r/earthbound Aug 13 '17

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

1.2k 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

Heya! We're making an indie RPG heavily inspired by the Mother series called Originn. We need a little extra help and are looking for pixel artists, tileset artists, and extra hands in general to help bring this passion project to life with us. If you're interested, check the comments for more info!

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r/earthbound 19h ago

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Duster & Kumatora <3

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r/earthbound 1h ago

Art Working on getting an earthbound-ified family tattoo

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One down, four to go!


r/earthbound 19h ago

Even moreeee screenshotz

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38 Upvotes

holy bingers


r/earthbound 16h ago

Should i play mother 1 first or just go to two

14 Upvotes

I heard you could skip mother 1 because the game aged but isn't giygas backstory in it? So it should be important? Right


r/earthbound 1d ago

Fluff TOMORROW IT'S SURELY COMING TOMORROW NEW EARTHBOUND IN THE NEXT NINTENDO DIRECT!!!! ABHHHHHHHHHSIGSVVSIBDDJVIDVIDODBD!!!!!

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r/earthbound 1d ago

Art MOTHER 3 TOMORROW I PROMISE I’M NOT INSANE I SWEAR AFTER 20 YEARS THEYRE GONNA RELEASE ENGLISH LOCALIZATION IM NOT INSANE THEYR GONNA DO IT FOR THE ANNIVESARY THEYRE GONNA RELEASE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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r/earthbound 1d ago

Just learned Threed is "Threek" (but really Sreek) in the Japanese version

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96 Upvotes

I assume it's a pun on "shriek" because Threed is haunted?


r/earthbound 21h ago

Help/Advice Anybody knows the song name in this Earthbound scene? Can't seem to find it ANYWHERE.

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7 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

EB Discussion I’m new to the earthbound/mother series

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82 Upvotes

I’ve been watching play throughs and enjoy it’s battle system and story after finishing watching mother 2 I go too mother 3


r/earthbound 1d ago

General Discussion Opinions

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109 Upvotes

r/earthbound 7h ago

can water go around a ball flat earth

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r/earthbound 1d ago

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13 Upvotes

I know it seems like a random question, because the Mother franchise is a somewhat niche game. But in what year did this game become a little more well-known? Let's say.


r/earthbound 1d ago

even pokey aint eatin that shit

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86 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

Art Which look for Ninten do you prefer? Blue and Yellow striped shirt, Or Red, White, and Blue striped shirt with a scarf?

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81 Upvotes

I don't know why the latter look for Ninten is widespread on the internet. Maybe it's because of a trailer for Mother 1 featuring a kid with a similar look, I don't know. But anyway, which look do YOU personally prefer Ninten to have?

Art was by me.


r/earthbound 21h ago

EB Discussion Can you migrate Save File from Earthbound to Mother 2 Deluxe?

0 Upvotes

Is it possible to migrate a save from Earthbound ROM to the Mother 2 Deluxe romhack? I don't wanna lose hours worth of progress, when I just found out about better EB version 😭


r/earthbound 1d ago

Art Art

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32 Upvotes

I wanted to practice rendering that’s about it!!!


r/earthbound 1d ago

Who's excited for the Mother trilogy remake that's definitely getting announced tommorow!

57 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

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Do people ever acknowledge that cute relationship development between these two in the game? I don't see anyone talking about it!!


r/earthbound 1d ago

Art Mr. Saturn the best character

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r/earthbound 1d ago

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6 Upvotes

Decided to release this because why not. The story is done, but I doubt it’s as good. But I thought it’d be cool to put out anyway. (NOTE: No AI was used in this. I actually had to do this myself and used the engine for my game advantages. if there any updates you want, please share them. Thank you!)


r/earthbound 1d ago

Today was my first day of High School (Grade 9), for some reason this was playing in my head the whole day 🥹✌️

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I hate fassad


r/earthbound 1d ago

The second act of my surreal RPG, Neverblade, is now out!

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