Recently, I wrote a Medli’s Melodies article for Marble Pawns’ Ocarina of Time remix, “Zeldawave,” a loving vaporwave tribute to Koji Kondo published three years ago. Earlier this year, to the joy of many fans, Marble Pawns returned with the continuation, “Zeldawave II.” As a sequel to his Ocarina of Time remix, it is fittingly composed of music from the sequel to that game, Majora’s Mask. As a natural product of Majora’s Mask’s tonal shift between games, there’s less friendliness to be found in this musical project, but the same nostalgia is there.
”Zeldawave II” compiles over a dozen unique tracks from the acclaimed Nintendo 64 sequel, including a brand-new remix of the Fairy Fountain theme, different than the one used in the first vaporwave installment. The eeriness of most of the game’s soundtrack is only multiplied by the synthesized reverb, but the happy tunes received their comeuppance as well. Themes like the “Astral Observatory” and “Clock Town” bring nothing but pleasant feelings with their positive cadences. My personal favorite moment is the rendition of “Oath to Order” (timestamp 18:18), the song used to call the giants from the four corners of Termina. The gravity of the song is immense even without the saturated remix, and I love the glow-up Marble Pawns gave it.
As with his first video, his comments section is filled with iconic Majora’s Mask quotes, anecdotes of fond memories with the game, simple appreciation for the quality of the music and, most plentifully, joyful comments on Marble Pawns’ return with this project, as well as relived memories of the first “Zeldawave.” I don’t think even he realized how great his impact was on his viewer base in helping them revisit their childhoods and step away from reality.
I haven’t finished Majora’s Mask yet; but I must say, I’ve never been more tempted. Thank you, Marble Pawns.
