Honestly, I feel like all of Majora's Mask makes people uncomfortable. Compared to OoT, it's like you went from the Sword in the Stone to Alice in Wonderland, except you're stuck in a time loop that ends with everyone dying
Makes me feel uncomfortable like how the Joker from Batman does. You never know when he's going to do something absolutely abhorrent, kind of like the Skull Kid. A terrible sense of unpredictability.
I once heard another UA-camr compare MM’s release to “If you released a massive summer blockbuster, and then released its sequel as an indie art house film.”
I honestly never found any of the music uncomfortable playing through this time and time again. Didn't even think any of the music would make people uncomfortable.
Hearing Snowhead's music always brought to mind the thought that a guy died trying to get there, the reason he died could've been avoided, had the big Goron in front of it not been blowing mint breath, and now I'm wearing his face. Dissonance
the architecture helps feed into the sound and how it works/doesn't work to elicit the right emotion. Makes sense to talk about the whole scene rather than just the music, since it all plays into the same interpretation. You really can't discuss fully the music without the architecture, nor really the architecture without the music. They are both needed to set the scene.
@@DJ-yh8hm The architecture is interesting and helps you understand the music better as the music must go in the architecture. If you are that impatient, just skip to when he starts talking about the music. Sheesh. He doesn't even put midroll adds so stretching it to 10 minutes doesn't do much for him
@@alphaslootari3126 I love Stone Tower Temple's music ! It give me weird feelings that I love to have ! It's so strong and mighty ! I love Ikana Castle music as much for the same reasons but with the majestic feeling.
@@freestalkerdotfr6391 The Zelda and Metroid games have always had a knack for creating an atmosphere of foreboding dread through their music and environments, and I think the visual limitations of the N64 enhanced that by imposing a level of uncanniness on OoT and MM's visuals that we didn't really see again until Twilight Princess allowed for exceptionally more detailed creeps and dingy dungeons.
I'll argue it's darker than Twilight Princess. Lots more focus on themes of death, loss, and coping with a rapidly shifting world. It's such a beautiful nightmare.
there's only two ways to do ice world music in video games; sharp, isolating, and unerving music like this with lots of chimes...or hoppy bouncy christmas-esque music with lots of sleighbells!
It really does give off a sense of emptiness and lonliness, and even foreboding. It's the whole point and I love it for making it's point of what the place is supposed to be
To me the music in Snowhead rang of Isolation, hence the anxiety that creeps throughout the entire piece. Its cold, it's generally unpleasant, and there is something that feels as if you, the player, are lost. Combined with a casual speedy player probably trying to do part of Snowhead on either the later parts of their third or fourth cycle and the music builds that ever present anxiety of time slipping away.
I was thinking that it adds in the tone of isolation, too. You go from there straight to Great Bay, and isolation turns to desolation. It’s a really creepy feeling.
I think the vocals kinda add to this especially, Snowhead uses them the way Bottom of the Well did, creating this sense of ghostly wailing, rather then a divine chorus, a place so terrible that phantoms haunt its every corner
I agree, the gorons always came across as miners and having these large elaborate temples of worship doesnt seem like their style at all. These temples were obviously built by other beings.
From years of playing this game the music for snowhead always came off as magical as snow, but dark and cold. Kind of like dark magic thats cold and eerie. Zelda has had a history of having slow melodic sounds to depict snow and ice. And yes snowhead does in fact do this, but it adds the cold eerie melodies depicting that this land is cursed. Its cold and its evil.
Now i need a 'why the City in the sky is so unconfortable' from Twilight Princess... *Seriously* , when i played i had literally a headache hearing this music- ;w; I could have just muted it but i rather throwing a random Skyward sword song so i could stay listening to Link's HYAAs xd Edit: I know im gonna lose my heart but... thank you for dah heart ;w;
Oh City in the Sky’s music is absolutely wild. I might jump around to various places in Twilight Princess after this, because some of them are so good/interesting 😅
@@SaveDataTeam I K R. I love everything about TP xd Like.. all the mechanics and the history.. BUT The city in the sky just- make me feel so bad i cant explain Its like- *the place, the wind, the atmosphere-* Or iust the human chicken energy of this place xd
City in the Sky is legendary for atmosphere. It did not fit it area very much but I loved it anyway. Sometimes I revist it and read through the comment section. It gives off a feel of reading the notes of ab abandoned civilization with them all being from years ago. Surprisingly atmospheric.
Recently replaying this game, I read the bridges as having been destroyed by the pillar rather than being built around it - it'd explain why the ends are upturned like that. Reads to me like Snowhead was a building constructed by someone else for a different purpose and then converted to its current form.
I seriously didn't notice the Snowhead temple theme being as creepy when I played MM, maybe because of the falling moon. What does it convey to me... Link is in a perilous, frigid, bitter place. Like knowing a village will burn down or in this case, freeze over. The amount of time it takes to enter Snowhead temple and the reveal of what Link has to climb within hours or the entire mountain will freeze over only adds to the tension. The staccato piano fits perfectly to convey the idea of how ice forms. "Keep moving but don't fall"
Even with the random lava pits in Snowhead, it still manages to give you a cold feeling (naturally). Almost like Link can never get warm until he defeats the boss
Mountain village and Snowhead convey the absolute unforgiving nature of the freezing cold. The music makes you feel devastated and hopeless. I think one of the most satisfying moments in gaming is when you finally bring back spring to the village and from there on you hear the Termina field music instead.
i think you overlooked the reason for the pillar, outside of mechanics. its representing a candle, melting into the lava below. however it is forcibly altered with the inclusion of ice. it represents the unnatural presence in the life of the candle, or the mountain itself. majoras mask actually utilizes pillars and towers as a recurring theme, such as stone tower tower of babel analogy. deku temple found in a giant spire, snowhead on a mountain, the deep inverted abyssal shaft of great bay and the tower itself. then clock tower leading to the moon.
