Hidden Voice Recognition Features Discovered in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask on Nintendo 64

When Nintendo launched the Nintendo 64, the company was known for exploring innovative peripherals alongside its core hardware.

Among these was the Nintendo 64 Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), a microphone accessory primarily remembered for its role in titles like 'Hey You, Pikachu!'.

However, recent discoveries by game modders have revealed that this technology was intended for broader use, including within the acclaimed action-adventure game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Modder Skawo, building on earlier documentation by Zoinkity, recently revisited unused code found in the decompiled files of Majora's Mask.

Their findings confirm that support for the Voice Recognition System (VRS) is present across all versions of the game, though it was originally designed for the Japanese VRU model (NUS-020 JPN) and recognizes voice commands in Japanese. According to Skawo, the game's code actively searches for a connected VRS device during the boot process.

If detected, Majora's Mask can respond to five distinct, voice-activated actions.

While this VRS functionality remains disabled in the official releases, the code's presence indicates Nintendo's internal experimentation with voice inputs long before such features became widespread in gaming. Skawo explains: "Majora's Mask includes built-in support for the Nintendo 64 Voice Recognition System.

Whenever the game starts, it checks each controller port for a VRS device, and, if found, allows players to trigger five different in-game actions using specific Japanese voice commands.

Despite being left in all game versions, the activation sequence for these commands remains incomplete in the released software, rendering the feature inaccessible without modification." Further analysis reveals intended in-game effects for these hidden commands, including taking photos, requesting milk from cows, querying the remaining time before the moon falls, waking a dormant Deku Scrub, and giving Epona, Link's horse, carrot boosts to accelerate.

There is also evidence of a sixth, unused command referred to as "sit," which may have been planned for dog interactions in the game.

This particular set of features was also highlighted previously by the YouTube channel 'DidYouKnowGaming' as part of an exploration of obscure gaming trivia. Though the voice recognition wasn’t utilized in the final commercial release of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, these findings reflect Nintendo's early efforts at integrating voice technology and enhancing gameplay immersion on the N64.

The rediscovery of such hidden code not only sheds light on the development history of Majora's Mask but also illustrates Nintendo's long-standing approach of experimenting with new ways for players to interact with their worlds. Today, fans and preservationists continue to unearth these unused features, offering a unique window into development practices and unused Nintendo 64 hardware functionalities.

As the gaming industry further embraces voice commands and other input innovations, these archival discoveries remain a valuable part of Nintendo history.

Zelda Nintendo The Legend of Zelda Legend of Zelda Nintendo 64 Majora's Mask The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask