Which Zelda game is darker: Twilight Princess or Majora's Mask?

[Weresquirrel]

One of my favourite moments in Majora's Mask was a pretty minor one...

Spoiler

The sword trainer in Clock town. For the first 2 and 3/4 days, he's all bravado. Says he's going to personally cut the moon in half or whatever. Cut to midnight on the last day, and he's gone. there's a sign saying he's gone off to do the deed, but a little investigation reveals he's hiding in the back room, shivering, crying and saying he doesn't want to die.

I still hold Majora's Mask as one of my top games of all time. Definitely the best thing the Zelda franchise has ever spawned. Bosses may be a little on the disappointing side, but overall the game was fantastic.

 

[ToastiestZombie]

I must admit, I've never played Majora's Mask. I've either been too young to play it, or have just brushed it off. I will definitely get it if they remake it on the 3ds though. But from everything I've heard, that game sounds fucking grim. I've played through Twilight Princess and to be honest, the only dark thing about it is the overly dark art style. You could make it in the style of Wind Waker and it wouldn't be as dark as Majora's Mask. I mean, look at the main stories together:

TP:Evil guy Zant makes Twilight realm, doesn't actually kill anyone. Then you find out Ganondorf's behind the whole thing, then you defeat him and everything's fine.

MM: You are forced as a fucking little kid to witness the death of a whole world over and over again until you finally break the cycle, and you are also forced to see every little thing you've done reset after you play the song of time. It's extremely dark for a game aimed at kids, there's barely any kids things that's main problem is "HOLY SHIT A MOON IS GOING TO FUCKING KILL US ALL HORRIBLY".

So yeah, Majora's Mask is darker by a mile. If you made Majora's Mask in the style of Wind Waker, it would still be fucking dark.

 

[Davroth]

Truth time:

To this day, I have never been able to bring myself to look at what happens if you don't rewind time after the third day ends. I was that scared of the moon.

That's my answer. ^^

 

[Signa]

Truth time:

To this day, I have never been able to bring myself to look at what happens if you don't rewind time after the third day ends. I was that scared of the moon.

That's my answer. ^^

It's downright anti-climatic. Link stands in a dark void for a few seconds (probably because they didn't care to change the scene depending on where you are when it happens) and then a wave of fire just washes over him. It doesn't even look like scorching flames of death, just the stuff that surrounds chests when they don't want you to open them without a little puzzle. It's like the Moon just cast Din's Fire and that's it.

 

[Smeggs]

Twilight Princess was more Adventure focused for me.

In MM you literally have to save the entire world as the fucking MOON comes hurtling into the atmosphere.

 

[MaxiP62]

Majora's Mask. It really does have a very depressing undertone that not all players may even realise until long after they've finished the game.

In theory Twilight Princess should be, but I think Majora's Mask was without even trying that hard to be.

 

[Smeggs]

Truth time:

To this day, I have never been able to bring myself to look at what happens if you don't rewind time after the third day ends. I was that scared of the moon.

That's my answer. ^^

It's downright anti-climatic.

Just like the ending to the game.

I was so disappointed after all those hours :\

 

[Mr.PlanetEater]

Majora's Mask easily, the story is just a far more mature and moving experience. I mean don't get me wrong Twilight Princess had its moments, but it lacked a lot of the subtle nuances of 'darkness' that added up to making Majora's Mask what it is. I still get a little sad when I remember the part of the ending when the Deku Butler is mourning by the Sad Tree from the beginning of the game.

Oh and that moon gave me so many nightmares when I was a kid--the face, my god the face. ._.


EDIT: Imo Wind Waker deserves to be mentioned for being a very expressive Zelda game--perhaps the most expressive. I truly pitied Ganondorf.

 

[sethisjimmy]

Hard to say. Majora's Mask I think seems darker to a lot of people because it contrasted the almost light-hearted sense of adventure from the first game, and because on it's exterior, it looks like an ordinary happy game, graphics wise. It's the story and sidequests that give it it's darker tone.

As for TP, it's art style is clearly going for a darker atmosphere. I think story wise, it's pretty much the same as any Zelda, which is somewhat dark to begin with. Pretty much every game features death in some way, and the land being taken over by evil.

I'd say all in the Zelda series are pretty much equally "dark" it's just that MM seems more dark as it came out of left field by focusing on individual stories of characters over pure dungeon crawling.

Either way, I think judging a game on how dark it is is pretty lame and angsty, and (though OP isn't doing that), I often hear people saying they like MM over OOT simply because it was darker and edgier.

 

[MEEBO17]

Twilight Princess was pretty creepy, with the whole wolf-transformations and sorts, but I found Majora's Mask to be way darker.

 

[Padwolf]

I'd have to say Majora's Mask, it has a very dark undertone and it gives me the feeling that despite being able to turn back time, I can't help everyone. I still haven't fully completed the game and I'm still trying to complete every side quest because I feel terrible about what happens at the end of the third day. And the music on the night of the third day just adds to that feeling of hopelessness. It's a very moving experience.

Twilight Princess on the other hand has it's dark moments but not many, and the art style of it does make it seem a bit dark, but it doesn't quite have that feel that Majora's Mask does.

