Let's Play: Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: Update 14: Great Pain Temple

[Yassen]

Your true face... What kind of... face is it? I wonder... The face under the mask... Is that... your true face?

Hello Escapists, my name is Yassen (well, not really) and I'll be taking you all on a weird and wonderful trip through the strange land of Termina which turns out to be Link's darkest and most interesting adventure to date. To me at least. Majora's Mask is by far my favourite Zelda game and one whose story is very open to interpretation. It was surprisingly dark for a Zelda game and made the unusual decision to be a direct sequel, something which rarely happens in this series. Depending on who you ask they'll tell you it's a poorly designed wreck that couldn't live up to the original, or a vastly superior sequel that takes the story in a far more dark and complex direction. To try and bring some recognition to this gem, I want to start a Let's Play that will finish this game 100%, and give me a chance to rant about how much I love kissing this games feet. But first, some questions.

Have you ever done a LP before?

Err... admittedly this is my first LP. I gave recording a LP a chance but I don't think it turned out very well. So hopefully this might turn out better.

What sort of LP is this?

This is a picture-based LP, mostly so I can speel inbetween shots and deconstruct certain scenes. And because I don't think I'm very funny when I record myself.

Why are you embarassing yourself like this?

I was inspired to do this by the excellent [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.338379-Lets-Play-Knights-of-the-Old-Republic-COMPLETE?page=1] Let's Plays [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.341194-Lets-Play-Mass-Effect-Updated-Ch-5-Part-2] of woodaba and AD-Stu respectively. Wanting to bring some recognition to one of my favourite games and have some fun at the same time sounded like a good idea. We'll see how well it turns out. But again, I am new to this so bare with me.

Are you also new to the game?

I can practically play this game blind-folded. The difference this time is that I'm playing this on an emulator so the controls take some getting used to. But I know almost everything there is to know about this game, as well as numerous theories and interpretations of the story, which I will share with you as the LP progresses. If there's one thing I love, it's a good deconstruction.

Can I tell you how much you suck at this?

By all means, you'll be helping me. I'm very open to constructive criticism so feel free to tell me how I might improve and make the experience better for all of us.

Clock Town
Update 1: Down The Rabbit Hole
Update 2: Dancing Till The End of The World
Update 3: Groundhog Day: The Game
Update 4: The Hero of Faffing
Update 4.5: The Faffing Strikes Back

Southern Swamp
Update 5: The Swamps of Anger
Update 6: Woodfall And Blown Minds
Update 7: The Mini-Games of Truth

??
Time's End

Snowhead Mountains
Update 8: The One With Angus
Update 9: Place Your Bets

Romani Ranch
Update 10: I'm not sayin' it's aliens...
Update 11: Video segment? Blasphemy!

Great Bay
Update 12: Gay for Justice
Update 13: The Last of Faffing
Update 14: Great Pain Temple

Update: Let's say I don't check the Escapist forums like an obsessive chimp but want to know when you've updated, what do I do?

From now on if you wish to receive a message alerting you to a new update, all you have to do is add me as a friend. I'll return the gesture and send you a message with each new update. Easy!

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 1: Part 1

Just to drive home the overall feel of this game.

Because I lack imagination but also too hipster to use Link, I'll stick with Yassen for this LP.

There's some debate about whether or not this sentence is refering to Navi who seemingly flies off at the end of Ocarina, or if Link is just looking for any old friend to make which seems like a lot of effort.

And our Hero enters the stage.

Interesting thing to note, Link is a child throughout this game and so is Epona, and at this age you couldn't ride her in Ocarina, but here you can. Link is also able to properly wield a metal shield. Maybe some of his adult skills stuck?

They watch...

They plan...

They strike!

But Link backflips off his horse and perfectly lands on his hands, jumping up to engage...

Oh...

What's over there?

A floating mask?

"Hello Link, I want to play a game."

