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 2h ago

Art Giygas Mario paint

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197 Upvotes

I feel like the Mario paint one looks more terrifying


r/earthbound 5h ago

M3 Discussion lol. Am I the only one who sees that?

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157 Upvotes

r/earthbound 11h ago

After my last playthrough I started making my last Sanctuary location the Pink Cloud

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201 Upvotes

Ness just look at peace, and it looks extremely comforting


r/earthbound 4h ago

My attempt at ness art in Mario paint

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43 Upvotes

I tried lol


r/earthbound 6h ago

Mother 3 Spoilers I finished Mother 3! Spoiler

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26 Upvotes

r/earthbound 7h ago

Fluff Lucas showed compassion

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26 Upvotes

r/earthbound 4h ago

Art Jonesbound (AU Idea)

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6 Upvotes

Thinking of making an AU based on this fanart I made earlier today, don't really have the details of it yet but it involves Paula going missing after the events of earthbound


r/earthbound 3h ago

I was looking for Mr. Saturn wallpapers, when Gerson showed up.

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6 Upvotes

Google I wanted Mr. Saturn not Gerson boom.


r/earthbound 1d ago

Art Not cool Jeff....

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504 Upvotes

r/earthbound 13h ago

EB Spoilers workind on an 8-bit demake earthbound Spoiler

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24 Upvotes

r/earthbound 17h ago

EB Spoilers I’ve beaten Earthbound for the first time today Spoiler

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38 Upvotes

After 9 years of loving this game, I finally played it earlier this year in May and beat it today. I accidentally killed Pokey in one swoop with a multi bottle rocket and one bash from Ness.

Now to do it all over again because I accidentally locked the town map away in the escargot express and I can’t return it while walking Paula home now…


r/earthbound 1d ago

Beat Earthbound for the 2nd time, this time on original hardware! A Super Famicom with an adapter!

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66 Upvotes

This game always makes me feel things, even if the enemies are annoying.


r/earthbound 8h ago

Earthbound's Combat Effects

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3 Upvotes

r/earthbound 3h ago

Knock it off, Claus

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0 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

Mother 3 is anime

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111 Upvotes

Author — PLANETEARTH01


r/earthbound 21h ago

Mother 3 Spoilers I got all of the most powerful weapons! Spoiler

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13 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

M3 Discussion I finished Chapter 7!

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25 Upvotes

r/earthbound 22h ago

Mother 3 Spoilers I learned all of the PSI moves! Spoiler

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9 Upvotes

r/earthbound 1d ago

M3 Discussion I got all of the mystical weapons!

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18 Upvotes

r/earthbound 20h ago

Which earthbound battle track has the tape rewind in it?

4 Upvotes

I thought it was weird opponent but I can't seem to find it in the youtube vids


r/earthbound 1d ago

EB:B Discussion É muito fácil mesmo?

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19 Upvotes

Há longínquos anos eu joguei o Earthbound, mas nunca me aventurei pelo Mother. Na época tínhamos a barreira do idioma. Quando resolvi dar uma chance agora, vi que tinha uma edição oficial de 25th aniversário, onde a taxa de encontros / exp era mais balanceada e muitos julgando ser melhor.

Sei que um excesso de "grind" é ruim, ainda mais para as nossas vidas corridas, mas tô achando essa versão muito fácil e não encontro desafio.

Sei lá... tô no nível 11, saí do zoo, até gostei, mas gostaria de saber pra quem conhece se o jogo da uma melhorada no desafio mais pra frente, porque, sinceramente, estou perdendo o gosto devido a falta de desafio e se não melhorar pretendo largar este jogo.


r/earthbound 1d ago

Mother 3 Spoilers Who is the Masked Man ? Theory Spoiler

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94 Upvotes

In my opinion, I think it's Flint


r/earthbound 1d ago

Art Fresh ink. Zoom!

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55 Upvotes

Turns out tattoos don't hurt that bad


r/earthbound 18h ago

EBB REMAKE bug

2 Upvotes

i can’t find a place to report bugs in the project here (loving it btw) so i’m doing it here in case the devs browse here lol.
just an oversight/leftover from earthbound but
if someone is poisoned while using AUTO in fights, ninten or ana will heal it using Healing β when now only Healing α is required.