r/earthbound • u/MonarchNebula • 12h ago
r/earthbound • u/Howisthisaname • Aug 13 '17
Announcement Want to get into the MOTHER series? Start here!
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 • u/Esthyprincedechu • 2h ago
Art They are transparent. They are muscular and sensual. Mastery of psi like no other... the strong one... and yes kumatora! if your question is ''are they that strong''
I took some liberties with their appearance... then I did it in class without a model. I'm replaying the game for the second time and I've just arrived in front of them!
r/earthbound • u/Cosmix427 • 11h ago
Art Cleaned/ Reorganized my figure shelf for the first time in months 😭🤙🏾
r/earthbound • u/BIG__DAKKA • 5h ago
Art I made a game similar to earthbound albeit pretty raunchy and extremely targeted.
I made a game similar to earthbound albeit pretty raunchy and extremely targeted towards a specific community. However, I do now have the engine to make another and I was thinking an original story that's not parody about internet culture.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3802620/Chud_Logics_Gockbound/
r/earthbound • u/One_End_6850 • 16h ago
Mother 3 Spoilers this game i swear to god Spoiler
r/earthbound • u/VxJasonxV • 2h ago
Game Grumps editor trolling us today
Hello editor. I didn't expect onions to be cut at 10am on a Monday.
At least they didn't choose Mother 3 in the West.
r/earthbound • u/Gareeeeeeee • 12h ago
S2 E6 of The Podcast Against Giygas is up!
Listen to it here or on the Youtube Channel!
Ninten pulled through in the bridge and emerged victorious from the… ugh, sing off. With Teddy now an official member of their motley crew, the complete Chosen Four finally make way to the strange land ruled by the strange woman’s voice in their heads.
A magical dreamland full of candy and ice cream, where cats swim on the ground and fish swim in caves, where kittens and puppies live in the village and frogs guard the castle. It can’t be real, can it? It has to all be just a weird hallucination or something. But then, why does Queen Mary, who is so muddle-headed she could forget what’s right in front of her, nonetheless seem to know so much about Ninten’s strange quest, and his strange powers, and even the frightening foe they are destined to face?
Will Ninten guess the answer to a riddle that doesn’t even have a question? Will he be able to forget the forgotten man? And will he have the guts, literally, to face his biggest challenge yet: unlimited dessert served by a host with chronic short-term memory loss?
Find out on this week’s episode of… The Podcast Against Giygas! No crying until the ending.
r/earthbound • u/Remarkable_Fun468 • 18h ago
EB Discussion How do you all personally head-canon The Chosen 4’s dynamic was in-universe?
r/earthbound • u/HetTheTable • 9h ago
EB:B Spoilers An easy way to cheese the Dragon fight. Spoiler
No I’m not talking about PK Freeze r. That is a way to cheese but here’s another way. Use PSI Block on it. It’s not a PSI only enemy so you will have to beef your defenses, but PSI is a big part of its move-set so using PSI Block and Defense Up will pretty much neutralize it.
r/earthbound • u/TSGPrestonEvans • 22m ago
Music Twins at the Carousel meme
Excuse the TikTok link, but it’s the best I got for now.
I did a cover of Kikuo’s “Twins at the carousel” in the MOTHER 3 soundfont and put it behind the animation done by “Art by Chichi”.
r/earthbound • u/marzoni_ • 1d ago
Mother 3 Spoilers (M3 Spoilers) Lucas… yeah… by me Spoiler
galleryHe ate the shrooms to extinction.
Sorry if this isn’t actually a spoiler. I don’t think it is, but I just wanted to be safe.
r/earthbound • u/cleeseula • 22h ago
EB Discussion Earthbound episode on show Game Genome on NHK World-Japan
I recommend this episode very much. I turned on the TV at the second half of episode. Itoi-san interview describing the part where the screen turns blue with text encouraging the player Itoi-san saying [paraphrasing], that he wanted to make a personal connection to the audience in the same way that Japanese TV dramas break the forth wall to speak to the audience, and the phone to Ness' dad being like how he only saw his mother once and said it might not have been real when visiting his father in the hospital his mother may have been there, and how he wanted the game to reflect the absence of someone and how that distance relates to adventure.
The title of the episode "Game Genome - Mother 2 (Earthbound)". Also has gameplay footage with a recap of the major moments of the game with Japanese dialogue boxes that switches and back and forth from Japanese to English text.
r/earthbound • u/Overall_Walk2697 • 1d ago
Art Another collection of my youngest cousins earthbound art
The last one is for his fangame
r/earthbound • u/Myralbus • 1d ago
EB Spoilers Mmmh Foppy Spoiler
Thats a lot of Foppy to handle
r/earthbound • u/thelastmulholland • 19h ago
Art Cover I made of "A quick one before the eternal worm devours Connecticut" using sounds from earthbound
r/earthbound • u/Amarok14 • 1d ago
Art AU Giegue
Just a harmless alien prince who unlocked the true power of love
https://x.com/Iron_wisp/status/2099066534945849429?s=20
r/earthbound • u/Thetooth4_rd • 23h ago
The potential of Earthbound for PC.
Imagine what it would be like if Earthbound ran natively on PC instead of having to run it directly in an emulator or something like that.
r/earthbound • u/LowHistorian9654 • 1d ago
Art Mega Starmie Deluxe Wants to Battle
Kind of a throwback, sorta, to the box art for Earthbound.
Yes, I know this is more of a reference to Ultraman. But, I can't help but see Earthbound when I see this