Oooo ain't this a treat! I literally just subbed yesterday because I've been loving these videos so much and was like "damn, that's really the end for now 😔" and woke up to this today 😌
A note on "Chimes" and the sensation of cold: Apparently, the crystal chimes that some Japanese people hang on the windows and railings during summer are meant to evoke this feeling cold, chill refreshment, a synethesic sensation to counter the heat of summer.
I always love ice level themes. The frozen forest in pokemon mystery dungeon, the snowpeak theme from Twilight Princess, the music in the Paramina Rift in final fantasy 12. The motifs that tend to get used (especially common ice level motifs in Japanese games) are just so beautifully melancholic and the feelings they evoke are always so complex; there's a sad catharsis in them for me, and this song is no exception
I like this track, because for me it isn't creepy. It gives me this sense of a cold, echoey room, like walking into an unheated garage in the middle of winter. Like even the music is a little stiff from the cold and kind of snappy in the still, quietness of the snow.
When you brought up the Snowhead temple being disconnected from the Gorons in design, it made me think of a video by Zeltik Talking about Volvalgia and the Fire temple, one idea brought up is that the Fire temple wasn’t built by the Gorons but by another culture that worshiped the dragon inside as a sort of guardian spirit, kind of like the Zora worshiped LordJabu Jabu, only when they vanished and the Gorons moved in they feared the massive dragon and didn’t understand it, it ate them and they viewed it as a monster.... when you bring up the disconnect in the architectural design it makes me think the Goron could have moved into a new area with buildings already there, which is why the architecture would be so different, It makes you think about how much depth Nintendo may have put into these games
It’s absolutely crazy the amount of thesis papers that could be written on the N64 Zelda games. The fact that so many things could be true about the people and cultures depicted in these games only makes them greater in my opinion!
Just watched all of the Temple music analysis videos, It's been quite a while since i've learned anything new about ocarina of time. i thought i had sort of hit a glass ceiling with known knowledge of the inspirations and development of OoT, but these videos have all been fresh new things i haven't seen anyone cover before. Informative, interesting, well edited, and well narrated! Can't wait to see more!
I wonder if the temple is some sort of crypt? like a catacomb? The warriors tomb is the only other place with the same detailing so perhaps that detailing is associated with death in goron culture, after all we wouldn't normally design a crypt the way we'd design a church (with a few exceptions) so it'd make sense if they took the same approach. Also, gorons seem to really like lava like we see in oot, so I wonder if this was a place like the fire temple that got taken over by the snow with a few lava pits untouched?
That’s a really good idea actually! I thought about making a point with the lava being related to different kinds of rock and maybe they prefer different types (like metamorphic rock is the filet mignon of the gorons 😅). But I really like the idea that the temple could be a tomb!
I always saw it as a mine. In every Zelda game that features Gorons (at least the ones who _have_ a home), their home city/town is built in or near a mine. Seeing as their diet consists of specific rocks - rock sirloin, grilled rock roast, etc. - these need to be mined. It would make sense that Snowhead is/was where the Gorons of Termina mined their food; the moveable center pillar seems to work like an elevator, allowing the Gorons to quickly travel from the depths of the temple where they're mining to the upper levels.
Something that is amazing to me about this track sampling the Distorted Reality sample pack is that the company that made it (Spectrasonics) is very much still around. Their synth plugin Omnisphere is insanely popular and has a lot of these older samples built in. It's cool to see the exposure of these legendary sounds to a newer audience, unknowing of their legacy.
It’s so crazy how a lot of the sample companies used in these games are still around. It does bring a warmth to my heart that their music was used in the Zelda games 😅
I like the fact that it has those unsettling piano notes; the sense of trespass it creates predicated with the choir, wind and the delicacy of the chimes helps with this unease.
i always saw snowhead as looking like a carved out (near) extinct volcano, with the lava in the bottom, the tall shaft up which the player ascends. I suppose it comes as a reversal of death mountain being an active volcano.
Maybe unlike the Deku's Woodfall Temple, the other three were made by the ancient civilization that evolved into what's clock town now... the "mask civilization" if you will, the one that created the Majora's Mask and sealed it away, the ones that hated the godesses and started making technology... Termina is filled with Modern stuff like instruments, clocks, the observatory, etc. So the Pîano and dissonance in this forgotten temple that (maybe) stops the volcano from being active and destroying the land makes sense... and maybe great bay temple is made for stoping storms and tsunamis from hitting the coast
8:40 go to the shore of Lake Michigan at the tip of Door County in WI on the coldest days of winter, when it's been -30 out for a week, and listen to the ice shoves break on the beach, and tell me them aint chimes.
Those chimes come across to me as a clear reference to the Ice Cavern music. It's the same chord progression. Cool video! Tritones do indeed make things uncomfortable lol
I just love that staccato tritone chord. There's a similar chord in the chorus of "Supersatellite" by Our Lady Peace. At first you hear the kinda grating harmony of two voices singing a single tone apart, then if you listen closely, there's also a third voice completing the triton from a lower octave.
The chord in Snowhead Temple goes D-F#-G#, while the one in "Supersatellite" would be G#-D-E (if it were in the same key), so a different overall sound while still hitting the same harmonies.
Why is he confused by lava inside a volcano, especially given the Goron temple in OOT, also in a volcano. Is the snow too confusing? It’s a volcano with snow, boom.
My man you can’t just start the video with crystal palace and not tell me why that theme is amazing, nice touch adding a theme from an “ice related place” to begin talking about snowhead
i've always kind of liked this theme. it's quiet and soft but still manages to evoke a feeling of foreboding or danger. but it's still kind of relaxing, somehow.
The middle section from Emerson Lake & Palmer's song "Toccata" has always very very reminded me of the Snowhead Temple theme. With the reverb and the wind type sound and a few dissonant piano chords. Other sections of the song sound very influential to video game music as well and sounds really ahead of its time for coming out 1974. Koji Kondo has stated himself that ELP was influential to him, I think thats evidence enough for me. A band everyone should really listen to
That's a good find! Kondo definitely uses inspirations in his music. Idk if you saw the video I did on the fire temple, but there was a japanese pop song that he took the mario bros theme from.