...That quote actually makes a lot of sense in this context. Which somehow makes this scarier.

The only time in this game you see the Skull Kid take off the mask. The Skull Kid, and by extension many characters from Ocarina, became Ascended Extras in this game. The Skull Kid in particular was an extremely minor character in the first game. His importance in this story will become all too apparent.

This line implies this is the same Skull Kid, other characters are not so clear.

You are now thinking of what the Skull Kid did to you while you were unconscious. Have fun with that.

An Ocarina and Majora's Mask? Two subtitles in a single shot!

These two are named Tatl and Tael... get it?

Not the nicest of sisters, but this does raise the question if all male fairies in Zelda games glow purple.

Link is not amused by these shianagins.

Oh hai!

What blue Ocarina?

Wait for it...

FUCK!

Link is kind of a badass.

Oh damn, Epona needs a new horse-shoe.

To guard against the fall, Link put on his lesser known turtle-shield mask.

Aaand away he goes.

We've now got control of Link, epic chase music plays in the background. Shall we get our horse back? I bloody think so.

Onwards!

Jumping is the same as the first game, except...

Link picked up some sweet jumping moves.

He's not trying to show off, he's just better than you and is a third of your age.

Uh oh...

I imagine you feel a lot like Alice...

Tumbing down the rabbit hole...

Let's see just how deep the rabbit hole goes...

Oh, it stops right there.

Good thing he wasn't an adult Link, his nutsack would have broken his fall.

This is Link's "oh shit" face.

Err... what kind of fun?

He beat Ganondorf tough guy, what you have to say to that?!

...Touche.

 

[Ultress]

Great start on this awesome game. I like most of your commentary,however the moment you didn't name your character Ben you lost all creditability[/sarcasm]. I always just assumed it was Navi because of her leaving at the end of Ocarina. He was looking for a friend who doesn't exist anymore. Most other friends he could easily find except who isn't Navi around anymore.

Sorry for rambling and I can't wait to see the next part.

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 1: Part 2

The sound here really makes the scene, you hear rustling leaves, getting louder...

Closer...

Until they surround him with their glowing, angry eyes.

"One of us! One of us!"

Even the wielder of the Triforce of Courage just says "fuck this" and runs. Although, since he left Hyrule there's some questions as to whether he still has the Triforce or not.

Can't run little boy...

What was all that about then?

Wait... green hat, blonde hair...

This is the closest you'll see to a dramatic NOOOOOO from Link.

Not if we can help it.

Get 'em!

Now Link is so weak he's stopped by a floating ball of light with wings. Lovely.

I have to hand it to them, for floating balls of light, Tatl is surprisingly expressive. It's one of the reason why I like her over Navi. Tatl actually has a personality, a bitchy personality, but that's one more over Navi.

See? Not the nicest of fairies we could have come across.

Stop yelling! He has performance anxiety.

I love how Link is perfectly still throughout this scene.

Oh sure helpless, want to growl at me again?

There's some affection in those words. Alright now we start again in control of Link, except he's become a Deku Scrub, one of those annoying little leafy shits that shoot nuts at you and can't take more than a couple of hits. Yay?

Since Deku Link doesn't have a sword, he has to resort to other means of attack.

By spinning and using his hat to cut things.... k?

You can't tell here but the bushes are moving, just one thing after another isn't it?

Geez, only went down the tunnel, are fairy's always so clingy?

Most sincere apology ever.

Well... she said the magic word.

The memories came flushing back. "Hey Listen! Hey Listen!" Link stares at the camera and wonders "why me?"

Thankfully Tatl doesn't talk when she prompts you. Oh sure she does it a lot, but it only makes a tingle (shudder) sound.

Back on track, one of Deku Link's unique abilities is to burrow into flowers. To do what?

Wait for it...

Flying flowers, hell yeah! Can I get a high five?!... Anybody?.. No?... Fine.

They handle a bit wonky, but you pick it up quickly.

