@Purple:
No fault of your own Meta, but this is pretty much the example of why not tying saving to the song of time was a bad idea
You screwed up a certain area? Well no worries about repercussions as to how you fucked with one guy's story in MM, you can just go back to your last save point!
Ehehehe, perhaps being candid was not my best move. I myself feel kinda bummed I did (I mean….I was getting to the climax of it all, teaming up with Kafei to trump Sakon, the guy who robs old women for crying out loud).
My confrontation with Gyorg? I was close to running out of time in the cycle, but I didn't restart it. Sure I respawned at my save point when I died, but time still kept going. It's......yargh. I've been doing side quests left and right, getting almost all of the masks, have 12 hearts now.....no walkthroughs.
Just hope the conclusion isn't for you guys to look down on me a little. Anyways, what exactly have I done now?
-did the Anju/Kafei stuff
-got the Keaton Mask
-united the frog choir
-got my sixth? bottle
-Did the treasure hunt minigame, the three days of lottery, and the hand asking for paper quest
-beat the Zora pot game
-beat the Beaver bros. again
Now for the quest thoughts. Spoilerz for newbies:
! I s'pose I can't blame Akira Himekawa for making it the center of the Majora's Mask manga, because narratively, this quest is in an league of its own. It's not on the way to beat the giants and restore swamp/mountains/canyon/sea, so it operates on a time table all on its own.
! You start off curious about Kafei, as Anju and Madame Aroma both entrust you to help them. ….why doesn't the Mayor say anything? Isn't he Kafei's father?
! Then the hunt begins as you look for clues, and bam, the postman may know something. It was fun if not kinda tedious to follow him around Clock Town all sleuth-like, even if it doesn't matter if he can see you.
! Turns out Kafei is in hiding behind the Curiosity Shop, and reveals his tale of woe to Link and Tatl. He won't return until he can get his mask back, to symbolically (and literally) make good on his promise to marry Anju, child curse be darned. And I - or Link - whoever really want to help, since Anju, after seeing the Pendant of Memories, vows to not to flee the town, having faith in her love.
! At this point the quest stumped me a little, as I thought waaay too hard. He shows you the peephole, and I thought something was supposed to happen, I mean time stops when you look in. I figured Sakon would enter the picture, right? Only AFTER the shop opens up and Kafei kicks you out (uhhh why?). But once you enter it, there's Sakon running off. Oh snap I was familar where his hideout was, since I've seen him running around in circles in Ikana Canyon…..although I didn't get that extra strip, where a) another business scrub b) a heart piece! and c) some kind of challenge cave are, gonna try all of those later)
! Then I felt kinda tense waiting with Kafei for Sakon to show up (I even took off my Bunny Hood b/c he might see the ears, although I doubt the A.I was programmed that strictly). Then you go in and-
! one of the most heart-pounding moments of the game. You gotta rescue the mask, time's a ticking, and here's the reason why I save scummed:
-I was an idiot.
! I was pushing and pulling the blocks every which way, wondering why Kafei couldn't move them….then I realized "oh f**k I need to push them on the switch, not step it on it manually!"
! Link gets the easy parts, killing some deku babas, although if I didn't have the Razor Sword and/or that wolf blocked my attacks, I might have run of time! I love how the game shows you one final curveball, as the only way to hit Kafei's final switch is to move a block on a switch to speed up the belt.
! But you got it! Now the couple can reunite. How fitting that it is Anju's room, previously locked. Maybe it represents her emotions bubbling to the surface, not to be hidden anymore.
! ;__________;
! I think Anju nails her part perfectly. You hear voice clips gasping when you show her a breakthrough in the case, covering up her shy and nervous voice, her calm demeanor. When her 3D model changed, that moment where the facial animation shifted to that smile…..I almost lost it. I just....now I feel bad for putting Lulu and Mikau ahead. I mean, I still kinda think that love story is more tragic, but after bringing Anju and Kafei together for the first time, nothing's the same anymore.
! As for Kafei.....I get the guy was going through hell, but I wish the model didn't have the same neutral expression when they announce to Link their gratitude and desire to wait out the moon crashing together. Kinda kills the joy in the room for a bit. The only real model shift was his face of panic in Sakon's Hideout and plea for Link to hit the switch.
! All in all, this side quest is pretty damn intense, just on how so many things can go wrong. You can lose the mask, forget to deliver the letter (maybe you gave it to the hand instead), kill Sakon on night 1 and threw Kafei's chances down the drain.....damn it, A++++ to whoever thought of this sidequest.
But now I have to do it over, as Aroma promised a different reward. Hmmm….how to speak to her in the bar sooner....you'd have to somehow get Kafei's letter to her...
also a couple of things are boggling my mind, but darn it, I'll figure it out!
-how to make the business scrubs in Snowhead, Great Bay, and Ikana give you their spots, the first one won't take the Swamp deed, and the other ones don't ask for a deed either. Buying their wares does nothing.
-the Postman's Hat. I did his counting game, but that was a for a piece of heart. I think I have an idea, I'll try it out.