 

[Zetatrain]

I'd say Majora's Mask is the darkest. When you complete a side quest like Anju and Kafei's, see them embracing there just before the world ends, and then go back to the first day and their tale is undone...that's pretty powerful stuff.

And try failing to complete Malon's side quest. Geez.

Death and loss are everywhere in that game. The side quests are masterful.

[sub][sub][sub]It's just too bad those dungeons and bosses suck ass...[/sub][/sub][/sub]

What I found puzzling is that after you beat the game its seems that all the stuff involving the side quests did actually happen, despite the fact that you are constantly going back in time. For instance, as long as you completed the couple's mask quest, Anju and Kafei get married in the end credits.

 

[subtlefuge]

As far as main console series darkness goes:

1. Majora's Mask
2. Ocarina of Time
3. Link to the Past
4. Zelda II
5. Twilight Princess
6. Wind Waker
7. Legend of Zelda
8. Skyward Sword

Majora's Mask is a far frontrunner, but OoT easily slips in above Twilight Princess for the sages and the big reveal, LttP is very similar, but is a more personal affair, and Zelda II is more menacing (albeit largely in subtext).

 

[ResonanceSD]

"Here are two options, TP or MM"

Ocarina of Time

OF COURSE!

MM for me, what with the fucking Moon falling on the planet =\

 

[War Penguin]

I'd say Majora's Mask is the darkest. When you complete a side quest like Anju and Kafei's, see them embracing there just before the world ends, and then go back to the first day and their tale is undone...that's pretty powerful stuff.

And try failing to complete Malon's side quest. Geez.

Death and loss are everywhere in that game. The side quests are masterful.

[sub][sub][sub]It's just too bad those dungeons and bosses suck ass...[/sub][/sub][/sub]

Not gonna lie: I did finished those side quests twice every play through. Once just for the rewards, the other right before the final level, so that I can rest easy knowing that all of my good deeds have taken effect.

OT: Yeah, Majora's Mask by far. If anything, I think I remember the game explicitly saying that people will die and on a large scale. For a kid's game... shit, man, that's heavy.

Also, this:
This was on TV.
...
Holy shit.

 

[OldNewNewOld]

Well, this is a no brainer.
Majora's Mask by far. Everything is already said.

But people tend to completely overlook some darker implications in TP.
There is the sceen where it's implied that Link stabbed his girl friend. It was all a vision, but still. II still can't wrap my head around it. I mean Link stabbing an innocent girl?


(2:54 -> Link's rape face)

Or the fact that the Skeleton Warrior that teaches you is most likely Link from Majora's Mask.

Every Zelda game has some darkish undertone. I mean, evil is usually winning most of the time until the very end. In OoT only Ganondorf knows how many people died, in WW the whole land was flooded (count the bodies), in Skyward Sword an insane number of people died in the first war before the Goddess lifted Skyloft.

But Majora's Mask is the darkest because beside all that, it was heavily focused on the side character and the fact that you can't save them all. There are side quests that require that you let someone get hurt in order to proceed (the old women getting robed).
And just look at the transformation animations. Especially the Zora one. You can really feel the pain from just looking at it.

And the world really feels alive. Most character are normal at day one. At day 2 they are somewhat worried. At day 3 they are depressed and at the night of the 3rd day, they are completely desperate. The world changes with every 12 hours and you can see that. I don't even know how many times you have to rewind the time in order to just look at every character in every stage of the game.

And then add the fact that the Fierce Diet mask is actually far more evil than Majora.

All that on the shoulder on a child.

People like to say that Nintendo games are just for kids. Well, I would really disagree. There is no light Zelda game. Every Zelda game is dark. It's just that it's not the standard darkness, but most of the times it's implied. Kids can play the game without even noticing any of the darkness (except MM), but when you really think deeper about it, the Zelda universe is rather fucked up and dark.

P.S.
We need more Link vs Dark Link fights in the next Zelda game. Wouldn't it be awesome if the main villian in the next Zelda game is actually Dark Link? Imagine a fukken duel against Link and Dark Link. With some great battle mechanics. Improved motion controls.
Also, it would be mindfuking when you beat Ganondorf and find out that he is actually a marionette.

Or to keep the Zelda formula, Ganon is still the main, but you find it only out when you beat D.Link. Until then D.Link is pictured like the main guy.

 

[Furioso]

Both are, in different ways. Majora's Mask is fucking depressing as hell, always having that reminder that in 3, 2, or 1 days that moon will crush all these people that you are helping out, which will be useless once they are dead, and other extremely potent reasons for it being depressing.

Also, Anju and Kafei.... just fucking Anju and Kafei

Twilight Princess, on the other hand, is very dark... in that there isn't much color. Other than that, not really. They tried to make it darker by making the world seem bleak, but it really isn't, especially when you compare it to MM.

 

[zehydra]

I'd definitely take Majora's Mask as darker. Twilight Princess didn't have a dark tone to it. It was certainly more focused on graphical realism(except the characters, to my dismay) than previous games but the mood of the game itself wasn't dark.