Our first bottomless pit, not counting that first one as it wasn't bottomless.

Our first chest, what wonders wait inside?

And now the comparisons to the Deku Scrubs is complete, you get to throw nuts at people.

We make it to the end of the room and find this.

Foreshadowing.

I'll come back to this plant later in the game, but you don't need me to tell you it's important.

Because you needed more proof this game is a bit trippy.

And with that the door shuts behind us. No going back, time to delve deeper into the rabbit hole.

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 1: Part 3

Signs of civilisation?

Well, better get out there and see...

OH GOD IT'S SHIGGY, RUN!

Or hide, whatever works.

Another Ascended Extra from Ocarina, The Mask Salesman is an even more engimatic figure than he was before. He bares an alarming resemblance to a group of characters we won't actually see for a long time, and his motivations are never explained. Naturally, I find him a lot more fascinating here.

Unfortunately.

Oh it's not rude, just remarkably disturbing.

I wonder if the shot of the horror mask and his smiling face together was intentional.

Considering he kicked my ass, something even Ganondorf couldn't do? You could say that.

Flattery gets you everwhere.

Even the Gods notice that.

Wait, when did I agree?

Oh well, time to see what awaits us.

Isn't that just an iconic image right there?

A town eh? That explains the machines back there. Kind of an odd place to build a town, especially since it seems to have been built on a forest. But whatever, let's explore this Clock Town.

Tatl actually raises a good point, you never sleep in this game. But time is precious, and it's hard to sleep with what we'll be seeing soon.

Yeah not doing that just yet.

So now we're free to roam around, and we immediately come across our arch-nemesis.

CURSE YOU SHAGGY DOG!!!

That dog becomes an insane nuisance in this area, we'll get our revenge soon.

The sky? What's in the sky?

Cowards? What is everyone so distracted about?

Oh great, it's this guy.

This guard is basically our living invisible wall. The guards keep us in the city until we get our sword back, which if you'll remember only belongs to human Link, so we're stuck here.

Now then, let's try and get a good look at this sky.

Hmm, nice clock tower, lives up to the town name. Wait a tic...

What is...

Say hello to the most iconic image in this game, the thing that will prevent us from sleeping for the whole three days. What's interesting about this is how while the moon features in promotional material and in the intro, no one actually mentions it for some time, not even the townspeople directly underneath it.

This leads me to one of the more interesting underlying themes of the entire story. The five stages of Grief. To those not in the know, when a person experiences a traumatic event, they go through five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally acceptance. Each race embodies each stage of the fives stages of grief, and Clock Town starts with our first stage.

Denial.

The entire town either doesn't accept the moon is literally falling right on top of them, or just ignores it all together. I'll show you how some of the townsfolk embody this stage later on in the LP, for now let's continue.

 

[Lrbearclaw]

Never thought about the Five Stages of Grief in regards to Majora's Mask (and I have played it almost as much as I have Ocarina of Time), but yeah you hit the nail on the head there.

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 1: Part 4

Seems Tatl's confidence in the Great Fairy may have been a bit misplaced.

This is important for probably the longest quest chain in this game, but you can't actually do that chain until you can access the final area, which I can't for some time. So will be a while before we come back here.

But Link doesn't hold the Master Sword anymore...

With Fairy in hand we reach North Clock Town.

And Him...

I have a theory the reason people hate Majora's Mask is because this was the game Tingle was first introduced. It's a solid theory.

Sure you are.

I wonder if this was a subtle joke about adult cosplayers.

The evidence is piling up.

This is Tingle's only purpose, and to be honest maps are useful. I just wish maybe it could have been sold to us by a yellow fox or something.

Tingle will always sell the current area map for cheap, and the "next area" map for a lot more. I'm still trying to figure out why.

And an enduring sense of shame.

That phrase would later drain your entire wallet in later games.

Don't hurt me...

We'll be spending some time with this kid later, for now let's go rebuild a giant floating woman.

