Majora’s Mask (Majora’s Mask)

Technically, there are two ways to fight the titular possessed mask in Link’s adventure through Termina. One is to don the Fierce Diety Mask, which turns Link into a superpowered being who can shoot beams from his sword and is more or less unbeatable. The mask is a well-earned reward at the endgame, and acts as an instant win button for the Majora’s Mask encounter. But the fight itself is still pretty incredible without it. The multistage brawl features the Mask, well, unmasking its true form, eventually changing from a floating face-piece with tendrils into a full-bodied little freak.

The whole fight has a kind of deranged chaos to it, as this creature just keeps running around the stage and giggling, dancing, and shrieking at every stage. It’s unnerving, disorienting, and a moment of unhinged catharsis after Majora’s Mask’s otherwise meditative tone. You spend all this time watching the citizens of Termina coming to terms with death and grieving, then find the force of nature behind all this despair is this raving mad creature that only exists to sow chaos. To strike it down in its most pure form makes the entire journey to get there worth it. — Kenneth Shepard