5 Games That Prove Video Games Are Art
3. The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The three day cycle present in Majora's Mask is not a mere gimmick.
See, in 1999, Zelda series director Eiji Aonuma was asked by Nintendo executives to develop an expanded version of Ocarina of Time. The director refused, suggesting he develop an original title instead. Nintendo agreed, but with one condition; the game had to be completed in just one year. This incredibly tight development schedule haunted Aonuma, but he was able to overcome the issue by incorporating it into his game.
The system forces players to continually interact with the same characters, causing them to learn their problems and ultimately sympathize with them. The people of Termina are troubled, and they need Link's help to overcome their issues.
But Link has issues of his own. At the end of Ocarina of Time, Link's friend Navi left him, and this game opens with a grieving Link searching for his lost companion. The plot of Majora's Mask is a metaphor for overcoming grief. Termina is made up of five main locations - Clock Town, Woodfall, Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana Valley - and each location represents one of the five stages of grief.
Although the moon is clearly crashing towards earth, the citizens of Clock Town carry on with their lives as if nothing is wrong (Denial). In Woodfall, the Deku tribe is furious that their princess has disappeared and the blame a clearly innocent monkey (Anger). Darmani the dead Goron from Snowhead Mountain begs Link to "bring him back to life with his magic" (Bargaining). With her eggs missing, Lulu cannot bring herself to do anything (Depression). In the final area, Ikana Valley, Link is left alone to contemplate his feelings as he travels the long road to the Stone Tower Temple (Acceptance).
The five stages of grief metaphor makes perfect sense, but there still remains many unanswered questions in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask:
Did it all really happen? Why did everyone look the same as the people from Ocarina of Tiime? Is Termina actually purgatory? Is Link actually dead? And what was the deal with the Happy Mask Salesman, he definitely knew more than he was letting on right?
The developers left the game open to interpretation, and each player may interpret the game differently. Majora's Mask is a surreal and ambiguous creature that each obsever will interpret differently. If that isn't art, what is?