Almost 25 Years On, No Zelda Game Is Quite Like Majora's Mask

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Almost 25 years after its original release, remains an anomaly in the franchise. Unlike the entries that came before, chose to focus on darker themes and a mature tone that fans of the series would not have been accustomed to. While this distinction has sometimes made a black sheep in the franchise, this unique approach is precisely why the game remains such a beloved entry.

At first glance, it's hard to tell how itself apart. As a sequel to , the development team reused the same engine and many character assets to facilitate a tight turnaround. It would be easy to assume would be a simple follow-up to, yet it's deceptive in that way. Playing the game is a whole different story, as readily commits to creating a darker, more somber experience that no other game has replicated since.

is invested in telling a harrowing, tragic tale, so much so the game alters the structure that previous entries had standardized. Rather than having the usual bevy of dungeons for Link to fight his way through, the world of Termina only contains four. The main story and progression of the game are shortened to encourage the player to spend more time in the carefully constructed Clock Town, a cunning way to put the focus on the horrors taking place in this world.

There are many strange enemies in The Legend of Zelda, but perhaps the most mysterious of all have their roots in an actual alien encounter.

Link stands at the center of a town divided over its impending doom: a moon set to crash in merely three days' time. On top of the threat to the town as a whole, many citizens face their own personal dilemmas. Whether it's an innkeeper looking for her fiancé or a young girl protecting cows from an onslaught of ghosts, Link's ability to resolve these issues never changes their inevitable fate. sticks the player in purgatory, forced to witness a world at the end of existence.

This is made more harrowing in Termina's final hours, as reactions from Clock Town's citizens range from denial to fear