Cover artwork I generate from the game data. I do not use publisher artwork.
Game profile
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
This darker follow up to Ocarina of Time revolves around a three day cycle and a looming apocalypse and is playable today through Nintendo Switch Online. Mask transformations and its melancholic atmosphere make it one of the most distinctive Zelda entries.
Affiliate link. If you buy through it, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
What kind of game this is
At its core this is Action / Adventure, set in a fantasy world. Visually it is leaning into a retro look, and the overall tone stays dark throughout. The structure is guided rather than open, so you are moved along instead of dropped into a map. It rewards long uninterrupted stretches more than quick check-ins.
The difficulty is moderate and fair, demanding attention without punishing you for it. The narrative carries the whole thing, and the mechanics serve it. It is a single player experience from start to finish. It is available on one platform. It sits in the budget bracket.
What stands out
- Three day time loop
- Mask transformations
- Melancholic atmosphere
This fits you if
- exploring for its own sake is the point for you
- you want to live through a story, not just play a system
- you actually want to be scared
- you can sit down for a proper long stretch without interruptions
- the writing matters more to you than the mechanics
- you play alone and want a complete experience without other people
Look elsewhere if
- you skip cutscenes and want to get to the gameplay
- you only ever get short bursts of play time
- you want something light and easy going
- you specifically want an open world to roam
What it costs you in time
About 25 hours in total. At three evenings a week and two hours each, you will be busy for roughly 4 weeks, or 13 sessions.
How the rating ranks
Critics settled on 95 out of 100, which puts it above 98 percent of the 1206 games here and at rank 20 overall. That is top tier. Only a handful of games here score higher.
For comparison, Action averages 83 points across the database, so this one sits 12 points above its own genre. The figure rests on 867 collected ratings.
Released in 2000, which makes it 26 years old. A genuine classic, and worth checking how the version you buy holds up today.
The facts
- Release year
- 2000
- Genres
- Action, Adventure, RPG
- Playtime
- approx. 25 hrs.
- Difficulty
- Moderate, fair
- Story weight
- Carries the whole game
- Play with
- Solo
- Setting
- Fantasy
- Visual style
- Retro
- Price bracket
- Budget
- Platforms
- Switch
- Critic rating
- 95 / 100
Direct comparison
| Genres | Release year | Playtime | Critic rating | Price bracket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | 2000 | approx. 25 hrs. | 95 | Budget |
| Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 | 2025 | approx. 30 hrs. | 73 | Full price |
| The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time | 1998 | approx. 32 hrs. | 99 | Budget |
| Crimson Desert | 2026 | approx. 45 hrs. | 86 | Full price |
If you liked this, try these
- Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, rated higher
- Crimson Desert Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, longer
- Realm of Ink Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, longer
- Lost Soul Aside Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Hogwarts Legacy Shared: Action, Adventure, Fantasy