Mother 3: The Long Road from Cancelled N64 Game to Fan-Translated Cult Classic
Mother 3 has one of the most winding development histories in Nintendo's catalogue. Work started in 1994 for the Super Famicom, then moved to the Nintendo 64 and the 64DD add-on under the name EarthBound 64. It was cancelled in August 2000, reportedly about 30 percent complete, after repeated delays. In 2003 it was restarted for the Game Boy Advance, with 3D graphics redone in 2D and the story kept intact.
At a glance
- Based on: Mother 3 (Game Boy Advance, Japan, 2006)
- Created by: Brownie Brown and HAL Laboratory; story by Shigesato Itoi
- Released: 20 April 2006 in Japan; never officially localised
- Genre: Role-playing game
- What sets it apart: a rhythm-based combo system and a story-driven cult following
What makes it worth playing
- It is a top-down, single-player RPG with turn-based battles, but you tap along with the background music to chain attacks.
- Itoi described the concept as a detective story where the city is the main character.
- It sold roughly 200,000 units in its first week in Japan and received 35 out of 40 from Famitsu. Critics praised the story, graphics and music, while some found the 1990s-style mechanics dated.
The fan translation
- The game launched in Japan in April 2006 and was never released abroad, which commentators have attributed to how late it came in the GBA's life.
- On 17 October 2008, Starmen.net released an unofficial English patch, the product of roughly two years of work by a team led by Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin.
- It reportedly passed 100,000 downloads in its first week, and retranslations into other languages followed.
This cartridge is a physical way to experience that translation, with English, Spanish, French or German available.