Five Reasons I Want A Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3DS Remake

Rumors about a Majora’s Mask remake similar to the Ocarina of Time remake for 3DS have been swirling for years. Some have even gone so far to take matters into their own hands. When it comes down to it, everyone would love to see all of their favorite games remade to modern standards, but there are few reasons I want to see a Majora’s Mask remake in particular, beyond just wanting to see a prettier version.

1. Majora’s Mask is the strangest of the Zelda titles

Majora’s Mask is weird. It retains many of Zelda’s familiar staples (dungeons, items, etc.), but its take on the flow of time and characters is not only unlike any Zelda game, but it’s unlike most games in general. It has a devoted fanbase, but it also has a group of fans who either didn’t get it, or just didn’t like it. A remake would give those Zelda players an opportunity to give the game another shot and hopefully figure out what makes it so special.

2. I want to see more games like it

Majora’s Mask feels like a strange dream, thanks in part to its recycling of assets and characters from Ocarina of Time. Some might deride this aspect of the game as a cheap and quick way to develop game elements, but I think it is brilliant. By reusing already created characters, the game was able to save time (and presumably money) and focus on being experimental and turning the franchise in a strange, temporary direction. Recently, DLC has used this idea to similar effect in cases like Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare and Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition EX Plus Alpha, and I love it when it happens. If a Majora’s Mask remake were to be successful, maybe Nintendo and others would be more interested in experimenting with their games to create strange experiences similar to Majora’s Mask.

3. I want to see the moon in stereoscopic 3D

These days, I rarely turn up the 3D slider on my 3DS, but I would eagerly do so for Majora’s Mask. The game has an impressive sense of scale with the looming moon, the large clock tower, the giants, and with the way Link battles one of the game’s latter bosses. I would love to see those elements of the game literally popping out of the screen.

4. I want to see the game’s art direction in a new resolution

The guy in the left is slightly scarier than the guy on the right.

Prior to Twilight Princess, Majora’s Mask offered some of Zelda’s most bizarre and dark concept art. Obviously, I would love to see the game with better graphics, but more exciting than that is the opportunity to see the game’s dark art style land closer to its original ideals. The Nintendo 64 was effective in 2000 in delivering its strange often creepy world, but time has diminished its strangeness factor. An update would make the game stranger, darker, and possibly scarier than ever.

5. The game would be perfect for a handheld

Despite all my appreciation for Majora’s Mask, I admit that revisiting the same three days over and over could become tiring. Whether you had to put aside your current objective because the three day timer was expiring, or you were stuck and found yourself doing the same tasks over and over, the three day timer could be a burden. If the game were to be remade, I wouldn’t want that aspect of the game changed. I think it would actually be much more tolerable on a handheld device – a system well suited for quick pick-up-and-play and put-down sessions. You could open up the game, run through a day or three doing some sidequests, or expanding your bankroll, and then close the system to revisit the main quest when you’re prepared to play the game during a longer, dedicated session. It just seems like the structure of the game would be well-suited to a handheld.

What about you? Why do you want, or not want, a Majora’s Mask remake other than the desire to play a prettier version of a classic?