Majora's Mask and the Art of Dark Symbolism
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- Опубліковано 12 жов 2018
- The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a game that I hold on the pedestal as my favorite of all-time. Tonight, we're going to explore the many themes throughout this work of art, and drum up a fresh theory of our own.
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Music:
-Black Heat - Ross Bugden: / rossbugden
-Halloween Intro Remix by Noir Ascii: / noirascii
-Time's End: A Majora's Mask Album by Theophany
-Majora's Mask OST
Gameplay thanks to ZorZelda: / zorzelda - Розваги
Oops. I accidentally released the first marathon video early 🙁😏
SCHEDULE:
Vid 2: 10/22
Vid 3: 10/25
Vid 4: 10/28
Vid 5: 10/31
Let’s do this🎃
feel free to release the other ones early
lets get this bread
Nightmare Expo Ahhhh I was just looking through your channel wondering when the marathon would start! Going through some tough stuff lately so I'm glad to have something from you to watch
....or did you
Hehehe
(Who know you probably did not mean to)
Nightmare Expo omg lmao I’m going to love it anyway
For me, the theme that always stuck with me was the idea that “you can’t save everyone”. You can collect all the masks. You can try and complete a “boss rush” before facing Majora. You can try to “do it all”, but the credits scene always includes the Butler grieving in front of his son. There’s no way you can prevent that. You have to learn to accept the things you cannot change. Until I played this game as a kid, no other game I played ever really managed to express this idea so well.
Well said.
Exactly, plus there is no possible way to have a "perfect playthrough." Even if you manage to beat all four bosses + Majora within the three day time limit, you still can't help every single person. For example, if you help the old lady from the bomb shop by keeping her from being robbed by Sakon, you can't then go on to help Kafei and Anju, and vice versa.
This game definitely hit me in that way. The Alien sidequest, where the little girl gets abducted if you fail. You can't go back to a previous save. You have to live with your failure (until time loops again)
@@alxdockter2768 Let the old lady from the bomb shop get robbed so that you can help Kafei and Anju, but also spend 5,000 rupees at the bomb shop so that they can recover financially from having been robbed.
Also a retcon happened by Nintendo that makes it more tragic. They made it so Termina was nothing more then a manifestation created by Majora tapping into the Skull Kid's thoughts. This means that aside from Majora, Link, Skull Kid, his fairies, and possibly the Mask Salesman. None of these characters were real. They even the good ones were creations and conjurations of Majora. And when Majora died. The world...died with him. Termina. Simply vanished. Like Koholent Island. It was no more then just a memory. This makes the credits scene where The Giants restore the land all the more tragic. You see these people for the first time actually happy believing their world was saved but their world is fading away because the thing that kept them and their world alive going is now dead. They live out their final moments in joy unaware that it's all going to end as they fade with the world of Termina. : (
Majora's Mask, to me, is about acceptance.
So much in life is out of our control, and Link is no exception to this. Link never had a choice in being the Hero of Time; the goddesses chose that path for him. Try as Link might have to reach the Triforce before Ganondorf did, the goddesses sealed Link away until he was ready to wield the Master Sword, allowing Hyrule to be conquered in his absence. Link could have reaped what he sowed in the Hyrule he fought to take back from Ganondorf, but Zelda instead sent him back to a childhood he now knew was a lie amidst a time that wouldn't remember what he did. And Navi, his faithful companion who was there with Link from the Deku Tree to the fiery battle with Ganon, disappeared, leaving Link entirely alone.
"The road to hell is paved by good intentions."
When we see Link again at the start of Majora's Mask, he looks utterly defeated; just to be robbed by Skull Kid of the Ocarina of Time, Epona, and, upon entering Termina, his identity; at least what was left of it. Enter the Happy Mask Salesman (this is where my views differ from the video). Regardless of his true intentions, the Salesman offered Link a path. A path to reclaim his identity through healing. Of course this rings true for what it took Link to regain his body. But as he travels across Termina to reclaim Majora's Mask, he regains his identity through his experiences. Whether it was by his decision or not, Link is a hero. And as Link travels across Termina, as he fights through the temples to restore it's lands, as he aids and connects with it's citizens, he is dutiful, observant, helpful, kind, and brave; simply put, a hero. And not because of any prophecy or goddess's will, but because Link is in a position to do something and has the experience to back it up. He makes it his choice. And as Link heals the land of Termina and all who inhabit it, he heals himself. Maybe not entirely, as evidenced by the Hero's Shade from Twilight Princess, but enough to help him carry on.
The cruel flow of time will always take people in different directions. But what we take from it, our experiences, is what makes us who we are. And that can never be taken away from us.
Bro wrote a whole fucking essay !
Very interesting and logical.....unlike NEXPO suggesting that Romani was possibly RAPED by aliens.....seriously though, did that EVER cross your mind at ANY point? Did you EVER feel the developers were trying to make that point? Wtf is wrong with this cringy NEXPO kid? 14:28
@@JohnDoe-vx9bo yeah he does seem to interpret things in his own way…
Yeah cool comment, but this is a very common theory it’s a little overwhelming, but i do enjoy it, i just don’t like claiming link, is dead because he could just be needing to accept that Navi, is just gone.
@@JohnDoe-vx9bo Well, its not like it can't be possible, the developers literally plays with life, death and time, and you expect them to not make a possible rape of a child, one of the most tragics, and dramatics events that anyone at their childhood could have experienced because it exists, its something that happens, and its traumatic. I instist, nothing is wrong with people thinking that Romani could be in fact got raped by "them" , because its a possibility, there are lot of possibilities, and everyone can think whatever they want for their better comprehension of a story that lacks of that information.
I thought it was all a metaphor for trauma and healing, and the fact that mental scars fade but never truly go away
Art is open to interpretation, so I like your interpretation!
I think so too
Interesting.....but did you EVER at ANY point think that Romani was raped by aliens as this NEXPO kid proposed? Wtf is wrong with this kid? 14:28
Midwest Pen pals: We can forgive, but we can never truly forget.
I mean it’s more blantly what Silent Hill 2, is about well a lot of what it’s about, but it’s on that games level, but with the song of healing it’s always had this putting tortured souls to rest, and helping who’s still able to live, and give them the hope to be happy even if termnia fades out of existence when Link, leaves.
10:04: Apparently, that theory was recently confirmed by Nintendo. The tiny, withered tree WAS the Deku Butler's son after all.
Also, "They" (the aliens) resemble the Flatwoods Monster.
Yes it was.....but I don't remember EVER thinking Romani was RAPED by aliens....what is wrong with this NEXPO kid? 14:28
I mean, spoilers I guess but you can see the deku butler crying in front of that little tree in the credits. How more obvious could Nintendo make it?
It was confirmed many years ago on Miiverse LOLOL
On your theory, I don't think Link is trapped in Termina per say, but that doesn't mean he isn't cursed at the end of Majora's Mask.
