It’s time to write down a lot of thoughts about one of my favorite games of all time: Majora’s Mask (MM from here on).
It is, by all accounts, one of the darker entries into the series. It also followed on the heels of critically acclaimed Ocarina of Time (OoT from here on) and as such, tends to be a little overshadowed by it. From a mechanical stand-point, playing both in close proximity in my youth, I was drawn more to the fleshed out side quest system in MM and how much more meaningful each character interaction was. The world felt alive, and as I was learning in my youth, the fleshed out worlds like that were what I craved the most compared to the relatively empty world of OoT.
Yet one thing drew me back to the game of the years as I developed: there were things I didn’t quite understand, or knew had more meaning but couldn’t quite yet dig into. The game is almost an exploration of the human experience, in a way, and isn’t afraid to show us for the flawed and grotesque creatures that we are.
It’s also a direct sequel to OoT, and really establishes the precedent for the whole Zelda timeline that we obsess over today. For those of you keeping score at home, this follows the events of Link when he defeats Ganondorf and returns to the his child timeline with the sacred realm protected. This will also ultimately lead to the adventure in Twilight Princess, which is actually my second favorite game. I’ll talk more about the connections there later.
So let’s do a brief plot synopsis to refresh or inform everyone:
Link is striking out on his own after having sealed Ganon, and resuming his life as a child hero. Navi has left him, her mission complete, and he is perhaps seeking her out (the implied “old friend” in the intro text). Riding baby Epona, she gets spooked by some fairies and Link is unhorsed, resulting in him being knocked out. The Skull Kid you taught songs to in OoT has turned to a life of crime, and loots your ocarina and steals your horse when you suddenly wake up. A chase ensues, and you are cursed to be a Deku Scrub. Losing Skull Kid and now a Scrub, you eventually wander through some mysterious tunnels before emerging beneath Clock Town in the land of Termina, where you meet the Happy Mask Salesman that sold masks back in Hyrule. He’s probably the creepiest character in this game, and possesses somewhat meta-knowledge of the game. He very well may be an allegory for some sort of divinity.
The Salesman tells you the weird mask the Skull Kid was wearing is a powerful ancient mask that curses the user and brings about evil, and it is super important to bring back before he leaves town in three days. Which, conveniently, is when the moon is going to be dropped on you so hey that works out for him any which way you look at him. You have your quest, but you’re a Deku Scrub.
Ultimately, you complete the ridiculous chain of events necessary to break your curse and eventually free the Skull Kid, returning the mask to the Salesman. A fairly cryptic yet happy ending ensues, and Link resumes his journey alone.
It’s a relatively simple plot, but it’s the wonderful details — the journey if you will — that make it such an excellent experience.
The land of Termina is obsessed with masks. It’s fitting, because you wear masks in a sense to solve a lot of the problems in the game caused by people that hide behind masks, all in a figurative and literal sense at all times. These people have issues and it looks like “therapy” hasn’t been invented as profession yet. The game specifically focuses on 20 key characters of the game, outside of the Main Story, that are suffering from “quest-worthy” issues. Some are as mundane as the Old Lady having her resupply of bomb bags to her son’s shop stolen by the thief Sakon, to as intricate as a three-day process to reunite the cursed lovers Anju and Kafei who are to wed the day of the Carnival — which is in three days, by the way. The day after the moon is going to kill everyone.
So, that’s the world we are thrust into. A literally angry-faced moon looms over the city, drawing ever closer, and the people are busy preparing for a carnival defiant of their impending doom — or too scared react to it, in some cases. The game has a constant overtone of existential dread and urgency, mixed with constant denial or depression over the entire lands impending doom. How lovely!
If you wish to appeal to the authority of the town, the mayor and town guards, you will find them embroiled in a debate with the construction foreman over the fact that they are all about to die. Apparently it’s a hot debate on what exactly an angry-faced moon drawing closer means, and only Foreman Muto wants his sweet contract money for finishing his project. The guards are pretty competent in this game, and are looking to evacuate the populace. The mayor is unconvinced by either side for some reason, so through inaction sides with embracing death. We’re already off to a heavy start! If you complete the sidequest to reunite Anju and Kafei, their wedding mask reminds him of young love and hope, so he gives the order of “everyone has rights to stay or leave” which I guess is pretty decent for a guy that couldn’t pick a side.
