Even though Shigeru Miyamoto was still involved to a lesser extent, the real credit for making Majora's Mask what it is would have to go to the director, Eiji Aonuma, and the development supervisor, Takashi Tezuka, both of whom have been working alongside Miyamoto for many years now. After two short years in development, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask was released on April 27th, 2000 in Japan and October 26th, 2000 in America, bringing it up against fierce competition from Sony's simultaniously released PlayStation2. However, now that I have played through the game once, I seriously doubt that I would have chosen anything over Zelda: Majora's Mask; it really is that good. Inserting the beautiful gold cartridge with the too-cool holographic label in my eagerly awaiting and freshly-dusted Nintendo 64, I breathed a sigh of both relief and anticipation before proceeding to begin my very first file of the latest, and what I hoped would be the greatest, in Nintendo's well-known Legend of Zelda series.

  After wandering around the town for a while, I reclaimed the Ocarina of Time and played the Song of Time to save my game for the first time. However, it wasn't until I stepped out of Clock Town and arrived on the field map that I heard the original Zelda overworld theme. It was from that point on that I knew that I was going to really enjoy Majora's Mask. And Majora's Mask, in and of itself, is a testament to the style of gameplay that the Legend of Zelda series has always stood for, but with a bit of a twist. When compared to past titles in the series, Majora's Mask is definitely for experienced Zelda initiates. If you haven't played at least one of the previous Zelda titles, you might find yourself seriously befuddled. In other words, if you've never played a Zelda title before, this is definitely not the right one to start with. You see, Majora's Mask gives players seventy-two pseudo-hours or three "days" worth of simulated game time (equal to roughly two real world hours) in which to complete their current objective(s).

  However, not every objective can be completed in the three short game "days" provided, therefore the player must reset time to the dawn of the very first day, by playing the Song of Time, in order to complete the rest of your current and remaining quests. This is a very unique play mechanic in that, as players travel back in time, the world's general state is, for the most part, reset. However, key possessions such as your current sword, shield, collection of masks and various other tools are all permanently yours to keep. And while this may sound a bit too difficult to some, Link can also learn and play two songs, which slow time down to half speed (effectively doubling your time until the moon falls) and fast- forward by six-hour increments respectively. Interestingly enough, rewinding time to the first day is the only real way to save your progress permanently. However, I feel that I really must give Nintendo some much deserved credit for including a temporary save system in the Owl Statues, the game's teleportation points. I don't know how many times I had to quit when I was nowhere near completing my current objective and this feature made it possible to pick up where I left off, instead of starting from the dawn of the first day all over again.

  Enough about that though, let's talk about what makes this and every other Zelda title so good: gameplay. Much like Ocarina of Time before it, Majora's Mask uses a third-person perspective with a slight twist; unlike other adventure titles with a third-person perspective, Majora's Mask uses a system that allows for a clear camera view at almost all times. A simple tap of the Z button under the control stick positions the camera directly behind Link. When someone or something is near Link, i.e. an enemy, person or object, a press of the Z button will lock Link's perspective onto said enemy, person or object. In towns and locales, locking Link's view onto different characters allows you to talk to people who aren't standing right next to you. In battles, locking onto an enemy gives you smooth circular movement around said enemy and makes it a whole lot easier to play defense and offense effectively. Even though it's virtually the same system that was put to use in Ocarina of Time two years ago, it's still the most versatile exploration and battle system I've ever seen in an adventure title.

  As I said before, Majora's Mask reuses the same graphics engine featured in Ocarina of Time, but with a few minor tweaks. Termina, the world contained in Majora's Mask, is much more vivid than its predecessor's and much larger in scale. The many seemingly small environments open into extraordinarily large expanses with little to no pop-up at all and the world stretches as far as the eye can see. Termina also happens to be inhabited by some surprisingly realistic and deeply motivated townspeople who each have their own schedule that spans the three days until the moon falls. This means that instead of being static and lifeless, the various people that you meet each have things to do and places to be, so if you want to help them out, you'll have to know where they are at any given time. Of course, the things you do to help the inhabitants of Termina never go unrewarded, as a majority of the masks and secrets are often acquired in this manner. And though Majora's Mask is fairly short when compared to previous Legend of Zelda titles, it more than makes up for its meager length with loads of optional side quests. For only including four dungeons, the dungeon designs in Majora's Mask are surprisingly good; arguably better than Ocarina of Time's.

  Like past titles in the series, Majora's Mask requires players to solve puzzles in all of the four dungeons using whatever inventory items they currently have. Of course, items and tools alone won't solve some of the mysteries in the four dungeons, as Link eventually acquires three transformation masks as well, which allow him to take on the unique forms of a Deku Scrub, Goron Warrior and Zoran Musician respectively. This method of transforming Link into races other than human works both to your advantage and disadvantage, as each form has its own unique strengths, weaknesses and abilities which must be fully harnessed and eventually mastered as you play through the game and attempt to solve the many puzzles in the world of Termina. As a Deku Scrub, Link can spin on one leg, blow magical bubbles and fly for a limited time by launching himself out of Deku Flowers. As a Goron Warrior, Link can use his tremendous strength and size to crush boulders, pound the ground, curl up into a spiked ball and roll over the land at devastating, breakneck speeds. And, as a Zoran Musician, Link can swim super fast, generate a blue force field and unleash his boomerang-like fins.

  Since the control scheme for each form is different and unique, the player must get to grips with each form in order to surmount the game's many obstacles. In fact, Link must be transformed to even get to his next destination at times. A perfect example of this is the Deku Palace, where Link will be kicked out if he's even seen in his human form; so much for setting aside our differences. Nearly everything in Majora's Mask screams hardcore Zelda fan, especially the four optional mini-dungeons at the end that put your skills to the test with each form Link takes before you take on the final boss and, as with just about everything else in the game, these four extremely challenging tests of skill don't go completely unrewarded either; it's actually the only known way to get the most powerful mask in the game. How's that for a reward? Truth be told, I would hate to see Shigeru Miyamoto retire any time soon, but if Majora's Mask is any indication of what we can expect from the series after he's gone, then Nintendo's future looks truly promising indeed...
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