Ranking Every Legend Of Zelda Game From Worst To Best

2. Majora's Mask

Zelda Best Feature
Nintendo

Many moons ago, I argued that Majora's Mask was the superior game to Ocarina of Time, and whilst detractors in the comments weren't exactly building the gallows themselves, they were more than happy to lend a hammer and a saw.

Well here we are again. Ocarina of Time is perfect, but Majora's Mask is perfect plus one. What started out as nothing more than a mere side-game, a gaiden, eventually blossomed like a flowering Deku into a full-blown Zelda classic, as graceful as a Zora, as hard as a Goron, and as dark as a... well, a very dark thing indeed.

It might seem asinine to credit a game whose central plot concerns an evil moon crashing into the earth as narratively mature, but look beyond this basic conceit to find a game richly veiled in some of the weightiest, most legitimately 'adult' themes to ever grace a video game. By 'adult themes', I don't mean sex and violence, but deeply introspective musings on the inevitability of death, and how to confront it. Yes, it's death by a massive grinning moon, but that's not the point.

The Groundhog Day-esque time-travel mechanic is often singled-out as a flaw in Majora's Mask, but it's by reliving the remaining days of the inhabitants of Clock Town again and again that the player gains an appreciation for the minutiae of their lives, creating a story which is intimately personal and profoundly touching.

Sometimes, it's enough to make your spine (yes)... Tingle.

Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.