It’s insane to think that Zelda Producer Eiji Aonuma and his team spent only a single year crafting the masterpiece that is Majora’s Mask. And yet, from that short development time, 20 years of love and appreciation have since followed. The game is still cherished and commonly discussed within the Zelda fanbase, and for good reason. After all, two decades on, there is still no other game like Majora’s Mask.
It is commonly regarded as the darkest Zelda game, with its bold themes of death, grief, and tragedy. It was only last year that Aonuma seemingly dared to challenge Majora’s Mask honor as the bleakest game in the franchise when he teased that the upcoming Breath of the Wild sequel may end up being even darker.
“You’ve met with a terrible fate, haven’t you?”
Majora’s Mask is so beloved within the Zelda community that it even inspired a massive fan campaign requesting Nintendo to remake it. Back in 2011, Aonuma said that what inspired the creation of Ocarina of Time 3D was the fans’ outpouring of love and adoration for the original game. He then teased that, “if there was a similar output of emotion and clamor from fans for a remake of Majora’s Mask, it wouldn’t be an utter impossibility.” This was all that we needed to hear before taking action. Zelda Universe, along with other Zelda fansites and the broader Zelda community, formed together to create “Operation Moonfall:” a movement to prove that deep desire for a potential Majora’s Mask remake, just as Aonuma challenged.
We encouraged Zelda fans to contact Nintendo directly to politely voice demand for a remake, to make themselves heard on social media, and to sign a petition. We managed to get Nintendo of America’s attention as well as support from Zelda Williams, and many creative projects generated from the community’s passion for the movement, including an incredible poster campaign. The game was in fact remade in 2015 for the Nintendo 3DS, known as Majora’s Mask 3D.
Majora’s Mask first launched on the Nintendo 64 in Japan on April 27, 2000. To celebrate 20 years of this cult classic, we will be dedicating articles all month long throughout April 2020! For those who enjoyed Ocarina Month a couple of years back, you won’t want to miss out.
Please also share your thoughts and memories of the game with us! We have many exciting articles to come, so be sure to consume — consume everything — on the Majora’s Month 2020 page.
