# Mother 3: Anyone play this game? (no spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 10, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653 "2009-04-10T15:42:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/1 "2009-04-10T15:42:35Z")
It’s Earthbound 2, by the way, but I guess it’s third in the series. This game wasn’t released in the U.S., but it’s been translated by fans into English. It’s on the GBA. Anyway, this game is great! I can not recommend it more. It’s funny, touching, well written, and every single character in it has a personality, including the animals wandering around(you can understand animals for some reason). I just started playing it and am only in Chapter 2. The game appears to be divided up into multiple chapters that happen simultaneously(so far anyway). My favorite part so far(uh…small spoilers I guess) is when Flint, the cowboy, visited what I can only describe as very gay, flamboyant, gypsies who also look kind of like bikers wearing bows in their hair. That’s right:\*\* flamingly gay biker gypsies who guide you on your quest.\*\* Yeah, this game is weird. Anyone else play it? Thoughts? I’m in chapter 2 right now, just having entered a castle, so no spoilers past this point!!! 🙂 In fact, we probably shouldn’t even spoil the major event that happened in chapter 1(involving Flint’s family and so forth). ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/2 "2009-04-10T17:58:45Z")
I love Mother 3. I actually started a GD thread about it a while back. I don’t know how you’d search for it, though. The chapters don’t all take place at the same time, and in fact, the world changes significantly throughout the story. Speaking of which, the story is absolutely amazing. My second favorite RPG, after the original Earthbound. And I’m going to tell you this to be as little spoilerish as possible, but you need to know, because when I found out, I was pretty angry that I hadn’t known in advance: The end is not the end. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/3 "2009-04-11T00:01:57Z")
> [@XWalrus2](#): > > I love Mother 3. I actually started a GD thread about it a while back. I don’t know how you’d search for it, though. The chapters don’t all take place at the same time, and in fact, the world changes significantly throughout the story. Speaking of which, the story is absolutely amazing. My second favorite RPG, after the original Earthbound. > And I’m going to tell you this to be as little spoilerish as possible, but you need to know, because when I found out, I was pretty angry that I hadn’t known in advance: The end is not the end. So…is Earthbound similar to this game? I’ve never played that either, though I know it is technically “Mother 2”. I’m wondering if I would enjoy Earthbound once I’m done with this(I just finished Chapter 2 and have seen the intro to Chapter 3…where I appear to be a monkey named Salsa). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/4 "2009-04-11T00:37:00Z")
Earthbound is a fun little game. It’s a solid, weird RPG. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/5 "2009-04-11T02:06:30Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Earthbound is a fun little game. It’s a solid, weird RPG. Does it use random battles? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/6 "2009-04-11T02:12:24Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Does it use random battles? The battle system in Earthbound is very similar to that in Mother 3, minus the ability to get multiple hits on enemies. Both have random SMAAAAAAASH attacks, symptoms, and the ability to sneak up on enemies (and vice versa). Mother 3 improves on Earthbound’s system. I’ve actually started playing this game too and liking it so far. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/7 "2009-04-11T02:15:48Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Does it use random battles? Um. I think so. It’s been many moons since I’ve played it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Keen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@Commander\_Keen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Keen)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/8 "2009-04-11T03:22:07Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > Um. I think so. It’s been many moons since I’ve played it, though. You can see the enemies while walking around; touching them initiates a battle. It’s usually pretty easy to avoid them, actually. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRamenMonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@FlyingRamenMonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRamenMonster)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/9 "2009-04-11T04:04:47Z")
Mother 3 is amazing. As for the Magypsies, the game claims they’re asexual, but on the other hand they have stubble and their “memories” are a razor and lipstick (speaking of which, it took me forever to figure out what they did but if you die with one in your inventory, it brings you back with full health. They’re great items and you only get seven, so save 'em). ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/10 "2009-04-11T04:50:24Z")
_Mother 3_ is probably my favorite game of all time. I played through the whole thing in a few lengthy binge sessions the moment the [fan translation](http://mother3.fobby.net/) was released. (On which note, I think it’s really a shame that Nintendo decided it wasn’t worth localizing in English; it’s an absolutely brilliant game. Fortunately, the fan translation is absolutely top-notch.) It’s also my most anticipated game of all time; I had been waiting to play it ever since I read about the plans for an _EarthBound_ sequel in a gaming magazine back in 1997. 😛 Really, everybody should play this game. It’s beautiful, engaging, funny, strange, happy, and heartrending, often all at the same time. It’s one of the very few games that has made me cry. There just aren’t that many games out there that have _Mother 3_’s emotional power. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/11 "2009-04-11T06:46:49Z")
I played this a couple months ago and really enjoyed it. And the end almost made me cry. Though I got a bit creeped out by the part on the Island(and everyone who’s gotten that far knows what I’m talking about). And If you like Mother 3, you’ll like Earthbound(and visa versa). If you haven’t played Earthbound first, you’ll miss a few references later in the game when you reach New Pork City but it won’t hurt your enjoyment any. I personally think Mother 3 is better, though mostly because the plot is tighter(for what it’s worth) and I liked how it focused around the town and it’s (de)evolution. ---
