies to push bigger blocks, step on or slash switches, and attack enemies, as well as fire a special beam that restores petrified NPCS. Finally, you can upgrade the shield into the reflective Mirror Shield, though this requires awakening a sleeping Biggoron and waiting for him to finish chewing on it.

Link’s newest gimmick in The Minish Cap is the ability to shrink to microscopic size, courtesy of Ezlo’s magic. This is performed primarily at magical tree stumps and allows you to enter small holes, climb small steps and vines, and access out of the way places. When shrunk, you’ll interact with the pixie-like Picori tribe (or “Minish”) scattered throughout Hyrule (once you’ve consumed a Jammer Nut, that is) and be given additional side quests and assistance from them. In this form, Link takes more damage and his weapon usage is limited, but he can talk to animals and cross small lily pads. Occasionally, Minish Link enters Armos statues to activate or deactivate them and the action frequently zooms in to follow him up rafters, into the Minish towns, and through enlarged (from your perspective) areas, like in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (Johnston, 1989). Apart from this, Ezlo is more a hinderance than anything; he’s obnoxious and rude and demanding and pops up to point out the obvious, severely dumbing down puzzles and interrupting the gameplay. The other big mechanic here is Kinstones; as you slash bushes, defeat enemies, and open chests, you’ll find several coloured Kinstone pieces. These are fused with certain NPCs to alter the overworld in different ways. This may involve spawning a treasure chest containing another Kinstone, or Magical Seashells, or a Big Rupee, or even a much tougher gold enemy for an additional challenge. Fusing removes vines to open new areas, parts waterfalls, drains ponds, and even spawns in NPCs for you to trade and train with. You can buy Kinstones, but they cost a lot and it’s not really worth it as you’ll inevitably find them on your travels, and none of the main variants are necessary to complete the story, though the benefits (extra hearts, Rupees, and training with the uncovered Grimblades) can be worthwhile. Specifically, fusing with Din, Farore, and Nayru spawns Lucky Butterflies which, when touched, increase your digging, shooting, and swimming speed. The only time you’re required to fuse Kinstones is when you find golden ones, such as in Cloud Tops, where you navigate a maze of clouds, floating about to find different halves of golden Kinstones to activate five propellers and be blasted up to the Palace of Winds.

Link’s shrinking ability isn’t just used on the overworld; you’ll frequently shrink in Dungeons to reach new areas and progress. As ever, Dungeons contain a map, compass, and new weapon to aid your journey, as well as secret areas, switches, and stairways to other floors. Sometimes, you’ll drop or push blocks to lower levels; others, you’ll push levers to let in sunlight to melt blocks. Frequently, you must eliminate all enemies to open doors, or push jars or statues onto switches for the same effect, though it’s much more likely you’ll be duplicating Link to solve these puzzles. Tornados carry you across bottomless pits, moving platforms carry you across gaps, and floors are often covered in collapsing tiles, spikes, or rolling spiked logs that must be avoided. You’ll jump up to mesh bridges (and down through certain holes), hop up and across cloud platforms, push ice blocks into place, cross gaps using powerful wind blasts from propellers (in conjunction with the Roc’s Cape), and spring across chasms with the Gust Jar. There’s a giant rotating barrel in the Deepwood Shrine which must be rotated to progress, high-speed mine carts in the Cave of Flames that you redirect with switches, the Fortress of Winds is a veritable labyrinth of floors and dirt, the Temple of Droplets is a largely pitch-black mixture of ice and water, and the Palace of Winds offers the constant threat of falling to your doom. For the game’s final Dungeon, Vaati corrupts Hyrule Castle, transforming it into a monster-infested Hell filled with recycled enemies and hazards from previous Dungeons. While largely inspired by A Link to the Past and Link’s previous handheld entries, it’s in Dark Hyrule Castle where I saw some of the strongest parallels as exploring the Dungeons, battling Darknuts, and restoring the petrified NPCs was very similar to Link’s celebrated 16-bit adventure. Sadly, only two of the Dungeons are Minish-sized (the Deepwood Shrine and Palace of Droplets). Though you don’t really notice as you’re exploring these Dungeons, the developers did include larger variants of common enemies as boss battles. Still, I feel they didn’t take full advantage of Link’s new miniature perspective in these (or other) areas as the shrinking mechanic was more of a gimmick or hinderance a lot of the time.

