Revisiting Termina

MajorasMaskLogo[audio:http://ready-up.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Last-End.mp3]

Every year I return to Termina. There’s just something about the world’s inhabitants that transfixes me so much more than any other routine-driven game narrative. Travelling through Yokosuka with Ryo Hazuki comes close, but venturing through Cyrodil or The Wasteland hit nowhere near the mark.

Clock Town

While other visitors claim the Groundhog Day-esque factor puts them off, I find it endearing. These are the three most significant days in Termina’s history – how could I not want to be a part of it repeatedly? How could I not want to see how my efforts change the lives and stories of characters I care about?

Oh, Tortus!

When I recollect my visits to Termina, one character’s story in particular always sticks with me most – that of Anju’s wheelchair-ridden grandmother. She wiles away her time in the back room of the Stock Pott Inn, reading by the light of the fire. She keeps mistaking me for “Tortus”, most likely her son. Her warmth is touching – there is nothing she likes more than helping you pass the time with a story. She is also one of the few inhabitants who seem to realise what is going on in the world around her.

Happy times at Romani Ranch

She writes in her diary of how unbearable it is to leave her lifelong home for Romani Ranch to take refuge from the falling moon. It’s heartbreaking having her exclaim “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a picnic at Romani Ranch”. She doesn’t want to break it to me.

This is the way the world ends

In the final hours of Clock Town’s existence, the tone changes dramatically. Despite an evacuation warning for the residents of Clock Town, the Carnival of Time goes ahead. The ground shakes violently and an uncontrollable feeling of dread kicks in. The Clock Tower’s bell sends ghostly echoes across all of Termina, counting down to oblivion. Everyone seems to fall mute, staring at the sky, paralysed. These last six hours of the three day cycle showcase the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that the residents of Termina are experiencing. The ominous “Last End” will forever be ingrained in my mind as the overture to the end of the world.

Not with a bang but a whimper.

The calm after the chaos


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6 responses to “Revisiting Termina”

  1. MrCuddleswick avatar
    MrCuddleswick

    I never got round to completing it, but I will one day.

    A beautiful game, from developers arguably at the height of their powers.

    And you write so passionately about it!

  2. Del Torro El Sorrow avatar

    I never liked Majoras Mask. Ocarina of Time will always be the definitive Legend of Zelda adventure in my heart.

  3. Sarah-Lou avatar

    I absolutely adore this game…and i did prefer it just a tad to Ocarina of Time. I like how you can reverse time and replay some of the events in the game. Its such a classic!

  4. razgate avatar
    razgate

    I loved this game and still do but unfortunately I never did complete it because I wanted every single mask before I did, I own it on the N64 and Gamecube but I’m still tempted to buy it on the Wii. 😀
    I feel this is the Zelda for a mature audience and I love the fact that it was always a race against time even though you could go back to the first day whenever you wanted.
    The soundtrack for it was also a major player in the creation of tension because it became more ominus as the moon got closer.
    This is Video game creation at it’s best, and dare I say it, Zelda at it’s best.
    OHHHHH!!!!! now I want to buy it on the Wii.
    NO! I must resist temptation.

  5. Michael avatar

    Majora’s Mask is my favourite Zelda game (as well as one of my favourite N64 games) because of that difference in tone. So I like this blog 😀

    Welcome to Ready Up, Danny. Living in Japan, eh? That could be an interesting perspective 🙂

  6. Duncan avatar
    Duncan

    Great first blog Danny!

    Loved all the N64 Zelda’s, and any man who writes his blog about the great games of the past, is welcome at my house anytime. 😉

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