The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Reception

Reception

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask sold approximately 314,000 copies during its first week on sale in Japan, ultimately selling three million copies worldwide, and garnered universally positive reviews. Game Informer called the three-day cycle "one of the most inventive premises in all of gaming," and also stated that "ithout question, Majora's Mask is the finest adventure the Nintendo 64 has to offer." It is often regarded as the darkest and most original game in The Legend of Zelda series. Edge magazine referred to Majora's Mask as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Zelda games." Opinions were favorable regarding how the game compares with predecessor Ocarina of Time, often cited as one of greatest video games of all time. N64 Magazine ended their review by saying, "it was told that Majora's Mask should cower in the shadow of Ocarina of Time. Instead, it shines just as brightly," awarding the game 96%. GameSpot said the game was much more difficult than its predecessor. IGN described Majora's Mask as "The Empire Strikes Back of Nintendo 64...it's the same franchise, but it's more intelligent, darker, and tells a much better storyline." GamePro characterized the story as "surreal and spooky, deep, and intriguing" and the game as "living proof that the N64 still has its magic." It has been ranked the seventh-greatest game by Electronic Gaming Monthly, whereas Ocarina of Time was ranked eighth. Majora's Mask placed 68th on Game Informer's "Top 100 Games of All Time" in 2001 and 63rd on their "Top 200 Games of All Time" in 2009. Nintendo Power rated it the fifteenth-best game on a Nintendo console. The game placed 45th in Official Nintendo Magazine's 100 greatest Nintendo games of all time. GameFAQs users ranked Majora's Mask 47th in a list of 100 best games of all-time in 2005.

A common criticism of Majora's Mask is that it's not as accessible as Ocarina of Time. GameSpot, which awarded Ocarina of Time a 10/10, gave Majora's Mask an 8.3/10, writing that some might "find the focus on minigames and side quests tedious and slightly out of place." Game Revolution wrote that it "takes a little longer to get into this Zelda", but also that "there are moments when the game really hits you with all its intricacies and mysteries, and that makes it all worthwhile."

On December 24, 2010, Majora's Mask was voted as the Game of the Decade (2000–2009) by GameFaqs, beating out Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which had beaten The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess two rounds prior.

On May 19, 2011, in a tournament style competition hosted by IGN, Majora's Mask was voted the second best Zelda game of all time, behind only Ocarina of Time. It beat Four Swords Adventures in Round 1, A Link to the Past in Round 2, and Twilight Princess in Round 3 before losing to Ocarina of Time in the final round.