There's just something about the looming sense of mortality to all of Termina's colourful and cartoonish NPCs that I can't put my finger on.
This was the first game I ever played that really made me feel uncomfortable; from the deeply oppressive atmosphere to how fucking nuts the dungeons are. As a sequel to (what is in essence) a coming of age story, Majora's narrative is about leaving behind the innocence of your childhood and facing the inevitabilities of adulthood; mortality and the passage of time. Loved ones will come and go throughout your life, and when they're gone all you can do is mourn- life is fleeting so enjoy what of it you have, lest you end up like the games antagonist. The eldritch horror that is Majora itself acts as an embodiment of childhood, possessing a child to (essentially) throw an elongated tantrum across the whole game; stomping it's feet and throwing a tantrum in the middle of it's boss fight when it doesn't get its way. Crazy for a series with a protagonist inspired by Peter Pan.
I cannot overstate enough how emotionally intelligent this game is regarding this series's central theme about growing up.
Absolute masterpiece, OOT doesn't have shit on this diamond.