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The legend of Zelda continues with this fantastic
sequel.
The story begins with Link searching for his fairy
companion, Navi. Two other fairies startle Epona, Link's horse,
and Link gets thrown off and left unconscious. The Skull-Kid
wearing Majora's Mask steals Epona and Link's Ocarina of Time. By
the time Link catches up, Epona is gone and Link is transformed
into a Deku Scrub. A fairy abandoned by the Skull-Kid decides to
join Link on his quest into a parallel world where almost every
character looks like someone from Hyrule.
In the meantime, the Skull-Kid
has caused the moon to fall to the earth, which sets up the goal
of the game--helping Link reclaim his Ocarina of Time and stopping
the moon from falling in only three game days! Fortunately, the
Song of Time allows Link to relive the same 3 days over and over
again as he gradually fixes the problems scattered throughout the
world on his journey to the moon.
Players guide Link on his quest,
and collect masks along the way. Each mask has special powers--the
Zora Mask, for example, turns Link into Mikau, the legendary
guitar-playing Zora; the Postman's Hat allows Link to look into
postboxes in order to find money; and the Mask of Scents heightens
Link's sense of smell.
Players learn special songs that
help them along. There are 10 songs altogether, each of which
helps Link accomplish different tasks. The Song of Soaring, for
example, allows Link to teleport to owl statues throughout the
world in order to get around quickly. The Goron Lullaby lulls
Gorons to sleep and can be used to get to Snowhead Temple.
A wide range of items and weapons
can be collected, such as different types of swords and shields,
bombs, deku sticks, and magic beans. These are useful in different
degrees, depending on the item. Arrows of all types are especially
helpful for Link's defence, while deku nuts are less essential.
While an excellent game overall, we have a couple of minor
complaints. For one, the opening sequence in which Link is in Deku
Scrub form requires many specific and unclear tasks to be completed
within a time limit before players are introduced to the game
proper. For another, save points are relatively infrequent when Link
is out adventuring, and are in fact unavailable until the lengthy
Deku Scrub section is completed! This means that the game is not
conducive to quick play sessions. These small problems do not take
away the fact that the game is quite excellent all around, however.
Majora's Mask features
rich and challenging gameplay. Kids are immersed in a fabulous
fantasy world, and they won't "beat" the game too soon,
either.
Note: This game requires an
Expansion Pak if playing the game on the N64.
Pros:
- Rich and challenging
gameplay.
- Long-playing.
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Cons:
- Lack of "save points", making it difficult to jump
in and out of the game.
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