In Twilight Princess, the sequel to Majora's Mask, you can meet The Hero's Shade, a towering skeletal creature resembling a Stalfos who teaches you sword techniques. The legend goes that people who get lost in the Lost Woods without a fairy turn into Stalfos. The Hero's Shade carries what looks like the mirror shield, the last shield acquired in Majora's Mask. His height is similar to that of The Fierce Deity. He has one red eye, which could be the price Link pays for his dependence on dark Sheikah magic like the lens of truth, similar to how Bongo Bongo, the boss of the Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time, became obsessed with the Lens of Truth and became a horrifying monster with one red eye.
When Link left Termina, he continued to search for Navi, but ended up getting lost in The Lost woods. Out of sheer desperation for survival, he used the Fierce Deity mask and mask of truth to try to discover the way home, but it did not help him. He became corrupted by the dark power of the masks and ended up becoming a Stalfos. The great hero who saved Hyrule and Termina was unable to save himself from becoming a monster...
Up up up!
That's seriously depressing. I always thought he died in battle hence his red eye (pierce by an arrow) made it back to Hyrule, made into a knight of some sort because of his armor. OoT Link had the worse and its just a melancholy feeling that his life was a spiral of depression. No parents, orphaned, was outcasted by the Kokiri's, saved Hyrule at the cost of leaving the time period he saved, left Hryule in search of Navi because she was the only friend that could possibly understood him, went through Termina as some sort of parallel hell, unable to to find Navi, died or turned to a Stalfos, which is why the Hero's Shade has regrets. OoT Link is truly...the most depressing MC of Nintendo.
@@knox7945 dont forget the fact that oot link was left handed just like the stalfos and not right handed like tp link
@@FrantzesElzaurdia the wii version is mirrored from the Gamecube one. In gc he is a leftie
I'm glad you commented this because I hadn't forgotten about Link in Twilight Princess either, this theory makes sense to me because the Fierce Deity mask would have corrupted Link one way or the other, I mean, its item description is pretty dark and explicit.
"His long, lost friend"
Imagines very tall navi
XD wow.
LMAO
Wait hol up tall Navi? what does that mean?
@@heywhataniceplaceyagot6699 long friend who is lost
Link and I have different definitions of friendship...
So basically you're suggesting Majora's Mask & Termina could be Link's "Silent Hill"?
Silence Tech & Travel WRITE THAT DOWN, WRITE THAT DOWN
*Ben Drowned has entered the chat...*
*Ben drowned again*
According to the Zelda Encyclopedia (which was written by a fan zine group and includes some of their pet theories, so take it with a grain of salt), it is.
BROOOOO I BEEN SAYING THIS FOR YEEEEEARS
"this was supposed to make us feel something"
*link happily jumps
Because of your Asriel, pfp i just think of him happily jumping lol, like in the place of Link, maybe kid Asriel, by the way cute Asriel, pfp, though Undertale, definitely made me feel things too.
I would like to point out a different theme: adulthood.
Think of it. Link struggles with being a child. The villain is a Skull Kid. Tingle refuses to grow up. Each area has a problem with children (Deku Princess, Elder's Son, Eggs, Pamela). The Bosses become Moon Children. Majora's Incarnation acts like a child. And if you do enough work, you get to become an adult and clap Majora's ass.
That is absolutely perfect, thank you XD
I mean, the Fierce Deity mask requires you to give up all the representations of happiness you've collected, makes you essentially soulless, and removes the fun from the final boss
Kind of a sad lens to view adulthood through
You know what they say. "When you grow up, your heart dies."
That sounds like it comes from someone who never grew up.
I mean it. The team behind MM clearly meant to potray childishness as bad.
@@codemancz798 Childishness, not innocence or childhood itself
Every area deals with child abuse/torment in some fashion, and has clear parallels to Link's life(if not always specifically relating to the children), the intent seeming to be moving past those things, but not giving up the good parts
Best game ever in my opinion, and very underrated. Majora’s Mask is Nintendo’s accidental masterpiece.
Agreed.
A game about death, or maybe more accurately loss, and how we deal with it , with everything working perfectly together to relay the message. Even when we didn't get what it was about as kids, it managed to give us the gist of it just based on feel.
Without a doubt one of the most interesting games ever developed. As deep of themes as videogames get, yet made for kids and never pretentious. Nintendo did always have a mastery nobody else quite has, but they outdid themselves with this one, made all the more impressive knowing about the development.
I played this before ocarina of time, and when I heard how different it was from Oot I was kinda disappointed
Underrated?? This game is one of the most famous tLoZ games made...
@Pentex Sucks literally nobody
Unlikely maybe, but I don't think there are "accidental" masterpieces. Everyone who worked on the game deliberately tried to make it good, that goes without saying.
Legend of Zelda: Groundhog Day
I am ashamed to say that I laughed VERY hard when I read this.
The second I saw the scary preview for this game about the world ending by a scary looking moon my 7 year old self knew this was a game I was dying to play. I remember the anxiety hitting hard as I was figuring out what the hell to do in a dungeon and panicking about the moon falling. My childhood is defined by themes of anxiety and sadness, not in a bad way but rather catharsis by creation of tension
I haven't played any Legend of Zelda games, but seeing that mask and that moon face, I wonder how kids put up with that without any nightmares.
If you do start trying the games out id sugest a link between worlds its my favorite and a rely well made game
This game gave me paralyzing nightmares
The freaking npcs look creepy
Thos bitches didnt gave us nightmares, the 3 day cycle did
Maybe not a nightmare but more like a strange uncertainty, an uneasiness.
Marathon starting off hot with my favorite Legend of Zelda game
I do agree with that political statement.
Dio Drando nico
majora's mask is the only zelda game I have ever really played
same
What I wouldn't give for a more in-depth, better graphics version of this game.
Termína is literally finish/end in spanish
Si, eso es verdad. El juego se llama Termina porque todas las cosas en la vida se terminan una manera o la otra
wow ive never thought of it that way... even though ive known spanish, ive never seen termina as termína
It's easily seen as terminal as in dying, travel or end in English
SnApple or so the Japanese would have you believe
from telos in latin
This is a really nice and dark theory! However, I like to interpret this story as one of different dark themes. Grief, hopelessness and death are definitely prominent but so is loneliness and the emphasis on childishness. But what I think encompasses Majora's Mask most of all is loss and how people deal with it. Everyone in the game is dealing with a certain type of loss. Skull Kid with the loss of his friends, Tatl with the loss of her brother, the Deku King with the loss of his daughter, even the Happy Masked Salesman with the loss of Majora's Mask! Everyone is dealing with a type of loss and who's to say Link isn't? No matter what he may physically look like, he still lost his childhood and now, he's even lost the credibility of his adulthood. The game even begins on his search for Navi, a friend who he LOST. This game is poetic in the story it tells because so many people can take away a lot from it. I personally think the entire game is about Link coping with the loss of his innocence and deciding that even though he was robbed of it, he wasn't going to let it stop him from helping others find peace and hope again. (Sorry this was so long. Thanks for reading!)
@@xglitchthegoblinx You know, I think you bring up an interesting point that illustrates why the Lost Friend angle actually works even more which is kinda funny and baffling but I don’t intend to be mean.
