The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask review – definitive take on one of Nintendo’s best
(3D, 3DS, Nintendo, cert: 12)
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is quite simply a masterpiece. Originally released for the N64 in 2000, it is a twisted and unique adventure about a menacing moon set to crush the land of Termina three days from the game's opening. As in the original, this remake, timed to coincide with the new 3DS, sees the hero, Link, able to travel in time and so when the three days are up, he warps back and begins again. The game's four main dungeons remain completed, but the generous helping of side-quests don't, and Link will become intimately involved with Termina's inhabitants as he changes their fates, reunites lost loves and tries to prevent the apocalypse over and over again. There's plenty of variety in the side-quests, too, as Link must transform into different creatures in order to overcome obstacles. These creatures include a leaping shrubbery (the Deku Scrub), an amphibious rock star (Zora) and a member of a race of rock people (the Gorons). Link can metamorphose into these characters by simply donning the right masks, and each transformation allows him to obtain special abilities, including the capacity to glide short distances, swim underwater or roll around the landscape at high speed.
These multiple characters, plus the fact the titular Princess Zelda only makes a fleeting appearance in a flashback, makes for a stimulating and unexpected Zelda adventure.
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