The announcement of Nintendo 64 games coming as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack during the developer's October 2021 Nintendo Direct was one of the most exciting parts of the broadcast for many fans. The Expansion Pack would feature many of the console's most popular titles including Paper Mario, Star Fox 64, and even third-party titles like Banjo-Kazooie for the first time on Switch. Now, with The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask recently being added, fans have noticed a subtle change aimed at keeping the game faithful to the original.
Majora's Mask was a highlight of the Nintendo 64 line-up on Switch Online for fans as the time-based adventure in Termina is one of the most popular entries into the 36-year-old franchise. Fans have praised Majora's Mask throughout the years for its darker themes with the plot revolving around Link continually traveling back in time trying to save Termina from being crushed by the Moon. Now, with the game hitting the Expansion Pack earlier this week, fans have noticed lag added to a major cutscene making it more accurate to the N64 experience.
The scene in reference comes during one of Majora's Mask's major climactic moments moving players into the final act of the game and artificially adds lag to the game to emulate the experience of playing the game on a Nintendo 64 cartridge. The lag actually fixes an issue found on the Wii Virtual Console version of the game, as well as other emulators, where the absence of lag causes the cutscene to finish before the accompanying song ends. Players looking to speedrun the game will also notice that the lag adds roughly eight seconds to their time.
The addition of Nintendo 64 titles to the Nintendo Switch Online roster was just part of what Nintendo was looking to offer with the Expansion Pack's enhanced price point. Alongside Nintendo 64, the Expansion Pack also saw more even more retro games with the addition of Sega Genesis games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Castlevania Bloodlines. The Expansion Pack has added DLC for several titles as a part of the subscription with games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Mario Kart 8 seeing their DLC included.
While fans were critical of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack following its announcement, particularly for its $50 per year price point, seeing the upgrade as Nintendo trying to sell old games again, the developer has continually made efforts to improve the service since its launch. Alongside new Nintendo 64 games, Nintendo has continually added DLC packages into the deal for many of its core games and many fans are hoping to see the company add older DLC packs alongside the new releases.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is available now for Nintendo 64 and Switch through the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, and an enhanced port is available on 3DS.
Source: Nintendo Life