Firstly I have to address that Link liking Navi was not my point. At all. And I don’t agree with how you talk about Link not liking her as a fact. That was never communicated in the games. Among players? For sure but Link himself never expressed canonical explicit dislike for Navi. (Manga is noncanon and even so, they have a minor falling out for like two seconds until Link expresses his care and gratitude for her. :/). Maybe indifference but not dislike. Especially when you compare his relationship to Tatl, where he literally turns to the camera to express his exasperation for her personality in the first 5 minutes of the game and she remarks about him making faces at her or looking at her in disapproving ways.
However, I definitely agree that Link would be searching for a sense of purpose because yes, he is a hero but not by his own choice. Rather, he was chosen by fate and still lost a lot because of it, which /was/ my point.
He lost his innocence, recognition for his accomplishments, his sense of purpose once his destiny was complete. Heck, even his friendship with Saria included.
While he may know her location, I don’t think that means he can still interact with her. He’s still a Hylian and will grow up in just a few years time. Not to mention that Saria is implied to be dead by the time Link comes back to Kokiri forest after he grows up. So it is still a loss that he has to cope with, as I originally stated.
But regardless, I think the beginning of the game still makes sense with the searching for the lost friend angle because we ultimately don’t know if either Navi did return to Kokiri forest or if Saria is ok at this point. And considering that Link probably DOESN’T know what to do with himself after defeating Ganon, the next best thing would be to search the forest for Navi or Saria and then yeah, he gets swept up into saving Termina, essentially by accident. This is also interesting because MM implies that the Skull Kid that terrorizes Termina is the same one you play Saria’s song with in OoT, and where is that Skull Kid found in OoT? In the woods near Kokiri Forest. Then it’s safe to assume Link went back to look for either, but I personally think Navi because of that noise in the beginning.
Right....but did it EVER cross your mind that Romani was raped by aliens like this weird NEXPO kid proposed? Wtf is wrong with him? 14:28
@@JohnDoe-vx9bo HONESTLY IT DID WHEN I CAME BACK TO THIS AND I WAS LIKE "AYO HOLD UP- CAN WE NOT HEADCANON SA PLEASE?"
Yes. And life. And how understanding that everyone struggles with loss and helping one another can heal that pain.
He also lost his horse. If I remember correctly, you already have to have unlocked the Goron mask and the powder keg to even reclaim Epona.
Of all the games that never really needed a creepy pasta. With all due respect for the writer "Ben drown" is kind of just a drop in the bucket compared to the actual content of the game.
Did you see the videos that went along with Ben Drowned? Those are really creepy and well done IMO
@@DLAsmash Oh I wasn't questioning the quality of the work per say. It was more a matter of saying, when you have this kind of game what point does it become piling on.
most of the good part of ben drowned was the gigantic fucking ARG behind it
night mind made a great video covering it, highly recommend watching it
@@erikhawkke4861 I know what you saying. But Ben drowned, when I read that shit years ago, it made me scared of the dark.
I have Ben drowned scratched on my car by some (possibly drunk) youngsters. I wasn't even that mad about it.
Now I am wondering how the Happy Mask Salesman knew that Link’s ocarina was stolen, and how he knew that Link wasn’t a Deku? I also wonder how he knew the melody and power behind the Song of Healing and how it would remove the curse? Is the salesman the one who orchestrated all of this and was behind it all along?
Think about it... He knew that the Skull Kid was lonely, weak, and lost. He gave him Majora’s Mask with the knowledge that it would consume him and cause great evil. He knew that “Fate” would eventually bring the Hero of Time to him. Hence why he waited by the stairs for Link to arrive. Could he be the one pulling the strings all along? Maybe he IS the devil and wanted to cause some mischief in the land. And Lastly, if the mask salesmen knew of the masks power... why not wear it himself? or try to destroy it?
Maybe the Fierce Deity mask is from Adult Link who had already died trying to save Termina?
I also have my issues with the mask salesman, but also skull kid. It's established that skull kid has had a life in Termina, making friends with fairies, the guardian giants and so on. But then skull kid chooses to leave Termina, to go to the lost woods (how does he do that?). There he finds the mask salesman and yoinks Majoras mask, and escapes back to Termina. I'm not sure the intro sequence is portraying that the entrance to Termina is to be found in the Lost Woods (why would it be there in the first place?), or that while they are struggling for Epona, that they are already passing to a parallel world before ending up in a pocket of sorts, where the entrance to Termina exists. Either way, skull kid has already traveled back and forth this entrance long before ever Majoras possession and power, something that Link or anyone has ever been able to do. That is, until the mask salesman follows Link and Skull Kid, somehow finds the entrance, gets in front of Link (who can only traverse the obstacles as a flying kid deku), and then meets Link in the Clock basement?
The mask salesman also has knowledge that exceeds time and everything. Like you said he knew he was a deku, and he knows when Link has traveled back in time the first times.That's the equivalent of seeing Link for the first time and getting angry that he hasn't found the mask yet. So somehow the salesman is not affected in the same way by the time traveling that everyone else is subject to, even Majora(Skull Kid) and Link himself.
Speaking of Epona, skull kid had just ridden Epona there, but how did he move her into Termina? He said he had "gotten rid of her" somehow, probably involving teleportation or something other weird mechanism.
I have also wondered if the salesman was evil, why not wear it himself or make a more direct effort. But he seems in this game to have a more devil-like character. He never directly interferes with events, which in some contexts are true for demons, devil(s), vampires and such. Their influence must be invited. And if he ever offers his help, it's always for his own gain. In this case, a prankster stole a powerful artifact from him, and he will do everything he can to get it back. Speaking from artifacts, how many times have we seen an odd character in a movie or series, acting as a salesman of weird occult trinkets but is really the devil and out to curse victims?
The fierce deity is thought to be related to the Zonai. The ones who made the mazes in BoTW and the ruins in the Faron Woods of BoTW. Also other ruins and temples scattered throughout that world
@@williambarrantes1674 who had linked it to the zonai?
But interesting. Could it be related to the interloper who copied links looks in twilight princess?
Maybe the happy mask salesman never left his castle town shop and there is no termina. Maybe the events of majoras mask is a dream world created by Link as he died? Link is a Hylian and that Kokiri girl you talk to in the side quest to get the big goron sword says all non Kokiri become a Stalfos. At the end of oot Navi flies away and Link goes to look for her and gets lost in the lost woodz and ends up in the dream world of Termina while his body becomes the Stalfos we see in Twilight Princess that teaches the new hero his techniques
I think there’s a piece of dialogue where the happy mask salesman says that he was following link, and in the cutscene where skull kid steals the mask you can see the salesman unconscious on the ground, meaning he didn’t give it to skull kid, it was stolen from him. He’s still a pretty shady character though
Majora's Mask is such a masterpiece. Like honestly, it made me really feel something. We'll never have a game like this ever again :(.
