All things in the world of Termina are affected by a three-day cycle that plays on a continuous loop throughout Majora’s Mask. As the days and nights go by, each character follows a set schedule, dictating their behavior as the moon inches ever closer to Termina. The first cycle that Link spends in Termina, however, is a very unique one. Cursed to spend his first three days in the land of Termina as a Deku Scrub trapped within the confines of Clock Town, Link will experience a unique yet restrictive experience within this little slice of the vast world. Interestingly, there are some hidden properties to this first cycle that make it even more interesting than players may realize.
The first notable difference from the normal three-day cycle in Termina is the fact that time actually moves faster in this early section of the game. However, this is not by an enormous margin, only about 50 percent. Since the first cycle is heavily scripted and therefore difficult to break from, it’s completely understandable as to the motive for this speed-up. Once Deku Link completes all steps in the first cycle quest, he will eventually have to wait for the three days to end in order to continue the story. Thankfully, the Scarecrow in the Observatory that can be located at the end of the Moon’s Tear quest will help us skip any time that is remaining. However, even if Link takes advantage of every possible time skip, he will eventually have to wait at the entrance to the Clock Tower, at least until the clock strikes midnight on the Final Day.
Interestingly, this time speed-up appears to do more than just affect the first cycle’s duration. It actually seems to be an indicator used by several entities in Termina Field to determine whether or not they should spawn. The only opportunity the player would have to notice this is by taking a very close look at the world surrounding the Observatory after retrieving the Moon’s Tear but, even then, it’s hard to notice what’s missing from the field. If time is sped up to the same speed as the first cycle, Termina Field entities will fail to spawn, thinking the game is currently in the first cycle (during which time it is impossible for Link to leave Clock Town).
As a self-proclaimed Majora’s Mask lover, it pains me to admit this time difference in the first cycle is something I learned about only recently. I’m a little ashamed I had never noticed such a stark difference and, now that I’m aware of it, it seems so obvious. In most of my playthroughs of Majora’s Mask, however, I made very frequent use of the Inverted Song of Time, so I rarely played the game outside of the first cycle on normal speeds, which might be why I never noticed the speed-up compared to regular speeds during the first cycle. Either way, I’m always elated and surprised at how often I find more to learn about one of my favorite games of all time!