So, the town is in pretty shaky political hands and the anxiety of that office is reflected throughout the town. If her quest goes unresolved, Anju flip-flops on looking for her lost lover or fleeing with her mom and grandmother, before ultimately deciding to leave the final night (which, her mother is theorizing they’ll find Kafei shacked up with Anju’s BFF Cremia — thanks for the support mom. But no Cremia actually has the hots for Kafei so this almost not an impossible theory, geeze!). Even the Postman questions his duty to keep delivering mail, or to do the sensible thing and leave. By default, he’ll stay and die. If you resolve his sidequest, the mayor’s wife (the postmistress) will order him to flee.
So already, just within the random conversations you can have while confined to the town, you learn of a lot of the themes in this game: anxiety, fear, anger, depression, and all the reactions that come with them like executive dysfunction, obsessive focus on duty, or even denial of the trauma you’re actively experiencing.
How’s the rest of Termina doing? Not great.
Let’s talk about the troubles befalling the Deku Scrub Kingdom.
When you started the game, you were assaulted by a nightmarish Deku Scrub fever dream when you are cursed. You are most assuredly forced into the body of the deceased Butler’s Son, whose petrified corpse is seen early in the game. By the nightmare, I think we can assume he was killed by feral Scrubs when he became lost in the woods during his travels the Butler mentions. So, get used to the Butler to the King feeding you those weird hints about his lost son (whom he does get closure for in the end credits, don’t worry). The first temple you go to is housed in Woodfall, the sacred area of the Scrubfolk. But the entire swamp is toxic now thanks to a curse caused by Skull Kid. Everyone is really convinced the local monkey population ate the Deku Princess and sealed the temple, causing all of their problems. The mood of the kingdom: ANGER. Soldiers dance around a giant bonfire, the King shouts orders, and a monkey tied to a stake faces execution. You are invited to watch! Grand.
Ultimately, you defeat the cursed guardian of the temple and release the Southern Giant — we’ll talk about them later. You also find the Princess, so she stays the execution of the monkey. But let’s talk about the Scrubs. They were all too ready to assign blame to the easiest scapegoat they could, the local monkey population. No other explanation event crossed the King’s mind, and he was willing to stake the fate of his people on senseless murder to solve their toxic swamp problem. Yikes! In the end, thanks to Link, his daughter is able to physically beat some sense into her father, and their Kingdom is now only facing death by moon.
Onward to the Mountain Village! Far to the North of Clocktown, the Gorons live in the Snowhead Mountain range. We are led to assume winter usually has some snow, but considering it’s not winter in the game, there’s a metric ton of snow everywhere. Come to find out, the land got cursed (big shocker!) by a masked imp, and the temple guardian has run amok and brought ruin to the mountain. We don’t really know how long Termina has been in this state, but recently, the Goron Hero Darmani went to slay the demon in the temple, and was slain in combat. You find his ghost haunting the village, and he is unable to come to terms with his defeats. He begs you to heal him. He cannot rest until he has saved his people. I really like Darmani — he’s a loyal Goron, and proud warrior. Anyway, he eventually accepts you can’t revive him, and instead lends you his power by passing into the next world and leaving the Goron Mask behind. Now everyone thinks you’re Darmani, which is pretty screwed up, but they’re just glad to have their hero back. Once you banish the guardian and reawaken the Northern Giant, temperate weather returns to the Gorons and Darmani can fade into Goron History as a successful hero rather than a failed one.
There’s not as much to talk about with the Gorons. They all just plead for their hero to return to save them, as they are facing an increasingly cold habitat, lack of food, lack of commerce, and lack of leadership. They get the worst deal out of the tragic stories, as they will just slowly suffer until their deaths — which won’t happen because the moon will kill them in a few days anyway.
Next we visit the Zoras in the East. Here, a strange mist has surrounded the Great Bay Temple, and no one can enter. The oceans are warming, life being choked out save for Like-Likes and zombie fish. Perhaps the strangest story unfolds here: The Zora rock band The Indigo-Gos, is to perform at the carnival, but their lead singer Lulu has fallen voiceless after secret clutch of eggs gets stolen by pirates. Zora eggs also hatch within like 3 days of laying apparently, and it’s unclear if she had to develop those or if it just kinda happens and who the daddy is if there even is one — we’re getting off topic. Momma lost her eggs and is depressed so she can’t sing. The unfortunate soul that opted to do something about this is Mikau, the lead guitarist and likely baby daddy if that’s a thing. He promptly gets killed by the pirates, as the journal entries he leaves behind paint him as a not-so-bright person.
Link heals his soul and promises to carry out his mission. You recover the eggs, they hatch, and you play the song they teach you for Lulu which awakens the ancient turtle taxi to the temple. You cleanse the temple and awaken the Western Giant. Now the Zora band has its singer back, and their lead guitarist (this will be problematic later, Link!) while their oceans return to normal. Crisis averted. Again, not a whole lot to go over with them though. The kingdom was cast with depression and anxiety over what to do, and the general mood is one of a slow march to extinction while everyone does their best to try and act like everything is okay.