Breath of the wild 2 tho
I played this several times throughout my 32 years in life.....however....it NEVER crossed my mind that Romani was raped by aliens as this cringy weird NEXPO kid suggests. Did you ever think that was the case? 14:28
I think something is wrong with him...
i honestly think the same, no game ever gave me this feeling
@@robertmcdowell6084don’t think tears of the kingdom is of the same vein. Majora’s mask really sticks out in the Zelda series. It’s especially dark and unusual.
TOTK is good, but the story feels a bit more “typical” Zelda. I’ve always enjoyed the more abstract Zelda games, likes Twilight Princess or Wind Waker. Things that felt more distant from how we know the games
Omg this actually made me realize a lot of stuff...I never noticed the Butler crying by the dead deku scrub. That’s so sad :(
Rosco :3
This game came at the perfect time for me and my buddy. I lived in the middle of nowhere in southern Indiana with 2 kids near me, one of which was my video game playing homie. there was no one and nothing else near us to do after we'd fully explored every bit of woods and trails within in biking distance.
We both loved the Zelda series and spent our time doing dumb things like beating RE2 on 64 with the knife but Majora's Mask was truly special to us.
This game was a mindblowing experience for young me. It absorbed months and months of our time, figuring everything out and using the limited time he was allowed to get online with AOL to find what we could to figure out all the million little intricate ways to accomplish things.
This video brings back some serious memories of a game that came at just the right time in my life when I was still getting over just how amazing games like FF7, RE1 and 2 and Ocarina of Time were to let me get a glimpse of something a little deeper and darker, despite my limited ability to fully put all of it together then.
Looking forward to the rest of this video clubbing me with nostalgia.
Same here my friend except in TN
The thing I miss most is the astral observatory.
I swear I could live in that place forever
Majora's Mask Moon: "I am the most disturbing and scary moon in fiction!"
Local58 Moon: "Hold my throne"
BoTW 2 : I'm already darker and I'm not even on stage yet!
(The creator of the game said it would be darker than Majora's Mask)
@Joshua "It's just standing there.
_M E N A C I N G L Y!"_
Moonman:fucking amateurs
@Joshua yeah. But in majora you can’t even survive, at least in local58 you can survive by not looking at the sky.
Wizard101 Orthrus Moon
Was anyone else terrified to be stuck at Romani Ranch at 2:30 AM? I avoided that place *AT ALL COSTS.*
Never even played this game
i had nightmares because of those aliens when i played it as a child
It was not only the creepiness but the *stress* of that objective. It was *hard*.
NK_20 when they’re coming in close and you run out of arrows. Hyehye.
That just means you suck at aiming. Play the shooting galleries, then try. Not only will your aim improve, but you'll get more arrows out of it. Not saying YOU ran out, but it helps to do them. (Do them twice, just saying. You might get something good...)
Shows how twisted Majora is to not only want to destroy all of Termina, but screw up everyone's lives along the way. Manipulating, tricking, lying to, cursing... and ultimately being an entity that cannot be reasoned with.
Ganondorf himself actually had goals and ideals, albeit twisted, but Majora just wants to see the whole Terminian world literally burn. (And possibly Hyrule as the two are connected).
If every mask in Termina is based off of a soul, whatever Majora was originally had to have been something chaotic through and through. It is made clear that Majora feeds off of the despair it causes (contrasted to Fierce Deity who does the opposite).
Also, while other Zelda games thrive on the number 3 (due to the 3 goddesses), Majora's Mask has 4. The goddesses have long left this separated world. You actually have 4 days originally, not 3. But that first cycle you HAVE to see the world destroyed if you go about the game normally. There are 4 regions. 4 giants worshipped in place of the goddesses, etc.
Majora, you definitely cannot trust, or make deals with under any circumstances. It thinks it is doing Termina a favor, hence why in stopping it? YOU are the 'bad guy.' Simply delaying the inevitable fate of Termina. Majora even basically tells you that running away is an okay thing to do. "And when you're the bad guy you just run, right?"
Quebec should be an independent country. Like if you agree!
Could be but I look at it like they were just more comfortable with the 3d setting and how the players handled ocarina. They weren't about to do a flipping dungeon on their first 3d shot on a flagship title you know. It also fits the darker overall tone.
I think that the game's high difficulty was made due to time constraints. There is only 54 minutes worth of content in a three day cycle from the moment you return to normal. Even though it's a short time limit, the Song of Inverted Time slows down time, extending the whole cycle to over three hours total, giving you enough time to plan your schedule. Even so, the constant three day cycle increases the game's replay value.
Majora's Mask was originally going to have a 7 day cycle, but having 7 days worth of content was going to put a heavy strain on the devolopment cycle, given that the game was made in just one year. Besides, the Nintendo 64 also has to keep track of 20 individual schedules at the same time, so this would have also strain the console had this cycle been longer, even with an Expansion Pak. The 20 schedules affected memory so much that the NSTC version had to cut a save file in order to allow quicksave with Owl Statues on the two save files available.
@@Nyxael5845 might also have to do with the fact MMs existence was purely ass pulled from a bet lol
This is such a cool fan theory
@@jordanjoestar9096 lol pretty much
Zelda Majora's mask is the only game that made me have feelings that i never felt before, and i can't even explain it to this day, it's a true masterpiece indeed.
I love watching any video that talks about the dark themes and such of Majora's Mask, and your's did not disappoint. Majora's Mask is easily my all time favorite Zelda game for many reasons and the dark undertones is definitely one of the major ones. There were certain quests and bits of story that didn't get covered here that I was really hoping to see, but oh well. Regardless I think you did a great job talking about Majora's Mask. Looking forward to more spooks from you later this month!
I'm sure someone else has said this already, but the theory at the end has already been debunked. Link can't be trapped in the 3 day cycle at the end of Majora's Mask because it's canon that he appears as the hero's shade in Twilight Princess. It's stated in Hyrule Historia that the hero's shade is OoT Link. The hero's shade is a grown adult, Link grew before he died and was a soldier or knight at some point judging by his armor, missing left eye and the sword skills he teaches you. He had a child as well, it's canon that TP Link is OoT Link's blood descendent. Also, there was an interview stating that the true ending of Majora's Mask is when you get the fierce deity's mask and defeat majora's mask with it. If the defeat of Majora's Mask is part of the canon ending then it'd have to stay dead, not revive over and over, otherwise the true ending would just be you getting the fierce deity's mask. Link came to the lost woods to search for Navi and he rode away after saving Termina to continue looking for her. Also, your idea that Termina was destined to be destroyed is actually debunked by the citizens' own dialogue in game, they all state that the skull kid (Majora's Mask) is responsible for everything going on and that it all started recently. The giant boulder at the ranch for instance, it's explicitly stated by the prospector there that skull kid put it there. Or the curse on Ikana Kingdom, the king states that the skull kid threw open the doors to the stone tower temple and evil poured out. In other words, it wasn't destiny, it was Majora's Mask.
that doesn't mean that link stayed in termina for a long time, he could've stayed there for years even... maybe he wasn't traped there, but he held everyone else in termina as prisioners of that 3 day loop while he was doing whatever, always rewinding back to the dawn of the first day and making everyone suffer those horrible 3 days for as long as he wanted to stay...
that's what the theory is implying, Link became the villain because he made everyone suffer as a whim. with the Fierce Deity's Mask he had an incredible amount of power, comparable to that of majora's. with that reward from the he kept the loop going for as long as he pleased, only letting the moon fall and everyone in termina die once he got out of there. termina was destined to be destroyed. link became the one tormenting the souls of the inhabitants in termina, making them relive their horrors in those everlasting 3 days left.
