When The Legend of Zelda fans think of games that have defined the franchise, the usual answers will likely be Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and the most popular, Ocarina of Time. All of these are certainly great, given the innovations they brought to the genres they tackled and the quality of their gameplay, but I would wager that Majora's Mask trumps them.
Produced for the Nintendo 64 and a direct sequel to the iconic Ocarina of Time, it delivered everything and more by building upon what worked from its predecessor, adding its own unique spin, and making it work seamlessly. It was fun, full of emotion, and overall a great game.
Majora's Mask was so good and well-received that Nintendo released a Nintendo 3DS remake of it back in 2015. It was an exciting time, knowing that one of, if not the best, entries in the franchise was getting a massive overhaul. However, after playing the remake for countless hours, I can confidently say that it was unnecessary.
It wasn't horrible by any means, as it's essentially the same game but with updated visuals and certain mechanical improvements. That said, because of the changes that were made to try and make it better, it failed to recapture the charm the original had. One of the best examples I can provide is the Bombers' Notebook, an item that allows players to keep track of the schedule of every inhabitant in the Land of Terminda.
I will not deny its usefulness, as it helped everyone remember where the NPCs would be to finish their respective quests. However, I would say that not knowing was what made the original Majora's Mask so special.
Having to keep track of the different characters and knowing where they were by heart made you feel like you had an actual connection with them. By putting them in a notebook, they just felt like part of a checklist that needed crossing off, which is not something they should be, given how much they made Termina feel alive.
Another reason the remake isn't as good as the original is that it allowed players to use the Ocarina to jump to any specific time of day. Much like the Bombers' Notebook, the change is certainly useful, as it made things easier for players by removing some of the long waiting periods of the original. But I would argue that those waiting times were one of the best aspects of Nintendo 64's Majora's Mask.
In the older version, not being able to jump to specific hours meant players had to manage their days carefully. It taught everyone how to make the most of their time, forcing players to take a good look at the world and making them feel like they were really part of it.
By updating the Ocarina time-traveling mechanic in the remake, it just allowed people to rush through the game. This tells me that a good number of players were likely unable to see some of the details that would have allowed them to appreciate Termina more, which is rather unfortunate, as it probably made their playthroughs less memorable as a result.
While the remake had other issues, like changing how swimming as Zora Link was handled and some of the bosses having unnecessary new weak points, they weren't as bad as the flaws previously mentioned above. Although the fact that they exist just further emphasizes how unnecessary the remake was.
Should you ever be interested in playing Majora's Mask, I implore you to go for the Nintendo 64 version. That may not be as easy now, but it's still worth the trouble, as it's better to play the original with its charm than a remake that lost it due to supposed improvements.
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