Triple Creature Feature 8: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Castlevania, Doom(2016)

What strikes me about Majora’s Mask is all the stuff that doesn’t get talked about. A calamity is going to happen in three days, which is blindingly obvious, but it’s the other little things, or certain implications.

Pre-1st Temple - the monkey gets boiled alive, presumably this has already happened by the third day but I never found out. I should though.

Post-2nd Temple - The last you see the elder Goron is at the bottom of the lake in an ice cube since he doesn’t stay thawed for long. Once the area is restored it’s filled with water and you don’t see him again, so you can only assume he drowned. Especially with that sign from earlier about Goron sinking in the water.

Romani Ranch - We don’t know what the aliens did to Romani, or if it really was Romani they brought back. All we know is that she’s not the same.

Aside from that, Link is pretty much seeing things happen over and over again in this time loop and we have the uncomfortable awareness that even though we “fixed” something before, since we rewound time it’s happening again elsewhere and it will play out because we’re busy with something else. How sad must it be to talk to elder Goron again knowing that he’s inevitably going to drown? Not to mention that he’s literally wearing the faces of individuals who have already died and everyone thinks that they’re still alive. The transformation itself sounds painful and it looks like he screams when he puts a mask on.

Oooor maybe I just read too much into things. Who knows.

I can shine a light on some of those. :) Also none of these should spoil the game for you at the point you're at

Pre-1st Temple: So, yes. The monkey does get boiled alive. In fact you can go see him get boiled either on the very last hours of the final day or if you go right back into the chambers after he teaches you the song. It's kinda sad to see.

Post-2nd: So, I couldn't exactly remember where as it's been two years since I've played the game, but he actually doesn't drown after the whole goht situation. According to a little memory and the internet, he can be found unfrozen somewhere in the Goron Village. He doesn't give you anything at all but he is fortunately alive.

Romani Ranch: ||Yeah that whole situation is sad. I'm pretty sure you can also see her being beamed if you're there and fail the mission||

Also, if you're really into the world and the characters, I really recommend after completing the first temple ||doing the butler's race. He doesn't give you anything of particular importance but it brings context to something you'll see later.||

I can shine a light on some of those. :) Also none of these should spoil the game for you at the point you're at

Pre-1st Temple: So, yes. The monkey does get boiled alive. In fact you can go see him get boiled either on the very last hours of the final day or if you go right back into the chambers after he teaches you the song. It's kinda sad to see.

Post-2nd: So, I couldn't exactly remember where as it's been two years since I've played the game, but he actually doesn't drown after the whole goht situation. According to a little memory and the internet, he can be found unfrozen somewhere in the Goron Village. He doesn't give you anything at all but he is fortunately alive.

Romani Ranch: ||Yeah that whole situation is sad. I'm pretty sure you can also see her being beamed if you're there and fail the mission||

Also, if you're really into the world and the characters, I really recommend after completing the first temple ||doing the butler's race. He doesn't give you anything of particular importance but it brings context to something you'll see later.||

Well that’s that, I do not feel the need to check up on post wood temple because I don’t need that trauma. 😅 I can however say yes, you do actually see Romani being abducted. I mucked up the mission on the first time and witnessed it firsthand. I’m so glad elder Goron made it! I was really sad about that one.

I did race the butler and got an item. Haven’t really used it though, so not sure where this is going just yet.

Well that’s that, I do not feel the need to check up on post wood temple because I don’t need that trauma. 😅 I can however say yes, you do actually see Romani being abducted. I mucked up the mission on the first time and witnessed it firsthand. I’m so glad elder Goron made it! I was really sad about that one.

I did race the butler and got an item. Haven’t really used it though, so not sure where this is going just yet.

The item you get from the butler isn't all that critical, but his dialogue provides context for a scene later on.

