Well, it looks like Nintendo has finally done it…The 3DS has “met with a terrible fate”. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is FINALLY coming to the 3DS, us over here at NintyBuzz couldn’t be more excited. I don’t want to speak for everyone here, but at least for myself, Majora’s Mask is the greatest game ever made. I did a review of the N64 version for NintyBuzz a while back if you wanna check it out, it’s right here.

To celebrate this glorious announcement, we’ve decided to take some of the screenshots and trailer from the remake under the magnifying glass and analyze them a bit.

Check them out after the break!

Majora’s Mask is a one of a kind game, that dares to take risk that other games could only hope for (Even games in the Zelda series aren’t even as daring as this entry… That includes the groundbreaking Ocarina of Time, the whimsical Wind Waker and the bold attempt that was Skyward Sword). Majora’s Mask takes a very dramatic turn, and puts the player in the land of Termina…You have 3 days to save everyone and get back to Hyrule before a moon comes crashing down. What I’m doing with this article is analyzing the trailer and gameplay Nintendo released during their Nintendo Direct, so let’s get started.

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First things first…The graphics have been updated in the same vein as Ocarina of Time 3D, but that was a given. You’ll notice quickly that Nintendo has stayed true to the way the game looked back in 2000, while improving what needed to be improved (No more blocky Clock Town)…It’s not the best game graphically that the 3DS has to offer, but it sure is beautiful. You see a few shots of the Stock Pot Inn, the sewer underneath Clock Town that leads to the Observatory, as well as Woodfall, Snowhead and Ikana. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t freak out upon seeing the trailer, because I did (more so then when the game was first announced back in 2000, but that’s because I already know it is a superb game).

We saw a small glimpse of the boss of the Great Bay Temple, Gyorg, who now has an eye in the middle of his mouth and looks more menacing then what he did in the N64 version…I’m willing to bet they tweeked the fight against him. You also saw the changes they made to the moon… The Moon looks like it was ripped right out of Hyrule Warriors and put into Majora’s Mask 3D… Which is not a bad thing, the Moon looks even creepier now then what it did back then. It also seems like they kept the darker shaders that were present in the N64 iteration.

Satoru Iwata (head of Nintendo) then started to talk about how they want to keep the memories that older gamers have with the game intact, while making the game appeal to newer players…I expect a tweeked save system and a hint system in place. I would assume, because of the 3DS’ bottom screen, that the items will be there in the same fashion as OoT3D… I’m guessing the transformation masks (outside of the Giants’ Mask and Fierce Deity’s Mask) will have a quick slot as well. They changed the way the clock is displayed as well…I’m not a huge fan, it looks kind of dull, but it makes sense it would be simplified to fit on the top screen of the 3DS.

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Something Eiji Aonuma talked about recently, in a recent issue of Famitsu, was New 3DS compatibility, he didn’t go into much detail though…My guess is it will add better camera control thanks to the new C-Stick on New 3DS, but only time will tell. Here’s hoping whatever Nintendo does with the remake will be good, judging by their last two Zelda remakes (Ocarina of Time 3D and Wind Waker HD) it will be a true improvement on the original game.

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I mentioned that Nintendo will have a tweeked save save system…Well, let me elaborate a little on that.  In the N64 version the way you save is by either playing the Song of Time and returning to the first day, or finding an owl statue to do a quick save and quit. If you look at the screen below, that is right after Link has played the Song of Time… Do the veteran players notice anything different?  If you read the text it only says “Return to the Dawn of the First Day” without mentioning anything about saving.  I’m inclined to believe that Nintendo has done away with this feature for a more convenient way to save, only time will truly tell though (no pun intended).  As, for the owl statues, they may have a more convenient way of saving akin to Skyward Sword or they may have been done away with all together…Guess we’ll have to wait for Nintendo to release more information about it to find out more.

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Well readers, I hope this article was informative. I hope that you enjoyed my predictions and the information I gave will help sway your decision of picking up a copy of Majora’s Mask 3D when it releases Spring of 2015. Let me tell you, you won’t be disappointed…Majora’s Mask is a one of a kind game that takes the light hearted feel of Zelda and throws it out the window. If you’re looking for the typical Zelda game with Ganon, Zelda, the Master Sword and the Triforce…This may not be the game for you. If want something that feels completely different from anything else, while keeping a small sense of familiarity, then I urge you to pick up a copy of Majora’s Mask 3D when it comes out…You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?

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What are your thoughts on the trailer and screenshots from Majora’s Mask 3D? Tell us in the comments below!

Chris Mercer

Ummmm…Wait, what am I supposed to do here again?