User Summary
"The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask" is the second of the Zelda Franchise to be released on the Nintendo 64.
The game starts in a mysterious forest where we find a young Link and Epona searching for an unnamed friend. The Skull Kid, (a character introduced in The Ocarina of Time) ambushes Link with the help of two fairies, Tatl and Tael. After a wild chase, Link is knocked off of his horse. The Skull Kid, wearing a strange heart-shaped mask, transforms Link into a Deku Sprout. Tatl lingers a bit too long to mock Link and is trapped with him. The two work together to find their way to a clock tower where they meet a strange mask salesman (also introduced in The Ocarina of Time) who promises to help Link in exchange for the mask the Skull Kid wears.
Stepping outside the Clock Tower, we see that a large and terrifying Moon leers over the city. Link, stuck in his Deku Sprout form, roams the city for three days, meeting people and making friends. On midnight of the third day the clock tower opens and Link enters to reach the top. There, a battle starts, but the Skull Kid drops Link's trusty Ocarina and he plays the Song of Time. Time resets to three days prior, where the only person to recognize Link is the mask salesman.
The game takes place in the land of Termina. Link must travel to four distinct areas and solve the problems there. Each land has a temple, in the power of an out of control Deity. He only has three days to complete his quests, so judicious use of the Song of Time is necessary to complete the game. Certain concessions are built-in, including a bank that will store your money and a notebook to keep track of everyone you meet, what days and what times they are available and side quests to be completed. Link remains child-sized throughout the game, however, three masks that change his form are found in each major area. The Deku sprout form is a smaller, more child-like sized creature. Zora form makes Link the size of an adult and the Goron form transforms Link into a rock-like giant, capable of traveling at high speeds, but slow to attack.
24 masks can be found in the entire game, most of them granting Link special powers and abilities. Ultimately the goal of the game is to defeat the creature known as Majora and to prevent the land from being crushed by the giant, threatening moon.