How Has Being a Sequel Affected Majora's Mask?

[February Eve]

In a post comparing several of the games, I thought about how I like both Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, but there's an aspect of MM that appeals to me more. Which is confusing, because Ocarina has the more 'classic' story to me, and I've raved to my (non-Zelda but patient) friend about how much I like the twist. Not to mention MM's gameplay has more of a tendency to confuse me. Still, there is something I can't quite put my finger on that attracts me to MM, and I had a thought that it's too bad it wouldn't be the same game without OoT.

Except then I realized that I don't think that matters.

Pretend for a moment that MM wasn't a direct sequel. Perhaps it had come out before OoT, or was released years later without "The Hero of Time" as the protagonist. How would it change your thoughts on it?

- We wouldn't have the amusement of seeing how the characters had been recycled, but we don't need to know that, really. They all of their own backstories anyway.

- The time system would still be a big departure from other Zelda titles.

- The game would still be one of the harder games.

Personally I came to the conclusion that it adds to the Hero of Time's story but that it would have worked with "another" Link as well, but I'm interested in your thoughts. If it had come out instead of OoT, would it be the one regarded as the "game-changer"? How much do you think it being a sequel affects people's opinions?

 

[Austin]

It would be very tough for new gamers. One thing people forget is that Ocarina of Time taught you a lot. Not including the actual story line but how to play a 3D game. One example, were the sign posts in Kokiri village. MM was designed to be a sequel and it had a small assumption most of the players have beaten OoT.

Ignoring that factor and only facing upon the story line. It wouldn't really effect anything at all. The only confusion would be the intro about Link searching for a lost friend, but that doesn't last long. In MM, there most characters were newly introduced and never really had any referenced to OoT.

OoT was very heavily dungeon based, while MM was very side quest based. If you didn't do any of the side quests, you would only have 4 hearts for the final boss. While some see that as a challenge, others may see that as a problem. Not having OoT as a prequel would make MM a little easier because people wouldn't expect to get most of their heart pieces from dungeons.

This post was fairly difficult to make because I never really thought of MM in that way. I've beaten all the LoZ games too many times to try and picture one being my first with the only exception of ALTTP (which was my first LoZ game). Anyways, if I played MM without any prior knowledge, it still would be fun and exciting, I guess.
For me, it wouldn't really matter if MM was the sequel or not.

 

[Scythe-of-Chaos]

well, i enjoyed how MM was the sequil because they way they DIDNT explain the past, because that usually cuts down on the time i want to play the game, and then i just jumped right into it. also, the graphics where better, and the bosses more done. also, all the twists and time related events. if it was its own game, i think he'd be the hero of time still, or the hero of termina or the moon. i feel id it was its own game, more story would have to add, but its fine with a 'hey your adventure continues, also heres a sword. go save them' kinda way. i think its great the way its done.

 

[February Eve]

I was thinking more about this, combined with an earlier thought about some of the staples of a "Zelda" game, and realized one obvious way being a sequel affected its storyline - there's only a little of Zelda herself in it, and only in flashback. For a sequel, I think that works - having too much of the classic formula with the same characters would be too much of a retread. Had it not been a sequel, though, I wonder if there would have been a way to include her in the story. Perhaps have her be a sidequest, but one that's pretty big and integral to the story.

I was also thinking that a game similar to Majora's Mask would be an interesting way to reboot the series if it needed to be rebooted, seeing as it was missing several of the staples (Hyrule, Zelda, Ganon, Mastersword, Triforce). The alternate reality was a nice way to explain it away while not contradicting the rest of the lore. Of course, the problem with a modern-day reboot along the same lines is that it would always suffer comparisons to MM, and there might be more complaints about the missing traditional story elements with an entirely original story, so it's a catch-22.

...I just realized I'm discussing potential "alternate realities" of MM not being a sequel, while the premise of the game itself is alternate realities. Heh.

 

[Adolf Wolf]

if Majora wasn't Ocarina's sequel ...

it'd look totally different, since it uses an improved OoT engine
it wouldn't have come out two years after OoT (duh)
it wouldn't incorporate any of OoT's music or character models
the Hero of Time's story would have been left flat. I can't imagine him doing anything other than leaving Hyrule. It's totally in his character to do that.

As for the story, it'd be pretty much the same. The plot wouldn't change, none of the characters would change. The only thing that'd be different is why Link left Hyrule, but that wouldn't have much of any impact.

I think the biggest difference, in terms of story, would be that they'd have to develop a new Link character. Sure, Link doesn't get a whole lot of character development in the games, but there still are differences between most of the Links, especially in the 3D titles. Termina is perfect for the Hero of Time. Can you imagine someone like, say, the Hero of Wind ending up there? It'd throw the game's balance off entirely, I think. And I don't think he could do it if he didn't have somebody holding his hand the whole time. Tatl would tear the Hero of Wind apart.

I don't know. I've just always felt a connection with the Hero of Time, mostly because of MM. As a kid I related to his loneliness, because he accepted it. I don't want to imagine someone else having to deal with that.

 

[bbevington90]

I don't think it effects it too much, other than the fact that it would be a lot harder without prior knowledge of the gameplay.