Nintendo made a lot of people happy this week with the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, the long-requested remake of the popular N64 entry in the Zelda franchise. We learned about this remake in this week’s Nintendo Direct, and you can watch the trailer right here:
When Nintendo released the almost-universally beloved Ocarina of Time on 3DS in 2011, they opened the possibility that Majora’s Mask might also make it to the handheld at some point in the future. After all, Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask both appeared on the N64, so there was obviously no technical reason that the latter couldn’t receive a remake. However, Eiji Aonuma, who has worked in various roles on almost every Zelda title since Ocarina of Time, has called Majora’s Mask 3D more than just a remake in a recent Miiverse post. He also revealed that Majora’s Mask 3D has been in development since shortly after Ocarina of Time 3D’s release in June 2011.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D was actually in development almost immediately after we finished working on The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, which was released in June of 2011. So although we’ve been working on the game for quite some time, we didn’t want to say it was being developed until we were at a point where we could proudly say that this is not going to be just another remake and that it’s going to be worth your time.
This offers some validation to the fanbase that has been requesting a Majora’s Mask remake for the past three years. Nintendo knew from the beginning that there was demand for a Majora’s Mask remake. Aonuma and the rest of the Zelda team simply wanted to ensure that the product was going to be of a high caliber before announcing anything. The idea that Majora’s Mask 3D “is not going to be just another remake” is another interesting point in this announcement. Ocarina of Time 3D did not receive that many changes from the N64 version, apart from the obvious graphical improvements and the inclusion of the Master Quest, which previously only appeared on a special Gamecube edition of Ocarina of Time, received by those who preordered The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. It will certainly be interesting to see how Nintendo is going to make Majora’s Mask 3D more than the average remake.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D is coming to Nintendo 3DS in Spring 2015.
I’m certainly excited to return to the creepy world of Termina, but how excited are you for Majora’s Mask 3D? Let us know in the comments!
Source: Eiji Aonuma’s Miiverse post