It's no secret that many are enjoying The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D at the moment. The much-anticipated remake of the Nintendo 64 classic rectified some of the issues present in the original release and streamlined the whole experience to make it more enjoyable.
Just recently, Game Informer conducted an interview with Eiji Aonuma - the Zelda series' producer - that focused on both the original The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and the 3DS remake, asking questions about everything from initial choices made during development to certain changes made in the remake. Unsurprisingly, Aonuma-san had many interesting things to say.
To begin, Game Informer asked Aonuma why assets were reused from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Aonuma said that it boiled down to a bit of a time saving technique and a bit of a stylistic choice; going on to say that it let the team use the same characters to express things that couldn't be done in Ocarina of Time, while cutting back on development time as an added bonus.
Really, it was a little bit of both, whether it comes down to the decision of saving time in the schedule or it being more of a stylistic decision. I think a lot of it comes down to those character models having the ability to express something that they couldn't in the setting of Ocarina because we had this very different image for the world where Majora's Mask takes place. You know we described it as being a nearby land, but in feel, it's almost like another dimension. Even though these characters have a similar appearance to the version of them that appeared in Ocarina, they express something different in a different world.
Aonuma was then asked whether he was surprised or not that the game was divisive amongst the fans due to its confusing nature. He stated that it was rather interesting to hear different opinions on the game just from friends and family due to the fact that the relatively young internet at the time limited contact between the greater player-base and Nintendo. In addition to this, he remarked how appreciative he is to have the opportunity to go back and fix any gameplay problems with the recent remake.
I guess I should start by pointing out that when the Nintendo 64 version of Majora's Mask came out this was the pre-internet era so we didn't necessarily have as many opportunities as we do now for the voices of players to reach us directly, but I certainly did have a lot of opportunities to talk to friends and family who played the game and to hear their reactions, and of course I heard some pretty interesting things among those. In fact someone mentioned that they got pretty close to throwing the controller at one point, and that really stuck with me...What I'm really happy for now was the opportunity to address some of the things that made the game difficult in the wrong ways in this remake, and that's been really nice for me.
Shifting gears, Game Informer asked whether the entire game is all taking place in a dream, citing another famous example - Link's Awakening - from the franchise. Aonuma said that a particular song was thrown in as a reference to the previous game and nothing more, but was amused to see how players will ponder over various details such as this.
The reason that this song from Link's Awakening was used in this game really came down to a decision by the sound team. They were looking for inspiration, something that would fit the theme, and since the previous game was about collecting instruments it made sense that you would want to use this for a band in this case. For us, really, it was just a playful choice that referenced a previous game and nothing more than that.
However, I love that people think about stuff like this, and I think it shows how they feel about the franchise as a whole that they're interested in these possibilities.
The next question was why bottles are so rare in Zelda games. Aonuma said that they're limited due to how effectively they can be used in-game. Interestingly enough, after mentioning the addition of another bottle in the remake, he revealed that an interesting event will occur if all bottles are collected.
As it turns out, in this remade version of Majora's Mask, we added one extra bottle. If you happen to collect all of them, you're going to see a slightly interesting event. It certainly is true that they were hard to find in the original games, and we wanted to address that by giving people more chances to find bottles by adding this extra one.
Regarding the bottles themselves being very valuable? I suppose it's true since they can hold so many different things it makes it possible for you to do more in the game. They do have a very precious existence, from that perspective. As to why there are so few, I would simply say it has to be that way based on how powerful they are in the game.
Moving on, Game Informer asked why the bank is able to resist the time reset and still hold the same amount of rupees. Aonuma didn't really answer the question, saying that the idea of there being a bank was born out of necessity and that they decided on the idea of there being a mark of the account on Link's hand that would be invisible to the naked eye.
Part of this is just the most practical answer. The bank needs to maintain your rupees, otherwise you would lose them at the end of every three day cycle, despite the fact that it's really important to build up enough money to buy things in the game. We needed to find some reason for stuff to stay in the game, and we considered the idea that there would be some kind of markings on Link's hand that maybe you could only see if you shone a black light on them. This was talked about, the identification of his account and the current balance in it.
This would sort of make sense in that world because every time he goes back to the beginning of that three day cycle, he goes back in time but he stays who he is, he retains everything that is part of his person. We thought that would kind of make sense, because you could just look at your hand and say, “Oh, yes, you were this person, with this account, and this is your balance." But that still would represent a situation where the amount of money in the vault was changing over time.
Finally, Aonuma was asked why other characters don't react to Link's transformation process when he puts on different masks. He brought up the development of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and how at one point this was considered, with Link unable to transform in front of other characters. The idea was dropped, however, as it impeded gameplay too much.
I should point out that this is something we actually considered during the development of Twilight Princess. We had an early iteration of the wolf transformation where you couldn't transform when in front of other characters that could see you. We thought this would be an interesting way to address exactly the thing you're bringing up here, but what we found in practice was that it was simply too troublesome. So for purely practical game reasons we decided to avoid that.
