Nintendo classic The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask has received an HD retexture from fans, revamping the game's visuals with improved graphics, lighting, and textures. Zelda: Majora's Mask is often recognized as one of the best games in the Zelda franchise, capturing the hearts of countless players with its dark and emotional story, as well as its enticing gameplay.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is a direct sequel to Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and first released for Nintendo 64 in 2000. The game was remade for the Nintendo 3DS in 2015 with The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, enhancing the graphics and features of the original release and adding 3D functionality. Majora's Mask is one of the darkest games in the Zelda series, dealing with themes such as loss, inevitability, and trauma. Its adult narrative themes are one of the many reasons why Majora's Mask is a fan-favorite release in the longstanding series.
Those who find the official Majora's Mask releases to be visually outdated can now improve the game with an HD texture pack from artist and YouTuber, Nerrel. In a deep-dive, the creator explains how PC players can install and tweak their copy of the game using an N64 emulator, introducing high-definition graphics and making the game look more like a modern release. As well as the texture pack, Nerrel's in-depth tutorial also recommends and explains patches for new quality-of-life updates, including the ability to cycle arrow types while aiming, move blocks faster, and put the game's masks on the D-Pad, which gives players seven usable items at once. The overall process isn't a flawless one, and Nerrel warns that manual adjustments may be needed.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
The Majora's Mask fan project has been helped by other artists and programmers who've worked to simplify the process, and fans can even download an auto-installer that will take care of most of the emulator and plug-in setup to help those unfamiliar with the undertaking. While setting up everything that's needed to play the game may look intimidating, Nerrel's video offers a full breakdown of each step, with multiple commenters on the video commending the creator for simplifying the process. As well as outlining how players can make the most of the fan-made N64HD project, Nerrel's video also includes links to everything fans will need to play the game for themselves.
Those looking for a simpler way to experience The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask will soon be able to play the game on their Nintendo Switch, though it won't look as impressive as Nerrel's project. During the September Nintendo Direct, the company announced an expansion of the Switch Online service that will introduce Nintendo 64 games for subscribers. The expansion is set to release in October, with the first Switch Online N64 games including hits like Mario Kart 64 and Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Nintendo has confirmed that the N64 version of Majora's Mask will also be headed to the service in the future, though no exact date has yet been confirmed.
Source: YouTube/Nerrel