The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D

Gameplay

Much like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D before it, Majora's Mask 3D is a remake of the original Majora's Mask game, featuring enhanced stereoscopic 3D graphics, touchscreen controls, and gyroscopic features. Like the original, the game follows Link, who is given only three days to save the land of Termina from being crushed by its moon, using various abilities obtained by wearing different masks. In addition, Nintendo changed the time mechanic of the original game, giving the player more time to explore, and added fishing. Several Easter eggs are also hidden at different locations in-game (e.g. in shops and houses).

Plot

The game stars Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and takes place several months after the conclusion of that game. The game begins with Link riding his faithful horse Epona deep into the woods, in search of his lost friend Navi. After chasing a masked Skull Kid who stole his Ocarina, Link finds himself trapped in the parallel world of Termina, where he discovers that the moon will crash into the surface in three days' time and destroy the world. With the aid of his new fairy friend Tatl, Link must travel across Termina, wake the sleeping Four Giants to stop the moon's descent, and defeat Skull Kid and the mask possessing him. To do this, Link must acquire a series of strange masks to grant himself new abilities and aid the people of Termina, as well as using his ocarina to alter and travel through time and repeat the three-day cycle.

Development and Operation Moonfall

The Legend of Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma and co-developers Grezzo had started the development of Majora's Mask 3D immediately after the release of Ocarina of Time 3D, in June 2011. The project itself, however, was put under wraps for the majority of its development, with Aonuma and others involved with its development neither confirming or denying the existence of the game, but rather, suggesting that a Majora's Mask remake was "not an impossibility", depending on interest and demand. Following the release of Ocarina of Time 3D, a fan campaign called "Operation Moonfall" was launched to prompt Nintendo and Grezzo to remake Majora's Mask for the 3DS, in vein of Ocarina of Time 3D. The campaign name is a reference to a similar fan-based movement, Operation Rainfall, set up to persuade Nintendo of America to release a trio of role-playing video games for the Wii. The petition reached 10,000 signatures within five days. In response to the feedback, Nintendo of America released a statement: "At the risk of dampening the excitement you feel, I must be clear that no official announcements have been made regarding a remake of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for the Nintendo 3DS. However, we like hearing what our consumers find important." In an interview with GamesRadar in November 2011, Aonuma acknowledged Operation Moonfall, and told fans that he hopes to respond to their request sometime in the future. At E3 2012, Miyamoto stated that a 3D remake was still under consideration. Once again, shortly after E3 2013, Miyamoto commented that the fans supporting a Majora's Mask 3D remake were "still in his memory".

Release

During the November 2014 Nintendo Direct, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D was announced for the Nintendo 3DS. Like Ocarina of Time 3D, the remake includes, in addition to graphical improvements, new features that make the gameplay smoother and richer. During the January 2015 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo announced the release date would be February 13, 2015 for North America and Europe, and February 14, 2015 for Japan and Australia.

Marketing

A special edition featuring a pin badge, double-sided poster, and steelbook was released in Europe and Australia. Another special edition was available North America, which includes the game and a Skull Kid figurine. This figurine was also bundled with UK pre-orders for the game and a New 3DS/New 3DS XL from Nintendo's online store.

Reception

Majora's Mask 3D received critical acclaim with a rating of 90% on GameRankings and 89/100 on Metacritic.

Sales

By the end of February 2015, its release month, 515,000 physical and digital copies were sold in the United States. By the end of March, 730,000 copies had been sold. After five weeks of availability in Japan, over 390,000 copies had been sold. As of March 31, 2015, the game has sold 2.03 million copies worldwide.