The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Systems:

• Nintendo 64
• GameCube
• Wii Virtual Console
• Releases:
  • Original Release: 2000
  • Virtual Console Release: 2009

Publisher:

• Nintendo

Developer:

• Nintendo EAD

ESRB Rating:

• Everyone (E)
• Reasoning:
  • Animated Violence

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, also known colloquially as Majora's Mask, is the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Link is traveling to find a "lost friend" and comes to the land of Termina. He finds that the land is set to be destroyed in three days due to the meddling of the Skull Kid using the evil Majora's Mask. Using his trusty sword and ocarina, Link must hurry to save Termina before time runs out.

Alcohol

The Milk Bar in Clock Town sells milk that seems to act like alcohol. A few of the characters at some points in the game look to be tipsy as if they were drinking alcohol. The Player Character can use milk to heal, but it is not required.

Animal Abuse

The Deku Palace part of the game, before Link gets to the Temple, has one of the monkeys that helped Link tied up to a wooden pole. Later, after Link learns the Ocarina song, the monkey is repeatedly put into a cauldron of boiling water.

In the Romani Ranch sidequest, cows can be abducted by aliens. It is unknown what happens to them. This side quest is not required to complete the game.

There are wolf enemies that the Player Character must fight. They are clearly supernatural. They make dog-whining noises when hit.

Aquatic Violence

Prior to beating Woodfall Temple, the main water source in the area is poisoned and will harm Link in any form if he goes into it.

Link's Goron form will instantly die and respawn if he falls into or walks into water.

In the Great Bay Temple and in other underwater areas of the game, piranhas and other fish-like enemies will attack Link's Zora form.

The boss for the Great Bay Temple is a mutated fish.

Avians

Throughout the game there are chickens that will wander around the map. The chickens are not initially hostile, though they will attack in large groups if they are attacked.

Near the forest before Woodfall Temple there are crow-like enemies that will attack the Player Character.

Body Horror

Whenever Link uses the Deku, Zora or Goron mask, he screams in pain and he seems to have eye trauma. The sequence is skippable by pressing the start button.

In the Swamp Spider House (also known as the Fearful Spider House) there is a man who has morphed into a half skulltula/half man hybrid. This house is not required to be entered and is marked with a sign and cobwebs on the door that must be burned. It is near the Deku Palace.

Bones

The Ikana Castle and Courtyard parts of the game have many enemies that are skeletons or mummies.

Mikau's guitar that he plays is made from the bones of some kind of fish.

Canines

There are enemies called Wolfos found in the Goron area that resemble wolves and will attack the Player Character. They make wolf howling noises.

There are small dogs in Clocktown that run around but generally are not aggressive. One dog will attack the Player Character if the Player Character is in Deku form.

There is a dog racing mini-game that requires the Player Character to talk and interact with small dogs. These dogs are not aggressive. The mini-game is not required to complete the game.

Claustrophobia

At the end of Woodfall Temple, Link gets teleported to a room at the back exit to the temple where he finds the Deku Princess. The room she is found in is quiet small. To get her back to the Palace, the Player Character transports her in a glass bottle.

Darkness

As Link is chasing the Skull kid after he stole Epona and his Ocarina, he stops and comes to a cliff overlooking a black chasm. Then he falls into the chasm.

After Link learns the Song of Healing, there is a brief cutscene where he is surrounded by giant Deku Scrubs in an almost entirely dark place.

There are some areas that are particularly dark. However, there is never an area that is so dark that the player cannot see anything. This is particularly prevalent in the Beneath the Well mini-dungeon required to complete the game.

Dead Bodies

While not a human body, in the first area before Link reaches Clock Town, he encounters a warped looking tree that looks like it was in a great deal of pain. Later it is revealed that the tree stump is the dead body of Deku Butler's son.

Prior to getting the Zora mask, Link finds Mikau's nearly dead body floating in the ocean. He drags him to shore but he dies anyways.

Death of Family/Friends

If Link falls to save the land of Termina before three days are over, the entire world will be destroyed and anyone he's met in it.