**Author:** ![Soapbox\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/12 "2009-04-11T16:19:55Z")
Isn’t this that game that was supposed to come out for the N64 DD add-on (which I guess they never got around to releasing in the US)? And now it’s on GBA? Might have to check this out. ---
**Author:** ![Iacob\_Matthew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Iacob\_Matthew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iacob_Matthew)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/13 "2009-04-12T05:36:49Z")
I downloaded this game the day after its translation came out- I’d been on the site’s mailing list for a few years, as Earthbound is one of my favorite games of all time. I’m going to agree with the tagline of “Strange, funny, heartrending.” It packs an emotional whallop, including a few gutpunches and a few moments so happy they made me cry\*. It has references from both the previous games, and yet it’s its own masterpiece. The fan translatation is top-notch, and _almost_ worth the fact it took a dozen years to get out. It is one of the very few games that gets better on future playthroughs- because you genuinely care about some of the characters, understand them better, and you can still feel the immersion. Half-relatedly: I picked up a copy of Agota Kristof’s _Notebook_ trilogy, because the game’s author mentioned basing Claus, Lucas, and their world on the twins in that book. It’s also fantastic. You can [read the first 30 or 40 pages online free](http://books.google.com/books?id=4DBbYpBVrz8C&dq=Agota+Kristof&printsec=frontcover&source=an&hl=en&ei=S3zhSez_CZCHmQe1tMmIBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4) to see if it’s worthwhile to you. \*For some reason, seeing the sesame seeds together made me cry harder than anything else in the game. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/14 "2009-04-13T03:22:33Z")
I’m surprised anyone would show interest in this game who hadn’t already played Earthbound. When Earthbound first came out I fell in love with it, but most people ignored it because of its simple-looking art style. Mother 3 thankfully keeps the same art style, and expands on it with additional emotive animations. It’s actually a good thing it was cancelled on N64, as I believe keeping it 2D ultimately made it a better game. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/15 "2009-04-13T15:20:22Z")
> [@Yumblie](#): > > I’m surprised anyone would show interest in this game who hadn’t already played Earthbound. When Earthbound first came out I fell in love with it, but most people ignored it because of its simple-looking art style. Mother 3 thankfully keeps the same art style, and expands on it with additional emotive animations. It’s actually a good thing it was cancelled on N64, as I believe keeping it 2D ultimately made it a better game. I’m playing Earthbound as well, now. I have to say that Mother 3 seems a lot better. I just got Jeff to join the party(he-reunited with Ness and Paula) and while the game is goofy and cool, it hasn’t been as touching as Mother 3…yet, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Yumblie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/76d3ee/32.png) [@Yumblie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumblie)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/16 "2009-04-13T16:25:31Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I’m playing Earthbound as well, now. > > I have to say that Mother 3 seems a lot better. I just got Jeff to join the party(he-reunited with Ness and Paula) and while the game is goofy and cool, it hasn’t been as touching as Mother 3…yet, anyway. Earthbound isn’t as upfront about the plot as Mother 3. With Mother 3, you definitely know what you’re getting in terms of plot. Earthbound is a lot more subtle about it and makes it more about the journey of the player rather than the characters. It’s not something that really hits you until the end, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/17 "2009-04-25T14:02:00Z")
So, I just finished Mother 3. I think it was an absolutely wonderful game from beginning to end. I find myself liking Chapters 1-5 best, actually. I know the majority of the game was Chapter 7 with Lucas, but I really liked the beginning better than the end. I did not really care for the ending…and I did see that it didn’t end with “End?”. I just expected even more than that. In the end, it was a touching little game that should have been released here and I can’t believe such a high quality translation exists. Having previously played translated games, I’ve never seen one done so well. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/18 "2009-04-25T21:37:21Z")
I agree that the end is…unexpected, to say the least. Though Porkey/Pokey got everything he deserved with the absoloutely safe capsule. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/19 "2009-04-25T22:24:25Z")
One of the things I really do think was cool though is that they designed a couple characters to be played only once or twice (Flint and Salsa specifically). I mean, most studios would either throw those chapters away or streamline the story so that it was, say, Lucas instead, but they weren’t afraid to say “oh, by the way, you’re only going to play these characters until level 5, have fun!” > [@mobo85](#): > > The battle system in Earthbound is very similar to that in Mother 3, minus the ability to get multiple hits on enemies. Both have random SMAAAAAAASH attacks, symptoms, and the ability to sneak up on enemies (and vice versa). Mother 3 improves on Earthbound’s system. > > I’ve actually started playing this game too and liking it so far. I never got the rhythm system down, I’m guessing it was emulator lag, but I can’t be sure. I sure hope I don’t suck at rhythm that much since I’ve done music for 9 years (and considering I couldn’t even pull it off when I made them sleep). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mother-3-anyone-play-this-game-no-spoilers/492653/20 "2009-04-26T00:26:13Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I never got the rhythm system down, I’m guessing it was emulator lag, but I can’t be sure. I sure hope I don’t suck at rhythm that much since I’ve done music for 9 years (and considering I couldn’t even pull it off when I made them sleep). Yes, I found the rhythm aspect to be a bit…poorly designed to say the least. It seemed optional, anyway. I played it with only occasionally getting extra hits and combos and had little trouble.