Thank you so much! It’s been crazy to see this video blow up this week and just about triple our subscriber number. We’re excited for the future and we hope you are too! 😁
Love the touch of Frostlands in this video. Octopath Travelers has a masterpiece of a soundtrack. I'm eager to see Stone Tower Temple and your take on it.
I was really confused when I read the title... I've never felt the least bit of discomfort in Snowhead Temple. After watching the video and listening again to the whole track, I don't know how in the hell that was the case when I was 8
Great video! I will say though, the “chimes” are more commonly known as a mark tree, an instrument that is chromatic wind chimes. Chimes are a percussion instrument that play at a lower octave, sounding more like church bells. But seriously, love the video! Keep up the great work
It took me so long to beat this dungeon as a kid, and I was so excited when I did, then I had a friend over and I watched as she deleted my save file by accident and I just SCREAMED, cried for hours that night.
Oof, that Phendrana outro hit me good. Easily one of the best atmospheric tracks out there; I can hear it whenever I'm outside during a calm, winter snowfall
I'd really like to hear your breakdown of mitsudas "Strains of Insanity" from chrono trigger. I dont believe there's a more unsettling thing to hear while you stumble around in the dark of a dungeon.
@@runedoom I was hoping more along the lines that wailing cries and cackling laughter when carried on the wind can hit the same ambient frequency and can be hard to discern one from the other. You can't figure out if the sound emitting is glee or pain but either or imply something sinister is happening right out of sight, in the dark.
Here's my pinch about this temple dungeon that I had moment realising after watching frozen and frozen 2 for the a millionth time. Why does the Nordic like elemental patterns of art deco looks like the 3d remake of the dungeon? And yes, I remember playing the orginal n64 version and looking at the mini boss room asking the strange same questions. At least from asking why does those walls look like something out of a Nordic pattern coat? Am I the only one? Or am I talking nonsense?
I honestly think that despite how understated it is, the theme IS what makes Snowhead. It everything about Snowhead is centered around this precarious climb of the central tower. You could point out the disconnect with the Gorons, but that's the theme of all of the dungeons. All of them seem to have been made by civilizations much older than the ones in the surrounding areas. It's is however the most disconnected one. The tribal deku, the modern Zora, and the Lost Kingdom aesthetics are reminiscent in the temples despite distinct differences. That being said only one land, Ikana, seems to imply much about what older civilizations were like before the current inhabitants took over. It they all really leave you wondering what they were for, and the only real assumption is that they are all somewhat related to the giants, and the original colonies that birthed the festival tradition of Termina.
I don't know what I was expecting when I saw this video pop up in my recommended page but it was really fascinating. It captured my attention and I was glued from beginning to end. Great video!
What do you think about Snowhead Temple's music? Do you enjoy the somewhat foreboding track in this bright, snowy temple? Tell us about it below! Check us out on all these platforms: Discord: discord.gg/kt9AJtp Patreon: Patreon.com/savedatateam Twitch: Twitch.tv/savedatateam Instagram: instagram.com/savedatateam Twitter: twitter.com/savedatateam Facebook: Facebook.com/savedatateam
Honestly I remember the first time playing through snowhead temple then noticing the time i had left that temple finally played through it again and the music made me uncomfortable and i found myself listening to that music the second time and thinking Ahh... This is kinda nice But i was uncomfortable the first time cause it was a hard dungeon for me. For some odd reason idk maybe im psychotic now you want Scary? SOL HAND. TWILIGHT PRINCESS That freaked me out
The entirety of Termina is uncomfortable. Stuff like inconsistent architecture is everywhere. The game really gives off the vibe of a broken world. It's a world that doesn't make sense. The history of the world only works in the warped memories of those living in it. Like it was created haphazardly and little care was given to those who would inhabit it. And, the music does a fantastic job of making you feel that too. A lot of it just feels... wrong. The more I say this, the more I realize I sound like I'm just shitting on the game and its developers... And, considering the time restraints in designing this game, some of what I just said maybe COULD be attributed to the developers rushing things. But, it's definitely also a thematic choice. It's a masterstroke of genius to take your time constraints and turn that into a part of the theming for the game. It was pretty much the only choice they had. And, not only did they pull it off, they pulled it off in a way that makes it feel like it was entirely on purpose.
"Constantly coming back to [the giant pillar], slowly whittling it down" Or, if you're a speedrunner, skipping it entirely like the madlads they are...
The idea of 'disconnect' definitely rings very strong with this particular song. Snowhead Temple is so far out of civilization, it definitely raises questions about its origin and purpose. Who built it and why so far away from society in general? It doesn't even resemble a temple. Its more of a bunker to house Gorons and supplies in case of an emergency. But what kind of emergency would need such a large building so far off from civilization? The music adds up to this concept of isolation, unknown and general discomfort. A fear of the unknown, maybe that was Kondo's intention. Its meant to evoke fear as to what secrets lie inside Snowhead.
You might be speaking about a different kind of harmony from the one I'm used to, but I'd say that a tritone (which ultimately is nothing but an augumented fourth/diminished fifth) typically resolves on a sixth, usually (but not necessarily) being part of a V7 chord. It is actually written like that at 6:13, but then in the audio samples the lower voice doesn't move at all. Is that a mistake or you made it like that on purpose? Anyway, great video! I love the idea of speaking about design and music at the same time, I'd never realized how connected they were. Can't wait for the next episode!
Yeah I totally made a mistake on this one. I misused some words and the image you mentioned is straight up wrong 😰. I hadn’t taken a music theory course in a decade, but I have someone I will share the script to before I finish the next one! Thank you for your support!
I noticed that the chimes in the song play the same tune as the ice cavern but in a different key. I also noticed that those uncomfortable piano chords thrown in play the same tune as well. I always thought it was because oot never got a full ice temple so this was like a successor.
Interesting look at the music. To be honest, I’ve always found Majora’s dungeons to be kind of tedious. Nowhere near as inventive or satisfying as Ocarina’s, where the dungeons were highlights of the game.