Overall, this was a very interesting interview and you can read the whole thing here. What did you think of this? Were you surprised at anything Aonuma had to say? Sound off in the comments below.
[source gameinformer.com]
Comments 28
Has anyone found this event that supposedly triggers when you have all seven bottles?
Many of the changes made were very questionable, such as Ice Arrows being dumbed down, Zora Link needing a defibrillator to swim, the giant-obvious-weak-point-eyes on all the bosses, the design of the badase Garo's Mask being changed to that of a stupid looking golden crow (that was my favourite Mask ) and last but certainly not least; a pop-up telling you exactly what to do every time you talk to someone.
I may get a used copy later on, but an extra bottle and prettier graphics just doesn't cut it for me.
What music was it from Link's Awakening that they are referring to?
@Bass_X0
You can perform Ballad of the Windfish for the Zora in the Milk Bar but unless it has changed in the 3ds version it is not actually the same song as that from Link's Awakening. From what I remember there were areas where you couldn't transform in front of people in Twilight Princess, Market town and the clown with the cannon were examples.
@FlappyFalco "a pop-up telling you exactly what to do every time you talk to someone." Its not like that at all. The bomber notebook just summarize what you just read. Unless you skip conversations, all new info it gives you is if that quest/minigame chain is completed and if it was done in this cycle if its needed.
Its a great addition, because it replaces walkthroughs without spoon-feeding you. For example, there's 2 ways to deliver Kafei's letter, doing one might make you think you're done with that quest line and never touch it again, but the notebook won't mark as complete so you will know something is missing but it won't say "deliver it in other way". Other case is simple forgetting what you did and what you have to do, because there's many sidequests and not everyone will play it everyday to remember. I'm sure lots of people resorted to walkthroughs on the original for things like that and were told what to do because of that.
i feel like the last two questions where kinda stupid to ask since they were more obvious.... but that sucks that they changed garo's mask that was my favorite one too since it looked a like a ninja and what not
Link transforming into a wolf in front of a crowd and the crowd not realising it is Link. I explain that one with Midna's shadow magic. The crowd/normal people don't see Link transforming, they just see the wolf suddenly appearing out of nowhere, as if the seconds before never happened.
I was hoping Aonuma would call out the banker for having bank forged and screwing up the economy.
@DarkNinja9 The old mask never made sense from a lore standpoint though. <.<
If the Garo's mistake you for their master, then the mask you're wearing should be that of what the masters wear, not a normal foot soldier. Wipe the nostalgia from your eyes and look at this from a lore perspective.
@FlappyFalco Seriously? Do you even play games for the lore? The boss battles now require precision instead of randomly hitting them over and over without needing a strategy. Not to mention it ties them with Majora herself, as they are just extensions of her dark powers that have captured and contained the giants in cursed masks. Zora Link used to bounce into everything all over the place, not to mention you can still swim fast by pushing R, whether or not you have Magic left. The bomber notebook just notifies you when a quest is started, it doesn't give you hints or anything, all it does is tell you when you start one, and when you've finished one. Also, like I said earlier, using the design of the MASTERS mask makes more sense than the standard foot soldier Garo mask. Lore is ALWAYS more important than nostalgia, and with the whole ice thing is just nitpicking, as it originally wasn't any harder, just more of an inconvenience. In a game that gives you only so much time, inconvenience is a VERY bad thing and WILL make people rage.
Majora's Mask 3D is the best version of TLoZ: MM. It's quite frankly superior to its original counterpart, and anyone who says otherwise because they view tiny details such as using fog to HIDE the limited capabilities of the N64, and the not so good control scheme of the original game are kidding themselves and need to take off those nostalgia goggles and learn how to appreciate change where it's useful.
Wait, I'm confused... I thought Termina was simply a whole different area of the world that Hyrule inhabited from Ocarina of Time. It's supposed to be another world/dimension entirely?
@BlatantlyHeroic
People can enjoy or not enjoy the game however they want. If they like the old Garo mask, simply because of the look, then that's great for them!
Personally, I LOVE all the changes that were made in MM3D, because I like that sense of clarity that wasn't present in the N64 game. But if someone enjoys the old game more, just because of nostalgia... Then what's wrong with that? Nostalgia isn't inherently a bad thing.
@Jeyl
Then would that make Epona a tansdimensional entity!? (O-o)
I'm actually playing through the N64 version for the first time. I skipped it back when it first released because I heard Ganon would not be the main villain. After seeing the game theory video about it though, I had to reconsider. Glad I did because this game is fantastic and it's too bad I didn't give it a chance when it first released. Glad they added a camera system into the remake. Looking forward to giving it a go after I complete the original.
@FlappyFalco
It's really not as bad as it seems. Most of the changes made are just for clarity. The bombers notebook only pops up when you start a quest, and helps you keep track of what tasks you've already completed. As far as the "weak point eyes", it's really not that much different from just hitting the monster, only now you have to aim a little.
