Majora's Mask

Lore & Background

Majora's Mask is set in Termina, a parallel world that serves as an alternate, darker version of Hyrule. Here, landmarks are familiar yet twisted, and characters from Ocarina of Time face individual misfortunes. The central threat is a grimacing moon moving inexorably closer, predicted to impact at dawn on the day of the Carnival of Time, just three days away. Despite this looming apocalypse, the people of Clock Town debate evacuating or preparing for their annual harvest festival. The narrative explores deep emotional themes as Link encounters various peoples preoccupied with their own troubles: a poisoned swamp in Woodfall, an eternal winter in Snowhead starving the Gorons, contaminated waters in Great Bay turning creatures into monsters, and a plague in Ikana Canyon bringing the dead back to life.

In Their Own Story

The story begins several months after Ocarina of Time in the Child Era timeline. Link searches for his missing companion, Navi, but is ambushed by a Skull Kid wearing Majora's Mask, accompanied by fairies Tatl and Tael. The Skull Kid steals Link's horse Epona and the Ocarina of Time, then curses Link, transforming him into a Deku Scrub. Tatl guides the transformed Link to Clock Town to reunite with her brother. There, they meet the Happy Mask Salesman, who pressures Link to recover the stolen mask to break the curse. After three days, Link locates Skull Kid and retrieves the Ocarina but fails to get the mask before it nears impact. Tael instructs Link to awaken the Four Giants. Link plays the Song of Time, returning to 6:00 am of the first day. The Salesman mistakenly believes the mask was recovered, breaks Link's curse with the Song of Healing, then flies into a rage upon discovering the truth about Majora's Mask. He explains it contains powerful evil capable of ending the world and dispatches Link to retrieve it once more.

Reader's Guide

Gameplay revolves around a 72-hour cycle (about 54 minutes in real time) tracked by an on-screen clock. Players save progress by playing the Song of Time, which returns them to the start but retains weapons, masks, songs, and dungeon completion proof. Link can slow time with the Inverted Song of Time or skip ahead using the Song of Double Time. Owl statues allow temporary saving and act as warp points via the Song of Soaring. The Bombers' Notebook tracks 20 characters with fixed schedules to aid in puzzles. Transformation is central: three primary masks turn Link into a Deku Scrub (spin attack, water walking), Goron (rolling, punching, lava immunity), or Zora (fast swimming, electric force field). Other masks like the Great Fairy's Mask help locate fairies, while the Bunny Hood increases speed and the Stone Mask grants invisibility. The game requires solving puzzles in four distinct regions to awaken the Giants and stop the moon.

Did You Know?

• Majora's Mask was completed by Nintendo in less than two years.
• The game requires the Expansion Pak add-on for the Nintendo 64 to support its complex mechanics and graphical enhancements.
• There are exactly 24 masks in total, with three primary ones used for transforming Link into a Deku Scrub, Goron, or Zora.
• Link retains weapons, equipment, learned songs, and proof of dungeon completion even when the game resets to the first day via the Song of Time.