While The Legend of Zelda series has been running continuously for nearly 40 years, it’s rare that any of its games gets a direct sequel starring the same version of Link. Even when it does happen, like the maligned Adventure of Link being a sequel to the original Legend of Zelda, Nintendo usually makes a big enough change in the setting or gameplay that the sequel feels like an entirely unrelated game. This year, what may be the strangest and most beloved of these sequels turns 25 years old, and it’s still just as bizarre and captivating as it was on release.
Aside from its time-travel twist, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a pretty straightforward game for the series. Ganondorf has taken over Hyrule and it’s up to Link to travel around the kingdom to stop him. But when Majora’s Mask arrived in Japan two years later on April 27, 2000, it couldn’t have been more of a surprise. Despite starring the same hero from Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask has little in common with its predecessor, or with most of the Legend of Zelda series. The most obvious change is that rather than Hyrule, the game takes place in the world of Termina, but the new location is the least interesting of its twists.
