Mother 3

Mother 3

Mother 3 (マザースリー, Mazā Surī?) is a role-playing video game for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console, developed by HAL Laboratory and Brownie Brown, published by Nintendo.

It is the third video game in the EarthBound series of games, known as Mother in Japan. It was announced in June 2003 during a Mother 1 + 2 television commercial, though details of its development were kept secret. Up until its release, the game remained near the top of Famitsu's most wanted games list, only once falling below number 10. Immediately before its release, Mother 3 was the most wanted game in Japan according to Weekly Famitsu.

According to Shigesato Itoi, the lead designer of the Mother series, they have no plans to create a Mother 4.

Plot
Mother 3 is set in the fictional Nowhere Islands. Chaos ensues after an invasion by the Pig Mask Army, named for its uniforms that resemble pigs, and its leader, the "Pig King". They slowly construct a police state, while experimenting on the land's flora and fauna, and introducing new technology and infrastructure to the islands. The various chapters record the life of a boy named Lucas and his family and friends, banding together to rid the Nowhere Islands of the Pig Mask Army.

The game opens with Flint, who soon finds out his wife, Hinawa, has died, leaving him to raise their sons, Claus and Lucas. After Claus goes missing to kill the Drago (dinosaur) that killed his mother, Flint, with the help of Boney and Duster go looking for him. Claus ultimately lost the battle and was killed. Flint did not find the body.

From here, Duster is drafted to go to the haunted Osohe Castle by his father Wes to find the Egg of Light. Duster purchases the Rope Snake to help him cross gaps in the castle. Along the way, Duster and Wes meet Kumatora. After they stop the Pig Army, the trio is flushed out of the castle and Duster loses his memory. He joins the musical group DCMC as their bassist.

In Duster's absence, the Pig Mask Army moves into Tazmily Village and, with the help of Yokuba and his abused monkey Salsa, they help modernize the town with new infrastructure and "happiness boxes," which are television-like machines. They use the happiness boxes to distract the locals while they experiment on the plants and animals surrounding the town. Salsa is ultimately rescued by Kumatora, Wes, and Lucas.

Wes eventually gets wind of Duster's whereabouts and asks Lucas to confirm the rumors that he has joined DCMC and to respond via homing pigeon. With the help of Kumatora (disguised as a waitress) Lucas and Boney find Duster and the four set off together to Thunder Tower.

After shutting down the tower, Yokuba appears to try to stop them, but falls from the tower. Shortly after, an aircraft comes with the Masked Man inside. Duster grabs the craft with the Rope Snake and the party clings for dear life as the ship flies away. The Rope Snake cannot hold forever though, and the party falls from the aircraft.

Lucas awakes in a field full of sunflowers. After finding Boney, he sees figments of his mother, Hinawa. Wes and Alec (Lucas' grandfather) bring him home and help him get well. After rescuing the Magypsy Ionia, Lucas and Boney find out about the Seven Needles. The party races against the Pig Mask Army to activate the needles. Lucas and Boney soon find themselves in a laboratory belonging to Dr. Andonuts. After some searching, they discover Salsa and his girlfriend trying to escape the lab. Salsa, remembering how Lucas helped save him from Yokuba, deactivates the lab monster and helps him escape. With the help of Dr. Andonuts, Lucas drains the lake with one of the Needles in it and finds Kumatora.

After returning to Tazmily Village, the party enters a volcano, where another Needle is guarded by a rebuilt Yokuba, now sporting trumpets as weaponry. After defeating him, Lucas and company move on to an occupied Saturn Valley where the Mr. Saturns, Duster, and Rope Snake are being held prisoner by the Pig Army. With the help of the Mr. Saturns, the reunited party uses a flock of birds to eventually return to Tazmily Village and enter the ocean.

After emerging, Lucas, Boney, Duster, and Kumatora are low on energy and decide to eat some strange-looking mushrooms. Boney opts out, leaving the human party members to experience a drug-induced hallucination in the jungle.

Eventually the party makes its way to the next Magypsy, Mixolydia (Missy for short), and Needle and are ferried back to Tazmily Village on the back of an Octopus. Using the Delicious Pickle Missy left them, Lucas and friends get to Ionia's house where they acquire the Water of time so they can get into the temple nearby. At the temple, they meet the Masked Man. He is defeated and flies away, leaving Lucas to pull the next Needle as Ionia disappears. As they exit the temple, a limousine pulls up, inviting them to "New Pork City."

