Overview

There may have been clamor from some disappointed Zelda fans, but for me, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was all I could ever expect from a Zelda game, and so was the music. As such, I had little hopes that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (Mask of Mujula in Japan) could ever be every bit as grand as Ocarina of Time. When I first bought the soundtrack, however, I was in for a happy surprise: the music to Majora's Mask is quite decent, second only in comparison to Ocarina of Time.

One of the first things that surprised me about The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is that it is a two CD set. And no wonder! This soundtrack has arguably the largest amount of themes ever present in a Nintendo 64 game to be exact. (That's 30 more pieces than Ocarina of Time! And you thought a cartridge-based system couldn't handle this amount, eh?) This will probably mean that all the themes are played twice, right? Well, actually, only a few are. But I was still impressed that Majora's Mask managed to get such a treatment, and I hope to see Nintendo's future soundtracks chart this course.

Body

Like its predecessors, many of the classic themes composed for previous Zelda games return. Actually, a large majority of these returning themes are the ones from Ocarina of Time, including the catchy "Windmill Hut", the merry-go-round-like "Shooting Gallery", the Bach-like "Kepora Gebora's Theme", the Western "Lon Lon Ranch", the primitive "Goron City", the beautiful "Zora's Domain", and several others (yes, even some of the Ocarina songs from Ocarina of Time return, as well as the fanfares). Interesting come-backs are the "Horse Race" music and the "Goal" fanfare. What is interesting about this come-back is that "Goron Race" and "Goron Race Goal" are, in fact, identical to "Horse Race" and "Goal"; the only difference is that they sound like they could be played on Goron instruments! This works rather well, however, for the scene for which it is intended.

There are also some pieces that have been used in other previous Zelda games, such as the harp-ascending Fairy music, Princess Zelda's lovely theme (from the much-loved The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past), and, much to my surprise, a few pieces from the original The Legend of Zelda, which include the dungeon and ending themes. These tracks are hinted, briefly, on tracks 27 and 28 on the second disc. And I thought I also heard the "Cave" music from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on track 26 of the second disc as well. Best of all, the classic Zelda "Overworld" theme, used in just about every Zelda game released (except Ocarina of Time, which used only the first couple of notes), is back. Yippee! If you don't believe me, check out "Termina Field". The theme sparkles with delight and brings back memories of playing the previous Zelda games. The only difference about it is the orchestration, which hints tension, and there is a very dark ending to the piece, as if to say that doomsday is coming. Incidentally, the game involves Link saving the world of Termina from a falling moon, so I guess it's fitting for the theme to include this motif.

New themes are created as well. The "Clock Town" music is a Scottish dance-like piece which, after the first two-thirds, has an ominous chord, further hinting the terror that is about to come. The theme for Majora is sinister in a wacky sort of way, with an Arabian flair. There is also a majestic, mysterious slow song for the Giants and a primitive jig for the Deku Nut's Palace. These themes, however, are only few of the several other ones that are introduced.

Another interesting aspect about the soundtrack is that even though it is mostly composed by Koji Kondo, three of the tracks are composed by newcomer Toru Minegishi: "Battle", "Middle Boss Battle", and "Boss Battle". "Battle" is a lot more exciting than "Battle" from Ocarina of Time; it sizzles with tension. "Middle Boss Battle" is very reminiscent of "Boss Battle" from Ocarina of Time, featuring the same cacophonous piano chords and dissonant horn, but its melody is more musical. "Boss Battle" features the same driving beat of "Dinosaur Boss Battle" from Ocarina of Time, without ever being a rehash of that theme. Back to Kondo, the last three battle themes are different variations on "Majora's Theme"; the first one is slow and menacing (if not intense), the second one is rather, uh, wierd, and the last one is probably the most exciting of the variations, featuring the same snare drum and beat of "Last Battle" from Ocarina of Time (minus the awesome chorus vocals). These tracks work better in the game than for listening experience, but then again, most game soundtracks do contain tracks of this type.

