Why Majora's Mask is a Melancholic Masterpiece

Happy Easter everyone! Apologies for the late upload, trying to stick to schedules while not burning myself out is hard and I think I've found a good balance between working on these projects and taking time to enjoy myself. If you have any constructive criticism, please leave it below!

For me one of the saddest a parts of the game is definitely Cremia and Romani’s quests. An older sister essentially trying to keep her younger sister’s childhood innocence for 3 more days before the world comes to an end. Even going to the extent of feeding her an alcoholic milk based beverage to do so. All this from a game that is practically rated E for everyone. This game truly is something else.

The reason the game hits the way it does is because how the development team behind the game was being treated and such at the time. There was a interview about the game's development and the game itself is the embodiment of the things they had to go through and on such a tight schedule set by Nintendo some of them would have lost their jobs or so if they didn't reach it. This game isn't just a masterpiece and a work of art. It's a collective of all their grief, stress, and pressure they had went through throughout the entire development of the game.

oh majoras mask… not only my favorite zelda game, but my favorite video game of all time… i grew up with this game, the music of clocktown brings me so much nostalgia … the colors, the atmosphere, the story, the characters, the side quests it’s all so amazing

Man i love majoras mask video essays. My favorite genre on youtube

Majora's Mask has always been my favorite, not just my favorite game from the Zelda series, but my favorite of all time. From the more realistic presentation of the story via the looming threat of the moon overhead, to the catchy songs that can still pull of a sad melody during the right moments, or the excellent design choices surrounding the leadups to each dungeon and the way each dungeon makes use of a transformation mask, this game complements everything Ocarina of Time did well on and then adds on to that even further. Features like choosing to opt for a song that allows you to warp to owl statue's signifying places you've already visited on the map and featuring a mask that lets you sink underwater on-the-fly, and a mask that allows for fast ground travel, feels like smart and thought out game design, especially if you compare it to Ocarina of Time. I especially like seeing how much more thought and care went into the game's characters and their own story arcs which you experience through side quests. Collecting the masks in Majora's Mask, ironically, is one of the most fun side quests to do outside of the main adventure, with the game even giving you a badass reward for getting all the masks. I especially like the stories behind each of the transformation masks. They really help to exemplify the game's overall darker tone with how those masks are obtained by healing the souls of creatures that were ultimately cursed by the side effects of what Majora's Mask did to them. I really doubt there will be another game from the Zelda series with as much thought put into it's gameplay, story, it's characters as individual people rather than NPC's, and it's overarching themes for reasons like these. If that's the case, then this will forever live on as my favorite video game ever made!

Of all the tragic stories in Majora’s Mask I feel the butler gets overlooked as likely the saddest. He’s really the only one who gets no kind of closure or resolution. Tons of the storylines are sad, but have some type of catharsis when you finish the quest/storyline. Kafei finds out Anju still loves him, Lulu finds her voice and has her children, when Snowhead thaws the Elder’s son is happy and goes to the races etc etc. I’m sure the poisoned water wasn’t desirable to the Deku, but it didn’t seem to be hurting their area. It’s not the butler’s daughter who is missing. In the end he’s the only one who is truly left with nothing.

Best game in the series, no contest.

Makes me happy seeing people still talk about this masterpiece of a game :)

love when yt actually recommends some cool slept on creator whos genuinely passionate

This game also spawned the most iconic and longest Creepy Pasta series ever to exist.

im surprised you didnt talk about the final hours theme

It's a masterpiece because it feels like OOT (uses same engine), but goes its own original way and is still the darkest Zelda. I still have my original N64 copy.

Very decent video for a channel the size of yours.. well done you deserve more recognition. I want to see more now!

I like to separate the zelda games between the 'hyrule/triforce' games and the 'other games'-- In that vein, link's awakening and majora's mask, the 'other games,' are games that deal with things other than saving the world. while link's awakening is a about letting go of dreams and facing reality, majora's mask is a bit letting go of grief and anger, and being able to overcome pain. they are more than just stories about power and wisdom, they are mostly stories about courage. :D

The thing that I will always love about Majora's Mask is that is a wonderful place to explore some very difficult topics while always emphasising the Light in the stories at the end. I would even say that it's perfect for children in that way, after watching a video on why it's good that Puss in Boots: The Last Wish scares them. And I think that is where my completionist streak started, to be honest. There is so much melancholy yet Light in this game that I wanted to see the full, happy credits. Which is another very powerful thing about this game. The credits show you what you have done and how everything continues. Life goes on and gets better, no matter how dark it is now. I'm rambling, but I absolutely adore this game to bits. And no matter how good Tears of the Kingdom is, I don't expect it to topple Majora's Mask on my list. Not with all the importance it has in my life.

I don’t care how many people do video essays on the “darker tone” of this game… I will watch every single one. Because this game is that good.

Just finished the video and was shocked at your subscriber count. More people need to see this! I just subscribed

Hey its pun, didn't know you made a yt channel slash, Ill give it a subscribe. Wish you luck bro. Great vid btw love majora mask.

I received my copy of it on Christmas 2000. Every year I play it on Christmas Eve to new years eve to save the world for another year