5/5 ★ – TheHBJK's review of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.

My favourite game ever created. Not a title I thought I’d ever hand out to a Zelda game after trying over and over again for years to get into the massively acclaimed Breath of the Wild and failing, but here we are… This game is an immediate step up from Ocarina of Time, from the new animations, to the snappier feel of the controls (with the N64 jank but still a tad smoother) and the better looking textures, everything here feels like a big, shiny sequel. And the setup for this game is fantastic, the hook of the story reels you right in, I felt hooked instantly and knew I was in for a wild ride. You’ll eventually arrive at Clocktown and get to meet the amazing cast of characters, who feel like such a step up from the previous game it’s not even funny. Every single one of them is memorable, and they each offer a really fun and/or miserable side quest that’ll earn you a mask or heart piece. Also, Termina, which is this games equivalent to Hyrule Field, is such an upgrade it isn’t even funny, it’s so dense and wonderful and I love how it’s laid out so much. Speaking of which, the mask system is fucking incredible, every single one of them is either really fun to use and incredibly useful, or is specific to a quest and can be really hilarious to use. They all serve a purpose and make for so many fun and memorable moments, from the 3 main form masks, to the stupid ones like the Kamaro Mask, which helps you dance in a quest, or Troupe Leader Mask, which serves no purpose other than a funny piece of memorabilia from a great quest that’s built up throughout the game by a few characters. The main form masks like the Deku Mask or the Goron Mask are so fucking fun to switch between and are incorporated into the puzzles incredibly well. 24 masks and almost all of them are ones I switched between and used throughout my entire 50+ hour playthrough. Outside of the Pig Mask…not a real mask. I brought up the puzzles before, and my god they’re a treat this time around. They’re harder than Ocarina of Time and more rewarding, they give you just enough direction to figure them out, and flip between the forms and make you use each of your tools cleverly. I adore puzzle games and this game has better puzzles than almost any in the actual genre itself. The puzzles are mainly found in the temples of course, and my god they’re brilliant here. There’s 4 main temples, with a lot of offshoots, and while the main temple selection is thin compared to Ocarina of Time, each of them are some of the best that the series has to offer. Woodfall Temple is the best starter dungeon I’ve played thus far, with an amazing aesthetic, Snowfall Temple is a nice step up in difficulty, and I love snowy places in video games so this was a treat for me, Great Bay Temple is my least favourite by far…but it’s still a good temple and delivers tons of great puzzles, and the final main temple, the Stone Tower Temple, is immaculate. The final temple might just be the best “level” (if you can call it that) in a game I’ve ever played. It’s mind bending in the best way possible and feels like a culmination of everything in the game thus far. And the bosses from these temples, and throughout the game in general, are perfect. In particular I really love the Goht boss from the Snowfall Temple, and the final boss, who’s my favourite in the game by far…those forms are incredible man… This all works because of the games fantastic atmosphere, it’s so dreary and terrifying in a way I’d never expect it to be. This is made possible with the Koji Kondo’s amazing soundtrack and also the games core mechanic of the 72 hour cycle, a mechanic that has long since it’s release drawn fear from new players, myself included, which is hilarious because I now think that it’s one of the best things about the game. The sense of dread and looming anxiety hanging over you and you desperately try to finish a temple or side quest within the time limit and try to save as many people as possible made this such a tense experience throughout…but never overwhelming in a way that made me frustrated at all. Finally, ending to this game is incredible, it might just be my favourite in any game I’ve played, coupled with the soundtrack…which I won’t talk about much since I feel like I’d just repeat the words beautiful and atmospheric again and again…it all goes together amazingly and culminates in an experience I’ll never forget. 10/10