Apparently fairies make Link dizzy, but only if they're orange.

This thing is somehow just as terrifying as Majora.

See?

She has a mole! Why does she have a mole?!

Helping with what, I wonder?

Man, orange is such a disorienting colour.

That's right, we gained the ability to use magic. And our only way to use it is to shoot bubbles. This is Fairy trolling us?

Oh trust me, I don't underestimate him after our first encounter.

And after emparting some useful advice, she (thankfully) leaves.

That's all for this update, I'll do more later down the line if people enjoy this. Let me know what you think.

 

[woodaba]

Oh man, the memories. This is the best Zelda game ever made, and was the game that convinced me that games could be more than just time-wasters. I'm super pumped for this LP, thanks for starting it!

One thing I've always found weird at the start of this game is just how helpless you feel. You are Link, the Hero of Time, slayer of Ganondorf, and general badass...and you get beaten by, as you say, an extra from the first game, and all that you own, all you are, is taken from you. It's genuinely unnerving, and really enforces the feeling that you're in a different world. However, I've always subscribed to the theory that Hyrule and Termina are two sides of the same coin.

I've heard of the stages of grief theory, and it's gonna be fascinating hearing your take on it.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?

Chills down the spine, every time.

 

[DugMachine]

Awesome. Will monitor this thread. Majoras Mask is my favorite LoZ game by far.

 

[BiggyShackleton]

Good LP, not full of text walls and actually has some interesting knowledge behind it. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[Yassen]

Oh man, the memories. This is the best Zelda game ever made, and was the game that convinced me that games could be more than just time-wasters. I'm super pumped for this LP, thanks for starting it!

If doing this LP taught me anything, it's the appreciation for all the work you put into yours. All that copy and pasting of image links. But thank you for your comment, I'll endeavour to update this as often as I can. I'm having fun.

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 2: Part 1

With magic power brimming through our wooden body, it's time to help out this kid endlessly spitting at this bizarre balloon.

Something to consider about that balloon... where the fuck did it come from? It's never commented on, least not why it's there. I've heard a couple of theories. The first is the most boring, the kids just put it up there as target practice. Since it seems the Skull Kid screwed them over somehow (disturbing thought) they're using his face as a target.

The other theory is a bit stranger; the Skull Kid put them up himself. Why would he put these utterly pointless balloons up for no reason whatsoever? Shits and giggles apparently. It sounds like something he'd do. Between ruining everyone's lives and causing the end of the world as we know it, he manages to find the time to put celebratory balloons up. This guy is the Joker of video games.

Fancy that, right where we need to go.

Typical.

I missed the shot here, but this kid is apparently the slowest of the group, nice touch of charm.

Awkward...

The Bombers make this game sound like we're playing Hide and Seek, but in reality it's closer to Tag. They're quick little buggers, you won't be able to catch them by running, you have to play smart.

And by smart I mean work these underage boys into a corner.

Wow, that was just terrible timing on my part. *Brain bleach*

Chicken gliding makes a return, it's pretty hilarious watching someone else do it though.

The kids are pretty easy to find, if you've seen them around town they'll be in the same spot.

Since they just saw a Deku Scrub with a big green hat chase a couple of underage boys, you could say that.

Despite the lame pun, this was actually quite a clever piece of foreshadowing. But it's something you have to find yourself rather than have a compulsory character say it straight to your face.

Before we find the last Bomber, let's go see what calls itself government around here.

Oh dear...

He has a different character model, so you know he's important. Ahh, the old days.

This will go on for some time.

Remember what I said about Denial? This is the perfect example for it. Mutoh, who's in charge of the festival that will be happening in three days time, absolutely refuses to believe the moon is falling, no matter what the Captain of the Guard says to him. The Mayor, who has the pressure of command placed on him, can't decide if he should force everyone out of their homes for something that at this point seems like a rumour, or do nothing and deny what's hovering above their heads.

