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Majora’s Mask’s Three-Day Cycle and Time-Loop Story, Explained

Link has three in-game days to stop the moon. The Song of Time resets the clock, but not all of his progress—here’s how the loop works in the N64 and 3DS editions.
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The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask gives Link three in-game days to stop the moon from destroying Termina. When he plays the Song of Time, he returns to 6:00 a.m. on the First Day. Some progress survives, but many events and temporary resources reset—so Link must use what he has learned to make another attempt.

What is the three-day cycle in Majora’s Mask?

After a disguised Skull Kid steals Link’s Ocarina, Link follows him through a portal to Termina, a parallel world facing disaster. The moon is due to fall in three days, and Nintendo’s story description says the Skull Kid is possessed by the mystical power of Majora’s Mask. Link’s task is to stop the catastrophe before time runs out. Nintendo’s game description

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The deadline is three in-game days, or 72 in-game hours according to Nintendo’s N64 manual. Time advances through the world, and the game ends if the deadline passes. Link can avoid that outcome by using the Song of Time with the Ocarina. It sends him through a time vortex back to 6:00 a.m. on the First Day. Nintendo’s N64 manual

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In an interview with Nintendo, co-director Yoshiaki Koizumi described the design as a system in which “the player has to control time and repeat those three days over and over again to complete the game.” Nintendo’s Iwata Asks interview

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What happens when you play the Song of Time?

Playing the Song of Time takes Link back to the start of the three-day cycle. It is a reset of the world’s timeline, not a complete erasure of Link’s progress: some important items and records remain, while many temporary developments are undone. Nintendo’s manuals describe the return to the First Day in both the N64 original and the 3DS remake. N64 manual; 3DS manual

What carries over after resetting?

The exact reset rules depend on the edition. Nintendo’s N64 manual gives a detailed list; its 3DS manual describes the effects more generally. The table below keeps those accounts distinct rather than treating every item as universal.

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Edition What the manual says can persist What the manual says resets or is lost
N64 original Masks, instruments and key items; songs and quest-status items; notebook notes; maps, dungeon maps and compasses; banked rupees. Cleared maze puzzles, sub-events and conversations; usable-item quantities; small and big keys; stray fairies; rupees in Link’s wallet.
Majora’s Mask 3D The manual does not provide the same item-by-item carryover list as the N64 manual. Rupees and some collected items are lost; dungeons and events return to their initial status.

Sources: Nintendo’s N64 manual and Nintendo’s 3DS manual.

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Does time stop in menus?

The N64 manual says time moves continuously except during conversations and while the game is paused. The 3DS manual says time stops during conversations and when accessing subscreens such as the Bombers’ Notebook or item screen. These are edition-specific descriptions, so do not assume every release pauses time in precisely the same situations. N64 manual; 3DS manual

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Why the time loop matters to the story

In the N64 manual’s account, Link alone travels through time; other characters do not remember him after a reset. That rule creates a gap between Link’s growing knowledge and everyone else’s experience: he can learn when people are where they need to be, even though they begin the next cycle without remembering what happened before. This is an inference from the manual’s explanation of the reset, rather than a separate statement of developer intent. Nintendo’s N64 manual

Masks are central to Link’s abilities and to how he interacts with people in Termina. The Happy Mask Salesman claims to be Majora’s Mask’s rightful owner, connecting the stolen mask and the time-bound crisis to the game’s wider story. Nintendo’s game description

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