The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D Review

You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?


Hello and welcome back to the Month of Misses, where I show everyone just how incompetent I am at keeping a good schedule! Today, I'm going to talk about Majora's Mask 3D, a 3DS game that was a remake of a 15 year old N64 game.

I'm actually surprised that I haven't had that many opprotunities to talk about The Legend of Zelda or any other game in the franchise. This is really the second time I've ever had to talk about it on the site, so I might as well make a few quick points and merits before I begin. My first LoZ was Link's Awakening DX, my favorite Zelda game is Wind Waker, Skyward Sword is not a bad game in the series, and I think that Ocarina of Time is overrated beyond comparison. I'm saying all of this now because at the end of the day, I love the Zelda franchise. I love waiting for every new game to come out in the series, and nearly every game in the franchise can be called one of the best games on the console it's released on. To me, Zelda games are rare little treats that I always know will give me a good time. And yes, I have played the original Majora's Mask back on the N64, and this port of the game is exactly the same as the original game. I like it, but I don't love it.

If I'm allowed to take off my reviewer glasses for a minute, I usually take a policy to never review remakes of games. Depending on the scale of the remake, I usually don't see the point in talking about a game that already came out years ago, and now has only received a new coat of paint. Yes, it might look better, but sometimes looks aren't the main factor why a game needs to be remade. I never once felt that Majora's Mask ever needed to be remade, and the petition and fan campaigns to do so have always seemed a bit perplexing to me. Yes, you may want a prettier version of your original game, but sometimes people don't know why they're asking for.

Not too long ago, people were going nuts over Square Enix announcing their Final Fantasy VII remake. People were begging for it for years, pleaded for it, and when it was announced, people proceeded to cry like little women. But now that a month has passed, we now know more about the game. We know that the core story will stay the same, but there may be some gameplay changes. The visuals will obviously be improved, but is there a chance that by improving the visuals, the charm of the game could be lost? What used to be a distinctive visual style could be replaced by the same aesthetic that so many AAA games have these days. My point is is that remakes are sometimes necessary, but have the chance of losing the same charm and magic that originally made them into legendary games.

So instead of detailing the game as a whole and exactly what makes it tick, I'm going to say my exact thoughts about the game right now. I like Majora's Mask, though I think it's an incredibly flawed game. The game is too short, but at least it has a ton of sidequests to compensate for the lackluster main game. The masks are a nifty idea, though I'm not a fan of having some masks being practically useless and ineffective unless you need to get a single heart piece or do a single sidequest. The story has dark and mature themes that I love, and makes it the most unique and mature game in the franchise, though you need to take the initiative to discover said darkness. I'm not a huge fan of sidequests in games, so having soem of the best elements of the story and world implemented in non essential sidequests means that I have to drudge through long, comprehensive, and sometime uninteresting sidequests just to get them. In short, the game is flawed, but I still enjoy it immensely as a Zelda game. 

And yes, this is one of the few games that deserve a remake. I absolutely hate the fact that most developers are releasing remakes of games not even five years old onto current consoles. The games they port are still relevant, and yet they're being ported over to make more money for the developers instead of allowing them to channel their efforts into a new game. Let me ask you this: Why would anyone want to buy a PS4 version of The Last of Us one year after the game released when a person has already bought the game on PS3? While you could argue that some people may not have played the game on PS3, it still just doesn't sit well with me that most major games from last generation are ported over with an increased price tag, whose only real update is that they have better graphics and processing power, when the consoles they are ported from are already pretty strong and look brilliant. Older games from previou console generations deserve remakes. Games like Ratchet and Clank, Final Fantasy X, Devil May Cry 4, and yes, Majora's Mask are old enough to justify releasing them to a newer generation of gamers that may not have experienced them. 

In actuality, I kind of regret saying I was going to review Majora's Mask 3D. Not because the game is bad, but because I just hate the idea of remakes, even when it's justified. I bought the game already, so why should I buy it again? Sometimes, there are legitimate reasons as to why I should buy the game again, while most other games have no real legitimate reason. So take this as a final stand for me. I will no longer be reviewing remakes of video games. Movies are still good, but video game remakes just irk me the wrong way. I know this isn't what anyone really wanted to hear, or even cared about, but that's just how it is. Majora's Mask 3D is a good game, but that's because the original is a good game.