Soul Piercing – The Power of Music in the Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

The Sinister Dr. Strange fight in the “Multiverse of Madness” was a great visual spectacle, there was a great deal of charm and wit put into a duel between powerful sorcerers. One highlight of the battle is when both utilize the physical notes on a piece of piano music as projectiles, sound and all. Witty, charming, and well put together, you really start to realize how Dr. Strange’s magic-casting abilities are the canvas that he paints. As cool as that scene was, I wasn’t demanding that “using music spells has to be in a game now!” because two of my most favorite games already set the bar for future games to copy and imitate. 

But what happens when this Swiss army knife sequence of notes fails to heal? In music psychology, there have been multiple studies that demonstrate people with Alzheimer’s can recognize and even sing songs from their childhood. Even songs that have never been heard before have demonstrated a consistent feeling of nostalgia and melancholy. Resonance by Home is a prime example of this that set the bar for all future synthwave music to regard for what it means to invoke a new age of reflective nostalgia. From “getting pumped” at a hand-selected track for a fighting game match to a sunset drive with an electronic gem, the right song will pierce through all barriers and bring about the humanity in us all that cherishes what good we know and see in the world. Rather than using a song that is advertised to heal, it’s at this pivotal moment that Link and the player are non-directly pushed to carry the final works of a fallen brother who only now worries about one that forgot his humanity. 

The Song of Storms, while new to Sharp, played to the heart strings that he didn’t know still lingered in his claimed heartless soul. From John Williams‘ bold melodic introductions to Grant Kirkhope‘s whimsical cheeriness, the “artist signature” is a common trait found within the natural tendencies of a composer. But it’s when Sharp’s wall of cynicism and awareness of the Song of Healing’s melodic intentions breaks from the reality of a brother’s somber rain and thunderous roar of this D Dorian piece that the remnants of Sharp’s humanity are breached, invoking a reflection of melancholy and remorse about his past.

With a vast toolkit of problem-solving items, The Hero of Time has journeyed far to recognize that, at the end of the day, the strongest weapon comes from the humanity we share to help the world flourish for a better tomorrow.