Majoras Mask...

Myrddin

So, with my calender free for the next little while, I've decided it's time to correct a very grave wrong of mine - to play & complete Majoras Mask. Barring the first 30 mins or so of the game, many years ago on the N64...I've never played this game. I'm a huge Zelda fan, & Ocarina of Time is among my top three games of all time. MM never appealed to be back then as it was so radically different from the Zelda formula that I'd grown to love.

Today though, I'm itching to play it after hearing about how good it actually is, for the last few years. The 3DS remake, is the perfect opportunity for me to play the game, & that's how I'll be doing it. I'm sitting here doing a system transfer from my LbW XL, to the new MM XL (told you I'm a big zelda fan nut!) Once done, I'll be kicking off...can't wait I'll update as I play, but please, no spoilers!

Retr0gamer

Stick with it. It takes a very long time to get going, it wasn't until near the first dungeon when the game finally clicked with me.

m1ck007

Loved ocarina of time on n64 myself

Myrddin

Well, I survived the first three days & managed to reclaim the ocarina. Next up, dungeon #1 - The Swamp. Might be tomorrow again I get back to it, but yeah, so far so good. The introduction is at a nice pace, you get to get to grips with the game with just the right amount of panic/clock watching with it...nothing too stressful. No doubt that'll change!

As an aside, the 3DS remake is beautiful looking...hard to believe how old this game is! Plus the super stable 3d works really, really well.

Star Lord

Glad to hear you're enjoying it so far! It's my favourite of the entire series!

GhostInTheRuins

Well worth sticking to. I bought it on 3ds last week too. I've got to the third dungeon so far, but I'm spending more time doing side quests than the main story. Last time I played it was when it was released on n64, and that's so long ago I barely remember any of it. The 3ds version is deadly.

Myrddin

Stuck at the mo' (already!). I think I'm doing right by trying to locate all the spiders in the "Terrifying Swamp House", in order to 'learn something good'. I need to get to the Swamp Palace, but the next jump is too high/far, so am assuming this skulltulla house is what I need to do next. Have found 22 of them, but there's one on the wall in the first room to the left that I can't reach, & I can hear some in the main hall but can't see them! Time just ran out, so will try again tomorrow

GhostInTheRuins

Myrddin wrote: »

Stuck at the mo' (already!). I think I'm doing right by trying to locate all the spiders in the "Terrifying Swamp House", in order to 'learn something good'. I need to get to the Swamp Palace, but the next jump is too high/far, so am assuming this skulltulla house is what I need to do next. Have found 22 of them, but there's one on the wall in the first room to the left that I can't reach, & I can hear some in the main hall but can't see them! Time just ran out, so will try again tomorrow

No actual spoilers, but I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to read it.

The spider house isn't necessary, it's an optional side quest.

Talk to the scarecrow, he may give you advice if you feel like you're running out of time too soon.

Myrddin

Myrddin wrote: »

I need to get to the Swamp Palace, but the next jump is too high/far, so am assuming this skulltulla house is what I need to do next.

Ugh, missed the very obvious pathway there. No need for the spider house at all at this stage! Have made it to Woodfall now, though am a bit perplexed as to what to do from here. Time to charge the XL & play more in a while.

Loving the game though, it's so familiar but yet so different too (to OoT)

Myrddin

Myrddin wrote: »

Have made it to Woodfall now, though am a bit perplexed as to what to do from here.

Another silly moment, if these continue I'll have to hand in my Zelda club membership. First dungeon awaits

I'm proud to say, I've looked at no walkthroughs, tips, or spoilers so far. It's slow going, as I don't get to play it every day...but I'm getting there.

Myrddin

Swamp dungeon completed. A handy enough dungeon really, nothing too challenging in it. Next up, the mountains...

Retr0gamer

Myrddin wrote: »

I'm proud to say, I've looked at no walkthroughs, tips, or spoilers so far. It's slow going, as I don't get to play it every day...but I'm getting there.

Good luck with that. There were one or two very obtuse parts that would have taken me days to figure out with out faqing and the huge mask sidequest is a real chore without it!

