Reasons Why Majora's Mask is Way Better then Ocarina of Time

I've talked about this so many times to my real life friends (all 3 of them), so much that one of them fell asleep when I was talking about it, one of them won't even discuss the matter with me anymore, and my better half will seriously kill me for posting about it again.

But god dammit, this needs to be heard...again.

So Ocarina comes out in 1998, and everybody LOVES it, and I mean they absolutely  freaking LOVE it. And whats not to love? The game is a breakthrough in technology. The first ever 3D Zelda, packed to the brim with truckloads of content. It's a grand adventure of a boy who sets out to save the world. The game is a smash hit, loved by millions, and stands strongly in the childhood of most gamers from my generation.

 However, that's where it stops, not that it NEEDED to be any better per say, but the game lacked depth, which to be fair, was not uncommon for games back in the 90's. 

Nintendo saw how much people loved Ocarina of time, and more importantly, they saw how much flipping money the game was raking in. They decided to make another Zelda game with the same art style and technical feel as Ocarina to capitalize on its success. So with a year and a half worth of work, and supported by the brand new "expansion pak" that allowed to N64 to support better graphics, they released Majora's Mask.

This is a direct sequel to Ocarina, and Link has gone into the forest (some speculate the lost woods...without a fairy, tsk tsk Link), to search for Navi  "a lost friend", and he gets ambushed by the Skull Kid who steals the Ocarina of Time. Then we get to play, and every Zelda fan will know what I mean when I saw that IMMEDIATELY, this game feels entirely different than Ocarina. It looks the same, but the atmosphere is completely different, its...darker, much darker.

So you follow this Ocarina nabbing douche bag...right down a freaking near bottomless pit. Great job, Link, there's using that Hero of Time brain. Anyways after our clueless crusader falls down the pit of hell and lands on his ass... The first thing we are told is that our horse was annoying, so the Skull Kid killed it....What.The.Fuck Nintendo.

"Lets see, kids like swords, magic, and severe childhood trauma, right?"

Now, they never come right out and say "Yeah, btw, we butchered your horse, so like, yeah, take that.", but the dialog doesn't leave a lot of room for interpretation. Yes, Epona returns later in the game, but that could be due to One of two reasons:

1. Time travel. Link goes back in time and because the Ocarina was never stolen, neither was Epona. Since clearly there are not TWO Ocarinas in the same time period, it could be possible that Link was never mugged.

2, (And the more likely reason...). That isn't Epona. Well technically it IS Epona, but not Link's Epona. Let me explain.

Everyone in Termina (the world where Majora's Mask takes place) has an exact physical replica of them in Hyrule. Not the same PERSON per se, but  the same appearance. In essence, an alternate version of everyone in Hyrule, exists in Termina. Get it? It is Termina's version of Epona. 

You can pick either scenario, or if you have another, I'd love to hear it, but either way, the Skull Kid literally murdered Epona, and then taunted you about it. Nintendo is really trying for that "E for everyone rating".

Continuing on about 30 seconds into the game, right after the Skull Kid kills your best friend, he then proceeds to turn you into deformed fucked up nightmare abomination  a Deku Scrub.

"OH GOD WTF IS THA- oh....its just my reflection, haha"

Yep, moments after murdering your horse (and only friend), the Skull Kid uses his mysterious powers to turn you into a useless Deku Scrub. You lose all your abilities, you can't swing your sword, use your shield or really do anything. Well, correction, you can spit bubbles. Whoopee! the world is saved, I guess.

The game does this to give you a feeling of helplessness, which is a common theme throughout the whole game, but more on that later.

Of course, this change isn't permanent. After retrieving the Ocarina, Link can return his normal form, and also gains the "ability" to return to this....er...form.

"I'M SCREAMING IN PAIN BECAUSE THIS GAME IS SO KID FRIENDLY!!!"

So you do the only thing that you are able to do. You chase after horse killing, scrub cursing son of a bitch. You venture through the underground cavern, and right as you reach the entrance to the clock tower, something catches your gaze. Something, that is absolutely horrifying. You come face to face with this guy.

"You think it looks gloomy? I thought it was performing the dance of its people."

"But Webz", you say this isn't horrifying, I've seen this dozens of times.", Well...more on that later, my dear, oblivious friend.

So you're chasing down the Skull Kid, and about to open the doors to a brand new world, when suddenl- JESUS FUCK!

"Wheres my money you little green shit!?!"

You come face to face with...this marvelous character. I don't really have anything special to say about this guy, other than he is obviously the Happy Mask Salesman from Hyrule, based on his statements saying he is from far away from Termina...and he is creepy as fuck.

Anyways after...that, you walk outside, and if you look up, you see this:

"Why hallo thur"

As if this wasn't frightening enough, You learn that the reason this world is doomed in 3 days, is because that is when this guy is going to crash into Termina, destroying it. 

Remember talking about hopelessness? Well this is another one of the games biggest factors. You are doomed. You were doomed from the start, and you will always be doomed, no matter what. And then, they mix in cruelty, and irony; you have the power to travel through time. 

As kids, to us this just means going back in time again and again to finish the game, but think about it for a second. You get to the end of night 3, and you have failed to save the world. In a desperate attempt to have yet another chance at succeeding, Link plays the song of time so he can start all the way back at day one in hopes that he gets it right this time, but he won't, he can't. He can't do it all in 3 days, its just impossible, so he is forced to watch everyone and everything get destroyed. Again, and again, and again, the fearless hero of time fails.You want to talk about hopelessness? its staring you in the face from the minute you leave the clock tower. Literally.

