Majora’s Mask Had No Minor Characters

“Rumors are spreading that the moon is falling, but you can breathe easier as long as I’m in town,” says a swordsman who can be found in the opening minutes of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

Like other Clock Town residents you meet early on, the swordsman expresses disbelief at an increasing number of “the weak and frightened” who believe that the moon above is about to slowly crush the world. But his sense of superiority vanishes as the earth quakes just seconds before lunar impact. The swordsman retreats to the storeroom behind his dojo, shaking with fear. “I’m scared!” he cries out. “I can’t take it! I don’t want to die!”

Majora’s Mask, which was released 25 years ago on the Nintendo 64, is filled with such unsettling encounters. The sixth entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise expanded the scope of narrative storytelling in video games by packing side quests with emotional depth.

Characters were not just asking the player to fetch items. They were asking for help reconnecting with estranged family members, finding a missing groom and learning to accept death. Players went through the same three days on repeat, completing small tasks to improve the lives of Clock Town residents who were in various stages of denial, anger, bargaining and depression.