Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask Cross Over for a Unique Challenge With This Offbeat Randomizer
Posted on March 05 2023 by Emi Curtis
None can deny that the Nintendo 64 era was a renaissance for the Zelda series. Not only were we graced with Ocarina of Time, a game that is still the best of the best to many if my Daily Debate last month is anything to go off of, but also Majora’s Mask for the fans of a darker story. The two released within only two years of one another on a breakneck development schedule for the time. In many ways, the only reason this was possible was because Majora’s Mask carried a significant amount of the DNA that formed Ocarina of Time, reusing quite a number of assets from its prequel. But what if both games were somehow even closer?
Github Developer Nax sought out to find the answer to just such a question. The result is quite possibly the wildest randomizer since the Link to the Past–Super Metroid Crossover Randomizer. OoTMM, as it is colloquially known, takes the standard randomizer formula but mixes items across both Nintendo 64 Zelda games, allowing the player to transition between both games almost seamlessly. In this way, one can find masks squirreled away in the Water Temple while finding medallions hidden away in Ikana Canyon. The system is surprisingly fluid and works incredibly well, with Link able to travel to Majora’s Mask through the mask shop in Castle Town and back to Ocarina of Time through the clock tower in Clock Town.
In order to make the whole affair a bit less painful, Nax has implemented a number of alterations to Majora’s Mask‘s mechanics. Certain items like Stray Fairies, Skulltula Tokens, and trading quest items no longer vanish when you return to the start of the three-day cycle. In fact, trading items actually reappear upon resetting time in order to accommodate potentially having to partially complete quests or use items for different purposes. Otherwise, the games are relatively untouched from their standard randomizer states. It’s worth noting that OoTMM is still relatively in its infancy compared to other established randomizers like Testrunner’s Ocarina of Time Randomizer and ZoeyZolotova’s Majora’s Mask Randomizer, so it doesn’t quite have the vast array of options that those do. However, Nax drops updates incredibly frequently for OoTMM. Within the last week, the ability to disable certain locations and share inventories across games was added to the stable release.
I’ve played a couple seeds on OoTMM so far, and I find it quite fun. The dungeon entrance and boss randomizers in particular are quite entertaining, catching me off guard as I suddenly switch to Majora’s Mask when Dodongo’s Cavern leads to the Great Bay Temple only to have Goht waiting for me at the end. Wrapping your head around the logic it uses can take some getting used to. I had quite a number of situations where I was rapidly bouncing between the games for just one or two checks, while later I just spent hours in one game on a roll without ever switching. All in all, it’s definitely a great randomizer for its unique premise, and I’m excited to see what other features Nax adds over time.
You can shake up a seed for OoTMM on the Web Generator here! For updates and info on the randomizer, you can also join the OoTMM Discord right here.
What are your thoughts? Does the prospect of a crossover adventure sound like a great time? Or is two games simply too much to keep track of for you? Let us know in the comments below!
Source: Nax
Video Source: Gwen Myoty
Emi Curtis is an associate editor with Zelda Dungeon, having originally joined the team in late 2020. She is a freelance artist, programmer, and streamer with a healthy love of both the creative and analytical. She can frequently be found playing RPGs and Adventure games, her favorite of which being The Wind Waker. She is also quite fond of playing Zelda Randomizers. Currently, she hosts a tabletop RPG series on Twitch and operates a freelance illustration business. She can be found on Twitter and Twitch as her VTuber alter-ego Gwen Myoty, creating nerdy artwork, dungeon mastering tabletop games, and playing RPGs.
