Unpopular Opinion Monday: Majora’s Mask would be better without the three day mechanic

A franchise built on open world progress and exploration limited by a three day time restraint

For many years people have argued over which Nintendo 64 Zelda title is better: Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask. Surely both will make it on the Switch’s Virtual Console, when it finally gets released…and I know which one I’ll be buying first: it won’t be the one which constantly reminds me I only have a certain amount of time left, and not unlimited freedom.

Majora’s Mask is a masterpiece, don’t get me wrong. But much of what makes the franchise as a whole great is the ability to feel free while exploring, knowing that you can adventure the ends of the map with little holding you back. In my eyes, Majora’s Mask fails at this. The three day mechanic means that you are always under a constant time restriction, that you can’t simply wander aimlessly and lose track of time, immerse yourself in the beautiful world.

Sure, a lot of what makes Majora’s Mask great comes from the time mechanic too. Having different events happen on each day adds an extra twist to each plot point and character. Many of the game’s best side quests revolved around this idea. But would it have been so bad to have the game repeat the same three days without you having to lose all of your progress unless you were prepared?

It would take for some creative reimagining of the events on the final day. Sure. But if any creative force is up to that challenge, it’s the Zelda development team.

Majora’s Mask is a great game, no doubt, but I won’t be going back to it anytime soon as I want an adventure where I’m not held back by time restraints.

What’s your opinion? Think I’m completely wrong? Comment your ideas on the post and share your views!