As with Ocarina of Time, the dungeon songs are not meant for listening experience quality, but rather are atmospheric and meant to set the tone of the dungeon. The "Woodfall Temple" music, in particular, consists of beating drums with all sorts of jungle animal sounds (including what sounds like Indian war whoops) going on in the background. In addition, "Cave" sounds similar to "Dodongo's Cavern" from Ocarina of Time, as it is an atmospheric sounding piece with little or no melodies at all. "Snowhead Temple" mixes in whispering winds and a very low, sinister piano solo, with an occasional female's vocal chords to set the mood. "Great Bay Temple" is probably the most interesting of the temple pieces; it takes two different motifs and plays them one atop the other before harsher synthesized sounds make their move. All of this occurs over what sounds like rushing water. "Rockvale Temple" is probably the most musical of the temple themes, as well as the catchiest; I found myself humming the tune long after I listened to it the first time around. There are two different versions of this; the second version features some real wierd music effects. It is much higher, too; the first version contains a male's chorus while the second version features a female's chorus. In the game, this effect works eloquently, since the temple Link visits is one that turns upside down. (Higher music for a higher place, get it?).

And speaking of chorus tracks, there are plenty, which range from haunting and beautiful ("Clock Tower" and "Giant's Theme") to dark and scary ("Ikana Valley"). Even though the singers aren't authentic, they still sound great considering that they're synthesized (a characteristic of Ocarina of Time). All this may make Majora's Mask seem like another conventional Zelda soundtrack, but it is quite different from its predecessors. It is much darker and scarier; not only are some of the environment pieces scary (such as "Marsh Land" and "Ikana Valley"), but the whole soundtrack seems to carry this feeling throughout a large majority of the music. This is suitable, though, since the game features a plot that is much darker than any previous Zelda game to date. Take the "Last Day" track for example. This theme is very slow, beautiful, and sad but it also shares a touch of terror, perfectly mirroring the situation in the game where Link has only six hours before the moon falls...

The soundtrack is also off-beat. For example, there is a slow, jazz number ("Zora Band") with a synthesized voice (similar to the one in "Lon Lon Ranch") which may seem out of place on first listen, and "Cremia's Wagon" sounds like it could come from a Western movie. There's even one track on Disc Two that is, as its title mentions, a Frog's song(!). In addition, there are plenty of Arabian pieces scattered here and there, as well as a few Scottish pieces (like the ones I mentioned earlier). This is definitely *not* your typical Zelda soundtrack, but then again, neither was Ocarina of Time (which was more of a cinematic, interactive experience than the traditional epic game score).

The very, very last track is not a typical piece you'd expect for a grand finale. This six-minute long track begins with a jazz band swing, then it goes into a celebrational, primitive, lively melody which includes shades of the Overworld theme before it finally gets to a more appropriate sound. Then the chorus comes in, along with the synthesized orchestra, to do an absolutely gorgeous interlude. After a somewhat scary follow-up, the theme ends with a very lovely, hair-tingling chord with the chorus and the strings a very nice touch. But then, just when you think it's over, the track teases us with a whistle-sound reindition of "Saria's Song" from Ocarina of Time. This surprise ending makes us only want more. In fact, after listening to that track, I literally listened to the whole thing again! But then, I guess if a soundtrack makes you feel that way, it is a sure sign that this is a classic.

Now lets talk about how the synthesis sounds. As with this soundtrack's predecessor, the instruments sound more synthesized than realistic. In other words, the quality is somewhat limited in comparison to the more advanced sound systems on CD-based consoles. (Nintendo 64 soundtracks have been unfavorably reviewed — and put down — because of this, as I'm sure you all know.) Even the choral voices, as mentioned before, aren't authentic, just more synthesis. However, the chorus and instruments still sound quite good in spite of these drawbacks. The atmospheric sounds featured on some of the tracks, however, sound authentic and spectacular. They really make players feel that they're a part of the world that the game's protagonist is going through. This is a characteristic that Ocarina of Time shared.