The fact is, denial comes first because it's the easiest thing in the world to do. It requires you do nothing, accept nothing, and just refuse to admit anything has changed. People stick to things that are familiar, that allow us to continue doing what we have always been doing. Change is scary, and Mutoh, who has no doubt been managing the festival all his life, angrily refuses to accept that the thing he's so used to will have to stop.

Unfortunately, we can't actually resolve this issue for some time. It's the only purpose for the longest quest chain in the game, but I think that highlights how important it is.

Spoiler: Update 2: Part 2

Moving on from politics we find a large, spherical creature that is no doubt not human. There's a fish-man here too.

Err...

Fuck you, buddy.

Unfortunately everyone assumes we're too stupid to hold a crayon, so we'll have to come back once we regain fingers.

And that's done.

What wonderful racism these parents have installed in their children.

...I swear by the Triforce I have never seen that. The code is randomized for each game, what are the odds this LP would have them as 12345?

Because I could have never, ever, ever guessed it myself.

Every game needs a spacious sewer.

...With a clock... for some reason.

I'll hand it to Nintendo though, these clocks are actually really well designed. You can accurately determine the time just by looking it, might get one for my room.

I think this is actually the first monster you find.

It wasn't until I was older I realised the eyes of the spider are actually those red dots at the bottom.

Although, even at 22, I still don't know why a spider has shyness issues and can't look at me for more than 2 seconds.

Oh look another one. Just incase you managed to guess the Bombers code before you received magic power. But really, who could have guessed that code? It's fool-proof.

MY EYES!

...what?

A talking scarecrow who loves music... I don't know how much more I can take.

Probably because I'll pass out.

This guy is actually quite useful if you manage to reach the clock tower with tons of time to spare. You can skip right to the night of the final day.

Not yet though, we have some stuff to do.

Pay attention, this is useful.

He's telling you and so am I.

A common complaint I hear about MM is how the clock mechanic makes doing anything a complete pain, because you run out of time way too quickly. And I'd agree, if you somehow missed this dancing scarecrow blatantly telling you how to slow down time you would certainly run out of time quickly.

Quite frankly, if you missed this scarecrow that was placed deliberately and blatantly in your required path, you'd be having trouble knowing how to play the rest of the game as well.

Nice place, this astronomer is probably from the 60's.

Guess who...

Use this trippy telescope for no cost? You're now my favourite old person ever.

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 2: Part 3

Alright, now let's see if we can find Anju's bedroom, or maybe the shower of that secretary...

...what's that guy doing in the bushes by himself? You know what, forget the perving, let's just find this asshole and buy some brain bleach.

To this day I have no idea what these two are doing, could be nothing more than a funny easter egg, or a hint they'll still be out there when we regain freedom.

There he is.

Distracted?

Looks like a meteor is falling.

And apparently it's explosive.

...oh, it is ON!

Something to note though, how does the Skull Kid know when we're watching him? Are his powers getting stronger?

Nope, no valuable jewel fell from the sky and landed outside.

This guy is smarter than he looks, and since he looks like a wizard with a kick-ass telescope, that's saying something.

He seems to have unintentionally told us how to reach the Skull Kid.

With this sucker we can buy our way into retirement, but who would buy it? With nothing else to do here, we head back and find a poster that manages to foreshadow an even later part of the game.

This is what I'm talking about when I say how much you can discover in this game before it happens. It's a nice touch and encourages you to look around and talk to people.

We meet our first Deku Scrub... or perhaps second?

Such a good work-away husband.

Fancy that!

Sure thing, you're the only one who'll take it.

You already said that.

I really like the little leaf moustache he has, makes me smile for some reason.

Using an emulator tends to cause your camera clipping into the wall, whoops.

This is hinting at a very long trading quest that you can only complete when you can reach the final area. I usually prefer waiting until then, otherwise you end up collecting that moon's tear and trading the same deeds over and over again.