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Good luck with that. There were one or two very obtuse parts that would have taken me days to figure out with out faqing and the huge mask sidequest is a real chore without it!

Oh I'm sure at some point I'll cave. I'm glad to say though, so far, where I've been stuck, I've sorted it myself. That will likely change when I hit the mentioned obtuse parts!

Myrddin

Some more progress today. I caved & availed of a hint via the stone in the room beneath the clock (happy mask mans place), because I was badly stuck at Snowhead. I'd everything done except I couldn't access the hot spring under the warriors head stone. Turns out I needed to

play the song of healing in front of him, & voilà, goron mask

.

From there on, I could complete some tasks in the Goron village

(the baby crying, & the food for the stranded goron)

. Then on to Snowhead dungeon. I'd everything done there, map, compass, boss key & was just figuring out how to get to the bosses floor level when I ran outta time. Argh! Anyway, maybe tomorrow I'll do it, now that I know how to breeze through the dungeon itself. I would have wasted a lot of time in the Goron temple. So a reset will mean I've to do it all again, kinda annoying that but I guess it's the mechanics of the game.

Really, really enjoying it so far anyway.

Myrddin

Snowhead completed, & got the guilded sword for good measure too. On to the west next, there's a barrier in the way that looks like I'd need a horse for. I went to the ranch previously & found Epona, so I guess I've some heroic deeds to do at the ranch in order to get my horse back. Given all the animals were stolen on the first day, & there's no way to access the ranch until the 3rd day...I need to find a way in on day 1. Goron bomb is my first guess, let's find out...

Myrddin

Have made it to the Zora palace, only got in near the end of the last day so didn't get to look around too much. It makes the Water Temple from OoT look like a tutorial though...here goes nothin'

Myrddin

Ran out of time during the boss battle :mad: Not a fun dungeon. Have to do it all again now...

Retr0gamer

What I tend to do is get to the dungeon and then travel back in time. I then can speed run to the dungeon and I've plenty of time to get through it. Not sure if you are doing that but it saved me from ever having to repeat a dungeon and you usually open shortcuts to the dungeon so it doesn't take as long to get to.

There might only be 4 dungeons in Majora's Mask but they are immense, sometimes you need all the time you have to get to get through them. Slowing down the passage of time also helps with that song... not sure which.

Myrddin

Retr0gamer wrote: »

What I tend to do is get to the dungeon and then travel back in time. I then can speed run to the dungeon and I've plenty of time to get through it. Not sure if you are doing that but it saved me from ever having to repeat a dungeon and you usually open shortcuts to the dungeon so it doesn't take as long to get to.

There might only be 4 dungeons in Majora's Mask but they are immense, sometimes you need all the time you have to get to get through them. Slowing down the passage of time also helps with that song... not sure which.

Yep that's what I'm doing myself, it's just this one had me stumped for a while so I lost a fair amount of time wandering around in it. By the time I twigged what to do, there just wasn't enough time left. Fast travel & slowing down time are essential too.

Myrddin

Zora dungeon done Not the most fun dungeon, not that difficult once you've already been through it, but just not much fun unlike the others beforehand. Getting there now...

Star Lord

The last dungeon awaits...

It fried my young brain back in the day!

Myrddin

Making my way through stone temple, it's huge! I'm on the upside down segments now, & but the 3DS needs a charging so will do that before proceeding. Despite its size, it's a more enjoyable dungeon than the Zora one, at least this one 'feels' like a zelda dungeon

Myrddin

...and that's that. Finito. Granted, there's tons of side quests I've not done, so only some of them and the main game are now completed. My thoughts on it:

It's hugely different to the established Zelda formula, there's no disputing that. The clock plays as a constant reminder to this, all throughout the game, in and out of dungeons. Personally, I prefer not to have the pressure of time on my shoulders during a game, but in Majoras Mask, I 'get' why they've gone down this road. After the magnificent Ocarina of Time, Nintendo could have very easily released OoT 2.0, & played it very safe. It would have sold by the bucket load, and no doubt it would have been great. But in reality, at the time given the hardware constraints, & the short time since OoT, what more could an OoT clone have hoped to achieve that OoT hadn't already? Very little in reality, for me, OoT is flawless in every way.