It is revealed that the Deku Butler’s son is dead.

Depiction of Disaster

The main plot of the game is that Termina is going to be destroyed in three days if the Player Character doesn't save it. If the three days pass and the Player Character fails to save Termina, the moon will crash down into Termina on-screen, destroying everything in an explosion.

Throughout the game there are characters that comment on the imminent disaster. Some believe in it, some do not.

Disruptive Home Life

There is a lengthy side quest in game that has Link trying to reunite two lovers. One of the lovers, Kafei, has been forced into a child shape by the magic of Majora's mask and is unable to see his fiance. Anju's mother doesn't believe that Kafei will return to Anju before the moon falls and often berates Anju about it.

Kafei's mother is the wife of the mayor of the town, and she is consistently upset about the disappearance of her son. She is not required to talk to unless completing the sidequest.

After the death of her long-term lover, Lulu goes mute. She stands at the dock leading to their town waiting for him to come back. Her children are also taken from her in the game. The children are eventually returned to her by the Player Character.

Dolls

A number of the characters who wear masks (bosses, Skull Kid, the moon-children, etc.) resemble dolls.

Drowning

Deku Link, Goron Link, and regular Link can drown if underwater too long. To signify that the regular Link has been underwater too long and is about to drown, choking noises are heard.

Electrocution

If Zora Link charges up his boomerang attack, he can shoot a charged up electrical attack.

Existential Despair

The entire land of Termina goes through crises about the havoc that Majora's Mask has put them through, including forcing the moon to crash upon their world. There are also other situations which add to each person's despair and how they deal with it. If Link doesn't save the world and stop Majora Termina will be destroyed.

Explosions

During the cut scene where the world is destroyed, the moon crashes into Termina and creates a huge explosion.

The Player Character receives bombs in the game. They are required to be used to blow up obstacles throughout the game.

At several points the Player Character must ignite and explode a powder keg to unlock some areas.

There are enemies called Real Bombchus that are rats with bombs on their tails. They attack with these bombs.

Eye Horror/Eye Trauma

When Link uses the Zora, Goron or Deku Mask there is a shot of him screaming in pain and some eye trauma.

Fire

Some puzzles in temples involve lighting torches on fire.

At the end of the three day cycle, if Link hasn't saved the world yet the moon crashes into Termina with an explosion.

Ghosts

Prior to obtaining the Goron Mask, Link has to go to the grave of a Goron hero Darunia. There he has to talk with his ghost and play the Song of Healing to get the mask.

Before getting the Zora mask, Link drags Mikau's barely alive body and has a conversation with his ghost after he dies.

In Ikana Canyon, there is a cave at the mouth of a river. In the cave is one of the Composer Brothers ghosts' which teaches him the Song of Storms.

In the Ikana Graveyard, there are graves Link can go into and explore. Sometimes there are ghosts hiding in the graves.

Poes are enemies that are malicious ghosts. They are found in the Caves beneath Ikana Graveyard and Beneath the well.

If the player chooses to do the Captains Hat side quest, the player will face off against the Big Poe enemy.

There is a building in the upper left portion of Ikana Canyon (based on the map) that is the Spirit House where the Player Character can face off against Poe (ghost) enemies. This is not required to complete the game. The reward is a Piece of Heart.

Heights

Snowfall Temple takes place on top of a very high mountain. The path up there is very thin and easy to fall off.

When Link initially goes to Snowfall Temple there is a gigantic Goron blocking the way thus setting off a quest to get him to move. When the quest is completed he falls asleep and rolls off the mountain into a chasm below.

To get the Goron Mask there the Player Character must walk across invisible platforms high above the valley that are easy to fall off of. The blocks are made visible by the Lens of Truth, but if the magic meter runs out the platforms go invisible.

Although when on the moon Link can't see the world below, it is high up above Termina.

The Stone Temple must be flipped upside-down. This makes the sky appear beneath the Player Character, making it appear that the Player Character can fall into a chasm at any time. The Player Character can fall.