Our final destination is the Lost Kingdom of Ikana. This is probably my favorite area as a history nerd. The architecture is clearly linked to Clocktown, with the brickwork and paintings we’re shown. This is likely the ancestral home of the humans/hylians living in Termina, and it was once a powerful military kingdom. Here you can defeat the undead warrior Skull Keeta for example, earning his Captain’s hat and commanding his undead soldiers when you find them. You ultimately bring those far-flung soldiers’ duties to an end, and the cut scene where Skull Keeta passes on finally is a pretty moving moment for just being a side quest. You also meet the royal composes Sharp and Flat again, who this time around composed the Song of Storms for the King of Ikana. It also has the power to break curses in addition to summoning a storm. You use this to refill the reservoir and restore the river through the Canyon, which powers the local researchers anti-Gibdo music box. There may not be zombies walking around anymore, but the cheerful tune does not really brighten the ghost town. Inside you find out the researched got bit by them and tried to eat his daughter though. She locked him in a closet. You break his curse with the Song of Healing, and obtain your own zombie mask (thankfully it’s not a transformation mask!) and the researcher is reunited with his daughter. Very touching! Eventually, you face off with the Undead King of Ikana, who has refused to pass on. After you dispatch him and his two royal guardsmen, they realize their war has long since ended. Igos du Ikana was once a pretty reasonable dude it turns out, and he reflects on how deep into shadow his kingdom has fallen. He beseeches you to return Light to his kingdom, and teaches you the creepiest song in the game that creates a hollow shell of whatever form Link is currently in. He tells you things got really bad when someone thrust open the sacred doors of the Stone Tower, so off you go.
Once you dispel the cursed guardian here, you reawaken the Eastern Guardian and the souls of the dead of Ikana are (mostly) at ease. The exceptions are the Garo, which are lingering Ninja spirits from a foreign nation sent to spy on Ikana. That’s pretty neat but we don’t have time to solve the Garo issues, we’re trying to save Termina right now. There’s also a guard here who has been wounded and unable to return for literal years, so rescuing him is nice. This is one of the events that makes you wonder how long Termina has been slowly decaying.
Back in the Town of Denial, you are now ready to face Skull Kid. Along the way, if you do all the side quests, you slowly learn the backstory here though. Legend has it the Four Giants once lived among the people before one day realizing they have to cut ties with the common folk and sleep until they are needed. They had a good friend though, an Imp. He gets upset that they abandoned him, so he vents his anger on the people of Termina. They get rightfully upset and call the Giants back, and they banish the Imp “back to the heavens” which has some interesting connotations we’ll talk about later.
It’s unclear if this is meant to be history, or prophecy. I think it was history, and the Imp has returned to Termina, perhaps only under the control of Majora, to finish his revenge. You see in the end, he still refers to the Giants as his old friends. This means he does know them and its likely an ancient friendship. They ultimately help save him from Majora, and he accepts that they have to part ways but can still be friends. He also has his fairy friends now, and you! But we’re not quite done.
When the giants show up to stop the moon from falling, things get real. Skull Kid is no longer in control, a full puppet of Majora now, and he disappears in a beam of light into the moon. You follow. The same moon with an angry face is now yelling about eating everyone. It’s actually a pretty terrifying cut scene with everything playing out. You emerge into a scene that looks absolutely nothing like a moon. A verdant field, a blue sky, and a single tree atop a hill.
I am strongly of the opinion this is a representation of Elysium, often described as a sort of paradise for heroes and gods separate or adjacent or even synonymous for heaven. Here you find the masks of the four guardian spirits, as well as Majora’s Mask. You’re also awarded the Fierce Deity Mask here, a questionably “good” mask that imbues you with the power of a god to ease your fight against Majora. All of the conversations with the masked are ethereal and aloof. It’s an extremely weird place, and very much in contrast to everything up until this point. The children all resemble the Happy Mask Salesman by the way, even though, you can only see their skin tone and haircut. They also want your masks, and will ask if you want to be a Mask Salesman to them. That term is starting to take on a sinister overtone to me, as if being one means something more than the simple words let on. Either way, the children present you challenges and their dialogue contains lines like “lets play good guys against bad guys… you’re the bad guy” and “do your friends think of you as friends?” and “what makes you happy … does it make other people happy?” and “the face under your mask … is it your true face?” Totally not creepy at all. Yet those are all excellent existential questions and frame the events we’ve experienced up until this point.