Yeah, i understood the theory and responded to it above, did my response not debunk the theory for you? If he was trapped in the 3 day cycle he wouldn't have aged. If he was "trapped", then how did he age with time repeating over and over? Also, when he said "maybe it was destined to be destroyed", i believe he specified it as even without majora's mask there it might've been destined to be destroyed. To this i pointed out that the citizen's dialogue says that all these troubles surfaced recently as a result of the skull kid. As in, Termina was peaceful before the skull kid arrived, this is evident in the story of the giants told by Anju's grandmother at the inn where she describes a time of peace before the "imp" (skull kid) comes through and messes with things. Termina is blessed by the 4 giants and the carnival held at the end of each year is there to thank them and ask for another good harvest the next year.
Okay, but it's not it's own game... It's part of the child timeline. It comes after OoT and before TP. I think the terrible logic here would be to ignore it's canon timeline placement JUST so that the theory you like makes sense. Anything can make sense if you ignore enough details so that it does. Also, never mind the "retcon", the ending of MM itself debunks the theory; it literally shows Link ride off on Epona and the happy mask salesman says that Majora's mask is purified. The four giants are free again to guard Termina as they always have. The story Anju's grandmother tells states that the four giants decided long ago to guard the people in their slumber and took 100 steps in each cardinal direction to sit vigil. The guardian dieties are back and there is nothing indicating that Link is trapped in Termina. The ending implies happiness, like the rest of the games. Link's job as a hero is to save.
@@jorgeoquendo7514 how do you know he aged there??
@@jorgeoquendo7514
Psst! It wasn't Granny from the Inn that was attacked by Sakon, it was the bomb shop owner's mother. Granny, on the other hand, seems to have some form of alzheimer's, and is constantly calling everyone by her deceased son's name. (Though if you read her journal, you'll find that she often knowingly uses this to avoid eating her Granddaughter Anju's cooking.)
My eyes practically rolled to the back of my head when you suggested that barn girl gets raped by the aliens.
It’s like the Most forced grimdark theory i’ve heard in a long time
That part grossed me out
@@Lanzeon what does that mean
@@dairius3547 dark and terrible often for no reason.
@@madisonchamberlain2053 oh thx
"rather than button smashing through the dialogue like i used to" child me feels personally attacked lmao
23 minutes? I'm here for it.
Majora's mask had one of the best openings, that ambience and him kinda realizing he's lost with epona
It’s crazy that Nintendo made this masterpiece in a year
Not really
That moon is kinda hot ngl
Lmao
Id smash tho...
@@sackboy3161 and it would too in about 3 days
Just wait until the 3 days are up to get more "intimate" with it
Oh God. You cannot be serious. 😂
Something about majoras masks has always kinda creeped me out, but as a Zelda fan, I really appreciate it.
THE M O O N
Nightmare Expo :0 omg not the M O O N
I've Never played a zelda game but this game looks creepy af
@@Nexpo Local58 much?
Why does it seem like everyone had the same experience with Majora, falling in love with Zelda when we were kids, but then playing it in college to fill a void after failing to finish it as a child, and then loving the message.
When I was 11-13, me and my friend played this daily. It was my game, but I would bring it to his house. We liked it so much that when he moved, he tried to steal my n64 expansion pak, I got it back, but he did sneak off with my holocart copy.
As an adult, I re assembled the whole game, box, manual, and holo cart, and have it sitting in a protective case.
Not because a friend stole it from me, or to rebuild what was lost, and not to replay the game again... but out of sheer respect of how deeply that game made a rather innocent 13 year old feel extreme depths, by exposing awful truths.
Though I respect your thought process, I think you're going a little TOO deep here. Hyrule Historia shared with us that the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess is this Link. So the entire theory of being in this loop in Termina is already sort of debunked by that. Link made it back to Hyrule, because his grave can be found in the graveyard in Hyrule Castle in Twilight Princess. I don't see The Happy Mask Salesman as the devil. He is definitely mysterious, and vital to the plot for this story, but he is not the "devil."
The reason you keep the Fierce Deity's Mask in the end is simply a decision for replay value, since the playable game only exists within the 3 days (the story ends with a new day, so why would you be able to play here?), it gives you an easy way to clear all Temples so that you can complete story arcs that require it if you didn't do it the first time. To argue this, you'd have to also be asking why they let you keep all items and weapons every time you go back in time as well. It's just simply a game mechanic decision. This is actually one of my more favorite parts of Majora's Mask, that you can essentially play temples over and over again without starting a new file if you really wanted to. Sometimes, you just have to separate what was meant to be part of the story, the end of a story, and general gameplay. You go back to the First Day after the New Day because that's just simply THE GAME. It's sort of like saying Link is stuck in a perpetual battle with Ganon at the end of Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, etc. because the game puts you back before the boss after beating the game. The story clearly shows that Link leaves at the end of each of these games. That's why I think you're going too deep. You're attaching a story theory to just how the game is designed, where no story is meant to be.
But I do agree with your thoughts on the symbolism. Grief, death, hopelessness. You forget to mention that at the end, the Happy Mask Salesman acknowledges that Link made everyone very happy, and that he succeeded in ridding the evil in Majora's Mask.
There are definitely a lot of themes and tones to pick up on in this game, which is why it's my absolute favorite. Aonuma has said that back then when his child was younger, he developed these stories with him in mind. He wanted his kid to be able to learn life lessons in each game. And I think the story here is how to cope with the harder parts of life.
So, again, I respect your perspective on this, and it's definitely an interesting theory, but I guess I disagree about some things.
Best comment in the section my dude.
good comment
Mask salesman is confirmed a demon in the manga, plus he resembles the five moon children, who can be inferred as imps or demons.
@@CassiusStelar none of the manga adaptations are remotely cannon. They introduce new characters, motivations, and concepts not found in the original stories. The plot is about the only thing they have in common
@@CassiusStelar He's not confirmed a demon, he's only heavily implied to have a more sinister motive which is never revealed. But it's non-canon anyway.
This is intense why did I never see this but I did remember that creepy ass moon....... Actually never forgot it
@Phil Ill ayyyyyyy
This game always had a weird sense of wholesomeness to me. Like, it's tragic what happens in the game, but Link's actions help the characters move on and accept the things that have happened to them. The one scene that always brings me to tears tho, is when we learn Skull Kid's origin (something that can be glossed over entirely). It's just very real, and it's something that feels like it could happen to actual people. I love this game, it's so great.