Summary

Probably the best way to approach the music of Majora's Mask is to not compare it unfavorably to Ocarina of Time, but how it holds its own ground. Sure, it's off-beat, but that is what makes this score a gem. I loved this music when I first received this soundtrack, and I love it even more now that I have played the game. This is probably another good way of how to experience the uniqueness of the music. Whether you love it or hate it, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask qualifies as a decent follow-up to Ocarina of Time, and comes as strongly recommended as its predecessor.

Overview

Continuing on from my review of Ocarina of Time, it's time to take a look at the second Nintendo 64 The Legend of Zelda title, Majora's Mask. This was my first Zelda game, and I really enjoyed it from all angles. My first experiences with the ocarina; my first talks with a fairy; my first costume ball in a game with so many masks to choose from! There was a lot of innovation with this title, even more so than with Ocarina of Time, but does the soundtrack for the game reflect this? As with Ocarina of Time, I'm going to be looking at some of the tracks which stand out as being strong additions to this album, and which help to showcase what makes this game so innovative. I won't necessarily look at the most popular tracks or the most well known tracks, but it's always good to look at something different.

Body

Normally, it would make sense to start off the review with a look at the Ocarina tracks. However, it feels more appropriate to start off with the place you'll be spending most of your time: Clock Town. Good old Clock Town, you were certainly fun to run around, especially when trying to catch Mr. Fox mask, and always just falling short of catching him before he entered his house. "Clock Tower" is the first theme you'll come across in this time-oriented town, and it mimics the "Song of Healing," which Link learns to turn the Deku curse into a mask. The strings definitely give a bit more to the track, in terms of it's mysterious power, and make you believe that those few notes do indeed have some significance for Link. But let's leave the Mask salesman for now, and enter the town. Right away, you'll be familiar with the track. The opening chime of "Clock Town Day 1" is the same as the "Sun Song" from Ocarina of Time. Now, in case you haven't played Majora's Mask, here's some info. Basically, you play through the same three day time period over and over again. An in game clock counts the hours, and the settings changes as time passes (day turns to night, etc.) Day One consists of a sunny day, Day Two is rainy, and Day Three is cloudy. When in Clock Town, you'll get a different theme for each of the three days. "Clock Town Day 1" is a very happy piece, with a repeating melody that, surprisingly, doesn't get old. The percussion is light, with the focus being on the solo instruments, mostly strings and flutes. In contrast, the instruments change for "Clock Town Day 2," with percussion being removed, and solo violins and flutes taking the lead. Appropriate for a rainy day. "Clock Town Day 3" is very tense. You see, the weather isn't the only thing that changes. Each day, the Evil Moon (drawn by the power of the Majora Mask) gets closer to the earth. At the end of the third day, the moon collides with the earth, and everything is destroyed. In this third theme, the melody is faster, with an emphasis on strings, flutes, and guitar. On top of this, a foreboding low string progression hints at the impending doom. "Last End" appears at 6pm of the third and final day, announcing that you only have six hours remaining to finish up any remaining quests, before you must travel back in time and start again, or face a game over screen. This piece, in my opinion, is one of the coolest tracks ever to appear in a Zelda game. The atmosphere given by the airy flutes, and the mood produced by the techno sweeps, is something very different that you don't hear very often in the Zelda series.

While we're talking of time travel, let's move onto the ocarina tracks, starting with the "Song of Time." This is one track that gets repeated many times in the game. You must play it once during every three-day cycle in the game, which makes it very prominent. However, I'm going to talk about it a little later. "Song of Healing" I have already briefly discussed, and the track focuses on healing Link's initial curse. I'll talk about the track in more detail later on. "Song of Inverse" on the other hand, is the exact opposite. The first pattern of notes is the reverse of "Song of Time," but it sounds a bit odd, and out of tune; appropriate for its use, but somewhat stand-offish as a track. "Gale Song" allows you to teleport to areas in the game, and is a very quick, high-tension pattern of notes. "Commanding Vow" is another track which appears repeatedly in the game, and is the song of the Giants. It's a very sad sounding melody, however something gets lost in the translation. The vocals in the track are the same male choir sounds seen in Ocarina's "Temple of Time," and they're a bit distracting. "Song of Elder" is probably the least interesting of all the ocarina themes. Three notes make up the entire track, which leaves it extraordinarily dull. There is one place in the game that everyone looks forward to: when you finally get to ride Epona again, which means no more walking! "Epona's Song" hasn't changed, and even "Romani Ranch" (this dimension's version of "Lon Lon Ranch") is identical in all but the instrumentation, with a violin replacing Lon's voice. Another returning ocarina theme is the "Song of Storms," which also hasn't changed.

