Thursday, October 2, 2014

Thoughts on a possible Majora's Mask remake

I think people have been talking about a Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask remake for the 3DS since before Ocarina of Time 3D came out, but it's definitely been a topic since that one fan-trailer for one showed up around E3 2012. I love that video so much.

I've been playing through Majora's Mask lately - my first full playthrough on my actual N64, and one of my absolute favorite Zeldas alongside Wind Waker and Twilight Princess - and as I tend to do I started reading about senseless Zelda trivia as well. In particular I was thinking about how Majora's Mask had a cameo in A Link Between Worlds, but I wanted to know why, since it has no bearing on the plot and it's not mentioned at all. I concluded that the developers just must have had the game on their minds, which is a good sign after all.

Later on, though, I stumbled upon a quote from Eiji Aonuma at New York Comic Con where in response to a question about a potential Majora's Mask remake, he said  “If you play A Link Between Worlds, you may get an answer. You might find some information.”, and this got me thinking. Going by the Hyrule Historia timelines, assuming it's not just a throwaway cameo, the mask in A Link Between Worlds was never exorcized as it was in Majora's Mask; that game never happened. And as a result it would be completely possible and plausible for a game to take place with Majora's Mask's premise in a different setting, in this other timeline. Like a remake, but also a somewhat new game. Like A Link Between Worlds, fittingly enough.

Will this happen? I really don't think so. Nintendo's takes on remaking Ocarina of Time and, especially Wind Waker (as they specifically didn't alter anything major for the Wii U release), make me think that they would be too afraid to release something as unsafe as an alternate Majora's Mask, something I'm sure a lot of fans actually specifically don't want. At the same time, A Link Between Worlds managed to be an effective remaking of A Link to the Past as a fairly original game, while still keeping a lot of concepts, locations and feeling from the original, and since the mask DID appear in said game, it could be taken as a clue to the direction they intend to go with Majora's Mask.

Regardless of any theories, Nintendo seems to be trying to keep Majora's Mask on everyone's minds lately. With the titular mask appearing in A Link Between Worlds, a DLC pack themed around the game for Hyrule Warriors, and Fierce Deity Link's much overdue playable appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series, they might have something for us to look at after the holiday releases calm down. I'll personally look forward to the possibility of seeing the Oath to Order scene at the end with updated visuals - that scene never fails to give me chills.