In an effort to capitalize on the success of Ocarina of Time, series legend Shigeru Miyamoto championed the prospect of developing an alternate version of the game with reimagined dungeons. Eiji Aonuma, who was the system director and dungeon designer at the time, wanted to create an original new game. Not wanting to discourage his young protege, Miyamoto agreed to Aonuma’s request, but his approval came with a caveat: the game must be completed in a year.
Given the compressed timeline, it is no surprise that the development team relied heavily upon reused assets from Ocarina of Time. Many of the character sprites are carbon copies from the prior game, and the weapons and items list closely mirrors Link’s previous arsenal. Although similarities abound, Majora’s Mask is able to reuse assets in a clever way that feels fresh and unique. One particular example of the game’s ingenuity is the musical Easter eggs from Zora Hall.
Upon first arriving at the seaside oasis, Zora Hall feels eerily similar to its doppelganger location from Ocarina of Time. While the layout differs dramatically from the original, Zora Hall unashamedly appears to reuse the exact same theme from Ocarina of Time.
Comparing the first 30 seconds of the Majora’s Mask playthrough video to the “Zora’s Domain Theme” from Ocarina of Time demonstrates that the soundtracks are nearly identical. The theme is iconic and perfectly captures the whimsical spirit of the Zora tribe; therefore, it is understandable that the development staff would not want to deviate from a proven commodity.
Despite the nearly identical arrangement, the composition team used this backdrop of familiarity to hide three musical Easter eggs, and the delivery method for these secrets is none other than the Zora Band members.
Fast-forward the Majora’s Mask walkthrough video to timestamp 3:35 and listen closely. The Zora drummer Tijo appears to be playing an ordinary percussion riff; however, he eventually starts to play a few notes of the “Cave Theme” from A Link to the Past.
Tijo is not the only member of The Indigo-Go’s with an appetite for nostalgic Zelda music. Fast-forward the walkthrough video to timestamp 8:15 and listen closely to Japas’ bassist guitar riff. Japas appears to be playing a melancholy version of the “Dungeon Theme” from the original Legend of Zelda.
The final musical Easter egg in Zora Hall is perhaps the most obvious. Upon visiting the pianist Evan at the 9:10 timestamp of the walkthrough video, the musician is clearly playing a recognizable theme from a prior game. Fans of the original Nintendo Entertainment System likely heard this song on many occasions when playing The Legend of Zelda: the “Game Over Theme.”
The musical Easter eggs found in Zora Hall are a small example of how Eiji Aonuma and the development team added creative flair and nostalgia to reused assets. The result is a game that is beloved by many in the Zelda community and to this day remains one of my favorite installments in the franchise.
