The 3DS remake of the popular Nintendo 64 game “Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D” is the single greatest game I’ve played on the portable system, and is arguably the greatest game I’ve ever played.

When the original “Majora’s Mask” was released in 2000, reception of the game was mixed. While the game itself wasn’t bad, the mechanics and tone of the game were a dramatic shift from the usual Zelda formula. The entirety of the game took place within a confined amount of time, as the moon is set to crash into the planet in three day’s time. This created a sense of dread that some considered out of place in the Zelda universe.

The three-day time constraint forced players to manipulate time through various time mechanics that left some players confused.

The time elements have been tweaked slightly in the remake, allowing players to choose specific moments in the three-day span to warp to when needed and no longer requiring a complete reset of the time cycle to save progress. While the change certainly dumbed down the game a fair amount by reducing the tension, the sense of dread and doom remained, which were much more vital than the limiting time mechanics of the original.

Another change came in the form of the boss battles. All of the main bosses of the game have received minor to extreme gameplay overhauls, particularly in the boss of the first temple in Woodfall.

The original masks from the first game remained mostly unchanged, allowing the player to take the form of a water-skipping Deku shrub, a rolling ball of death as a Goron or an aquatic dolphin-man as a Zora. However, the speed of the Zora form’s swimming has been dialed back. This made controlling the swimming a bit easier, but the speed of the original is something I miss.

For the most part, the game remained unchanged. What changes there were only enhanced the original experience, which to this day remains one of the most riveting and powerful gaming memories I have.

If you missed the proverbial boat the first time around, pick this game up and strap yourself in. The doom of the mystical land of Termina is something you don’t want to miss.