The 'elemental world' themes have changed a bit in this game, now representing the Deku, Goron, and Zora races. "Awake Sonata" is a very light, short tune which allows you to gain access to the Woodfall Temple. Although I don't care for the trumpet in the orchestral version, the ocarina version is very pleasant to listen to. "Goron Lullaby" is very slow, and low in pitch, and matches a lullaby quite well for the Goron race. But again, something sounds a bit off in the orchestral version of the track; probably the odd sounding vocal melody. The "Sea Roar Bossanova" of the Zoras is very cool to hear, with a jazz rhythm to it, complete with saxophone, bass, piano, and drum set! I'm always very happy when a Zora related track appears on the Zelda albums, because for some reason, they feel the most natural when paired with their underwater setting. The "Skin Shedding Elegy" is another very strange sounding track. Switching from major to minor keys in the track, with some odd instrument choices, make the whole track feel a bit strained.

Before we wrap up, lets look at the two main themes of the game. "Termina Field" gives us the familiar theme that everyone recognizes with the Zelda franchise. And although it doesn't have the majesty of the Hyrule version, the instrumentation does a great job at showing you that you're in an alternate dimension. The theme is the same, yet altered just enough to suggest evil is lurking in the shadows, both hiding in the trees, and in the somewhat frightening gaze of the moon. But really, the big theme on this album is the "Song of Healing Demo." We see this theme pop up all over the place on this album, but in reality, it deserves to. When ranking the Zelda themes, this one is right up there with "Zelda's Theme" from Ocarina of Time. I also love how it's a piano only track, with only supporting synthesizers to give some lower range balance to the track.

Summary

Altogether, my opinion of this album mirrors what I thought of Ocarina of Time. While the album has its strong points, a whole lot of it just sounds too much alike, particularly given about a third of the themes are carried over from Ocarina of Time. In many ways, this album is less diverse than its N64 counterpart, mostly due to the lack of interesting, upbeat tracks to provide some much needed variety. Also, it's the kind of soundtrack where if you really love Zelda, you could buy the album, but otherwise you'll just remember the themes after hearing them a few times in the game. The Zelda franchise is a strong one, and overall there is a lot of ingenuity in the tracks, but Koki Kondo is going to have to expand upon these simple, short melodic patterns if he wants to keep the music for Zelda sounding fresh.

Overview

Majora's Mask would have been the strangest and darkest Zelda game to date were it not for its numerous continuous elements with Ocarina of Time. It brought a new world, a malevolent moon, plenty of masks, and a three day system, but offered little variation in most other departments. The gameplay hadn't changed much — hello again, horses, fairies, real time battles, and young Link. The game also had many characters, locations, and races that were parallel versions of what one encountered in Ocarina of Time. The score was similarly familiar, featuring ocarina melodies, direct reprises from Ocarina of Time, and familiarly styled dungeon, action, and light-hearted music. However, it also presented a vivid interpretation of an unfamiliar but doomed world. To what extent is the score a unique creation capable of entertainment, consistency, and fluidity? Read on to the find out...