One of the things that really hit me, and i didn't even think about it until I was older, was the fact that none of the people you make happy...stay happy. For example if you help Anju and Kafei, they get married happily and everything is hunky dory and you get their mask...but then you go back in time to do something else and Anju is back to looking for her lost love. Kafei is hiding. Ultimately, you dont really change anything.
I was expecting you to go a different route, that upon receiving the Fierce Deity Mask and using it he becomes intoxicated with its power and refuses to let his adventure truly end and uses the mask's power along with the Ocarina of Time to maintain the time loop, so he and the Skull Kid can play forever.
I like this
@@Lobexx Seconded
Getting a Joker and Batman vibe from that
Oof, yeah I like this one a lot more
Every so often, Nintendo makes shit a bit dark in their games. Majora's Mask, Luigi's Mansion, Metroid Fusion... And, it's always awesome.
The Shadow Temple from Oot
In the official Hyrule Encyclopedia, it is stated that Termina is nothing more than a figment of the Skull Kid's imagination brought to life by the mask, and that once the mask was defeated and Link left, Termina ceased to exist.
literally not possible since Termina existed long before Skull Kid got the mask, stop believing that
@@theomega7699 source? His mind together with the mask created all that pre majoras mask legend that people in termina believe. Why do u think the whole world revolves around skull kid?
This is straight from Nintendo so.
@@JameeloJameelo Let's see.
Tael and Tatl existed BEFORE the Mask, since they literally were with the Skull Kid the moment he stole the mask.
They both were both in Termina for years before the Mask.
At the end of the game the Mask lost all it's power and yet everything is still existing.
Anju Grandmother storys about the giants and they helping the skull los doesn't work if the Mask made the world, since it only wants to consume everything, kind of going against it's own desire by making the only things capable of stopping him.
Also Hyrule Encyclopedia wasn't actually liscenced by Nintendo, a good deal of it it's headcannon, like the Kokiri being just hylian kids or the hero's shade being a normal Stalfos
@@JameeloJameelo Also, Termina revolves around Skull Kid because:
A) he's the one doing mischief
B) he's literally friends with the gods of Termina
Fav game is majoras mask? Obsessed with paper Mario and Zelda? Huge horror/thriller fanatic? Are we brothers lol
I kinda like the theory that Link is Trapped perpetually in Termina, but Hyrule Historia really throws a wrench, rock, goldbar, and bomb into your idea there, because Majora's Mask is followed up by Twilight Princess in the Timeline, and TP Link is a descendant of Majora Link, and also the Hero's Shade apparently. But the Idea of Link being perpetually trapped in Termina, doomed to go into the Lost Woods and Stumble upon it over and over again only to relive saving everyone is one that's Rather Interesting, as well as the idea that Happy Mask Salesman is also a sort of Devil in this situation regardless. Thanks for showing off my favourite game, your video on it, though short, was incredibly enjoyable, kind of like every other video ever made on it. Now for my theory on Majora, it won't take too long I hope.
I like to think Majora, The Fierce Deity and the mentioned "Goddess of Time" mentioned throughout the game are representations of the Triforce in Termina, each one having an overall theme of chaos. Majora is a wild, child-like god who torments and destroys as if playing with toys, and that's not just because of Skullkid, it's even showed off in the final boss fight, where Skullkid is not present. The Fierce Deity is supposedly, according to interviews, the accumulation of all the Terminians' hopes and dreams, but is still said to "Have powers as dark as Majora's," I think referencing the chaotic nature of the mask. And the Goddess of Time, first mentioned by Tatl, is an ethereal being who has no defined form, but allows Link to reset after every fuck up or Song of Time, Using her powers along side the Ocarina's Magic to constantly revert time to allow Link to complete the quest, which would explain why Link can't bring back certain items through time or any at all if it's the bad ending. So there are my thoughts on what's going on behind the scenes in the world of Termina.
Fierce deity is actually the termina version of link. Unlike link, he is evil and extremely powerful.
no. he is not evil he is the spirit of the wanderer (implied god, aka Diety) who defeated the original majora , it is shown in the manga for majoras mask
Majora was a rampaging dragon hunted down by people believing taking his hide would grant their wishes, Majora killed them all but was tired of living himself, but couldn't die and this dude appeared and instead of fighting he talked to Majora and then used his bongos to make him dance for 3 days straight, killing him, after that he carved a mask using the dragon's hide to seal its power
Also, I don't believe believe he is the termina version of Link because termina isn't a parallel hyrule, to be parallels mean that there is a 1:1 correlation between both, but since he have multiple versions of the same characters (ingo-> the 3 gorman brothers), some, across multiple timelines (Malon-> Cremia(old) Romani (Young)) this makes it impossible, I believe termina to be more of a special dimension that changes acording to the people who visit it (similar to the chamber of requirement in the Harry Potter Series) I believe the only "real" characters in the game are Link, The Skullkid and maybe the Mask salesman (but he could be a sort of "guardian" of this dimension since he shows supernatural powers and knowledge outside of that world)
Remember at the beginning of the game when you chase the skull kid and fall into a pit with trippy images? I believe that is the moment Termina "scans" link and modifies itself, adding more objects and people based on his memories
BUT HEY, THAT JUST A THEORY PLS LIKE COMMENT N SUBSCRIBE
@@VGInterviews That was only in the manga, and the manga isn't canon. Though I do think your theory is very interesting ;D
lmao not only did it throw a wrench into it it also threw a rock, a gold bar and a bomb into it
I love majoras mask. Just saying
I love it too. I just wish Nintendo would write more dark and grim stories like this. Paper Mario and The Thousand Year Door was the closest in terms of dark and grim.
good on you bro :)
@@knox7945 You forgot Super Paper Mario, that shit was even worse than TTYD
i watched my older sister play through this game when i was younger, (hardly literate), but the thing that always freaked me out was the movement. some characters (like Skull Kid's) movement reminded me of how the druggies in my city would often move.
Jesus Christ I never noticed but yeah I kind of know what you’re talking about, skull kid wise
Deku scrub... SCRUB! How have I taken so long to see this!? He turns us into a scrub at the beginning!
It becomes absolutely heartbreaking when you see the remains of a dead deku scrub minutes later in that area.
I really wanna see a spinoff channel of you talking about your favorite video games now. Maybe a pilot episode of a new series could be Ocarina of time? I dunno, just spitballing
Good point. We definitely need more gaming episodes, though.
Imagine a episode on Resident Evil 7, or Layers of Fear, or even... anything in Kirby Lore. No, seriously, Kirby lore is really, really eerie and depressing.
Uncle Richard's Smoke Detector ok.....
Never clicked on anything so fast
I had a similar experience with a book called the Silver Key when I was a kid. I tried reading it and just couldn't grasp it. Later, I came back, and realized it was a very cool book. I love what understanding time can give you.
One curious thing to note about the Song of Healing: If you take the first 6 notes and play them backward and speed them up, you get Saria's Song from Ocarina Of Time, which is one of the most cheerful tunes you can play on an ocarina. Funny how playing that backward and at half speed turns one of the most upbeat, cheerful melodies in a Zelda game into one of the most haunting ones.