I started with this video, went on a small binge of your other videos and I came back to see this one blowing up. Well deserved man! Quality content 👏🏼
Snowhead Temple was the dungeon I spent the most time in during my first playthrough of Majora's Mask. I couldn't exactly figure my way out of the dungeon's design when I was younger. As such, nowadays I can blaze through it. That's not the focus, though. No, the focus I have with the dungeon is the music. I played this game late at night, or early in the morning depending on the circumstance, and the music gave me a sense of emptiness. I was alone in this dungeon, just as I am alone in my room. This immediately changed as I entered the Miniboss fight and further when I entered the final fight with Goht. Those two parts hit a lot harder when they were juxtaposed by the calm, almost serene, emptiness of anywhere else within the temple. Majora's Mask is brilliant, and more people should play it.
Honestly, I feel like all of Majora's Mask makes people uncomfortable. Compared to OoT, it's like you went from the Sword in the Stone to Alice in Wonderland, except you're stuck in a time loop that ends with everyone dying
It definitely is partly the game being designed to be uncomfortable, but I hope I can explain why it succeeds in being uncomfortable!
Makes me feel uncomfortable like how the Joker from Batman does. You never know when he's going to do something absolutely abhorrent, kind of like the Skull Kid. A terrible sense of unpredictability.
I once heard another UA-camr compare MM’s release to “If you released a massive summer blockbuster, and then released its sequel as an indie art house film.”
When I was a kid I felt uncomfortable at the title screen. You know the part when it shows skull kid and the music changed.
I agree, everything about the game has this weird distortion and overtone of death.
A true sound designer such as kondo knows how to manipulate their listener's emotions.
He's the best in the biz!
@@SaveDataTeam beautiful breakdown, love the content!
@John Carter yes man keep it up! I too used to produce music before fatherhood came knocking on my door.
I honestly never found any of the music uncomfortable playing through this time and time again. Didn't even think any of the music would make people uncomfortable.
Koji is an absolute musical god.
"This music makes me comfy and less anxious."
- A person with severe anxiety
h aha ha hah a
Do I know you?
Yup- *twitch* I can attest to that.
@@Dorda098 *shrug*
I get it, always thinking ahead about what's going to happen isn't an issue when everything is unexpectable
Everything in Majora's Mask is uncomfortable.
Nearly every song has a low tone/pitch humming behind the main instruments and takes a good ear to hear it
Couldn't have said it better. :')
Especially that man stuck in the toilet
Yes.
Ikr! And that’s why I’m confused why some people say it’s their favorite LoZ game.
I mean fr tho, do y’all like being uncomfortable? Lol
Hearing Snowhead's music always brought to mind the thought that a guy died trying to get there, the reason he died could've been avoided, had the big Goron in front of it not been blowing mint breath, and now I'm wearing his face. Dissonance
Title: why snowhead temples theme is so uncomfortable
Video: *Starts talking about doors*
Gotta stretch it just past than 10 minute mark.
4 minutes in a 10-minute video about music to start talking about the music... Seriously.
the architecture helps feed into the sound and how it works/doesn't work to elicit the right emotion. Makes sense to talk about the whole scene rather than just the music, since it all plays into the same interpretation. You really can't discuss fully the music without the architecture, nor really the architecture without the music. They are both needed to set the scene.
He spent 4 minutes talking about nothing. I hate youtubers like him.
@@DJ-yh8hm The architecture is interesting and helps you understand the music better as the music must go in the architecture. If you are that impatient, just skip to when he starts talking about the music. Sheesh. He doesn't even put midroll adds so stretching it to 10 minutes doesn't do much for him
@@CreepyHandedMan He doesn't even put midroll adds
Can't wait for "why Ikana canyon's music is so uncomfortable"
You don't need to be a sound expert to know that. It's obvious because CAPTAIN KEETA YOU'RE SO TINY!!!
Stone Tower. Awful, creepy, feels more dead and surreal than even Ikana Castle
Bruh ikana canyon music gives me ptsd
@@alphaslootari3126 I love Stone Tower Temple's music ! It give me weird feelings that I love to have ! It's so strong and mighty ! I love Ikana Castle music as much for the same reasons but with the majestic feeling.
@@freestalkerdotfr6391 The Zelda and Metroid games have always had a knack for creating an atmosphere of foreboding dread through their music and environments, and I think the visual limitations of the N64 enhanced that by imposing a level of uncanniness on OoT and MM's visuals that we didn't really see again until Twilight Princess allowed for exceptionally more detailed creeps and dingy dungeons.
can’t wait for the one about stone tower temple
I’m excited to get there! 😅
The best dungeon theme in the series.
Yeah!! And it's inverted version
A really really great song
The results may turn your world upside down
I just re-realized, that Majora's Mask is a pretty dark game
I'll argue it's darker than Twilight Princess. Lots more focus on themes of death, loss, and coping with a rapidly shifting world.
It's such a beautiful nightmare.
Exceedingly.
My first Zelda game: Link Between Worlds
My second game: Majora's Mask
That wasn't a smooth transition
Nonetheless, one of my fav Zelda games
@@alphaslootari3126
Yeah I mean I think OOT is the darkest and most sad/grim of all but MM is certainly the scariest, and is darker than TP by miles.
@@alephanull1953 idk if its similar but i went from minish cap to botw
there's only two ways to do ice world music in video games; sharp, isolating, and unerving music like this with lots of chimes...or hoppy bouncy christmas-esque music with lots of sleighbells!
See: the Snowpoint song from the Sinnoh Pokémon games, vs the song of the snowy route you walked to get there
We all know the creepiest music in MM is when They come
I never got a creepy sensation from Snowhead, just empty and cold
They come for the cows!
I always cried in fear as a kid during the last 6 hours on the Final Day.
I agree with this-snowhead just makes me think of a big empty cold place
It really does give off a sense of emptiness and lonliness, and even foreboding. It's the whole point and I love it for making it's point of what the place is supposed to be
To me the music in Snowhead rang of Isolation, hence the anxiety that creeps throughout the entire piece. Its cold, it's generally unpleasant, and there is something that feels as if you, the player, are lost. Combined with a casual speedy player probably trying to do part of Snowhead on either the later parts of their third or fourth cycle and the music builds that ever present anxiety of time slipping away.