Presentation:
I’ll be the first to admit that I never really cared for The Wind Waker’s cartoony aesthetic. It’s grown on me over time, but I much prefer the more realistic, fantasy-orientated style of Link’s other 3D adventures. However, it works really well here; probably better than in 3D. Link is super expressive; from his grunts and yells (carried over from this 3D titles) to his messy bed hair, his look of sheer panic on a runaway minecart, and the way he races around when on fire. He’s a jaunty little cartoon sprite, bobbing along and reacting to everything around him. Ezlo is very animated as well, popping up on Link’s head to react to and comment on their surroundings or the plot, and all the NPCs are similarly cartoony and fun to behold. Many will be familiar to long-time Zelda players, such as Malon (with her milk cart and nearby farm), Dampé the grave keeper, Ingo (now a real estate developer), and Gorons intent on ploughing through a rocky underpass. Many characters fuse Kinstones with you to solve a personal crisis, such as the overworked mailman, the librarian searching for lost books, and a poor man haunted by a restless spirit. The Minish Cap is a little light on new races but there are anthropomorphic characters to find, animals to chat to (as a Minish), and, of course, the gnome-like Picori tribe. These peaceful little sprites have a main village and live in little mushroom houses or up in the rafters, their homes made out of barrels, walls made of books, and heating provided by flickering candles. When Link is turned microscopic on the overworld, a helpful bubble indicates where he is. Though his actions are limited, he has full access to his arsenal when the game zooms in, casting dirt paths with the shadows of grass and blocking his path with chestnuts and such. Minish-Link must avoid cats looking to swipe him and relies on lily pads to cross water until he gets the Flippers, and you must be on the lookout for small holes, paths of flowers, and flappable objects to progress and shrink or return to full size.

The Minish Cap’s overworld and Dungeons are heavily reminiscent of A Link to the Past, mixing locations such as ruins, a swamp, and Hyrule Castle itself with areas I’m more familiar with from the 3D games, like Lake Hylia and Lon Lon Ranch. Mt. Crenel acts as a Death Mountain substitute, featuring falling boulders, climbable walls, tornados to fly you about, and a Minish mine where Melari repairs the broken Picori Sword. Like the Swamp of Evil, Castor Wilds is a murky swamp full of thorns; you’ll need the Pegasus Boots to navigate this area, and shrink to clamber inside Armos Statues within the maze-like ruins. Finally, the Flame Lantern lights your way in the desolate Royal Valley, which contains a looping maze in its haunted forest. Aside from the Minish Village, Cloud Tops and the Palace of Winds and the Temple of Droplets impressed me the most, visually. The other Dungeons are very formulaic, despite some fun perspective and depth effects, but these three have you up in the clouds or high in the sky or navigating a frozen labyrinth, respectively, which really mixes up the formula. Dark Hyrule Castle is similar, putting an ominous spin on the palace’s ornate rooms and recycling all previous hazards, but I was disappointed that the Dungeons didn’t utilise Link’s new miniature perspective to make their visuals and layouts standout more from the likes of A Link to the Past. Instead, The Minish Cap often resembles a toon-ified version of that game, doing little to stray from the usual stone trappings of those Dungeons and being a little too familiar at times. Still, there are fun touches, like the Biggoron atop Veil Falls, the big bell in the bustling Hyrule Town, guards to sneak past, and occasional weather effects. The game’s story is all relayed though text boxes, as usual, but key events are told using stained glass murals, Wind Waker-style art is showcased in the end credits, and the sprite-based cutscenes are full of cartoony life. The music is as infectious as ever, with familiar and slightly tweaked classic Zelda tracks at the forefront (many I mostly recognised from A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time), though new areas and Minish locations have a spirited flavour that adds to the game’s whimsical, fairytale-like charm.