The garo mask took a while to get used to for me too, but it honestly makes more sense this way, even if it doesn't look as cool to some people (I liked the new one). And ice arrows, well, you only ever used them in those particular spots anyway, so this just save you some magic, and a headache. The whole Zora thing though, my brother hates the change... But I like it because you just have one more option, and the slower swim is actually pretty fast! And the fast swim actually gave a purpose to the green potion! Lol!
Worth a play through for sure! But if you prefer the original, there's nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind, that it seems " hand-holdier" than it actually is. Very fun!
@JellySplat They're complaining about changes that make sense lore wise. When you complain about something that makes logical sense, that means you're opposing logic itself in favor of a few stupid nitpicks due to nostalgia, which means they won't be able to fairly judge the game. You can't have a preconceived notion of anything when you play something, otherwise you're going to continue to be pessimistic during the whole playthrough, and thus your opinion will be biased since you had already decided you didn't like something BEFORE playing it, and BEFORE looking for each individual reason and seeing the logic behind the choices. It also makes no sense at all to gripe over something that HELPS the lore, which in turn helps the overall story.
Also, on the whole Zora thing, even after you run out of magic you can continually press the R button while swimming to get the same boost and speed, thus you are able to jump out of the water like normal. Basically imagine the Epona carrots, except you don't run out of them.
I'd like to point out that the Game Theory video claiming Link is dead is false. Link appears as the Hero's Shade in Twilight Princess as a full adult, not to mention he's wearing armor, which means he was guarding something or someone. He might have even been a soldier in one of Hyrule's many different wars, as Hyrule is VERY politically unstable. We also know that the Link in Twilight Princess is a descendent from the Hero of TIme (also known as the Hero's Shade now). The Hero of Time is the same Link that went through the events of Majora's Mask, which in the end are just the story of going through all the stages of grief and accepting loss. Skull kid accepted the loss of not being with his old friends (the giants) like he used to, and Link accepted the loss of Navi, who he went searching for in the first place. Link later had a child with whoever the mystery woman is. Truthfully, he's had a few love interests, so anything here would be just up to speculation. It does seem likely that he married Malon though, as the Link in Twilight Princess is seen living a ranching life before everything goes wrong. In the end, Link's story is probably just as tragic, but his time of death was as an adult, and most likely serving Hyrule once again, for the last time. His spirit stayed however, as his children had never grown old enough for him to teach everything he had known, and so, once his descendant came and learned all of the Hero of TIme's Sword techniques, he was finally able to rest and find peace, much like he had done for Darmani and the dying Mikau. It's funny to think the Hero that saved so many from their grief and anguish, ended up carrying the burden himself...
@BlatantlyHeroic
I think you're over thinking it. I'm sure most of these guys who liked the old Garo mask better, can still appreciate the reason why it was changed. They're not "Opposing logic itself", they just like the old mask design better! Whether it makes more sense lore wise or not, it really doesn't matter.
I like the new mask, for both reasons (the look and the lore behind it), but theres no reason to prove someone wrong about this. It's just a preference.
Reading Aonuma, I remember that Midna would not let me transform if a character was present, so they kept it there. Same when you have to teleport the cannon, part of what could glitch the game.
@BlatantlyHeroic
I like your theory, makes perfect sense.
I like to think he married Malon as well.
I'm really curious what this special event is with the bottle collection. Also, I wish he properly answered the bank question, that's still kind of a mystery.
@EvisceratorX: It's actually pretty simple. The money that you withdraw from the bank is not the money that you put in. It isn't resisting time at all. The invisible stamp on Link's hand simply says how much money he put in. The stamp is not altered when traveling through time, since it is on Link's body, so when he goes to the bank, he sees that Link put in however many Rupees according to the stamp, and gives Link the requested amount. I hope this makes since to you.
So the banker is unwittingly setting himself up to be conned by Link. Oh well, that's probably nothing compared to what Tingle would get up to in a Groundhog Day scenario...
So what is the special thing tied to collecting all the bottles? I have all 7 and didn't notice anything "unusual".
So there's 7 bottles in total?! Wow, I only have 4 and I thought I had them all. Seems excessive though, because you can't hold something in a bottle for ages like you can in other games. It gets wiped as soon as you go back to the first day. I basically use just one to hold a fairy right now (which I never use because I don't run out of hearts)
@Baker1000,
Spoiler: Yeah, one extra bottle it seems. So something extra for me to do, wich is good.
Spoiler: They gave the bank a new home, but kept the old space empty. Now there's just a empty wall. Sure they could have done something more interesting with it?
@Henmii You know, I thought I remembered it being elsewhere. It used to be in West Clock Town, right?
Spoiler: That's what I meant. It was to the right of the stairs, but now there is just a empty wall because they moved the bank to the back of the clocktower. End of spoiler.
Spoiler: Speaking of the extra bottle, it makes perfect sense because there are 7 Zora-eggs. I imagine Nintendo made it so that you could basically get them all in one run. That was one of Nintendo's goals, to remove the annoying stuff. Making it a smoother experience. End of spoiler.
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