In New Pork city, Lucas and friends go to the movie theater, which shows some of the Pig King's past and adversaries (including Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo from EarthBound). A stink bug gets the attention of Boney and the party chases him into the sewers. Once there, they follow Boney's barks to find Leder, the bell ringer from Tazmily Village. He tells them the long history of their world and the Pig King, including the facts that their island is the last place left in a post-apocalyptic world and that it exists on the back of a giant sleeping dragon, which is kept asleep by the Needles. The Magypsies were put in place to guard them. On the way out of the sewers, Yokuba attacks again, and is defeated.

In the tallest tower in New Pork City, the party makes its way up the floors until they discover a robot that resembles Pokey Minch. They compete with the robot in a few mini-games before moving on to Pokey, the Pig King himself.

On top of the tower, they find a hall of memories, showcasing many items from Earthbound, before ending up in a long hallway leading to Pokey. In Pokey's room they are attacked by more complete Pokey robots, which are soon destroyed by Duster's ex-bandmates of DCMC]. After the townspeople of Tazmily Village enter the room with Dr. Andonuts and Flint, Pokey descends from the vines on the roof to speak to the party. He reveals that the last Needle has been found and challenges Lucas and friend to beat him to it via the express elevator. Lucas, Boney, Kumatora, Duster, and Flint slide down the elevator shaft to a mine-like environment.

Flint goes ahead and soon tells Lucas that the Masked Man is actually his brother Claus, who was killed by the Pig Army, then brought back to life as their general.

Pokey soon confronts them in a large spider-mech. When he sees he is to be defeated, he calls upon the "Absolutely safe machine" and climbs inside. It seals itself and the party is not able to harm him, but he cannot hurt them back. When the battle ends, Dr. Andonuts, who reveals that he built the absolutely safe machine with the specifications that once someone is inside, it cannot be opened from either direction, and while Pokey is "absolutely safe," he is trapped in the machine forever.

Before reaching the final Needle, the Masked Man attacks again in a one-on-one battle with Lucas, who stays safe from his lightning attack, thanks to the Franklin Badge. Hinawa pleads with Claus from beyond the grave, trying to get him to stop attacking Lucas, while Flint blocks the effects of the PK Love attack. Eventually, Claus removes his helmet and collapses. Lucas pulls the final needles, and the player is shown a grim outlook of what is the end of Nowhere Island. A secret on the final screen of the game, in which the word 'End?' appears, will actually reveal that everybody survives the attack and thank the player for all his help.

Unlike the first two games, the focus is no longer on a group of children. Some chapters put completely different characters in the protagonistic role: In one chapter the player controls a 30-ish, limping thief named Duster, in another chapter the main character is Salsa, a monkey who is constantly suffering abuse by a rich traveling merchant named Yokuba. The only child character the player gets to control is Lucas, who is about nine to ten years old in the first three chapters and 12 to 13 years for the remainder of the game. Further controllable characters include Kumatora, a tomboyish Princess from a strange country, a middle-aged cowboy named Flint (Lucas' father), and Lucas' family dog, Boney.

True to the game's slogan "Strange, Funny and Heartrending," Mother 3 sheds the more lighthearted and quirky plotlines of the previous games in favor of a far darker and more emotional story. The plot involves quite a few tragic and saddening events. However, the game still retains many humorous and bizarre elements that are common to the series.

Characters
Main article: List of Mother 3 characters

Gameplay
Mother 3 starts out very differently from the first two Mother games. The game is set up into eight different chapters, much like Dragon Quest IV. Instead of focusing on a group of children, it chronicles the story and adventures of Lucas and his family, and the story switches perspective during each chapter. (For example, the first half of the game is played as Flint, Duster and Salsa, but the rest of the game is played as Lucas.) Nowhere Island also changes dramatically due to the influence of the Pig Army, transforming from a simple low-tech rural society to a more modern 21st Century infrastructure that's similar to the first two Mother games. (Hence the game's theme of nature vs. technology) The game also features a more traditional top-down RPG perspective, instead of the oblique projection used in the first two games.