Enemies and Bosses:
All of Zelda’s most recognisable enemies make a return in The Minish Cap, though redesigned to evoke the toon style of The Wind Waker. This is most evident in the Moblins, who charge with spears or fire arrows and have much more life and detail compared to past 2D Zelda titles In some cases. This ups the challenge represented by some enemies, such as the various Dark Knights you’ll encounter. These are essentially mini bosses and swarm Dark Hyrule Castle, defending against your attacks and landing powerful sword swipes and even boasting a charged thrust. Your best bet against these enemies is to hop over them with the Pegasus Boots and attack from behind, a tactic mirrored when facing the Ball and Chain Soldiers. Other enemies require strategic use of your other items, such as using the Gust Jar to suck up and fire out the annoying Peahats or pull the masks off Helmasaurs, tossing your boomerang at Sparks, or using the Cane of Pacci to flip Spiked Beetles and attack their vulnerable underbelly. Like Likes masquerade as Rupees and steal your items, Keatons and Takkuris make you drop Rupees on contact, Madderpillars (also a kind of mini boss) fly into a rage with you bop their noses and attack their tails, and you’ll even encounter Bob-ombs and Lakitus. ChuChus fry you, Floor and Wall Masters return you to the Dungeon entrance, and Octorocks and Deku Scrubs are subdued by deflecting their projectiles. Cloud Piranhas snap at you from the clouds, fake doors crush you, and Acro-Bandits leap from the ground in a swaying tower. You’ll also battle elemental Wizzrobes, who teleport about shooting ice, fire, or lightning; Stalfos leap and toss their bones at you; and Slugglas drop from above. By the time you reach Dark Hyrule Castle, rooms are filled with an assortment of these enemies. Though you can often simply bypass them, you’ll need to defeat a gauntlet of them before Vaati completes his macabre ritual to reach the petrified Princess Zelda in the finale.

The Minish Cap is surprisingly light on bosses; four of its five main bosses guard an Element, which empowers your sword and duplicates Link, relinquishing a Heart Piece to extend your life bar. The first boss you battle is a gigantic green ChuChu; well, it’s actually a regularly sized one but you’re in Minish form, so it appears huge. A blue variant appears later in the game too, now sporting electrified skin, but the tactic of sucking at its “feet” with the Gust Jar and whacking it with your sword when it’s stunned remains the same. Next, you face the turtle-like lava dinosaur Gleek, which sits in a pool of lava and spits fireballs in a circular motion. You must run behind it and flip its shell with the Cane of Pacci to race up its neck and attack the crystal on its back. In retaliation, it rains rocks and breathes fire, making the fight more difficult as it progresses. Mazaal is the only one of the main bosses to incorporate the shrinking mechanic in. A strange, disembodied Aztec head and fists, he is stunned by shooting and slashing the jewels on his hands (which try to crush and hit you). You then shrink, enter his head, and attack the glowing pillar to deal damage. As the fight progresses, you use the Mole Mitts in his head and dodge a Shrink Ray attack from his eyes. The Big Octorok is fought in a shallow pool that it freezes, reducing your traction and making avoiding its pellets much harder. Well, I say “avoid” but you actually smack these back with your sword to stun it, allowing you to set fire to the petal on its back. This causes rocks to rain down and the Big Octorok to freak out; it also charges, spins around, and creates a smokescreen to limit visibility. Finally, the Gyorg Pair are easily the most unique boss in the game. This fight takes place in the skies of Hyrule on the back of two manta ray-like creatures. When riding the red one, you must dodge the smaller blue one and its fireballs and duplicate Link to attack the red one’s eyeballs. You then hop to the blue one, slashing its eyeballs, and repeat, watching for smaller green variants that fly past.

After battling past the many Darknuts that haunt Dark Hyrule Castle, you’ll finally confront the master swordsman and corrupted sorcerer, Vaati. Vaati takes many forms, one similar to Agahnim, one like Arrghus or Vitreous, and one like Nightmare’s final form, Dethl. The first form, “Vaati Reborn”, morphs him into a dangerous sorcerer protected by many small, spinning eyes. These encircle him, distracting you as he shoots fireballs, and must be destroyed to expose his big, eyeball-like weak spot. After enough hits, he encases the eyes in protective shields that must be sucked off with the Gust Jar. The eyes also fire vertical laser beams (just stand between them) and Vaati erratically teleports, making him a harder target to hit. For his second form, “Vaati Transfigured”, fought immediately after in a psychedelic landscape, Vaati takes his obsession with eyes to the next level. In this fight, you shoot arrows at the small sphere surrounding the central body to uncover four red eyeballs. You must then duplicate Link into the same formation and attack, continuing your assault when he’s stunned. However, Vaati spews destructible spiked balls and a spread of electrifying balls, which can be tricky to dodge especially considering his large hit box. After he’s defeated and Princess Zelda is revived, Dark Hyrule Castle collapses and Vaati’s true, final form, “Vaati’s Wrath” emerges. In this form, he pursues you, again firing balls of electricity, and sends his extendable claw arms under the ground to attack. When one pops up, stun it with the Cane of Pacci, shrink down, and venture inside to destroy the one real bladed eyeball amongst the fakes to literally disarm him. Repeat for the other arm and Vaati sends four electrical orbs your way from the small eyes in front of him, as well as a spread of larger orbs. To win, simply avoid the spread and duplicate Link in a line to deflect his smaller shots with your sword (the timing can be tricky), which will stun him and soon end his dreams of conquest.