Body

The soundtrack to Majora's Mask provides a very good representation of the game's peculiar storyline. That is, the lonely bully Skull Kid uses the cursed artefact Majora's Mask to summon the destruction of the mysterious world Termina; through repeatedly living three days through time travel, Link must prevent Termina's moon from abandoning orbit and crashing into the world. The game revolves around Clock Town in the centre of Termina, a community where plenty of curious events happen over a three day period. The background music used there grows progressively more disturbing over the three days. After opening with the same morning music from the Ocarina of Time, "Clock Town - Day 1" develops into a lyrical piece of folk dance music with a very charming melody presented by a group of synthesized string and flute players. "Clock Town - Day 2", on the other hand, is slightly eerie due to the removal of percussion and use of solo instruments, as opposed to ensembles, to represent the main melody; the minimalist approach makes it sound slightly 'wrong', even if the chord progressions and melody are well-preserved. "Clock Town - Day 3" is the darkest and most dissonant of all. It has a hurried tempo that reflects desperation and is accompanied by a descending chromatic string ostinato that gives a sense of impending doom. The final six hours of Clock Town's existence are represented by "Last End," one of the most emotional themes to ever appear on the Zelda franchise. Its deep chord progressions, synth swells, and carefully constructed ostinati assimilate into a piece that is simultaneously enchanting, saddening, and epic. The representation of the antagonist, the mask Majora, takes the form of a series of dramatic pieces influenced by Chinese opera. It is genuinely freaky how the music for the title screen gradually darkens from a soft interpretation of the Clock Town music into the horrifying exposition of "Majora's Theme", as the threat above a bustling community is revealed.

Like Hyrule, Termina is a colourful world and Kondo offers a diverse set of themes to represent this. Those who prefer Zelda's more melodic pieces will be delighted to hear that, by popular demand, the overworld theme from The Legend of Zelda and A Link to the Past has returned. The unforgettable melody of "Termina Field" delightfully glides over the adventurous percussion-dominated accompaniment and is beautifully harmonised by orchestral instruments in places. Other highlights include the ethereal synth-dominated "Astral Observatory", the folky gigue "Deku Nut's Palace", and the dark and imposing "Ikana's Ancient Castle" and "Pirate Fortress". The background music used to represent the four major areas of the game — "Marsh Land", "Snow Mountain", "Great Bay Beach", and "Ikana Valley" — all extensively reference "Majora's Theme", representing their cursed nature. They're well-arranged and very effective, though not for everyone. Another theme that is reflective of the storyline is "Clock Tower", used in the very first place Link ends up in Termina. Though it sounds similar to the observatory theme, it incorporates a melody known as the "Song of Healing" that is symbolic of healing Majora's curse and, perhaps coincidentally, partly an inversion of "Saria's Song". It is the first and arguably best theme that can be learnt on the ocarina in Majora's Mask. Other ocarina themes include standard, speeded up, and inverted versions of "Song of Time" used for time travel, the emotional "Oath to Order" that can used to summon the four giants to save Termina at the end of the world, "Epona's Song" and the "Song of Storms" carried over from Ocarina of Time, and four sadly forgettable 'songs' required to make each of the game's dungeons appear.

Majora's Mask's action themes are a great improvement upon Ocarina of Time's generic rabble. This is principally due to the choice to replace Kondo with Toru Minegishi for the normal battle, middle boss, and end of dungeon boss themes. Minegishi really knows how to combine a sense of action and intensity with interesting musical features and a certain amount of lyricism. Particularly effective is "Middle Boss Battle", which is dominated by crisp brass phrases and a pulsing piano ostinato. Kondo contributes the unremarkable "Chase" at the start of the soundtrack as well as the four final boss themes. The final boss themes are all variants on "Majora's Theme", the first epic and symphonic, the second ominous and atmospheric, the third downright weird, and the final fast-paced and climactic; one is unlikely to regularly listen to these themes, given the abstract and somewhat unpleasant nature of the nonetheless ingenious motif they revolve around, but they're solid enough. As for the dungeon themes, like Ocarina of Time's, they're ambient and experimental. "Woodfall Temple" features funky percussion use and exotic ululation, "Great Bay Temple" offers a collection of industrial percussion and repetitive electronic noises, and the much more melodic "Rockvale Temple" has 'outside' and 'inside' versions that are interestingly varied in a somewhat mathematical way. "Snowhead Temple" is cut short by a minute, receiving a similar fate to Ocarina of Time's "Fire Temple" because of the album's occasionally poor presentation; unfortunate given the piece most is the most stylistically interesting dungeon theme, featuring minimalist piano motifs, atmospheric noise, synth vocal drones, and plenty of electronic manipulation, though many will skip it.