But yeah, Majora's Mask is pretty oppressive with the dread and misery. When I was younger I remember trying to figure out how to solve all of Termina's problems within a single 3-day cycle. If it's not already obvious to you, it's not possible. You can re-fight the bosses and clear a lot of the shorter quests, but some of the side quests have branching paths, so if you decide to help one person, you might be dooming someone else in that timeline. That's a pretty immense burden to bear. I even looked into using glitches to try and advance some route-locked quests, but I never got it to work. Still kinda nags at the back of my mind.

You know what, maybe this game is why I have such severe anxiety.

For those who played Majora’s Mask on 3ds, level with me. How much did fighting the water temple boss suck?

Also, I’m very curious as to how you would control the camera if you’re playing on a 3ds w/o a C-stick.

For those who played Majora’s Mask on 3ds, level with me. How much did fighting the water temple boss suck?

Also, I’m very curious as to how you would control the camera if you’re playing on a 3ds w/o a C-stick.

Didn't get that far on 3DS version yet myself, so we'll see if I make it this time! That temple is a real pain all around I remember though.

As for camera control on a 3DS without the right nub I imagine it'd be the same as N64. Game handles the camera and you re-center yourself with Z or L as the case may be.

For those who played Majora’s Mask on 3ds, level with me. How much did fighting the water temple boss suck?

Also, I’m very curious as to how you would control the camera if you’re playing on a 3ds w/o a C-stick.

Yeah it's pretty bad. They changed all the bosses in the 3DS version and pretty much made all of them worse imo. Granted, that particular boss wasn't good in the original in the first place. It's quite wild that they managed to make it even worse.

I didn’t have much time when I finally opened the boss room and just went for it. The first phase is easy but that second phase…the camera kept conflicting with my swimming direction and I was getting harassed by the smaller fish. Plus, since you have to be floating in the water to put up your shield, I could even do that since I was on the sea floor and they were spamming me so hard. On top of that I had to balance somehow getting the timing right for those mines…

I ran out of time and since I hadn’t saved, I had to do the temple ALL OVER AGAIN. I wasn’t even mad; I think I was just in shock. How the heck was that so bad? Second time around I did some prep and cleared it yesterday.

I borrowed my sister’s older model 3ds for a science experiment. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to manually rotate the camera without the c stick. It seems like it’s an optional feature since you can actually switch the setting off but it feels like not having it is pretty inconvenient.

@Siver - DO NOT MISS THE HEART CONTAINER IN THIS DUNGEON. 😨 I did not appreciate my second trip.

@R2D21991 - While looking up version differences I came across something that said the 3ds version was easier. 😶

I didn’t have much time when I finally opened the boss room and just went for it. The first phase is easy but that second phase…the camera kept conflicting with my swimming direction and I was getting harassed by the smaller fish. Plus, since you have to be floating in the water to put up your shield, I could even do that since I was on the sea floor and they were spamming me so hard. On top of that I had to balance somehow getting the timing right for those mines…

I ran out of time and since I hadn’t saved, I had to do the temple ALL OVER AGAIN. I wasn’t even mad; I think I was just in shock. How the heck was that so bad? Second time around I did some prep and cleared it yesterday.

I borrowed my sister’s older model 3ds for a science experiment. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to manually rotate the camera without the c stick. It seems like it’s an optional feature since you can actually switch the setting off but it feels like not having it is pretty inconvenient.

@Siver - DO NOT MISS THE HEART CONTAINER IN THIS DUNGEON. 😨 I did not appreciate my second trip.

@R2D21991 - While looking up version differences I came across something that said the 3ds version was easier. 😶

Having only played the 3DS version, I can't say whether or not it's easier. That being said, the water temples always seem to suck in Zelda games!

I finished up Doom (2016) on the Switch this evening. It's surprisingly well adapted to the Switch, I didn't expect it to run half as well as it did. The game's still a lot of fun, even if the pacing is a little off (and the final boss sucks just a bit). The flow feels a little like playing Serious Sam - an arena filled with enemies to clear, few bits of platforming and puzzling then another arena.

