Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Majora’s Mask

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  10 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 302017
 

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is often referred to as the “dark” Legend of Zelda game, so what better time to look at it than during our celebration of all spooky and creepy games?

(Plus, I finished it yesterday.)

I never played Majora’s Mask when it originally came out, so I was thrilled by the announcement of Majora’s Mask 3D. Several friends warned me it could get repetitive, but I suggested it to a friend as a game we should play together in July.

…*looks at date* Okay, so it took a little longer to finish than I expected.

Unfortunately, the reason Majora’s Mask took me so long to complete isn’t just because I somehow put 59 hours into it, but because I often didn’t have the will to play it, at least not for more than one 3-day cycle in-game.

This is not to say I didn’t like Majora’s Mask! I enjoyed several parts of it… mainly when I was doing normal Zelda activities. I liked solving puzzles in the dungeons, I liked playing mini-games, and I liked using the masks, especially the transformation masks.

I also enjoyed the premise and story, although I’d argue that it isn’t nearly as dark of a game as people say. Plenty of dark things happen in the game, but there are dark events in pretty much every Legend of Zelda game. To me, Link’s Awakening is ultimately darker in the end despite its lighter presentation.

Click for Link's Awakening spoiler
In Link’s Awakening, either everyone you interacted with during the entire game was fake, or you killed them all. And the bosses fight you because they don’t want to be erased. That’s pretty disturbing…

But that doesn’t matter. Dark or not, I enjoyed the atmosphere and story of Majora’s Mask.

What I didn’t enjoy was the time mechanic.

I know, the time travel is central to Majora’s Mask. And I like the concept. Make progress, learn new information, get new items, and then reset time to avert the apocalypse while using what you did the previous time to get further.

Yet it leads to so much repetition…

From my understanding, the 3DS version made some of this a lot easier to manage, which I’m grateful for. Even with those changes, I found it annoying to repeat certain things over and over and over, and I was never pleased to run out of time while nearing the end of a dungeon.

I was conflicted going into The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, and I’m still conflicted now that I’ve finished it. On one hand, I enjoyed several things about it. On the other hand, I found it to be one of the most annoying Zelda games I’ve played. Overall, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had a similar story but played more like a traditional game in the series.

But that’s just me, and I know this game is beloved by many people. What do you think of Majora’s Mask?

And do you consider it a dark game?

My Breath of the Wild Conflict

 Video games  14 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Mar 152017
 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been out for almost two weeks now, and I still can’t decide if I want to get it or not.

On one hand, it’s a Legend of Zelda game. While I never got into the older Zelda games (except for Link’s Awakening), I’ve enjoyed the newer ones.

On the other hand, it’s an open world game. Open world games are not my preferred type. I like a more structured approach, with separate areas to unlock and progress through.

And yet, I loved Xenoblade Chronicles X. Monolith Soft, the Xenoblade developer, helped with Breath of the Wild’s open world. If XCX won my heart despite its open style, maybe Breath of the Wild will, too.

But at the same time, when I hear praise for Breath of the Wild, it’s usually focused on how much freedom there is and how many different things there are to do. Those aren’t bad things, but the emphasis on those parts makes it sound again like the sorts of open world RPGs I usually avoid.

Still, other people have said Breath of the Wild has enough structure that I could play it like a semi-linear game if I wanted to, while still haven’t the option to explore.

As you can see, I’m conflicted about this game. (It’s not the only one. I still haven’t decided if I’m going to give Paper Mario: Color Splash a chance.) I don’t have a Nintendo Switch, but if Breath of the Wild was structured more like the past few Zelda games, I’d have probably picked it up for my Wii U by now.

Maybe I should finally get around to playing Majora’s Mask instead.

What do you think? Do you recommend The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild even to someone who doesn’t often enjoy open world games?

Link’s Awakening: A Different Sort of Zelda Game

 Reviews, Video games  7 Responses »  Tagged with:
Jul 102015
 

Links-AwakeningI entered the Legend of Zelda series late, with Wind Waker. It was fantastic, and I enjoyed the later Zelda games I played, but I never actually completed one of the older ones despite repeated attempts.

Until now.

Link’s Awakening was the fourth game released in the series. It was re-released as Link’s Awakening DX a few years later for the Game Boy Color, and that version is available on the 3DS Virtual Console. I got the Virtual Console version from Club Nintendo and decided to try it. (And that’s your best bet if you want to play it, for obvious reasons.)

Maybe there’s a reason I enjoyed this game even though I’ve never been able to finish the original Legend of Zelda or even the much-praised A Link to the Past. It didn’t feel like the other classic games. First, it’s sort of a sequel, set after Ganon’s defeat. Second, despite being The Legend of Zelda, Zelda herself isn’t in the game at all and it doesn’t feature a rescue-the-princess plot.

Third, Link’s Awakening laid groundwork for future games in the series, like Ocarina of Time. Since I like the later Zelda games, that might be why I also liked Link’s Awakening.

Fourth, it’s just strange. The inhabitants of the island setting are even quirkier than usual for the series, enemies from the Mario games appear, and it’s full of shout-outs… even to James Cagney, of all people.

Link's-Awakening-Cagney-reference

James Cagney reference in Link's Awakening

“You dirty rat! You killed my brother!” is a famous misquotation attributed to Cagney.

Even its gameplay mixes things up a little. Each piece of equipment can be set to the A or B button… including your sword and shield. They’re treated no differently than other items. While I liked to have my sword equipped regardless, I sometimes had to switch it out–for example, to use the Pegasus Boots and Roc’s Feather in combination so I could jump a large gap.

For the most part, though, it plays like you’d expect from a Zelda game. It also has the semi-linear structure I enjoy, with a clear path, optional activities, and incentive to explore and open new areas.

But perhaps what stood out to me about Link’s Awakening the most is that I’ve never felt such moral ambiguity in a Zelda game before. A Link Between Worlds sort of had ambiguity, but since it saved it all for the end of the game, it didn’t really work. Link’s Awakening, however, built it gradually to great effect.

Click for spoilers
When I realized waking the Wind Fish would destroy the island, I started to wonder if I was really on the right side… especially since the dungeon bosses all spoke and made me feel like I was fighting people trying to save their world.

Even after the final boss’s evil rant, I’m still conflicted. Could Link’s Awakening be the one case where Link is actually the villain?

Some fans may disagree, but I don’t think of The Legend of Zelda as a plot-driven series. The games have stories, yes, but they aren’t the most compelling. This might be the first time I’ve left a Zelda game wanting to talk about its plot.

My feelings toward A Link Between Worlds were mixed, and I’m not enthusiastic about the upcoming Wii U Zelda game, but as for Link’s Awakening… I’m glad I played it.

What do you think about The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening? Do you agree or disagree with my thoughts on its moral ambiguity? Let me know in the comments!

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