I was thinking that it adds in the tone of isolation, too. You go from there straight to Great Bay, and isolation turns to desolation. It’s a really creepy feeling.
I think the vocals kinda add to this especially, Snowhead uses them the way Bottom of the Well did, creating this sense of ghostly wailing, rather then a divine chorus, a place so terrible that phantoms haunt its every corner
I always thought Snowhead's theme was relaxing.
You might even say, chill.
I don’t mean to be so frigid, but your comment wasn’t cool.
@@aaronsalenga3221 Your a tool.
@@aaronsalenga3221 That's just cold, dude.
@@Pandabair-nl2is i froze in shock
*rimshot time!*
Snowhead not being built by the gorons actually fits with ocarina of time, where the fire temple also looks like it wasn't built by the gorons.
I agree, the gorons always came across as miners and having these large elaborate temples of worship doesnt seem like their style at all. These temples were obviously built by other beings.
@@theangelavenger4173 most likely hylians
@@danielcurren2119 in Termina?
@@danielcurren2119 I'm going to say Sheikah or Zonai.
Hylians don't seem to concern about building for other race in Hyrule.
@@goonerOZZ i think zonai built fire temple
From years of playing this game the music for snowhead always came off as magical as snow, but dark and cold. Kind of like dark magic thats cold and eerie. Zelda has had a history of having slow melodic sounds to depict snow and ice. And yes snowhead does in fact do this, but it adds the cold eerie melodies depicting that this land is cursed. Its cold and its evil.
"Theres chimes in this?" Rolls straight into lava
Say OK if u gae
@@ollie7070 ... ok
@@finalhazard883 you've fallen for the oldest trick in the book!
@@ollie7070 ok?
Now i need a 'why the City in the sky is so unconfortable' from Twilight Princess...
*Seriously* , when i played i had literally a headache hearing this music- ;w;
I could have just muted it but i rather throwing a random Skyward sword song so i could stay listening to Link's HYAAs xd
Edit: I know im gonna lose my heart but... thank you for dah heart ;w;
Oh City in the Sky’s music is absolutely wild. I might jump around to various places in Twilight Princess after this, because some of them are so good/interesting 😅
@@SaveDataTeam I K R. I love everything about TP xd
Like.. all the mechanics and the history.. BUT The city in the sky just- make me feel so bad i cant explain
Its like- *the place, the wind, the atmosphere-*
Or iust the human chicken energy of this place xd
Human Chickens are deeply disturbing 😅
YES I WANT THIS
City in the Sky is legendary for atmosphere. It did not fit it area very much but I loved it anyway. Sometimes I revist it and read through the comment section. It gives off a feel of reading the notes of ab abandoned civilization with them all being from years ago. Surprisingly atmospheric.
"Why Snowhead Temple's music in Majora's Mask is so uncomfortable" Because tritones. XD
This is the tldr version 😅
It's that IVb5, that tritone gives a wonderfully unsettling, almost unstable, lydian vibe.
Thanks, you saved me 10 minutes
Those chime sounds? Pretty sure those same samples were used for the Ice Cavern
Recently replaying this game, I read the bridges as having been destroyed by the pillar rather than being built around it - it'd explain why the ends are upturned like that. Reads to me like Snowhead was a building constructed by someone else for a different purpose and then converted to its current form.
I like this theory!
It wasn't uncomfortable to me back when I was a kid since the song always reminded me of crazy train
...Why- In what way did it remind you of crazy train?
@@false_idol__ Similar riffs
I can't un-hear it now
Okay so it wasn't just me waiting for the "AY AY AY" part the first time I listened to it
Holy shit it actually does. Someone should make an edit for the meme.
I seriously didn't notice the Snowhead temple theme being as creepy when I played MM, maybe because of the falling moon. What does it convey to me... Link is in a perilous, frigid, bitter place. Like knowing a village will burn down or in this case, freeze over. The amount of time it takes to enter Snowhead temple and the reveal of what Link has to climb within hours or the entire mountain will freeze over only adds to the tension. The staccato piano fits perfectly to convey the idea of how ice forms.
"Keep moving but don't fall"
“Keep moving but don’t fall,” is maybe the best way of wording the way this temple feels
Even with the random lava pits in Snowhead, it still manages to give you a cold feeling (naturally). Almost like Link can never get warm until he defeats the boss
I've never considered how great Twilight Princess music sounds matched with Majora's Mask gameplay! Loved the in depth video
Appreciate it! Yeah I threw in some great snowy songs from other games and I had to include Snowpeak 😅
Mountain village and Snowhead convey the absolute unforgiving nature of the freezing cold. The music makes you feel devastated and hopeless. I think one of the most satisfying moments in gaming is when you finally bring back spring to the village and from there on you hear the Termina field music instead.
i think you overlooked the reason for the pillar, outside of mechanics.
its representing a candle, melting into the lava below. however it is forcibly altered with the inclusion of ice.
it represents the unnatural presence in the life of the candle, or the mountain itself.
majoras mask actually utilizes pillars and towers as a recurring theme, such as stone tower tower of babel analogy.
deku temple found in a giant spire,
snowhead on a mountain,
the deep inverted abyssal shaft of great bay
and the tower itself.
then clock tower leading to the moon.
i love snow heads music but my favorite is stone tower i recently beat majora's mask 3d
Stone tower is also my favorite in Majora’s! I’m excited to get to covering that dungeon! 😁
The n64 version is "uglier" but the gameplay and the tone are better in n64.
^ couldn’t have said it better.
@@p3dro187 agreeed 100 percent
Oooo ain't this a treat! I literally just subbed yesterday because I've been loving these videos so much and was like "damn, that's really the end for now 😔" and woke up to this today 😌
Haha, good! I’ll probably take a few weeks off before doing the next Zelda video, but expect it by the end of January!
