Nintendo's November Direct presentation confirms that the long-rumored Majora's Mask of the Zelda franchise is coming to 3DS in Spring 2015. This is good news for Zelda fans who have been waiting for the game's return for 14 years.
Majora's Mask is a semi-sequel to Ocarina of Time. It is highly likely that the game will have improved visuals and bug fixes. However, Nintendo did not disclose if additional content comes with the upcoming title.
The action adventure game is one of the darkest, most unnerving installments in the Zelda series. Majora's Mask is developed by Nintendo's Entertainment Analysis and Development division for the Nintendo 64. It is the sixth main installment in the long-running Zelda series and the second one that uses 3D graphics. The first one was Ocarina of Time.
Majora's Mask is considered by critics to have a "darker" theme. The setting is at Termina, an alternate version of the familiar Hyrule setting. In the game, Link is tasked with saving the world by stopping the imminent collision of the moon.
While the game allows players to travel both forward and backwards in time, they only have a trio of in-game days in order to stop the complete destruction of Termina.
Majora's Mask retains the concept of dungeon puzzles and ocarina songs in Ocarina of Time. While in the latter, the masks are limited to an optional side quest, the masks in the upcoming game title play a central role and are said to total 24. Some of these masks are the Great Fairy's Mask, the Bunny Hood, the Stone Mask, Deku Mask, Goron Mask, and Zora Mask. There are also less valuable masks that are usually involved in specialized situations or optional side quests. These would be the Postman's Hat, the Kafei's Mask, and the Couple's Mask.
The final mask that is pursued in the game is the Fierce Deity's Mask. When the protagonist Link wears the mask, he grows almost two and a half times his usual height.
Majora's Mask was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 2000. The game remake will feature stereoscopic 3D graphics and improved character models. A special edition will be released in Europe and will feature steelbook, double-sided poster and pin badge.
Though pricing details are not disclosed, the game will most likely be the standard 3DS $40.