Insects

When Link heads to Woodfall Temple, there are dragonflies that will attack his Deku form.

Small rocks can be lifted and thrown. Sometiems there are small beetles underneath these rocks. They will not attack.

There are giant bee enemies in Hyrule Field.

Hiploop enemies resemble giant beetles.

Jump Scares

Floormasters are enemies that will drop down from the ceiling and grab the Player Character. There is some warning to their approach, but their approach can be easily missed.

In multiple areas Skulltula enemies will suddenly drop down from the ceiling and hit the Player Character.

ReDead and Gibdos enemies emit a high-pitched scream when the Player Character gets close, causing the Player Character to freeze in fear as they approach.

Kidnapping

The Deku King’s daughter is kidnapped. The Player Character must rescue her.

Lulu’s children are kidnapped by pirates. The Player Character must save them as part of the main game.

Murder

The Skull Kid is revealed to have murdered the Deku Butler’s son.

Psychological Horror

The boss battle with Majora takes place in a hexagonal room with rapidly changing colours all around while the boss screeches loud noises and flails skin like appendages at Link. The music for the boss fight also adds to the situation.

To a lesser extent the entire game as it is the darkest of the Zelda franchise and deals both psychologically and emotionally with a lot of dark themes.

Rats/Rodents

There are enemies called Real Bombchus that are rats with bombs on their tails.

Bat enemies can be found throughout the game.

The Player Character receives Bombchu bombs, which resemble rats.

Reptiles

The Dinofol enemies are dinosaurs.

The Dondongo enemies are giant lizards.

Spiders

Skulltulas are spider enemies present throughout the game. They will fall down from the ceiling and hit the player. They also block certain areas and must be killed.

There are golden skulltula enemies that can be killed as part of a sidequest. They are found crawling up and down walls. They do not move with their individual legs, rather they shuffle up and down.

Near the Deku Palace there is the Swamp House of Spiders. In it are skulltulas and one man who was cursed to become a skulltula/human hybrid. This place is accessed by the boat used to get to the Deku Palace. The building is blocked by a spider web, so it is easily avoided. It is not required to beat the game but it is required to get the Mask of Truth.

There is another spider house in the Great Bay Coast. The house is found immediately on the coast; it is the brown, square building next to the Fisherman’s Hut. The reward for completing the house is the Giant Wallet or the Adult wallet and this is the only way to get them both (if not, the player will only receive the Adult Wallet from the banker in Clocktown). However, this is not required to complete the game.

Supernatural Evil

The power of Majora's Mask is known to be demonic and the story is told, partially, by the Happy Mask Salesman.

Undead/Zombies

Ikana Canyon/Castle has Redeads, which are animated mummies. In one case they are helpful to Link on his quest, other times they will attack him.

There is a music box shop at the entrance to Ikana which holds a man and his daughter. The man had locked himself in a closet because he had begun to turn into a Redead. They state that they feel trapped in the house because of the Redeads.

Unreality

The area on the moon is a grassy, sunny field with only one oak tree dead in the center. If Link looks around he can't see Termina or anything that should signal he's on a moon. Running around the tree are four children wearing masks who talk to Link in riddles and ask him to play a game. The game itself takes place in a different reality.

The chamber in which the battle against Majora occurs doesn't seem to take place in either Termina or on the Moon.

Termina itself seems to be connected to Hyrule somehow, but it isn't clear whether it's an alternate reality mirroring Hyrule or just a different place entirely. This leads to some implications that the events of the game could be a hallucination of the Player Character—however this is not confirmed in game nor has it been confirmed by the creators.

Violence Against Children

The Player Character is a child and can be harmed.

After the first three day cycle, where Link retrieves his Ocarina back but doesn't obtain the Mask, he goes to see the Happy Mask Salesman. The Salesman is obviously upset that Link hasn't returned with the mask and picks him up and shakes him by the shoulders.

Weapons

Various weapons are used by the Player Character throughout the game, including a sword, bow, and slingshot. All of these are required to be used.

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