The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask: An Analysis
What’s so bad about The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask? It’s a fair question, especially if you’re young and trying to find out if the Nintendo classic is suitable for you – but you’re not sure what might be problematic. The game somehow managed to fly the E for everyone flag, despite some users claiming it’d be rated T if it came out in the present day.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask was released back in 2000 and somehow managed to avoid an older rating despite some pretty spooky elements. The question about what’s wrong with Majora’s Mask comes up on Nintendo forum NeoGAF, with most users agreeing that the E in the Zelda game’s rating stands for “evisceration.”
The majority of users suggest that Majora’s Mask should have been rated K-A (kids to adults), with some pointing out that being “fun for all ages” isn’t exactly a bad thing. One user references a scene from “Evil Dead” and the hands of Dead Hands in Majora’s Mask being rated E, before another says it’s borderline T-rated for its time, with blood and torture elements.
There’s a lot of debate about Majora’s Mask and its rating, with a few users mentioning other examples of games and movies with surprisingly similar ratings. “Heart of Darkness” is brought up, as is “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and a few other games such as “9” and “Yoshi’s Island.” It’s a big thread, so I’ll only include a few snippets here.
“It’s because the E10 rating didn’t exist yet,” one user explains. “It’s basically the E equivalent of E10.” “Yeah, but I’m sure it would still be rated T,” another replies. “Either way, it’s not like the E rating is bad.”
One user jokes about babies and their lack of enjoyment for Majora’s Mask, while another mentions the “Dead Hand scene from the original Nintendo Power commercial.” There’s also a reference to “Heart of Darkness” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” with one user expressing their preference for kids being terrified by movies and gradually increasing their fear tolerance.
Another user says “I like kids being scared by movies and then going to see the same movie over and over again” (in reference to a similar discussion about film inconsistencies) – and the conversation continues from there.
Oh, and if you’re like me and suddenly have the urge to find The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask again, you can check it out on Amazon. It’s not just one of the best Zelda games, it’s also an early example of an effective horror game, and it still holds up (unless you get the green blood version).