Speaking of sadness and hopeless, lets talk about the Anju and kafei side quest. I'm not gonna explain the whole quest step by step, but I'll summarize it. There is this couple that is supposed to be getting married, but the Skull Kid cursed Kafei the would be husband, transforming him into a kid. He is so embarrassed, he leaves without a trace before his fiancee found out what had happened. Long story short, Link saves the day...

At the last possible second.

They are reunited right before the world i destroyed, in perhaps one of the saddest scenes in video game history. Anju is waiting for him. Instead of evacuating, she waits there for him, because she truly believes he will return for her, her love for him is so strong, she sits waiting for him, while staring doomsday in the face. 

As if this wasn't sad enough, they don't even evacuate after they become reunited. Knowing that it is too late for both of them, they decide to live out there final moments holding each other, waiting for the inevitable end to come.

"No joke for this one...just tears...wait, is that a fucking bunny hat? GOD DAMMIT LINK!!"

And as if all of this still wasn't sad enough. Lets think about this for a second. Sure, Link saved finally reunited them...but what about all the times he didn't? 

Link can't do this whole quest every time he goes back in time, not to mention he doesn't even have the means to the first 3/4 of the game, so how many times do you figure Kafei didn't return? That's right, 99% of the loops, Anju waited for Kafei...and died waiting, alone, never to see her love again.... I'll give you a minute to go and get a tissue...actually, grab the box, I'm not even done with the tears yet.

So how many of you remember this little girl?

"Only 6 Rupees? I'm sorry, we don;t allow the poor in this house, you're going to have to leave."

Her Name is Pamela. She wanders the dangerous land of Ikana everyday, and goes to a well filled with zombies looking for something. Looking for what, you may ask. Well, her dad had a little...hobby. 

"That being wrapping himself in toilet paper and drinking all the liquid out of a Juicy Drop Pop"

Her father was obsessed  with the re-dead. One day, her dad went down into said well, and he became cursed. He became a re-dead or a "Gibdo". 

So this poor little girl does the only thing she can think of doing, she stuffs her dad into a locked closet while she attempts to figure out a way to change him back...except for she is doomed to never find a way, after all, she is only a little girl with no remarkable traits other then a strong love for her father.

Anyways, this might not be as sad as the Kafei side quest, however, once Link finally finds a way into the house, he confronts the creature, and eventually plays the song of healing to restore the little girls father. The scene that follows really got me, I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it was the soft sounds of the song of healing playing in the background, but just the emotion that is implied. This poor girl has been surviving for god knows how long, on her own. Day in and day out trying to find a remedy for her father, with no chance of ever succeeding. And even if she does succeed, they are both dead at the end of the 3 days anyways.

Now this is the final point I'm going to make about the actual game, I could go on forever, but this has already taken several days to complete. Just know that there are many more examples hidden away in the game of dread, hopelessness and sorrow.

So after you beat the first temple, the Deku King wants to reward you for saving his daughter, he tells his butler to give you a reward...and he does so by giving you one fuck of a work out.

"...Asshole."

After you finally make it (It will take you more then a few tries), He finally gives you the god damn pig mask...and says something...interesting.

"Awee, thats nice...wait, what?"

"Remind you of his son, huh? That's cool, now give me that damn mask, you douche bag, so I can get on with the game.", you were probably thinking, so that's exactly what you do. You continue the game, and you eventually beat it. And then you are greeted with a scene that has...an old friend in it. Remember this?

Well after you beat the game, you will see this:

Take a second and really think about it. Most people will figure out, and maybe shed a tear or two, after all, it's really sad all by itself. That poor dead Deku that you passed at the beginning of the game was the butlers son, damn that's sad...but wait a sec, what did he say when you met him?

"When I see you, I am reminded of my son..."

That's right, you reminded him of his son, because when you met him, you ARE his son in a way. When his son crossed paths with the Skull Kid underground, the Skull Kid killed him, and took his soul. Then when you chased him down, he cursed you with the form of a Deku Scrub...using the butler's son's soul. 

After you revert back to your human form, the soul is stored in a magical mask, allowing you to transform back to a Deku on command. The process is the same for the other 3 transformation masks, they all have the soul of a fallen creature stored inside. So when you met the butler, you were wearing his son's face as a mask... unknowingly of course.

This is probably the saddest, unnerving moment in the entire Legend of Zelda series, and personally, I would argue in the entirety of video game history. The first time you realize this in game, it sends chills down your spine, and you have to be some sort of psychopath to not at least think about crying a lot.

So that's it. There are many more examples of these types hidden throughout the game, but to cover them all would take way more time then I care to devote. But trust me, the game is jam packed full with depressing moments...and this thing.

"Oh god Link, what are you gonna do with that Ocarina?"

"BUT WEBZ!!", you cry! "You said you were going to give reasons why Majora's Mask was better then Ocarina of TIme! You didn't give any reasons!"

Didn't I?

This is precisely why Majora's Mask is better than Ocarina of time. Ocarina owns the hearts of millions of gamers, and rightfully so. But this game is just SO much better because of all the emotion. All the little depressing moments, all the cruelty that's implied, the dark, merciless story with hundreds of people suffering. The constant presence of death and doom... and there's not a damn thing that can be done about it.

Majora's Mask is a masterpiece, and in my opinion, the best Zelda game of all time, and I'm sure of all the Ocarina fan boys went back and played Majora's Mask now that they are adults, most of them would agree with me if they could put their biases aside...JUST LIKE ME!

Belief or disbelief lies with you. If you have any good reasons why Ocarina is legitimately  better, I would love to hear it. But for now, they are both just another strand of the web.