Enter Majoras Mask. Nintendo, and admirably it has to be said, played this title very differently. It has all of the key ingredients that made OoT the masterpiece it was, but with newly introduced elements like the three day cycle, puzzles that span all three days, heavy emphasis on masks & so forth. Nintendo have crafted a very compelling story and world in MM, one that's just what the doctor ordered post-OoT. It's familiar, yet wildly different all at the same time, and in the right ways.

The music in the game is stellar, which is no surprise really. While perhaps not as grandiose as OoT, Majoras Mask is brimming with charm, intrigue, and subtle oddities that really bring the game to life. As Link, you really do feel that Termina is a bizarre, dream like world that Hyrule never was, nor could be. I feel the game never really challenges in terms of active play, I rarely actually died in the game...the challenge is mostly cognitive here, in trying to figure out the subtle clues given about where to go & what to do next. Most of these flow together very well, however toward the end of the game, I feel it ramped things up a little with some things being quite vague. Indeed, I needed about 5 or 6 hints all in all, having being completely flummoxed about what to do next a few times.

Obtuse sections aside, the game is massively enjoyable. It's just that right amount of fun & fear mixed together under the lens of a house of mirrors. The pacing is good, if perhaps a little cramped (there's only really 4 main dungeons). However, when you factor in the three day cycle, four dungeons & TONS of side quest material is really plenty. It was a pleasure to play through I must say, & I might go back & figure out some of the side quests at a later stage. Is it my favourite Zelda game? No, Ocarina of Time (or Link to the Past) still hold that honour for me....however, it is the perfect sequel to the perfect Zelda game

Star Lord

Now go get the rest of the masks!

You need to meet the Fierce Deity.

Myrddin

Star Lord wrote: »

Now go get the rest of the masks!

You need to meet the Fierce Deity.

I think I got about 14 of the available 24 (I think it's 24?) masks. Crazy that you can get away with almost half of them missing, goes to show the scale of the side questing involved if you're that way inclined.

Star Lord

I think Majora's Mask is one of those games where collecting all the masks is the full experience, the dungeons are only part of it! Some are simple, some are frustrating, but great sense of accomplishment when you've got them all!

Retr0gamer

I just wish Nintendo was as creative again with the Zelda games as they were with Majora's Mask. I heard Link Between Worlds is a step in the right direction at least (still need to play it, for shame).

Radiosonde

Having odd problem with this one on 3DS. I understood that every time the 3 day cycle ended, I'd be returned to start, but with all key items and masks acquired intact.

But every time it happens, I go back to just one mask, lose my bow etc. I don't even seem to have as many rupees with the banker guy as I did. Is this right??

Myrddin

Radiosonde wrote: »

Having odd problem with this one on 3DS. I understood that every time the 3 day cycle ended, I'd be returned to start, but with all key items and masks acquired intact.

But every time it happens, I go back to just one mask, lose my bow etc. I don't even seem to have as many rupees with the banker guy as I did. Is this right??

Sounds about right. The only things you keep when you travel back in time are special dungeon items (new weapons), bottles, & songs you've learned...everything else is lost. You can retain your rupees if you lodge them in the bank prior to time travel

eddhorse

Speed run on Games Done Quick starting now....

o1s1n

Started this last night. Really interested in seeing how it turns out given my dislike of OOT :pac:

Visually that's one damn fine upgrade. I wasn't really expecting much but have been blown away so far.

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Started this last night. Really interested in seeing how it turns out given my dislike of OOT :pac:

Only back & he's trolling

Visually that's one damn fine upgrade. I wasn't really expecting much but have been blown away so far.

Class looking isn't it, they done a damn fine job on the visuals. It makes the N64 version look even worse than it did before

CiDeRmAn

My 12 year old is nearly finished this.
I feel suitably cowed as I have only finished the first dungeon
In my defence I am only playing Bloodborne badly these days and have developed a hatred of Brainsuckers....
Someday I will play something else.... someday....