The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

nathandouglasdavis Mar 11, 2021

4

A story of masks. The evil mask is fought with righteous masks. The major threat that Link is trying to prevent is Stalkid calling the moon down and the massive destruction that would inevitably cause. This is possible because Majora's Mask apparently makes anything possible. Link has decided to follow the vague advice of some fairy who barely seems like fe knows what fe's doing--presumably because there aren't any better plans---and go to the Swamp, Mountain, Ocean, and Valley. At each of those locations, there is a giant masked monster that is causing environmental shifts and other problems for the locals. Fe learns songs from people that fe can play on feir ocarina. And fe receives some masks after the deaths of some people that allow fem to transform into various species--Deku Nut, Goron, Zora--with some of the benefits that come from being those species. I enjoyed seeing the different species. After defeating each of these four boss monsters, a giant is released from their masks. We only see the giants' legs, with their waist up being covered by clouds, so it's a satisfying reveal when chapter 7 shows their full and glorious form. The beginning and end are dealt with in more depth and the middle sections--where I assume most of the gameplay occurs--is condensed to only include the most plot-forwarding aspects. The final chapter is an origin story for the mask. The story had the structural rigidity that comes from it being based on a Zelda game, the fights were pretty lackluster, and the ending was just whatever. Similarly to Link's Awakening, it takes place in another, non-Hyrule dimension--this time called Termina. I'm not entirely clear on the nature of Termina or whether this Link ever ends up back in Hyrule or not (or if Hyrule even exists in this timeline anymore or not), but I did get the impression that its formation might have been caused by Majora's Mask.

JtkBasketball Jun 15, 2013

6.5

First of all, I would like to clarify that if you have not played the game this score would probably be lower.  This manga was very fast paced and barely scratched the surface of the game. In just 10 chapters it attempts to go through the entire Majora's Mask storyline as well as some extra stuff. There were parts that were cool, but overall it was disappointing.  Story: The story moves along so fast that it is to a fault. Big boss batte scenes are 1 page long for example. The story is there, but it is almost identical to the game so I can't give it higher than a 7. Art: I really like the art, and I thought that each mask form of Link looked great. Sometimes the art left for something to be desired, but other times it was really well done.  Characters: The manga is so short that there is no developement in almost every character. I like the characters, but that is because they are nostalgic to me from the game. Overall: If you were a fan of the game, I would say check this out. It is a nice way to kill an hour of time and see a somewhat different perspective. If anything just read the last bonus chapter. It is really cool and I loved it.  This review is similar to the manga. It is fast and not in depth. Don't expect a Monster storyline when you read this (see what I did there?)