The Clock Tower is a location in the center of Clock Town in Majora's Mask.[1]
Features and Overview[]
The Clock Tower plays a key role in the events of Majora's Mask, as not only the building itself is at the very center of Termina, but also the location where the climax of the game takes place. It is composed of a giant Terminian Clock, and it also emits a ray of light from atop the tower during the night, serving as a lighthouse of sorts. Every time Link plays the "Song of Time" to return to the dawn of the First Day, he will always start in front of the entrance of the Clock Tower regardless of where he was prior to playing the melody.
The inside of the tower, which can be accessed through a set of double doors at the foot of the tower, holds the only known Portal between Hyrule and Termina; however, once the portal is entered in the beginning of the game, it remains inaccessible afterwards. The inner part of the tower consists of two floors which are connected by a long ramp. The bottom floor contains a waterwheel propelled by a small river, and the waterwheel in turn helps mobilize the inner workings of the tower, including the part of the tower that functions as a lighthouse as well as the Terminan Clock itself.
The Clock Tower is the main attraction during the Carnival of Time. Every year at midnight on the day of the Carnival, the tower falls over, causing the clock face to be level with the ground. Along with this, the tower reveals stairs to the roof, allowing people to climb to the top by using the ramp leading up to the clock located to the side. This permits the citizens of Termina to stand on the clock face as they make their prayers and sing ceremonial songs to the gods.[2] The Carnival of Time is the only occasion in which any normal person can go atop the Clock Tower.[3]
In Majora's Mask 3D, the back of the tower now features the Clock Town Bank.
Role in the Game[]
When Link first arrives to Termina, he stumbles into the inside of the tower via the portal. It is here that he meets the Happy Mask Salesman for the first time, and it is also here that the hero is charged with the task of recovering Majora's Mask from the Skull Kid.
Link can find the Skull Kid standing at the top of the Clock Tower by looking through the giant telescope located in the Astral Observatory. Professor Shikashi mentions that the Skull Kid's presence at the tower is odd, also indicating that the way up to the Clock Tower only opens on the eve of the carnival.[3]
Once Link retrieves the Ocarina of Time from the Skull Kid and learns the "Song of Time," Link must go back to the Clock Tower so that the Happy Mask Salesman can teach him the "Song of Healing," obtaining the Deku Mask as well during the process.[4]
At midnight during the Final Day, the stairs drop down as the Carnival of Time begins, allowing Link to go up to the tower to face-off with the Skull Kid. Here, Link can summon the Four Giants using the "Oath to Order" once all four of the Giants have been freed from their respective dungeons. Moreover, the Clock Tower serves as the access point to the Moon, which is made by Majora's Mask after it ultimately abandons the Skull Kid's body.
Inside the Clock Tower is one of the only places in the game where time stands still. Any melodies relating to time, such as the "Song of Time" or "Song of Double Time," will have no effect while inside the tower.
In gameplay, the Clock Tower's bells are heard ringing across Termina a few times whenever a day or night is about to end. During midnight of the Final Day, however, the Clock Tower begins to toll frequently and progressively faster, as it now serves as a warning for the player about how much time Link has remaining before the Moon crashes to the land and therefore receive a Game Over.
Trivia[]
- Shooting the hole in the middle of the clock will cause several Rupees to fall out.
- The north-facing wall behind the Happy Mask Salesman inside Clock Tower bears a recurring symbol from the Ikana region that appears on the walls and floor of the Ancient Castle of Ikana, as well as the brooch of Igos du Ikana.
- In the ending credits of Ocarina of Time, after Link walks away from the Master Sword, bells from a tower somewhere in Hyrule can be heard ringing. This is possibly a reference to the Clock Tower, as Majora's Mask is the game's direct sequel and indeed bells are heard from said tower itself.
- The bell near Kafei's residence at the Laundry Pool has a similar sound to that of the Clock Tower's.
- If Link is in South Clock Town when the Carnival of Time begins, a cutscene will play showing the tower itself dropping its face and opening the stairs. If the young hero is in any other location including the West, North, and East sides of the town as well as the Laundry Pool, the game will continue to run in real-time as the Clock Tower begins its change.
- Interestingly, during the initial three-day cycle, if Deku Link were to be outside of the Astral Observatory in Termina Field, a unique version of the cutscene plays from its perspective.
- Interestingly, if one were to perform the 4th Day Glitch to enter the New Day, the Clock Tower will always be in its lowered position with its staircase open as in the final hours of the Final Day, allowing Link to enter it to face Majora's Mask at anytime.
Nomenclature[]
 Names in Other Regions 
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | Meaning | |
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French | Horloge | Clock |
 |
FrenchCA | Tour du cadran (MM3D) | |
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German | Uhrturms | Clock Tower |
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SpanishEU | Torre del Reloj | Clock's Tower |
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SpanishLA | Torre del reloj (MM3D) | Clock's tower |
Gallery[]
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The Clock Tower interior -
The Clock Tower exterior -
Artwork Link in Clock Town with the Clock Tower in the background -
Gameplay of Majora's Mask showing the Clock Tower on First Day -
View of the Clock Tower from Termina Field at the start of the night of the Second Day in Majora's Mask
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The Clock Tower during the Carnival of Time
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The Clock Tower opening during the Carnival of Time
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Majora's Mask 3D artwork of the Moon above the Clock Tower
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The Clock Tower in Majora's Mask 3D
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A view of the Clock Tower at daytime of the First Day in Majora's Mask 3D
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A view of the Clock Tower at nighttime of the First Day in Majora's Mask 3D
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A view of the Clock Tower at daytime of the Second Day in Majora's Mask 3D
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A view of the Clock Tower at nighttime of the Second Day in Majora's Mask 3D
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A view of the Clock Tower at daytime of the Final Day in Majora's Mask 3D
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A view of the Clock Tower at nighttime of the Final Day in Majora's Mask 3D, merely at the exact final moments of the time limit cycle with the Moon directly above
References
- ↑ "We'll call you from atop the Clock Tower, so do something about him, all right?" — Tatl (Majora's Mask)
- ↑ "The centerpiece of the carnival is the clock tower, and on the eve of all the festivities, the doors to its roof are opened... From atop the clock tower roof, a ceremony to call the gods is held and an ancient song is sung." — Granny (Majora's Mask)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "But I wonder how that troublemaker got on top of the clock tower? The only way up there is through the clock door, and that opens only on the eve of the carnival." — Professor Shikashi (Majora's Mask)
- ↑ "Then listen to me. Please play this song that I am about to perform, and remember it well... This is a melody that heals evil magic and troubled spirits, turning them into masks. I am sure it will be of assistance to you in the future." — Happy Mask Salesman (Majora's Mask)