A note on "Chimes" and the sensation of cold: Apparently, the crystal chimes that some Japanese people hang on the windows and railings during summer are meant to evoke this feeling cold, chill refreshment, a synethesic sensation to counter the heat of summer.
Huh, fun fact. Thanks! I’ll probably add this for the next video I do on an icy area!
I always love ice level themes. The frozen forest in pokemon mystery dungeon, the snowpeak theme from Twilight Princess, the music in the Paramina Rift in final fantasy 12. The motifs that tend to get used (especially common ice level motifs in Japanese games) are just so beautifully melancholic and the feelings they evoke are always so complex; there's a sad catharsis in them for me, and this song is no exception
Tbh this whole game was peak anxiety
It really shows how powerful the soundtrack is in setting the mood
I like this track, because for me it isn't creepy. It gives me this sense of a cold, echoey room, like walking into an unheated garage in the middle of winter. Like even the music is a little stiff from the cold and kind of snappy in the still, quietness of the snow.
When you brought up the Snowhead temple being disconnected from the Gorons in design, it made me think of a video by Zeltik Talking about Volvalgia and the Fire temple, one idea brought up is that the Fire temple wasn’t built by the Gorons but by another culture that worshiped the dragon inside as a sort of guardian spirit, kind of like the Zora worshiped LordJabu Jabu, only when they vanished and the Gorons moved in they feared the massive dragon and didn’t understand it, it ate them and they viewed it as a monster.... when you bring up the disconnect in the architectural design it makes me think the Goron could have moved into a new area with buildings already there, which is why the architecture would be so different, It makes you think about how much depth Nintendo may have put into these games
It’s absolutely crazy the amount of thesis papers that could be written on the N64 Zelda games. The fact that so many things could be true about the people and cultures depicted in these games only makes them greater in my opinion!
Just watched all of the Temple music analysis videos, It's been quite a while since i've learned anything new about ocarina of time. i thought i had sort of hit a glass ceiling with known knowledge of the inspirations and development of OoT, but these videos have all been fresh new things i haven't seen anyone cover before. Informative, interesting, well edited, and well narrated! Can't wait to see more!
Thank you very much! I appreciate it! 😅
I wonder if the temple is some sort of crypt? like a catacomb? The warriors tomb is the only other place with the same detailing so perhaps that detailing is associated with death in goron culture, after all we wouldn't normally design a crypt the way we'd design a church (with a few exceptions) so it'd make sense if they took the same approach. Also, gorons seem to really like lava like we see in oot, so I wonder if this was a place like the fire temple that got taken over by the snow with a few lava pits untouched?
That’s a really good idea actually! I thought about making a point with the lava being related to different kinds of rock and maybe they prefer different types (like metamorphic rock is the filet mignon of the gorons 😅). But I really like the idea that the temple could be a tomb!
I always saw it as a mine. In every Zelda game that features Gorons (at least the ones who _have_ a home), their home city/town is built in or near a mine. Seeing as their diet consists of specific rocks - rock sirloin, grilled rock roast, etc. - these need to be mined. It would make sense that Snowhead is/was where the Gorons of Termina mined their food; the moveable center pillar seems to work like an elevator, allowing the Gorons to quickly travel from the depths of the temple where they're mining to the upper levels.
I like this temple’s theme mostly of its atmosphere, it really feels like you’re on a top of icy mountain inside a dungeon.
7:42 wow!! i had no idea those were in the song. great catch!
Something that is amazing to me about this track sampling the Distorted Reality sample pack is that the company that made it (Spectrasonics) is very much still around. Their synth plugin Omnisphere is insanely popular and has a lot of these older samples built in. It's cool to see the exposure of these legendary sounds to a newer audience, unknowing of their legacy.
It’s so crazy how a lot of the sample companies used in these games are still around. It does bring a warmth to my heart that their music was used in the Zelda games 😅
I like the fact that it has those unsettling piano notes; the sense of trespass it creates predicated with the choir, wind and the delicacy of the chimes helps with this unease.
I’m sorry for what Terry did to you. I hope someday you are able to obtain French Fry closure.
Thanks for your condolences Nick. Maybe someday I can find it in my heart to forgive.
i always saw snowhead as looking like a carved out (near) extinct volcano, with the lava in the bottom, the tall shaft up which the player ascends. I suppose it comes as a reversal of death mountain being an active volcano.
I really like the idea of this! Especially with how how it fits with Majora’s Mask’s themes.
I always liked this temple, as a kid the music maked me feel unnerving and liked that
Maybe unlike the Deku's Woodfall Temple, the other three were made by the ancient civilization that evolved into what's clock town now... the "mask civilization" if you will, the one that created the Majora's Mask and sealed it away, the ones that hated the godesses and started making technology... Termina is filled with Modern stuff like instruments, clocks, the observatory, etc.
So the Pîano and dissonance in this forgotten temple that (maybe) stops the volcano from being active and destroying the land makes sense... and maybe great bay temple is made for stoping storms and tsunamis from hitting the coast
That Paper Mario 64 music though 👌
Absolutely had to include it! I actually almost added a bit about how much “creepy snow music” there is in video games 😅
I can’t help but think that’s due to how inhospitable cold environments are. They’re generally desolate and remote locations
Paper Mario is my favorite game ever. Nice to see it included.
Paper Mario and it’s music SLAPS
My favorite boss themes are out of Paper Mario. I'm not sure if it's crystal king or the hooktails that's my favorite.
8:40 go to the shore of Lake Michigan at the tip of Door County in WI on the coldest days of winter, when it's been -30 out for a week, and listen to the ice shoves break on the beach, and tell me them aint chimes.
Those chimes come across to me as a clear reference to the Ice Cavern music. It's the same chord progression. Cool video! Tritones do indeed make things uncomfortable lol
I just love that staccato tritone chord. There's a similar chord in the chorus of "Supersatellite" by Our Lady Peace. At first you hear the kinda grating harmony of two voices singing a single tone apart, then if you listen closely, there's also a third voice completing the triton from a lower octave.
The chord in Snowhead Temple goes D-F#-G#, while the one in "Supersatellite" would be G#-D-E (if it were in the same key), so a different overall sound while still hitting the same harmonies.
