Majora’s Mask has a lot of layers to it. (The game, that is, not the actual mask. That also has several layers, but that’s a story for another time.) Many, myself included, have had their own unique experiences and interactions with the game. The frustration of trekking through Great Bay Temple, the sadness of watching Darmani finally accepts his death, the relief of turning back into a human for the first time, the confusion surrounding why the inside of the moon is a meadow, and the joy upon saving the land of Termina from certain demise all contribute to the roller coaster of emotions in this game, with or without sidequesting.
But aside from the Anju and Kafei sidequest, which excels in both warming and crushing our hearts, there’s only one other moment in this game that consistently evokes several emotions at once: The aptly-named event known as the Final Hours.
I was playing on a save file where everything was already unlocked, which also meant that I had no idea what to do. The first time it happened to me, everything just sort of hit me all at once.
I felt panic as I tried to figure out what to do, awe as I gazed at the gorgeous scenery in the sky, terror when the moon was at its largest, fear of losing the game, and, oddly enough, a sense of calm. Something about the toll of the Clock Tower, alongside the music and visuals, just sort of made me accept what was going to happen. All the while, a timer counted down, minute by minute, to my inevitable demise.
I’ve died before in other games, and I’ve gotten my share of Game Overs. But Majora’s Mask’s “terrible fate” truly made me feel like I had lost, that my failure had true consequence. All in the span of a minute, the town — no, the world I had grown to care for was crushed right in front of my eyes. And all that remained…was fire.