You just know when he gets home his wife will be so happy she'll let him spray his seeds over her ... back garden. Strawberry seeds. What were you thinking of?

Our first piece of heart, there are a ton more pieces to collect in this game. There are only four bosses that drop full heart containers, meaning the rest is split up into four. Just gives you an idea of how many sub-quests there are in this game.

Unfortunately we can't actually enter the clock tower for another two days, and so this deed is practically worthless. Just useless paper... almost like... toilet paper.

Link's been holding one in for a while.

Although when this hand shot out of the toilet he didn't need to go anymore.

...why is this guy actually in the toilet? That's not how toilets work.

I don't think I want your shit...

Oh.

With our second piece of heart, and the only other one I can get at this point, I run through towards West Clock Town...

And am subsequently face-raped by the dog. Soon, my friends... soon.

For now, we need to talk to this guy.

Each Zelda game has introduced some way to upgrade the amount of Rupees you can carry, for this game you upgrade it by depositing money in this guy's bank. Easy connection to make.

So...

Got nothing else to use it for, so we just give him everything we have.

I get the feeling he hasn't seen actual money in a long time.

Wait what?

Whenever you rewind time in this game you lose all the items, and money, you accumulated. The only way to keep your money is by giving it to this guy, who stamps you after every deposit to know how much you're supposed to have.

So a complete stranger can walk right up to him, tell him he has thousands of rupees in their bank, and just because they have a stamp on their head he'll just accept it? The game manual itself says this system is ripe for abuse.

Spoiler: Update 2: Part 4

We've got a bit of time to spare before the end of the world, so we watch these dancers.

That's... umm... good. Could be better.

I was hoping to show you guys another example of denial, but he won't talk to me so I'll just tell you. This guy is clearly a sword master (just look at that moustache) who is pretty confident in his skills. He claims that if the moon does fall, he'll cut it in half probably using nothing more than his golden chest hairs of destiny. Oh man, what do we have to worry about? This guy has got this.

Come back on the night of the final day and we find him cowering in the corner. Even the most confident of townspeople are living in denial, so sure of themselves until it's too late.

Tatl will often chime in over the first three days, she rarely says anything you don't already know. Sound familiar?

General shop, nothing too interesting.

Except for the talking scarecrow again.

That's a nice touch. With every ring of the bell your screen becomes smaller, a reminder how little time you actually have until the end.

However, we have too much time. So let's dance until the world ends, baby!

Link may be shaking his head, but it's only because he's ashamed he can't match those moves.

Time's almost up.

Call me.

We return to the tower that everyone was building, but everyone seems to have disappeared.

Can you get a move on?

Seems he's finally accepted the moon is falling down, but notice he never actually says he's wrong. He's a stubborn old man. That should have been clear since he's the only one left.

We're only getting started.

It's hard to tell, but if you watch the moon you can actually see it inching closer and closer. It's a nice touch.

It's midnight...

The way is open. Let's go get our Ocarina back.

That's all for this update, if there's anything you'd like to see or for me to comment on just let me know.

 

[Mr.Pandah]

Very interesting style of LP. I enjoy it. Keep up the solid work. *looks for shameless way to plug my own channel*

Yup. No way I can do that.

But seriously, I'll be keeping tabs on this. Drop by mine in my profile for more generic LP's.

 

[woodaba]

I always pictured the Scarecrow with Barry White's voice. Don't ask me why, I just did.

That swordmaster has an incredible moustache. It actually stretched around and becomes his hair. That's right, technically, he's bald. All that fuzz is his glorious 'tache.

Yeah, I agree, I never found time management all that much of game-breaker. Sure, you have to do it, but the game's main story would be incredibly short otherwise. Besides, the backwards song of time has never let me down, you just gotta plan your time carefully, spend a day or two learning the lay of the land, and you'll be fine.

