the moon has a scary face and it's getting closer
I’m here today with a quick post, because I just wanted to say: have you ever played The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask? Well you should.
Before I ever played Zelda, I knew the series only from Super Smash Bros. Melee. One of the stages in the game was based on Majora’s Mask. And in the background of this stage, there is a weird moon with a face. And uh… it’s coming towards us? Luckily some big guys push it back, so no worries! The moon also made an appearance as one of the game’s collectable trophies. This was all interesting, but it didn’t make a big impression on me; it was just weird background stuff I didn’t understand.
A few years later, I actually played Majora’s Mask. And I ended up with a very different impression.
I can remember moments growing up where I found myself fascinated by doomsday events. Volcanic eruptions, the meteorite that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, DVD covers of disaster movies that I never actually watched—they all captivated me. The concept of the end of the world frightened me yet I couldn’t help but to want to ponder on it.
Majora’s Mask has always fascinated me in much the same way. The game reuses much of the foundation of its predecessor, Ocarina of Time, but it has a massive twist: there’s a three-day time limit, because the world isn’t going to survive past that. And what is it that is bringing end of the world? It’s the moon. The moon is crashing down on us.
Why would the moon, which I assume in this world has always been there staring at people with an angry face, suddenly begin to fall? It is an event that defies explanation.
Well actually, in the game it turns out that it’s the result of the power of an evil relic, the titular Majora’s Mask. But do you think the townspeople know that?
Clock Town has quite a few people you can speak to. They have different reactions to the fact that the moon seems to be getting closer. Some recognize that this collision will destroy the town and plan to seek refuge at a ranch—in truth, they won’t be safe there, either. Others deny the impending danger altogether. Clock Town’s festival is in a few days, and those plans aren’t changing.
But two days after Link arrives in this land, the moon now appears massive. The earth begins to experience frequent tremors. No man can stop this force.
That night, the moon continues its descent as the sky turns red. As dawn breaks, there is no time left. Impact. The moon crushes the town. It sends a wave of fire rushing through the world. No one can outrun it.
The good news is, this is a Zelda game and Link can travel through time, so eventually, he’ll be able to stop that terrible fate! Hooray!
But yeah, I just wanted to talk about how cool that crud is.
In America they actually had these commercials for the game that paint this surprisingly evocative picture of what it might be like in the modern world if we knew the end was coming:
Isn’t that haunting? It’s such a cool commercial. It doesn’t really reflect the tone of the game at all, but it brings the concept of awaiting the end of the world to life in a way I find absolutely fascinating.
Majora’s Mask is a powerful game and there’s a ton to say about it, but my only purpose here today was to say that the moon in the game is scary and cool. And I have done that. So I bid you farewell.