Brave Design: The Fearless Vision behind Majora’s Mask

The Legacy of Majora’s Mask: A Unique Perspective

The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is widely known as a terrifying game, but surprisingly, one of its lead developers didn’t find it scary during its creation.

In my opinion, Zelda games shine when they incorporate a hint of fear. The series’ theme of reincarnation inherently carries an eerie undertone, making the games all the more captivating when they venture into the realm of horror. Majora’s Mask stands out in this aspect, with its looming moon inching closer towards destruction and the enigmatic, foreboding presence of the titular mask. However, the art director of Majora’s Mask, Takaya Imamura, didn’t initially perceive his designs as frightening.

In an interview with Edge Magazine (via GamesRadar), Imamura shared, “Some key elements had already been decided, like the moon falling and the mask and that kind of thing. I needed to come up with a world that they would fit into and that would fit them in turn.” He further elaborated, “In terms of the design of the mask and the moon, personally I didn’t think of them as scary at all. I had in mind coming up with a unique design approach for them, but everybody told me how scary they were. People on the team were like ‘whoa!’. It’s just how it came out, I guess.”

Despite Imamura’s perspective, many players would argue that the mechanic of the falling moon in Majora’s Mask is one of the most stressful and anxiety-inducing aspects of any game. However, this only adds to the game’s allure, if you can call it that.

For those who have yet to experience Majora’s Mask, the N64 version is now accessible through Switch Online’s Expansion pack. Still, fans are hopeful that Nintendo will bring the 3DS remaster/half-remake to the Switch platform as well.