Once again, the game retains the Dragon Quest-style battle system Mother and EarthBound had (although this time at a much quicker pace), but Mother 3 adds an extra twist in the form of the Music combo system. Depending on how well the player presses the A Button in-sync to the lead enemy's "theme" (each enemy has their own respective beat, some even possessing variable tempos), he or she can perform up to 16 hits of damaging combos on the game's enemies. (The game also has an option of letting the player practice Music combos on enemies they have already fought, once they gain a certain item. Tempos can also be more easily heard in the form of a "heartbeat" when the enemy is asleep.) Enemies are still visible on the field, and can still be approached from behind for a surprise attack (along with the extra added detail of seeing behind an enemy.) The game also retains the rolling HP/MP odometers from the previous game, enabling the player to heal before the counter rolls to 0. In Mother 3, the HP odometer scrolls more slowly than previous games and can be slowed further by defending - however, unlike Mother 2, even if the player defeats the enemy, the player will still be technically 'defeated' if the HP odometer scrolls to zero (whereas Mother 2 would set you at 1 HP instead of considering the player defeated). Another new addition is the ability to run, by holding and releasing the B Button the player can not only reach areas quicker, but also smash into breakable objects and also stun enemies significantly weaker than the party, replacing the previous game's ability to instantly defeat weak enemies without entering battle. Mother 3 also abandons saving the game by phone in favor of Save Frogs, which are abundant and appear at various areas in the game. Currency (which doesn't come into play until Chapter 4) comes in the form of DP (Dragon Power), which the player can deposit/transfer from Save Frogs.

Background
Main article: EarthBound 64 Mother 3 was originally announced in 1996 for the Nintendo 64. Development soon moved to the Nintendo 64DD, where it was to be a launch title, but after many delays caused by the inexperience of the development team with the hardware and 3D graphics, it was cancelled in August 2000. The project was revived in 2003, now with 2D graphics on the Game Boy Advance.

Marketing
Beginning in February 2006, lead designer Shigesato Itoi initiated a systematic divulgence of Mother 3 information on the official Mother 3 website. The additions are documented below:

On the week of February 7, the Mother 3 slogan and theme song, "Strange, Funny, Heartrending" and "We miss you ~Love Theme~ respectively, were revealed. On the week of February 14, the first screenshots of the title were revealed and a special ringtone of the Mother 3 Love Theme was offered. It is only available in Japan. On the week of February 21, three additional screenshots were revealed along with the Mother 3 Deluxe Box. On the week of February 28, screenshots featuring a dungeon area and a typical battle screen were revealed. Itoi also stated that, like the first two Mother games, it would be a typical RPG with traditional RPG elements, but with a unique world and story. Two character names were also revealed: Flint and Boney. On the week of March 7, a rendition of the world map was revealed. On the week of March 14, two more main characters were revealed: Lucas and Claus, Lucas being the younger twin brother and Claus being the older. Itoi also released Mother 3-themed cell phone backgrounds, but only for those with Japanese phones. On the week of March 21, Lucas and Claus's family are revealed: their father Flint, their mother Hinawa, and their dog Boney. On the week of March 28, the sprites of 14 enemies were presented, and two computer wallpapers, one with the world map and another with Boney the dog walking through a grass background. On the week of April 4, various screenshots of many locations were revealed. On the week of April 10, along with 12 new screenshots, the game is revealed to be setup into different chapters. On the week of April 18, two days before Mother 3 was released, Itoi released a final message about the game. This information, which was rationed out on a weekly basis until the April 20 release date, can be found at the Official Mother 3 Website.

