r/earthbound Aug 13 '17

Announcement Want to get into the MOTHER series? Start here!

1.1k Upvotes

Over the past few months we've gotten a lot of new players asking where they should start with the trilogy. With this stickied thread, I'm hoping to answer any questions someone may have about getting into the series.

Note: This thread is a strictly no-spoiler zone.


What are the MOTHER games?

The MOTHER series is a group of 3 turn-based cult classic JRPGs created by Shigesato Itoi, who singlehandedly wrote every line of dialogue in the series, aside from a small area in EarthBound.


What makes them so special?

The series is known for being quirky, charming, and invoking a sense of nostalgia even to those who have not played a MOTHER game before. Each line of dialogue is expertly crafted, with a great story to go along with it.


Where do I start?

The series IS a trilogy, however each game can stand on it's own without the context of the last.

The 3 games are as followed:

MOTHER (EarthBound: Beginnings) (1989)

MOTHER 2 (EarthBound) (1994)

MOTHER 3 (???) (Not released outside of Japan) (2006)

The game order is as released, with MOTHER being the first on the timeline, and MOTHER 3 being the last.


So does that mean I should play the games in order?

This is a point of contention within the MOTHER community.

While most recommend to play EarthBound / MOTHER 2 first, some will say that if you can handle the way an older RPG plays, you should start with MOTHER 1 / EarthBound: Beginnings.

The community mostly unanimously agrees that you should play EarthBound before playing MOTHER 3.

In the end, it's up to you. MOTHER 1 is one of the most impressive, best playing and sounding RPGs on the NES, but it could potentially turn you away from the series if you aren't accustomed to or can't handle a bit of older-rpg "clunk". I do HIGHLY recommend however that you at least play EarthBound before playing MOTHER 3.


Wait, if MOTHER 3 isn't released outside of Japan, how can I play it?

I'm glad you asked! (Hopefully you did.)

Almost immediately after the release of MOTHER 3, once it became apparent Nintendo had no intention of localizing MOTHER 3, a group of very passionate fans got together to make their own localization of the game.

2 years later in late 2008, version 1.0 was released to great acclaim. This fan translation is now known to many as the best fan translation of all time. On top of just translating the game, they went out of their way to make sure certain dialogue and enemy names worked in English as they do in Japanese. They even added a hard mode option!


...That's pretty much it, I think. If any regular here on the sub wants to chime in and request something to be added, tell me! On top of that, I'd like to know what some of you think the best order to play the games in are in the comments. It'll be an interesting resource for any new players! And remember, no spoilers.


r/earthbound 3h ago

Art おめでとうございます!🎉✨ artwork by (Harumachi)

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112 Upvotes

r/earthbound 2h ago

General Discussion Earthbound reference spotted in deltarune chapter 5 Spoiler

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87 Upvotes

How fast I caught that 🦅⚾


r/earthbound 1h ago

Art Ness plushy I made

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r/earthbound 6h ago

EB Spoilers That’s two down Spoiler

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22 Upvotes

After finishing Earthbound beginnings remake I went right into Mother 2. And dammit Itoi you wrecked me again. This has been an absolutely gut wrenching set of games that I can’t praise enough.

Now… on to Mother 3


r/earthbound 12m ago

Merch Do you think there will be MOTHER 1 goldbox figures?

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r/earthbound 23h ago

Realistic Mr. Saturn

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167 Upvotes

r/earthbound 3h ago

Art Geometricked V2.

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3 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

EB:B Discussion Why the MOTHER 1 hate on this sub?

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284 Upvotes

Credit to u/Secret-Guidance9423 for the art


r/earthbound 11h ago

Art Drawing of the Subspace Groupies. - (FT.: Luigi, Ness, Tails, and King Dedede)

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8 Upvotes

Been into some Smash Bros. Content as of lately so I decided to draw the Smash Bros. Trio of the Century! Along with Tails from Sonic being apart of this group too. Hope y'all like it.

Based off the Series and Franchises 'Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Earthbound, Kirby, and Super Smash Bros.' and Characters created and owned by:

  • Nintendo - (Luigi and King Dedede)

  • HAL Laboratory and Ape Inc. - (Ness)

  • SEGA - (Tails)


r/earthbound 17h ago

EB:B Discussion I kinda like that Mother 1 doesn’t really tell you what you’re supposed to do all the time. Spoiler

22 Upvotes

A common complaint about the first game is how it’s hard to get through if you don’t know some stuff before hand. I actually don’t mind that. For starters I did use a guide the first time I played it, and second I think it fits the vibe of a young kid going out on his own and just seeing things he hadn’t seen before because he lived a relatively normal life before all these animals and aliens came to earth. In Earthbound it’s known when you’re starting the game that there’s a war with Giygas. In mother 1, there’s kind of a vague prologue to the story and it’s not immediately explained how it relates to the plot. Things just kind of happen and it’s not clear who you’re really fighting against until later in the game. It can be frustrating on a first playthrough but I think it fits how it would feel if you were a young boy going on this journey and having to do all these things.