That said, I prefer Doom (2016) to Doom Eternal. As fun as fighting on Earth during the invasion is, I didn't really enjoy the new movement options and the focus around more first person platforming. There were also some incredibly annoying enemies in Eternal that really try your patience.

I didn’t have much time when I finally opened the boss room and just went for it. The first phase is easy but that second phase…the camera kept conflicting with my swimming direction and I was getting harassed by the smaller fish. Plus, since you have to be floating in the water to put up your shield, I could even do that since I was on the sea floor and they were spamming me so hard. On top of that I had to balance somehow getting the timing right for those mines…

I ran out of time and since I hadn’t saved, I had to do the temple ALL OVER AGAIN. I wasn’t even mad; I think I was just in shock. How the heck was that so bad? Second time around I did some prep and cleared it yesterday.

I borrowed my sister’s older model 3ds for a science experiment. As far as I can tell, there’s no way to manually rotate the camera without the c stick. It seems like it’s an optional feature since you can actually switch the setting off but it feels like not having it is pretty inconvenient.

@Siver - DO NOT MISS THE HEART CONTAINER IN THIS DUNGEON. 😨 I did not appreciate my second trip.

@R2D21991 - While looking up version differences I came across something that said the 3ds version was easier. 😶

DO NOT MISS THE HEART CONTAINER IN THIS DUNGEON. 😨 I did not appreciate my second trip.

Oh trust me, ever since I did that once in the second temple I've been very careful. And the Great Bay Temple is the last place I want to see twice anyway... So much sympathy for how that turned out for you

I finished the Woodfall Temple last week and played a bit more last night to take care of some business: getting another heart piece, a bigger quiver, a bomb bag and more rupees and a bigger wallet.

All this led me to hanging around and poking about until the final 6 hours and the moon seems even more horrifying in the 3DS version when it's that low. It almost made me regret using a 2DS XL instead of 3DS, so I couldn't briefly turn on the 3D.

Off to the second area at some point...pretty behind this month.

I finished the Woodfall Temple last week and played a bit more last night to take care of some business: getting another heart piece, a bigger quiver, a bomb bag and more rupees and a bigger wallet.

All this led me to hanging around and poking about until the final 6 hours and the moon seems even more horrifying in the 3DS version when it's that low. It almost made me regret using a 2DS XL instead of 3DS, so I couldn't briefly turn on the 3D.

Off to the second area at some point...pretty behind this month.

I’m morbidly curious to try this on my sister’s 3ds now although I’ll probably regret it.

I’m morbidly curious to try this on my sister’s 3ds now although I’ll probably regret it.

Do it for science!

Do it for science!

Tried it… it took a minute to get adjusted to the 3d and I’m not certain which was more disconcerting: the 3d or seeing that thing slowly descend toward me. Yep, I’m good without the 3d.

I could be doing another dungeon but I’m doing side quest stuff. I’m pleasantly surprised; I went into this just intending to do the main game only because I thought I might retire it. Still, some of those side quests make you feel lousy when you mess them up. I was expected to leave Kafei there and hope Anju would understand? Screw that, I restarted.

Tried it… it took a minute to get adjusted to the 3d and I’m not certain which was more disconcerting: the 3d or seeing that thing slowly descend toward me. Yep, I’m good without the 3d.

I could be doing another dungeon but I’m doing side quest stuff. I’m pleasantly surprised; I went into this just intending to do the main game only because I thought I might retire it. Still, some of those side quests make you feel lousy when you mess them up. I was expected to leave Kafei there and hope Anju would understand? Screw that, I restarted.

Haha, yesss. Scary 3D moon. Thank you for this important bit of science xD

Ah, yeah, the Anju Kafei quest line is brutal. Long and easy to screw up especially right near the end and then you have to try it all over again! At least the song of double time in the 3DS version lets you pick the hour to jump too, and saving is more generous, so it should be easier and I expect less wait time anyway.

Honestly, some frustrations aside, all the side quests are easily my favourite part of the game. The temples feel more like a necessary evil to open up more abilities to do more side stuff for me.

