The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (Nintendo 64)

If Ocarina of Time was the moment for 3D Zelda to establish what the series would be moving forward, Majora’s Mask was Nintendo’s moment to just go nuts with the Nintendo 64 tech it had and really riff on some cool design elements and themes. Majora’s Mask has some of the most varied gameplay in the series thanks to Link’s ability to transform into other forms using masks. From the agile Zora form to the hulking power of the Goron form, Majora’s Mask just feels like one of the series’ biggest sandboxes to play in, and that’s not even taking into account how all the non-transformation masks like the Bunny Hood that increases Link’s speed factor into play. It also is one of Zelda’s most pensive stories as civilization deals with an impending doomsday event. It’s haunting, innovative, and hopeful by the end. Majora’s Mask has always been an underrated moment for the series compared to Ocarina of Time, which is why we’re doing right by it by putting it above its predecessor on this list.

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