One spoilery thing, will we be getting the

Spoiler

Fierce Deity Mask?

 

[Yassen]

That swordmaster has an incredible moustache. It actually stretched around and becomes his hair. That's right, technically, he's bald. All that fuzz is his glorious 'tache.

One spoilery thing, will we be getting the

Spoiler

Fierce Deity Mask?

I actually forgot about that bit with his 'tache, I'll come back to him since he has a piece of heart.

And we shall indeed be getting that, I want to make this 100% and that is pretty important. Whether or not I use it I'm still deciding. Maybe I'll show it off on the other bosses, but fight Majora the old fashioned way.

 

[Yassen]

Spoiler: Update 3: Part 1

I know Tatl, let's go get your brother back since apparently Skull Kid is keeping him hostage... right? Was that ever stated?

This clock seemed a lot smaller on the outside.

Great shot here, if you want to make someone seem superior you always point the camera up at them.

Skull Kid isn't just superior, he's bored. You're barely worth his notice.

Because asking nicely always works, it certainly convinces Link to do whatever he's told.

Notice a change here? Tael was quickly characterised as being submissive, clumsy and inept. But here he actually talks like he knows what he's doing, like he knows he's become a part of something much bigger than himself. But more importantly, it's like he knows Link could have possibly found and freed "the four who are there" in just three days. How could he know that?

So naturally the moment he takes charge the Skull Kid lays the smackdown.

Both Tael and Skull Kid have undergone a pretty radical change in personalities in just three days. You have to wonder what happened to them in that time.

Notice the absolute zero amount of fucks the Skull Kid gives? I like to think in his head his thoughts are...

"I've had my fun..."

"Time to end the game."

With the moon crashing down even quicker we have to do something. Quick! What's the one thing we can actually do as a Deku Scrub?

Not enough to hurt him.

But enough to get our precious item back.

:O My Ocarina!

Sweet! And just enough time to head back to the Mask Salesman and get changed back... right guys?... Guys?...shit.

Link decided if he's going to die he might as well remember that steamy night behind the Deku Tree.

Things are getting waaay too commerical around here, he needs to see the country.

Humour aside, this is actually a really lovely scene. In this "timeline", the whole adult stages of Ocarina never happened. Supposedly, Ganondorf was captured before his uprising, sentenced to death by the sages as shown in Twilight Princess, and Link grew up somewhere else. This implies the Zelda we see in TP is this exact same Zelda, which would explain how composed and royal she seems in that game.

It'll be me but... not... me. Blame Shiggy.

Pray harder.

They do have a habit of reusing certain songs in this game from Ocarina, but it makes sense when you start to figure out what Termina is.

Link only remembers things under pressure.

"And remember, just because you're a kid doesn't mean you don't have to wear pants."

Time you say? I know where to get some.

Something to note though which I'll discuss later in the game, both Zelda and Tatl mention "The Goddess of Time", but to our knowledge there are only three Goddesses, the ones of the Triforce. So is this Goddess of Time one of them... or someone else?

Hehe, I love this. Each mask transformation gets their own instrument, and seeing them pull out these enormous instruments from nowhere is just hysterical.

Why would they give us the option to say no at this point?

Welcome to Groundhog Day: The Game.

I would have loved to see the facial expressions of these two. All that craziness and suddenly they're standing back here next to each other.

Oh thank Christ, the furthur away that thing is, the better. It has terrible breathe, and I think I saw some blue, British ball rolling around on it's surface.

It's hard to blame Tatl for wondering this. To her, we must seem like something supernatural, rather than just some kid unlucky enough to run into her and the Skull Kid.

And we still have it! You have to wonder if the Skull Kid is currently looking through his pockets wondering where the hell that ocarina just disappeared to.

Let's go get our face back!

Spoiler: Update 3: Part 2

OH CHRIST STOP TOUCHING ME!

What is with the people in this world that can pull giant instruments out of their asses?

