Playing the Narrative: ‘Majora’s Mask’
Many video games have distinct differences between the narrative and gameplay elements. Each has a purpose, and sometimes they work at odds with one another. In games such as Bioshock and Uncharted, the player’s actions in the world don’t reflect the characterization of the avatar they are controlling. However, occasionally they combine to form an even greater whole. That is the purpose of the “Playing the Narrative” series – to explore such games that successfully utilize their narrative to guide gameplay, and vice versa.
Within the first five minutes of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, the narrative hook is already in place: a fellow who goes by the Happy Mask Salesman is leaving in three days, and Link, the player’s character, must retrieve his stolen mask in that same amount of time. Things become more dire when the villainous Skull Kid, who took the titular mask, threatens to end the world in the same time frame. This opening segment establishes the base ‘hub’ of sorts, Clock Town, trapping Link until he understands the core gameplay and gets a feel for the area. Once Link has successfully tracked down Skull Kid, the final snag is introduced: the player has run out of time, and Skull Kid cannot be stopped. Link then gains the ability to turn back time, forcing him to relive the same three days over and over until he successfully retrieves the mask and stops armageddon.
What makes Majora’s Mask so unique is how alive the game feels. Every NPC follows their own schedule for the loop, and events happen on a timeline that possibly change what they do. They don’t even necessarily follow the same routine for each of the three days, which is what really sets Majora’s Mask apart from the pack. The three-day narrative loop is also the primary game mechanic. At all times, day and time are displayed at the bottom of the screen, letting the player know exactly how much time is left, and also what kind of state the world is in.
Let’s focus in on Clock Town and its inhabitants. As veterans of the game know, the largest and most significant questline focuses around a pair of characters, Anju and Kafei. In one corner of Clock Town, the mayor’s office, is a woman searching for her son. She will offer Link a mask in the image of him, a young lad with distinctive purple hair. If the player has explored around the town enough, they may recognize someone with this same hair, wearing a yellow mask to cover his face and hiding in an inaccessible location. The key is a lady working at the inn by the name of Anju, who, upon seeing the mask, will note that she’s also looking for Kafei. Many other games have lengthy side quests like these that link NPCs together across their world. What sets Majora’s Mask apart is that the only way to progress this plotline is on the first day of each cycle. At approximately 2 PM, Anju will receive a letter from the postman, an act that will prompt her to ask Link to meet with her that night.
Seemingly unrelated to this sidequest is an old lady delivering explosives to a shop in town on the night of the first day. But lurking unbeknownst to her is Sakon, a thief, waiting to steal her stash and run off. If Link successfully defends the delivery, Sakon runs off, never to be seen again, and the shop obtains a new item available for purchase. However, this has an unintended side effect: Kafei’s quest line runs parallel to this. While he would like to reunite with Anju, he refuses to do so until he has found a stolen wedding mask. It just so happens his hiding place is at the local black market, the same location Sakon would sell his ill-gotten explosives, giving Kafei a lead. In many games, this split-path storyline would warrant a restart of the entire game to explore all possibilities, but the three-day cycle mechanic lets the player reset time, choosing precisely where and when they want to explore.
The postman is another interesting figure who is intricately connected to the world. On each of the three days, he follows a set route checking all of the mailboxes and delivering mail. As noted above, he is connected to the Kafei plotline, both delivering a letter to Anju and eventually to Kafei. In fact, the postman is what allows the player to identify Kafei. Anju then gives Link a letter to send to Kafei. The postman is the only one who knows where he is, so trailing him allows the player to find Kafei. After making his rounds each day, the postman also spends some time training in his room, offering a reward if Link trains with him.
Moving away from Clock Town is Romani Ranch, inhabited by a few interesting people. Before Link can even get in, though, there is a large boulder blocking the path. There is a lone man with a pickaxe attempting to break through to clear a path to the ranch, but at his current pace, won’t manage to do so until the final day. If Link waits until the third day, something seems off. A small child by the name of Romani is holding her head in confusion, and her mother, Cremia, mutters something about not believing her daughter. Clearly something happened to them on the first two days, prompting a gameplay response of figuring out how to break down the boulder ahead of time. This doesn’t happen until about halfway through the game when the player gains access to Powder Kegs, which destroy the boulder and granting access to the story within.
Throughout the game, there are minor changes to the world that revolve around the timer. In Clock Town itself, there are a couple minigames that rotate based on what the current day is. In the southern swamp, an early quest involves locating a lost witch in a maze and obtaining some medicine from her sister. In addition to the maze changing each day, the other witch occasionally leaves her shop to search for ingredients, making her a bit more difficult to track down. To the north is a lone elder, slowly making his way from his village, attempting to find the source of his region’s sorrows. And to the east is a group of skeletons that circle around a different grave each night. These minor changes to the world may not seem significant, but they add an extra layer of complexity and make the game feel more alive.
The denizens of the world seem to react to the incoming disaster as well. The mayor of clock town is in a perpetual meeting where the carpenters and guards argue over if they should flee the town or proceed with the upcoming festival. This meeting ends on the night of the final day when the lead carpenter threatens to call the mayor’s wife. However, it can be ended early if Link shows up with proof that a couple – Anju and Kafei – have gotten married. It then clears the mayor’s head and he lets everyone decide for themselves. The postman faces a dilemma that he has to keep to his schedule in case a letter is given to him, but also desires to flee. Link can free him of this obligation by giving him Kafei’s letter to his mother, allowing him to both run away and perform his duty simultaneously. Back at the ranch, Cremia recognizes the world is about to end and allows her daughter to sleep in bed with her and drink Chateau Romani, an alcoholic beverage.
Unfortunately, this timeline mechanic doesn’t hold as much weight in the later stages of the game. As soon as Link gets his horse, he gains access to a bay to the west. Progression here is centralized around obtaining a set of eggs taken by the nearby pirates and eels. There are a few side quests relating to a local band, but none of these are on a timer. Even in the game’s final area, the canyon, there is no sense of urgency. The player is left to go at their own leisure. The lack of the timeline’s importance seems like a bit of a misstep: the finale of the game could have hammered home the core mechanics and themes, but instead opted to follow a more traditional formula. While Clock Town and a few areas are definite highlights, by the end of the game, the imminent apocalyptic threat is a non-issue.
Letting the player have control over the narrative in such a dynamic way has a profound impact on the experience of Majora’s Mask. As opposed to the humble simplicity of some games, Majora’s Mask challenges the player with seeing the world and how everything fits together, giving control over when things take place. Such a degree of control strengthens the connection between player and game. Cinematics are not necessary when the player creates exposition through their actions. Precious few games make the effort to create gameplay mechanics that fit the narrative. When one such as Majora’s Mask comes along, we as players have something special on our hands.
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