There are numerous reprises from Ocarina of Time presented on the score. These are mostly less important and rather simple themes like "Shop", "House", "Shooting Gallery", "Mini Game", various fanfares, and the themes used to represent the owl, the potion shop, and the windmill. Most of these reprises are charming and effective in the context of the game, though have a tendency to bore on the soundtrack, particularly when cluttered together. There are occasions when lack of arrangement is quite uninspiring. "Lon Lon Ranch" from Ocarina of Time, for example, is more or less replicated in "Romani Ranch", except with a soothing violin replacing Epona's voice. The wretched horse-racing themes from Ocarina of Time are not only directly brought over, but also poorly arranged in "Goron Race" and "Goron Race Goal", basically with a different instrument set, some percussion, and some 'scratching' effects. As for Ocarina of Time's "Goron City" itself, it is copied straight over to Majora's Mask in "Goron's Shrine", along with "Zora's Domain", now "Zora Hall" and "Lost Woods", now "Woods of Mystery". While there original incarnations were quite something, inspiring arrangements could have been made from them to reflect that the Gorons and Zoras, for instance, lived in a new environment now; this would have helped to make their additions to the score less of a triviality and more of a highlight as well. Among the strangest reprises of all are used to represent instrument practice as part of a tedious sidequest that leads to the performance of the Zora band, The Indigo-Gos. "Drum Practice Music" is "Cave" from A Link to the Past while "Bass Practice Music" and "Piano Practice Music" are interpretations of the first Zelda game's underworld and game over music.

There's a lot of original 'filler' in Majora's Mask as well. Many of the light-hearted tracks are similar, irritating, and underdeveloped. Prime examples are "Major's House Council Room", "Milk Bar", "Jungle Cruise", and "Zora Band", all of which are decent during gameplay, but not worth more than a few stand-alone listens. But there's worse than that: "Jabu's House" is one of the least inspiring 'dark' themes Kondo has ever written, "Cremia's Wagon" is another unnecessary ranch-related theme, "Song of Frogs" is 21 seconds of frogs croaking, and "Music Box House" isn't just an irritating rip-off of Super Mario 64's "Merry-Go-Round" but also of tonnes of other carousel themes as well. Talking about derivations, some of the references to other cultures are surprisingly bad given Kondo's previous works. Particularly awful are the rather similar Indian-influenced themes "Kamaro's Dance", "Kishie's Quiz", and "Dancer", which greatly disappoint after Super Mario 64's "Lethal Lava Land". And then there's cringe-worthy film parodies like the dated "Cucco House Game", influenced by The Great Escape's score, and the UFO invasion tune "The Monsters Raid". Deary, deary... When these tracks, fanfares, reprises, and ocarina songs are added together, it becomes clear that Majora's Mask's 112 track score has considerably more filler than highlights; sometimes a dozen consecutive tracks feature only one or two 'good' themes, the rest being only effective in the context of the game, if at all. Fortunately, it ends well with a medley that incorporates a jubilant new melody and a full interpretation of The Indigo-Gos' long-awaited jazz performance.

Summary

The soundtrack to Majora's Mask is a disappointing successor to Ocarina of Time's. The amount of uninspired themes and reprises really lets down the album and there is a definite lack of inspiration, fluidity, and finesse. Event themes, ocarina melodies, and light-hearted themes are especially poor. Nonetheless, the album is still thoroughly entertaining to listen to in its entirety. This is due to a fabulous representation of the cursed nature of Termina, the inclusion of plenty of genuinely excellent action, dungeon, and location themes, and, of course, the bags of nostalgia that go with any Zelda score. It is a worthwhile purchase to anyone who enjoys Zelda music and played the game, but lacks consistency or artistic merit.