It feels like I’ve been waiting for this for ages and I’m happy I’m waited for so long this is amazing
Glad it was worth the wait!
Why is he confused by lava inside a volcano, especially given the Goron temple in OOT, also in a volcano.
Is the snow too confusing? It’s a volcano with snow, boom.
The one Dislike is the guy who loves chimes
There’s always one chime guy 😅
or a guy who knows the music theory in this was a bit skewed
My man you can’t just start the video with crystal palace and not tell me why that theme is amazing, nice touch adding a theme from an “ice related place” to begin talking about snowhead
PAPER MARIO 64!!
A lot of people are noticing this theme, I might have to go back and do a video on this game 😅
i've always kind of liked this theme. it's quiet and soft but still manages to evoke a feeling of foreboding or danger. but it's still kind of relaxing, somehow.
2:01
Teacher: Why are you laughing ?
Me: Oh for nothing
My Mind: *Goron Ramsey*
The middle section from Emerson Lake & Palmer's song "Toccata" has always very very reminded me of the Snowhead Temple theme. With the reverb and the wind type sound and a few dissonant piano chords. Other sections of the song sound very influential to video game music as well and sounds really ahead of its time for coming out 1974. Koji Kondo has stated himself that ELP was influential to him, I think thats evidence enough for me. A band everyone should really listen to
That's a good find! Kondo definitely uses inspirations in his music. Idk if you saw the video I did on the fire temple, but there was a japanese pop song that he took the mario bros theme from.
I'm so happy this one is getting a lot of views, you guys deserve it all, can't wait for the next one.
Thank you so much! It’s been crazy to see this video blow up this week and just about triple our subscriber number. We’re excited for the future and we hope you are too! 😁
Love the touch of Frostlands in this video. Octopath Travelers has a masterpiece of a soundtrack. I'm eager to see Stone Tower Temple and your take on it.
I was really confused when I read the title... I've never felt the least bit of discomfort in Snowhead Temple. After watching the video and listening again to the whole track, I don't know how in the hell that was the case when I was 8
Great video!
I will say though, the “chimes” are more commonly known as a mark tree, an instrument that is chromatic wind chimes. Chimes are a percussion instrument that play at a lower octave, sounding more like church bells.
But seriously, love the video! Keep up the great work
Thank you very much! I didn't know that, but I will add in to the next temple that has chimes! (we'll definitely get some more soon! 😅)
It took me so long to beat this dungeon as a kid, and I was so excited when I did, then I had a friend over and I watched as she deleted my save file by accident and I just SCREAMED, cried for hours that night.
Lol
It definitely fees like coldness and shivers and anxiety.
I love your Zelda analysis videos. Can't wait for more.
Glad you like them! Great Bay should be out this month!
@@SaveDataTeam Yes! Looking forward to it. I've played MM more times than I can count. XD
I feel that way with with the Woodfall Temple music, unnerving
Oof, that Phendrana outro hit me good. Easily one of the best atmospheric tracks out there; I can hear it whenever I'm outside during a calm, winter snowfall
Snowhead Temple's theme makes me feel like I'm far from society.
Ma brain rejected susiety returned 2 monke- nay, piggy
@@linkthepig4219 what the fuck?
@@njfhighlights5355
It's a meme
You deserve a lot more subscribers. Very well made video.
Thank you! We appreciate it!
I'd really like to hear your breakdown of mitsudas "Strains of Insanity" from chrono trigger. I dont believe there's a more unsettling thing to hear while you stumble around in the dark of a dungeon.
How about nothing but breathing in you're ear
@@runedoom I was hoping more along the lines that wailing cries and cackling laughter when carried on the wind can hit the same ambient frequency and can be hard to discern one from the other. You can't figure out if the sound emitting is glee or pain but either or imply something sinister is happening right out of sight, in the dark.
I love that you used some Octopath Traveler music
Thank you! 😅
Here's my pinch about this temple dungeon that I had moment realising after watching frozen and frozen 2 for the a millionth time.
Why does the Nordic like elemental patterns of art deco looks like the 3d remake of the dungeon?
And yes, I remember playing the orginal n64 version and looking at the mini boss room asking the strange same questions. At least from asking why does those walls look like something out of a Nordic pattern coat?
Am I the only one? Or am I talking nonsense?
I’m really enjoying this series so far and would love to see you guys do songs from Twilight Princess as well in the future!
TP is the most requested game I get, so I think I am gonna do that as soon as I finish MM!
2:00 now we're asking the real questions
I honestly think that despite how understated it is, the theme IS what makes Snowhead. It everything about Snowhead is centered around this precarious climb of the central tower. You could point out the disconnect with the Gorons, but that's the theme of all of the dungeons. All of them seem to have been made by civilizations much older than the ones in the surrounding areas. It's is however the most disconnected one. The tribal deku, the modern Zora, and the Lost Kingdom aesthetics are reminiscent in the temples despite distinct differences. That being said only one land, Ikana, seems to imply much about what older civilizations were like before the current inhabitants took over. It they all really leave you wondering what they were for, and the only real assumption is that they are all somewhat related to the giants, and the original colonies that birthed the festival tradition of Termina.
Well said!
That ice palace music from paper mario though
I don't know what I was expecting when I saw this video pop up in my recommended page but it was really fascinating. It captured my attention and I was glued from beginning to end. Great video!
Thank you so much! 😅
What do you think about Snowhead Temple's music? Do you enjoy the somewhat foreboding track in this bright, snowy temple? Tell us about it below!
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@I'm Hungry True, once the holidays are over, it's 3 months of misery for me lol.
@@SaveDataTeam midi fail at 6:16, you know that?