Seriously, look at the size of that thing!

If you know the soundtrack, the same music we've been hearing in this area is the same song he just taught us. And just because I love it so much, enjoy.

Oh man, the feels. That piano score!

Link's waving goodbye to his curse, I like to think he's giving it the finger, John-Constantine style.

Yeaaaaah.

The coolness just melted Link's face off.

Oh thank the Goddesses, everything is still there.

Uh oh.

Extremely nice of him to do, but I imagine he's not lacking transformation masks in that bag of his.

Our first mask, one of many I assure you.

...*cough*... ahem...

Happy Mask Salesman...

What are you doing?...

Happy Mask Salesman?

STAHP!!!

I could have just used a picture, but you have to see this in action to really appreciate how fucking hilarious this is.

Title drop.

Note he says bestowed, meaning the Mask is meant to grant power to the individual. So all the mischief he caused is implied to be his doing simply because he now had the power to do it.

No doubt on purpose, this is the very thing you see if you run out of time and the moon crashes.

Well we certainly do.

So why the hell did you keep it? This is one of those things that's never adequately explained, why did the Mask Salesman want this mask so badly? Even after he obtained it (somehow) he decided to keep it even after feeling how evil it is. Why?

Which is why you lock up all your valuables and artefacts of doom, otherwise this shit happens.

Something horrible has happened, and it will keep happening.

I know I've called this guy Shiggy a few times which may seem like a cruel joke, but according to word of god (nintendo) this guy was actually modelled after Miyamoto himself. But since he first appeared in Ocarina, I'm sure the implications of that weren't intentional for this game... I hope.

This LP would be a bit short otherwise.

I'm sure you were.

I won't let you down... again.

Anyway, we now have full control of our items, weapons and body. We can now exit the city and get this adventure kicked off in earnest.

Alright, let's go! *Jim Carrey's voice* But first...

Oh hello there boy, you're a cute shaggy dog aren't you?

Look at that, so obedient, so loyal...

Uh oh, my fingers are slipping...

SO LONG ASSHOLE!

Hehe, ahhh it's good to be the king.

Okay, okay, enough fooling around. The first thing to do is check out this owl statue. You smack it with your sword and this happens.

We can now (finally) save our game. You can only save by either rewinding time or using an owl statue. Kind of a pain but originally the japanese version you could only save by rewinding time. Baby steps.

This was a rather short update, this would be due to me playing the game the first time all the way up to here, which took more shots than expected. I've also been playing a "test game" ahead of this one to prepare for certain stuff and I've run into a snag. Trying to aim certain weapons with the keyboard is unbearably painful, so just so I can actually hit shit I've had to buy a controller and adapter.

I'll still be able to update, but there might be some things I'll skip until I can actually aim. I never realized just how demanding some of these mini-games are, they require absolute 100% accuracy and timing, which I can't do with a keyboard. Harsh eh? Anyway, hope you enjoyed the update.

 

[woodaba]

The song of healing was my ringtone for a while. That's how good it is.

And yet more creepiness from Happy Mask man. I love how the game makes no qualms of implying that the Salesman runs around melting people's faces off with music and selling them to other people. Ok, he specifically mentions "evil", but that doesn't comfort the idea that if you buy a mask from this creep, you might be wearing someone else's face. Y'know, for kids!

I can't tell whether this is extremely vague foreshadowing, or just Nintendo injecting our childhoods with High Octane Nightmare Fuel.

 

[Gurgleflob]

I love this. Are you planning on explaining all the area's grief stages?

 

[Yassen]

I love this. Are you planning on explaining all the area's grief stages?

Thank you, glad you're enjoying this. Yes, I shall we expanding on the stages of grief every time I enter a new area. I had to stop myself from spewing about the whole theory at the very start and leaving you all mentally unsatisfied before this LP even gets going. I'm trying to spread things out a bit, but if a theory applies to a single character or area I'll spew my idea chunks.