You’re the bad guy — pretty straight forward. Are you certain you’re the hero of this story? Surely from Majora’s perspective, you are indeed a villain. It’s important I think to remember that perceptions of morality are fairly relative — we’re all the hero of our own story, but maybe not in other peoples. Which brings us to…
Do your friends think of you as friends? The people you’ve helped along the way — do they hold you in as high regard as you did for taking the time to help them with their problems? Extend it from the game — what about your own relationships? Could you be as easily abandoned as the Skull Kid was — cast away for being a nuisance? It’s a hard topic to handle, and one I would be hesitant to even linger on — in my opinion, it only matters how we feel in the relationship and that we are receiving appropriate reciprocation. It doesn’t have to be a 1:1 exchange, even if that is the ideal. You can’t quantify friendship like that. Yet it makes sense in this purgatory that those are the doubts weighing on the mind of not just Skull Kid, but perhaps even Link.
What makes you happy? Does it make other people happy? Find your joy, and reflect on if it brings joy (or harm) to others. Does nothing make you happy? Does your happiness hurt other people? The mischievous Skull Kid definitely has hurt people in his pursuit of happiness. Has Link? What about you, the player? Yikes.
Is the face under your mask… your true face? We all wear masks. We might have several for different occasions. In MM, it’s often literal. People have masks for quite a many occasions it turns out. Most of them though can be seen as relatively metaphorical — they often represent characteristics to exaggerate them. Even the fact you often literally wear someone’s face to complete your quest. In the game it’s overt — but then when you take off the mask, are you still you? Is it another mask beneath that? Where does the true self begin and end, and why do we have to hide it? It’s a great philosophical question and I think it’s one of the single greatest line deliveries in this game, and yet is just one dialogue screen at the tail end of the game.
The moon children pull no punches when it comes to answering the existence defining questions, and I think that seals the theory more than you are currently transcended to some other plane. Is this where Skull Kid, the Imp, was previously banished? Are we fighting to release his trapped soul?
Hyrule is also described as the Sacred Realm, a land touched by the Goddess of Hyrule. Skull Kid is also met by Link there. Is perhaps Hyrule “the Heavens” and this Elysium-esque realm “the Afterlife”? I don’t think there’s a clear indication on the relationship, but there’s definitely some weird things at play considering the children resemble the Salesman, we’re there for Skull Kid, and we’re Link. The only three characters with confirmed existence in both Hyrule and Termina. I am certain they are connected and that the Moon stage is meant to represent some type of Divine realm, but I cannot know what the creators intended that exact relationship to be, only that the imagery and atmosphere they use push us in that direction.
We of course triumph in the end and we have a happy ending for all, with the funny tidbit of Zora Link having to fill in for Mikau at the concert, so I guess after that the Indigo-Gos lost their lead guitarist abruptly and had to replace him.
I’m not entirely unconvinced at the end of the everything that Link didn’t experience some type of Death and Rebirth, a part of his reincarnation cycle, or something. The next game in the timeline this game occurs on is Twilight Princess. The Fallen Hero we learn our moves from in that game is heavily implied to be a deceased Link, who wandered the world without the opportunity to be a Hero anymore. Perhaps it’s the very same Link from Majora’s Mask. It’s worth noting the tune you howl to initiate the encounters is in fact the Song of Healing, the song you use to soothe the souls of the dead to allow them to rest.
Incidentally, the 5 realms we come across in Termina can be described as experiencing the 5 Stages of Grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance. It’s not difficult to apply those themes to Clocktown, Woodfall, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana. So what are we in grief over?
The loss of Navi?
The loss of our own Life?
The overall loss of the world of Termina?
It’s a very though provoking game in a way most other titles in the series don’t even come close to touching, and I think you would find the more philosophic gamers in your life that have played it would agree with me, and might call it or Twilight Princess one of their favorite Zelda titles. Ask them about it, it may prove an interesting conversation.
I’ve replayed this game countless times, and it remains as dear and moving to me as it always has been. If you’ve never played it, it’s been remade on 3DS with updated visuals and mechanics.
I do prefer the original, as nothing since has captivated my curiosity quite like seeing it the Demo on a Walmart console, seeing the familiar layout of Zelda yet a curious Deku Scrub at the controls in a world populated by the same characters living a different life, and the clock ticking away at the bottom of the screen. It held such mystery to me in my youth (I was 8?) I can remember those experiences vividly still — and getting in the car after school to find the sealed box holding the golden cartridge and expansion pack for my N64.
The nostalgia is high for this game, and regardless of that, it still holds up as a unique and though provoking experience.
Rampant Swan 