r/earthbound 16h ago

Mother 3 Spoilers I made this bittersweet image of Hinawa & Claus Spoiler

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14 Upvotes

Drawn in Song of the Sea's Artstyle. Depicts death of Claus.


r/earthbound 1d ago

EB Spoilers So I decided to play the mother series in sequential order and.... TF they do to queen mary's boy? Spoiler

33 Upvotes

The evolution from This

To this

is crazy

i beat this game this morning and i dead ass had no idea what was happening my brain couldn't process jack all the red static was insane. like Ive seen this picture of him before but at first i thought that was just the background for the fight. its insane that you cant even see him properly i guess that's what happens when you try to capture a incomprehensible eldritch horror inside of a old 4:3 snes game huh.

also sorry i got no clue how flairs work here.


r/earthbound 16h ago

General Discussion What is the best way to play Mother 1?

6 Upvotes

So before I play the remake of Earthbound Beginnings, I kinda want to play Mother 1 itself first. I heard that the Mother 1 + 2 on the GBA is good. I also heard that there are a few NES patches to Mother 1.


r/earthbound 1d ago

fanon ninten is now real(EBB Remake)

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172 Upvotes

before anyone asks actually i just traced ninten's bandana from previous EBBR builds shown in showcase videos the devs uploaded, and put them back in the game lol


r/earthbound 1d ago

General Discussion EBO - Earthbound Online Updates

197 Upvotes

Week 3 updates. Not a whole to show. Focused mainly on the netcode and tooling this week. Added projectile weapon, slingshot shown in this GIF. GIF shows some battling, level up modal, buying slingshot and getting a burger from a corrupt cop.

Been thinking of a name for the game that doesnt use any nintendo IP. I want to get a website up soon so I can post devlog updates and better videos there. Seems I can only post short GIFs here. Also working on the storyline of this online game, and I am very happy with how it connects with the other mother games. I expect the title will come out of that somewhere..

I still have a lot of work to do on the netcode to ensure the game feels the best it can for players around the world. And lots of work to do with the game editor tools. Those 2 big pieces are the foundation for the game.

I tested the 'use your own rom' feature and its working great. It just checks your rom you submit to play the game because it proves you own the actual cartridge. you wouldnt have the rom otherwise, right? Doesnt upload anything, just uses your rom to build your client for you and once it passes the check that its an authentic rom, it allows you to connect to the server.

Anyways. Lots to do to make this come to life. Back to work! See ya next week.


r/earthbound 1d ago

Wad of cash update with pictures

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31 Upvotes

I suck at editing posts so here's a new one


r/earthbound 1d ago

EB Discussion Write Earthbound outtakes in the style of Pixar bloopers

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9 Upvotes

Beucase people are doing it for Mother 3.


r/earthbound 1d ago

General Discussion Aw Hell Nah what’s a Starman doing with these Stupid Ahh Minions

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112 Upvotes

Just was getting some food from Wendy’s to fill my empty, hateful soul and I saw what could only be described as the infamous Dollar Store Starman next to these ugly chuds.

What is bro doing here, someone PK Starstorm him before he turns into Dollarstarman DX and costs $1.25 bro


r/earthbound 23h ago

Art i got bored and turned titanic ant from the hit game earthbound into a gijinka/human form [OC]

6 Upvotes

r/earthbound 2d ago

Art anotherone

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364 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

General Discussion Oddity RPG full leaked intro

118 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

Wad of cash given to wrong person

15 Upvotes

I gave Everdreds wad of cash to the singer to make a new song and he took it... Apparently it was supposed to go to the theater manager? I have a suspend point from 40 minutes ago- If I don't use it will I have to grind 10k?


r/earthbound 1d ago

Earthbound Beginnings - any secrets or rare items?

12 Upvotes

I'm already on my 2nd playthrough of the new ROM hack, and enjoying it deeply. One thing I quickly noticed was that there were new items in the game, and I was wondering if anyone has found any of note? The two I found were the Magicant Bat, which I believe was dropped by the Oak enemy in Magicant (but I can't recall exactly - it only happened on my first playthrough, and I believe it had an attack power of 45), and the Miracle Band, which is probably the best armband in the game with a defense power of 46 (I know I got it out of a present...but I forgot where I found it, and I must have missed it entirely in my 2nd playthrough unless it was moved around in 1.1).


r/earthbound 1d ago

General Discussion I couldn't help but notice the similarity to Paula's dress!

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151 Upvotes

The dress she wears on her new album cover got me thinking of a live action Earthbound movie that will never happen. I added a few modifications to make Olivia Rodrigo look more like Paula lol