Majora’s Mask invites players to experience a whirlwind of emotions that will leave them picking up the pieces of their fractured hearts. So many moments bring tears to the eyes. So many souls are lost, though not lost forever. As the game says, “Whenever there is a meeting, a parting shall follow. But that parting need not last forever. Whether a parting be forever or merely a short while… that’s up to you.” That mixture of sorrow and despair that pulls on your heartstrings is always there, but a little flame of hope flickers in the middle of it all, illuminating the endless darkness. Artist Warrick Wong set out to encapsulate the torrent of emotions flowing through Majora’s Mask when he created this illustration inspired by the game.
Both the heroes and the villains are depicted in Warrick Wong’s piece. At the bottom, Link stands ready to fight, with the Moon glowering at him from the top. And in between, Wong draws the souls of those both living and dead who are a part of Link’s journey to stop the end of the world. Unlike the official artwork, the people with Link are not the NPCs of Termina, but the four monsters plaguing the land and the four giants that must be freed from their clutches so they can stop the Moon’s descent.
There is a lot to unpack within this piece. As I mentioned, Link stands at the bottom, with the others posed around him so that he remains the centerpiece, even though he’s so small in comparison. He holds the Fierce Deity Mask in one hand and his sword in the other, ready to strike at any moment. Standing behind him are the forms Link takes whenever he dons one of the three masks that contain the spirits of fallen allies: the Deku Butler’s son, Darmani, and Mikau. The bosses of the four dungeons — Odolwa, Goht, Gyorg, and Twinmold — tower over them, clustering around the mighty Fierce Deity Link in the center. The possessed Skull Kid hovers in the sky as he commands the Moon to crush all below, but hope lies in the four giants who halt the Moon’s destructive rampage. Despite all the terror and heartache that lies ahead, Link continues to stand at the front, ready to face whatever comes his way.
One thing to note is that the color palette is rather washed out. Even the green in Link’s tunic is faded and stripped away. If anything, the lack of bright colors makes the impending doom feel all the more stark and terrifying, as the eye is drawn to the ominous glow of the monsters’ eyes. Furthermore, the ground is coated with mist, but it clears off as we get closer to the sky, where you can see every little star twinkling above. Most of the piece is directing the viewer to focus on the Moon and the terror it evokes. Only by looking around at the little details does one find those tiny flames, burning with hope for living another day.
