Mother 3 (Earthbound 3) Import Review

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91%

Before I discuss Mother 3, I think it would be appropriate to discuss the Mother series in general first. Shigesato Itoi is a popular public figure in Japanese entertainment circles as a host, writer and general all-purpose funny guy. In Japan he is not particularly associated with game development nor is it his profession. So it is really simply by chance that he is responsible for a Nintendo RPG series which has pretty much attained cult status in the west. While only the second game in the Mother series has been released overseas as Earthbound, it was quirky and unusual enough to get the attention of everyone who played it. From the off-beat humor, to the likable characters that are just almost normal and average enough to be someone you know personally, the game found a very supportive fanbase.

When it was revealed that the very first Mother game on the Famicom was in fact translated by Nintendo of America but unreleased, these fans happily donated funds to help bid on the auction to ensure the prototype cart would land in the hands of someone who would be willing to dump the data and share it with everyone else. When Mother 3 for the Nintendo 64 was cancelled, it was pretty much assumed by the fanbase that it was probably over. Yet they remained hopeful and dedicated, waiting for the day of Mother’s return.

That day finally came when Itoi announced that it would be revived on the Gameboy Advance. Some doubted if the lower technical capabilities of the GBA would hurt the game and Itoi’s vision. Nevertheless the fans continued to be interested and supportive, waiting on every bit of news and development from Itoi on his own personal blog site. It is highly unusual that a game published by such a big company as Nintendo received no hype or promotion from the company itself, instead all flow of announcements and media came from the designer’s blog itself. This is the celebrity power that Itoi wields in Japan, and that I believe is the only reason why Itoi is able to make the games he makes without interference from Nintendo. Now that the game is in the hands of most of the fans that have waited almost a decade for the return of Mother, it can be safely said that their dedication and patience have definitely paid off - Mother 3 does not disappoint.

Mother 3 is an unusual RPG not in the sense that it is unique or different in terms of gameplay and execution, but in the sense that it is completely orthodox, and knows it. The game does not feature any unique gameplay system or character growth systems, it does not feature an indepth complicated minigame of any sort, and it definitely does not have an amazing battle system. So why would anyone be interested in such a game? The answer is that not everyone would immediately be interested in the game, but those that ignore it will have missed out of the entire point of Mother.

Where the game lacks in innovation, it makes up triplefold in charm. Where the game lacks in technical power, it makes up triplefold in actual quality. Every moment in Mother 3 from the beginning spills with charm and invites the player to love and treasure it. The characters are well written and likable, with a very strong narrative that decides to be more personal than epic, which is a fine choice for a game with such strong characters. The actual tale of the game revolves around a family living in the mountains of an isolated island called Nowhere Isle. The two brothers live with their mother and grandfather on the top of the mountain where there are talking dinosaurs, while their father works in the town below. One day an alien invasion tears the town apart and makes everyone realize that in other to survive the changes ahead they must stick together. The story is pretty much a mix of sci-fi, supernatural, off-beat jokes and some very strange antagonists. Like any other Mother game it features stock elements like alien invasions and psychic powers, but everything is also crafted lovingly to be special and different.

The game this time is divided into several different chapters, with each chapter featuring a unique theme, different characters in your party and telling a different side of the ongoing story. In this sense the game allows itself to jump around through the timeline and covering all the important characters much more closely and allowing the player to bond with each major character and fully develop them to their maximum narrative potential. It is clear that Itoi is a professional writer first and foremost before a game designer, and his unique brand of humor seperates the game from any other RPG product on the market today.

Being a game means it is an interactive piece of media, and Mother 3 takes full advantage of that. Although the writing is definitely the strongest point, the actual art design, music, interactivity and story sequences are definitely not forgotten. The game sports some of the most fluid animation ever seen on the GBA in the event sequences. The sprites are large enough to have nice visible details, but it is when they actually move to perform actions in a story sequence where they truly shine. I am in no way a Brownie Brown fan after their other disappointing projects, but I have to tip my hat to them for putting together a solid engine and excellent art resources for Mother 3. I guess it really shows that when a technically capable developer is teamed with an excellent designer, the results can be very different. The music and sound effects courtesy of HAL Laboratories is also outstanding with some of the best tunes I have heard on the GBA. While there are still limitations based on the hardware, they definitely went all out to push it as far as it can go. The narrative of the game never forgets that someone is playing the game, so there are constant nods to the player being different from the characters in the story even though you’re allowed to name every single major playable character in the game. It constantly invites the player to get involved with the story and that really makes all the difference when the story is one on a more personal level between characters instead of an epic quest which you just follow along with.

The actual gameplay of Mother 3 has not changed much from the previous games, the game is 2D with sprite characters moving on backgrounds, although there are usually many parts of the background whch are also animated to give each location a unique feel and personality. There are no random battles, with enemies visible on the fields. Based on the strength of your party they will either attempt to encounter you or move away as you approach. Encountering enemies from behind will give you first initiative while getting ambushed from behind will allow the enemies to attack first. The battle screens consist of enemies on a background made of strange funky patterns and different enemy types are matched with different battle tunes. The background music comes into play when you attack the enemies, as Mother 3 features a new system whereby after getting the first hit in, the player can hit the A button repeatedly right after in rhythm with the music’s beat. As long as you stay in rhythm you can get as many as 9 or more hits in a single attack. It should be noted that I am rather tonedeaf, so I have never managed to pull this off in an effective way. For everyone like me, there’s always the age old method of leveling up and getting better equipment to win, for the musically inclined I guess they could get by with lower statistics by using this system. Aside from the rhythm-based normal attack, the battles also features the usual assortment of items, abilities and escape. While the battles are definitely not the high point of the game, they are relatively fast and don’t get in the way.

In the end, how much you actually enjoy the game will depend largely on your expectations going in. Mother 3 is not a revolutionary RPG title that shows off the latest state-of-the-art gameplay mechanics and high-tech forms of storytelling. It is simply a very well crafted tale of scifi humor revolving around a family’s struggle against an invasion on their lives, presented with a normal 2D RPG engine with above average art and sound. If Final Fantasy is the latest Hollywood blockbuster, than Mother 3 is simply something like the Simpsons or King of the Hill. An alternative voice, telling a different kind of story.

While the well animated graphics and excellent music can be enjoyed by anyone, this is a story-driven game with tons of Japanese text in only kana. While the lack of kanji makes it easier to understand for natural-born Japanese, and basic Japanese learners aided with a dictionary, many will find it fustrating and less enjoyable without a strong grasp of the language. While it is unfortunate that due to various politically-incorrect content issues in the game it is unlikely that Nintendo will localize this for an English speaking audience, it is also difficult to recommend to those without an understanding of Japanese.

• Very charming atmosphere and design
• Well written narrative with excellent humor
• Great art, animation and music
• Fast battles

• Generic RPG gameplay
• Some bosses might require grinding for better weapons/levels if you can’t pull off the rhythm attacks well