I love people how make such great theory videos and when it comes to their own theory it's like they completely miss the entire point of everything that they themselves just said before. You don't even need to, say, mention the fact that if Link is trapped forever in Termina would make it pretty difficult him to be the a full grown Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess. Your perception of the ending is almost the complete antithesis of the whole message of the game.
In a way, Majora is a representation of death, or rather the "peace" that comes with death. The whole story is framed so that Majora is actually the hero, (It's also on purpose and quite funny you believed Majora that Fierce Diety was bad and that Majora was "good"). How? Everyone is clearly aware of the amount of suffering that all of the citizens of termina go through. What they don't understand is why Majora is doing this. It's to grant them peace. By killing them through the moon, none of the citizens have to deal with the suffering in their life or even overcoming it. They will just cease to exist.
However, as players and living beings, we're already somewhat skepticial that this is an idea. Ikana Valley is supposed to represent what would happen in the aftermath. There's no suffering, just death and decay. Is that the kind of world we want to create for ourselves and for our offspring? A barren wasteland? No. So, Link goes out of his way to DENY people's peace of death, refusing to let them die and forcing them to suffer (side note, very nietzschean) in hopes that they might continue to live again to see a brighter, better, happier, "new day". That's why Majora thinks that Link is the bad guy, from Majora's warped perspective, Link is actually making people suffer, but as players and humans, we understand that overall, through the experience of suffering, everyone actually grows stronger.
Oh my goodness, you are amazing, thank you for this ;o;
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
You seriously believe the official timeline?
@@elgatochurro
It's pretty obvious that Twilight Princess is a sequel to Majora's Mask and that the Hero's Shade is the Hero of Time though.
Fanta Ven so much better, danke
Isn't it Bomb Shop Lady the one who gets assaulted by Sakon?
16:56 "None of them [Zelda games] let you continue in endgame."
In the Oracle games you can continue exploring the world after the final boss is defeated and everyone has new dialogue/events about how you beat the big bad.
but in majora's mask you reloop those 3 days, making everyone suffer again and again indefinetly... the little deku butler, the gorons, the man with the mummy curse thing... everyone unless you save them that cycle... that's why he bacame the villain, he held everyone in termina prisioners of their worst and last 3 days of their lives only to let them die once he got out of termina and returned to the woods
La nariz de tucan de Jeon Jungkook
look at my comment, it is the second or first one after the pinned comment.
The one exception then
I never beat the true final boss from linking the games. Can you still play after you beat him?
I think the concept of time and stress are directly linked to the feelings that Aonuma felt while making the game it was his first shot at a mainline Zelda and he had a little over a year, maybe not purposefully but most certainly subconsciously his anxiety’s the pressures and stress from undertaking
Such a big task with huge time constraints to be near or better than ocarina of time.
That’s the most interesting interruption of the desire for creating the game the way he did I’ve ever heard.
I had a similar experience, where I also could not exactly appreciate or feel motivated enough to finish the game as a kid. Revisiting it when I was older definitely helped and it's nice to see other people have done the same.
finally a spooktober special without loud skeletons
nIgHtMare ur vID wasNT ScAry omG
jk Don't hurt me.
i heart this
@@Nexpo In all seriousness, loving the video. Well done sir.
Delete this
@@vertergaminghd399 Why? Nightmare Expo already hearted A Bandit's comment already.
@@thema1998 It was supposed to be a joke
"They" are actually based off of the Flatwoods Monster in West Virginia.
I have a few things to say. The first is, yes, the game TECHNICALLY starts from the first day after the end credits, but that is simply a game function. In the credits, it is seen that Link leaves Termina. I just think that Termina is not forever doomed. Also, I wanted the point out that Link made his way back to Hyrule, but his childhood was permanently stained. The Shadow Temple, The Demon King Ganon, and all of the events that he experienced in both Ocarina Of Time and Majora’s Mask. His mental state would be very fragile, and could be one of the many reasons why he eventually turned into a shade in Twilight Princess.
Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game. It's bizarre, unsettling, beautiful, and I honestly think it shaped my personality at a very young age. I've seen this video on your channel for a while but I've honestly been hesitant to watch it because the game is so special to me. Here we go!
Edit: I literally cheered a little the moment you brought up Romani Ranch. One of the best examples of this game's brilliance. It's also amazing how the people at the ranch act throughout the 3 day cycle. It's super sad as time goes on.
However, I don't think the Fierce Deity Mask is connected to the Happy Mask Salesman, since the Moon Child is the one who gives it to you, nor do I think Link is trapped forever in Termina. Contrary to popular belief I don't see the Happy Mask Salesman as an antagonistic force in the story. Could he have his own agenda? Could he somehow be a "bad guy"? Maybe. But I don't think he was the secret mastermind behind the conflict. I think the real questions revolve around WHAT Majora and the "Fierce Deity" actually are. The Japanese version makes it even MORE clear by calling the Fierce Deity Mask the "devil mask". Whatever the mask is based on is pure evil. There's also the question of how exactly the bosses, the moon, the moon children, and Majora relate to one another.
I think it reflects my personality as well. Ps reference jumanji, Zulu masks spirits beliefs to get a better understanding of, well, all of it.
Loved this! I look forward to these videos every time. Legend of Zelda series holds a sentimental place in my heart. Link to the Past was one of my first video games and I played with my mom. Since then Link has had my heart. I'm always thrilled and appreciative of the layers revealed in the story line, like this one in Majora's Mask.
So happy you included the intro. It’s always been one of my favorite openings of a game. Totally sets the mood and stuck with me until this day. This whole year has had that same feel.
I feel privileged to say I found every mask In the game as a kid
Had GameCube collectors edition fell in love with ocarina but honestly love the dark tone in majora especially the final boss forms
Did you find it on your own or did you use a guide?
BRO MAJORAS MASK IS THE SHITTT
I honestly can't describe how much of a fan I am of the game tbh
No
@@1Loftwing1 Different strokes for different folks
Your channel is criminally underrated
That alien invasion at the ranch scared the shit out of me as a child.
This was a good video for me until 15:54 where I felt it goes off on a tangent. I don't agree with your theory. I think the end credits give us a glimpse at what happens next with Link safely returned to the woods of Hyrule. The fact that the three day cycle starts over, complete with the Fierce Deity mask is simply so that you can continue to play the game including trying out that amazing mask in the other boss fights. Nothing more, nothing less.
This is my absolute favorite game ever! even as a kid i was so blown away by how incredible every aspect of the game intertwines and i didn't even understand what was going on and now that i do im just blown away how insane this game is even still. Every small detail and melancholy moment. It truly is a one of a kind game. I'd highly recommend anyone to play it even tho has dark subjects it handles them so beautifully. And this video sums up alot of good points and some i haven't considered. Very well done!
My new favorite Halloween yet due to you.