The tower of the godz yo
I think the snow at temple had a very interesting theme song
Honestly I remember the first time playing through snowhead temple then noticing the time i had left that temple finally played through it again and the music made me uncomfortable and i found myself listening to that music the second time and thinking Ahh... This is kinda nice But i was uncomfortable the first time cause it was a hard dungeon for me. For some odd reason idk maybe im psychotic now you want Scary? SOL HAND. TWILIGHT PRINCESS That freaked me out
The entirety of Termina is uncomfortable. Stuff like inconsistent architecture is everywhere. The game really gives off the vibe of a broken world. It's a world that doesn't make sense. The history of the world only works in the warped memories of those living in it. Like it was created haphazardly and little care was given to those who would inhabit it. And, the music does a fantastic job of making you feel that too. A lot of it just feels... wrong.
The more I say this, the more I realize I sound like I'm just shitting on the game and its developers... And, considering the time restraints in designing this game, some of what I just said maybe COULD be attributed to the developers rushing things. But, it's definitely also a thematic choice. It's a masterstroke of genius to take your time constraints and turn that into a part of the theming for the game. It was pretty much the only choice they had. And, not only did they pull it off, they pulled it off in a way that makes it feel like it was entirely on purpose.
"Constantly coming back to [the giant pillar], slowly whittling it down"
Or, if you're a speedrunner, skipping it entirely like the madlads they are...
Speedrunners don’t even hear the music start 😅
The idea of 'disconnect' definitely rings very strong with this particular song. Snowhead Temple is so far out of civilization, it definitely raises questions about its origin and purpose. Who built it and why so far away from society in general?
It doesn't even resemble a temple. Its more of a bunker to house Gorons and supplies in case of an emergency.
But what kind of emergency would need such a large building so far off from civilization?
The music adds up to this concept of isolation, unknown and general discomfort. A fear of the unknown, maybe that was Kondo's intention. Its meant to evoke fear as to what secrets lie inside Snowhead.
3:51 is when the topic of the video actually begins...
Finally one of your Zelda Temple music has reached 100k views.Well-deserved
Thank you very much! It's wild how much this video exploded in such a short time.
@@SaveDataTeam No problem. I really fell in love with this Format :)
@@DeinOnkel343 Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy, and thanks for commenting, it's means a lot!
I always thought it had a cool theme song, it kinda fits in well
(Pun intended)
dude I'm so happy, your channel is growing, your first vid that got my attention was the forest temple since it is one of my favorite OST
That's amazing! Thanks for being here for the ride! 😄
Kondo is a freaking genius.
He sure is! I wish he gave more interviews, I'd love to hear more about how he composes!
He is. I wished he would have composed for BotW.
@@Allaiya. Fair, but i have to say, i love botw soundtrack too!
Just wait until Theophany releases Time's End III. I check their channel on a nearly weekly basis for it.
Haha, only 4 temples in Majora's Mask... Too easy ! [ Moon laughing ]
You might be speaking about a different kind of harmony from the one I'm used to, but I'd say that a tritone (which ultimately is nothing but an augumented fourth/diminished fifth) typically resolves on a sixth, usually (but not necessarily) being part of a V7 chord. It is actually written like that at 6:13, but then in the audio samples the lower voice doesn't move at all. Is that a mistake or you made it like that on purpose? Anyway, great video! I love the idea of speaking about design and music at the same time, I'd never realized how connected they were. Can't wait for the next episode!
Yeah I totally made a mistake on this one. I misused some words and the image you mentioned is straight up wrong 😰. I hadn’t taken a music theory course in a decade, but I have someone I will share the script to before I finish the next one! Thank you for your support!
The longer the note, the more dread.
I noticed that the chimes in the song play the same tune as the ice cavern but in a different key. I also noticed that those uncomfortable piano chords thrown in play the same tune as well. I always thought it was because oot never got a full ice temple so this was like a successor.
Interesting look at the music. To be honest, I’ve always found Majora’s dungeons to be kind of tedious. Nowhere near as inventive or satisfying as Ocarina’s, where the dungeons were highlights of the game.
I get anxiety because he didn't pick up all the items on the ground, not because of the music
I found this theme much less foreboding than the other three dungeon themes in this game. I think it's the staccato piano.
Even more creepy when the GameCube version glitches and audio goes brrrrrrrrrrrt
9:36 Stone Tower good. Real good.
I'm very excited to talk about that dungeon!
I started with this video, went on a small binge of your other videos and I came back to see this one blowing up. Well deserved man! Quality content 👏🏼
Thank you! Yeah, this video blew up and we just doubled our subs in a week. It's extremely humbling and absolutely wild. 😅
@@SaveDataTeam and we cannot wait to see what else you have in store. Keep it up!
Around the Monitor: the snowhead music gives you anxiety.
Me: that Tetris game at the end gives me anxiety.
You: it was all anxiety this whole time?
Me: always has been.
Snowhead Temple was the dungeon I spent the most time in during my first playthrough of Majora's Mask. I couldn't exactly figure my way out of the dungeon's design when I was younger. As such, nowadays I can blaze through it.
That's not the focus, though. No, the focus I have with the dungeon is the music. I played this game late at night, or early in the morning depending on the circumstance, and the music gave me a sense of emptiness. I was alone in this dungeon, just as I am alone in my room. This immediately changed as I entered the Miniboss fight and further when I entered the final fight with Goht. Those two parts hit a lot harder when they were juxtaposed by the calm, almost serene, emptiness of anywhere else within the temple.
Majora's Mask is brilliant, and more people should play it.
This music never creeped me out or made me anxious. I just felt bored.
Same. It doesn't help that the dungeon is tedious AF.
@@ThePress00 yep tbh it was the most boring dungeon, it was pretty easy 2
7:37 this was really funny to me because I immediately thought of pit when he said “pit-hit” lol
Great minds think alike! 😉
Me always jamming out to Snowhead: 👀
It’s still a great song! I compare it to how I like to listen to the forest temple’s music even though I think it’s meant to be a little creepy
Good video. Hoping you cover Twilight Princess's dungeon themes eventually. Special mention to Lakebed Temple, Snowpeak, and Arbiter's Grounds.
Yes! After finishing MM, my plan is to jump to TP since that's the most requested game for me.
It's uncomfortable because it reminds me that I've gotten sNOw HEAD
The goron challenge at the end of the game is especially creepy with the song, since the level feels abandoned and artificial.