Somehow, the dancing mummies are still a different kind of scary.

Somehow, the dancing mummies are still a different kind of scary.

Ahh Ikana Canyon. It's a cool place for the spooky atmosphere. My poor nephew couldn't get past the music box house on his own though. He was too scared.

Ahh Ikana Canyon. It's a cool place for the spooky atmosphere. My poor nephew couldn't get past the music box house on his own though. He was too scared.

It is pretty spooky. The scene in the Music Box was a little unsettling and I just stood there for a few minutes studying it before playing the song of healing. I feel bad for the little girl having to deal with that.

Cleared Ikana Canyon after a few tries yesterday, so I’m going to see if I can finish this today. 🤞

Well I didn’t finish it yesterday since I got to the moon and then I started being asked questions by who I found there which led me to start asking questions… so I decided to go back for the other masks I missed. Worth it. Also, fascinating.

I finished it today though! This game really was a surprise. I had never intended to play this game and when circumstances led me to acquire it, I was just going to stick to main story. The sidequests were interesting and worth doing. I didn’t enjoy the dungeons as much (but it’s a dungeon, that’s just how they are). I enjoyed playing this. There were some annoying bits but I could play this again.

Part of the epilogue was a little too bittersweet. I feel like the butler scene was only there to entice a tear from me. :(

Well I didn’t finish it yesterday since I got to the moon and then I started being asked questions by who I found there which led me to start asking questions… so I decided to go back for the other masks I missed. Worth it. Also, fascinating.

I finished it today though! This game really was a surprise. I had never intended to play this game and when circumstances led me to acquire it, I was just going to stick to main story. The sidequests were interesting and worth doing. I didn’t enjoy the dungeons as much (but it’s a dungeon, that’s just how they are). I enjoyed playing this. There were some annoying bits but I could play this again.

Part of the epilogue was a little too bittersweet. I feel like the butler scene was only there to entice a tear from me. :(

Congrats on finishing! I've not been so good at staying on top of playing it, but I've been enjoying your updates-live vicariously through you haha. The end stuff is sure something. I remember the first time I played I struggled with I think the second phase of Majora, but I got really sassy and salty about it and kept making my sister laugh.

I'm glad you got sucked into the sidequests. I really do think they're an integral part of the experience.

Congrats on finishing! I've not been so good at staying on top of playing it, but I've been enjoying your updates-live vicariously through you haha. The end stuff is sure something. I remember the first time I played I struggled with I think the second phase of Majora, but I got really sassy and salty about it and kept making my sister laugh.

I'm glad you got sucked into the sidequests. I really do think they're an integral part of the experience.

Hmm, the Wood boss was ok, Snow boss was annoying, Water was… an experience, and Ikana was stressful because you’re so damn slow (that one got the most panic from me due to time passing, much to my sister’s amusement) and I had a better time with the final boss since I made it my business to do the side quests. You do miss out a lot of you don’t do them.

I’d like to replay some older stuff but I really want to clear more new games. Good experience with game of the month though; it kicks me into finishing the game at a better pace.

Castlevania

Okay so got to the 3rd level (9th stage). So this is an old classic game and it feels it. The game is well designed but difficult and there seems to be no save states do ya expected to finish in one sitting. Luckily playing on the switch so I just placed it into sleep mode. If I lose my state then I prob retire as CBA to redo. Still I'm finding the game relatively difficult but I am making steady progress through it so I might be able to beat it. Not sure where to rate ATM this is very much like system shock you can see the great game design but also feel held back by the lack of current features found in recent games

Castlevania
24/07/2025 21:54
Reached the 4th level (12th stage). Found out the version I got has a save function
21/08/2025 21:24
So I got through to Frankenstein boss where I kept dying and decided to drop the game after that. The game is far too frustrating and the amount of repeating you have to do to get to the end was a point of contention for me. I decided I wasn't having fun so gonna move to the next game