Thanks man
It's about deadlines. They were on a really tight schedule to follow up a massive commercial success and that feeling just leaked into the game and got magnified. Happy Mask Salesman is based on Miyamoto, who was in charge. It's literally a Japanese salaryman's nightmare.
dude you make such good content that is thought provoking and mysterious without being eye rolling or pretentious. It's really amazing. Props
I loved the existence of the time travel system. Whenever I played other games there was always this hint of sadness after accomplishing something knowing that there was no going back unless you literally restarted the game. There was something so refreshing to my anxiety that with just a song I could return to the first day and redo portions I loved and repeatedly see the result of my actions. Though I was progressing, there was so much less of this sense of permanence and things being unchangeable. The fluidity is nice. It’s still the very best game to calm me when I’m feeling anxious.
This game sounds complicated, think I'll stick to go fish.
Lol
The scene that most stuck with me was the argument between the Mayor, the construction workers, and the guards over evacuating the town. There's no right or wrong, just a bunch of scared people trying to come to a decision.
This was the very first game I bought with "my own money" as a young boy. Watching this really brings back the memories and a few tears! Well done!
When I first played majoras mask as a kid I didn’t get it either. I loved it but then I FINALLY got to the song of time everything else made sense from there. Thankfully I didn’t have to look it up. It just eventually clicked after enough experimentation. I thought I was missing some sort of sage device at first 😂
Congratulations, you just turned a dark story to something darker and depressing!
I've only recently discovered your channel and thought today about how I hoped you knew about this game (since I had seen the Moon in some of your openers). I was going to mention it to you, as I was excited to see what your perspective would be of this game, and lo and behold, it shows up in my suggestions feed.
This game has always been my favourite. Even in 2019 with all the other releases, Majora's Mask lays near and dear in my heart. At a young age, it frightened me. Growing up and reading theories and thinking about it more, I came to love it to almost the point of obsession. I remember spending days having conversations in fan forums, arguing with people about the trite theory that "Link is dead" and how it is a weak and flimsy theory at best. I hated that theory with a passion, and I could never understand why until recently. Death has become a prominent visitor to my family lately. With several aunts and uncles, and now, my own mother, all passing on to another life, I thought about their lives. Their trials, their victories, their losses, their lessons... I picked up my iPod and listened to the music I had and a few songs in, Theophany's Lover's Mask began to play. I let myself remember the whole quest involved with getting those two lovers reunited and the feeling of accomplishment I got from it...
Then I realized why I hated the Link is dead theory. It negates every single thing Link had accomplished. It makes all of the suffering, all of the victories, all of the losses, all the friends, all the memories mean nothing. It invalidates the whole experience and thus, my feelings towards the game. Link endured this trial to help him grow. In Ocarina of Time, he saw things no children should have seen. He did things no child should do. People seem to forget that, while Link is in an adult's body, his mind is still that of a child. His last memory before waking up and being forced to go through every temple was of him pulling the sword out of the pedestal, up to that point he was a brave child, but then this child is forced to fight the King of Evil's henchmen, all the while trying to grow accustomed to his new, and foreign body that is very much his, but not as he remembers it. Throughout that journey, he relied upon Navi heavily to guide him, to talk him through things, to be at his side. It is only natural that some one who needed a fairy that badly to chase after her, even through the terrifying depths of the Lost Woods.
Majora's Mask was about him learning independence. It was about Link finding his own footing in the world without Navi. It was about him experiencing human emotions--adult emotions--to allow him to grow up after missing out on those years he was locked away in the Sacred Realm with the Sage Raru.
This game touched my heart upon realizing these things. I had gathered most of that realization before, but once I knew why I hated the other theory and what it meant to me, I can't help but love this game even more.
I'm sorry for the long-winded post. Seeing that you've done a video about this game has brought me joy. Thank you for a satisfying scratch to an itch that would come a little over a year after you would post this video.
Excellent video, but saying Romani could've been assaulted is outlandish dude.
Yeah, I was literally thinking the same thing, that came out of nowhere wtf?
Happy marathon, and early Halloween, Expo. 🎃
One thing I love about MM being a sequel; It raises the question. What do you do when you've fulfilled your destiny? Link was dragged into the events of OOT sort of like a prophecy, but now that he has succeeded in that destiny and embarks on his own personal quest to find his friend, only then does he get dragged into saving Termina.
It's an opening with more character than most video game introductions.
Right. Happily ever after.. then what?
Majora's Mask (my favorite Zelda game) turned 20-years old today. I have soo many fascinating memories playing and watching my older brother play this game in the basement. It was only today that I discovered that our birthdays are very close to each other. Amazing job on the video! 🙏🏼
Funnily enough, I was in tune far more with this game at a young age than you describe, probably explains why I am so warped. You - took your time, boy.
Hopelessness? We call that *DESPAIR*
upupupupupupupu
This is dark atmosphere done right, not that twilight princess artificial stuff
Cannot agree more. This game introduces mature elements in subtle yet effective ways. TP is just... edgy? The way they stablish atmosphere in MM simply has no parallel
I've loved this video since it came out. Only in the past couple months have I fallen in love with your content and just realized that YOU made this! That's insane to me, I've watched this at least 3 times! Making it 4 :)
You literally described my childhood with this game. No walkthroughs, using game guides yet no money to buy them, then giving up till growing up and deciding to finally try to master.
My personal theory is that this game takes place in links head. At the end of ocarina of time link goes to look for navi, he goes into the forbidden forest and is slowly losing his mind. As he goes deeper and deeper into the forest he starts to lose it because he doesn't have his fairy to guide him. And when anyone wanders into the forbidden woods without a fairy, they turn into a stalfos. The same stalfos that trains link in twilight princess
Majoras Mask is a deep well of inspiration and creativity. A masterpiece
This is such a good documentarie. I watched this nearly 20 times. I could watch majoras mask documentaries all day and UA-cam needs more.
Nexpo, I hadn't watched this since the marathon when it first uploaded. The intro brought me back to that night and it gave me a creepy vibe/entertaining feeling. Loved it
FINALLY! The Link is dead theories were ridiculous to me, they were creepypastas to quickly explain the spooky theme but they don't explain anything at all.
The child wearing Majora's mask blatantly states that when you get the mask you'll be the bad guy, Link in this strange domain needs to get rid of every child and leave the last one who says "everyone has gone away" to get the mask. Then there's the symbolism of Majora representing the sun and Fierce Deity has decorations of the moon, which is strange considering it is the moon that will destroy Termina.
"Are you ready?
you're the bad guy.
And when you're bad, you just run.
That's fine right?"
you have to remember that this is majora's perspective, for him, the destruction of the world will bring peace to everyone, while link tries to keep them alive so that they solve their problems.
so to majora, link is making people suffer facing their problems instead of making they all die
The only theory I believe was the Deku Mask theory, which apparently was confirmed by Nintendo anyways.
I loved the puzzles in Majora's Mask. Solving all the puzzles without a guide took a lot of work.
The thumbnail itself gave me chills.
Thank you so much for this!! MM is definitely my absolute favorite LOZ game, & my son & I would play this as much as we could, until we beat it.
The graphics, the houses, the music... amazing! Loved this ❤️