Do Make Say Think
& Yet & Yet
- Jun 26, 2007
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The idea of a game not matching up to the brand's expected tropes is a strange one, especially when MM's differences in relation to the Zelda series is what makes it a cult classic game.
If you look at Majora's Mask in the Zelda continuum, what did it add?
The answer is nothing. All the other games advance the plot (the eternal struggle between Ganon and Link + Zelda).
So when you told me, in 1999, that there was a new Zelda game coming soon I had expectations. Those expectations were not met whatsoever and that made me not want to play the game at all.
As you said, the game is a cult classic, not a classic; it is niche rather than mainstream (which is what Zelda is) and that is in no small part due to the poor branding. Majora's Mask is a cult classic because of it's gameplay, not despite the name.
Understanding what people expect out of brand is how you leverage it, MM was is a great example of how to fail to properly leverage an IP.
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