Additional Features:
As you’d expect, there are forty-four Pieces of Heart to find all around Hyrule. Collecting four will extend your life bar, so they’re worth seeking out. While some are just lying in the open, others require your items to reach or are gifted by fusing Kinstones. Opening chests, defeating enemies, and cutting grass also sees you collect Magical Seashells. Unlike the similar items from Link’s Awakening, these are essentially infinite in number (though your inventory maxes out at 999) and are traded for figurines in Hyrule Town, similar to the Pictobox side quest in The Wind Waker. This is quite a time-consuming task, however, as you must speak to the proprietor, set how many Magical Seashells you wish to trade (with the percentage of a new figurine increasing the more you wager), and then pull a lever to get an egg-like capsule containing the figure. The more places you explore and the more NPCs you meet, the more figurines you can get, with your Magical Seashells being replaced by the Carlov Medal once you obtain all 136 figurines. This, in turn, opens Baris’s house, gitfting you another Piece of Heart and the Phonograph, which acts as a sound test for the game. Similar to the Magical Seashells, there are a near-infinite number of coloured Kinstones to find. Fusing with NPCs unlocks new areas and gifts rewards that aid your quest, and completing all fusions awards you with a Tingle Trophy. Clearing the game earns you a Triforce stamp on your save game file; you can have up to three of these and also change the language to suit you. Finally, the Nintendo Switch version lets you play the European and North American releases (with subtle differences between them), rewind should you make a mistake, and create save states at will, dramatically reducing the game’s already low difficulty.

The Summary:
I’ve wanted to play The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap for the longest time. Finding a physical copy was expensive, even unboxed, so I consoled myself with the knowledge that it would be another Zelda game that passed me by…until I upgraded my Nintendo Switch subscription and finally dug into it. Visually, the game is very impressive; colourful and lively, The Minish Cap is like playing a cartoon and I really enjoyed how it translated a Wind Waker aesthetic onto a traditional Link to the Past formula. The core gameplay is as reliable as ever; Link has some fun new toys to play with that mix things up, like the Gust Jar and Mole Mitts, though I do feel these could’ve been emphasised more. Similarly, the shrinking mechanic became tedious after a while. Generally, it’s simply anther way to get from one place to another and fuse with different NPCs rather than changing the puzzles in a meaningful way. Likewise, while the graphics represented these sections well, I think the developers could’ve done more with it, such as more bigger enemies and obstacles that meant using the duplication feature in interesting ways, rather than just hitting switches. Ezlo was also a pain in the ass, thankfully rectified in the post-game, and the Kinstone fusing got old quickly, too. This mechanic replaces traditional fetch and trading quests and is used as a shorthand for everything, limiting your exploration options and adding an element of grinding. The bosses were fun, if too few in number, but Vaati wasn’t the most enigmatic or threatening villain and the story felt uncharacteristically low stakes for a Zelda game. As a spiritual successor to A Link to the Past and the handheld games, The Minish Cap does well and the core Zelda gameplay is always enjoyable, but I don’t think this one lived up to its full potential and it ended up being more of a chore at times.

My Rating:

Great Stuff

Was The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap a staple of your Game Boy Advance library back in the day? Were you a fan of the Wind Waker art style and, if so, what did you think to the way it was implemented here? Did you enjoy the shrinking mechanic and the Kinstone fusions or did they become tedious for you, too? Did you ever fuse every Kinstone and collected every figurine? What did you think to Vaati as a villain? Would you like to see the Minish return? Which Zelda game is your favourite and how are you celebrating the franchise this month? Whatever your thoughts, share them below and be sure to check out my other Zelda content on the site.