Connections to Mother 1 and Mother 2
Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo never appear physically in the game, since Mother 3 takes place far beyond Ness' time period, although they are referenced many times in the game. Also, a few screenshots of the canceled N64 version may have hinted at Ness' appearance. Another screenshot from the aforementioned version depicts a devastated Onett (and what appears to be Fourside). Later in the game, the player visits areas in New Pork City that contain many references to EarthBound. A theater shows a movie that chronicles Ness and Co.'s adventures in EarthBound. And later the player visits a boat ride that displays many recognizable things from EarthBound. Pokey Minch is revealed to be the leader of the Pig Army and the true enemy of the game. Many of Mother 1's enemies that weren't in EarthBound return, such as the Scrapper, Ghost Armor and Titany. Dr. Andonuts appears in the game and he is forced to invent things for Pokey and the Pig Army. At the game's climax, the player fights Pokey in a machine very similar to the Spider mech he had at the end of EarthBound. At one point in the game, the player visits a Saturn Valley. It is eventually attacked by the Pig Army. Much of the soundtrack contains many recognizable songs from Mother and EarthBound. The Violent Roach from EarthBound appears as an enemy in Osohe Castle. The Putrid Moldy Men from EarthBound appear as enemies in the sewers of New Pork City. The Ramblin' Evil Mushroom from EarthBound appears as an enemy at the Tazmily train track in Chapter 4. Holding down the B button to run in Mother 3 operates the same way like in the unreleased English Mother prototype and Mother 1 in the GBA compilation of Mother 1+2. The Franklin Badge from Mother 1 and 2 makes a return appearance.

Mother 3 Deluxe Box
A limited release version of Mother 3 version was sold in Japan in addition to the basic title. This "Deluxe Box" included a copy of Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance, a Special Edition Game Boy Micro and a Franklin Badge for ¥18,000. Pre-Orders began on March 1, 2006, continuing until the release of the game on April 20 of that year. Due to unexpected demand, only a small fraction of the Deluxe Boxes were shipped by the release date of the game.

Reviews
Famitsu scored Mother 3 with a 35/40, providing the first public review of the game.

Sales information
On April 27, 2006 it was confirmed that Mother 3 sold 205,914 copies in its first 3 days on sale in Japan. On June 21, 2006 it was confirmed that Mother 3 sold 338,382 copies on sale April 20-June 25 in Japan. In September, 2006 it was confirmed that Mother 3 sold about 400,000 copies on sale in Japan.

Demand for an international release
Since the original, scrapped, Nintendo 64 version's announcement in 1996, many fans of the Mother series have been pleading for Mother 3 to be given a global release. A cult following has formed around the franchise, and many petitions and demands have been made towards Nintendo of America; however, there do not appear to be any plans to release Mother 3 in the United States.

Rumors in the August 2006 issue of EGM suggested the possibility that Nintendo may compile all three Mother titles onto one Nintendo DS cart, and could possibly bring this compilation to the US. [6]

In November of 2006, NintendoWorldReport.com interviewed Nate Bihldorff, the Nintendo of America Localization Producer/Manager, about the localization process he and his team must go through for a videogame. When NintendoWorldReport.com mentions Mother 3, Bihldorff mentions that he and his team are not working on Mother 3. However, he does mention some of his writers are not under him, so discussions of the game may be going on. He also mentions that he does not plan on working on it in the immediate future.[7]

No, me personally, I'm not working on Mother 3. I don't have all the writers under me, so there may be other people in discussions going on with it, but I wouldn't look forward to it in the immediate future, no. Sorry, I know! There's a big Mother fanbase, there is. At least everyone can go back and play Melee to get your Ness on. [Laughs]

– Bihldorff

On October 1, 2007, it was revealed that Lucas would be a playable character in the upcoming Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. [8] This could lead to an international release for Mother 3, as the appearance of characters from the Japan only Fire Emblem series in Super Smash Bros. Melee sparked a greater level of Western interest in the Fire Emblem series, and it was in part because of this that Nintendo began releasing the games internationally beginning with the seventh title in the series.

MOTHER3+
On November 2, 2006, MOTHER3+ was released in Japan. It was also released in the iTunes Music Store in the United States on April 1, 2007, featuring an additional bonus track unavailable on the CD release. This album contains arranged songs by the Crazy Ken Band as D.C.M.C. and a vocal track by Taeko Onuki, as well as some songs from older games. The track list for the album is as follows, translations in brackets:

We miss you 〜愛のテーマ〜 [We Miss You - Theme of Love] – 3:41 D.C.M.C.のテーマ [Theme of D.C.M.C.] – 2:28 サンバ・デ・カンボ [Samba de Cambo] – 2:39 ボンボヤージュ・アミーゴ [Bon Voyage Amigo] – 2:10 おえらいさんのテーマ [Theme of King P] – 3:17 タイム・パッセージ [Time Passage] – 1:57 だれかさんのおもいで (Pollyanna) [Pollyanna] – 3:00 スノーマン [Snowman] – 3:15 16メロディーズ（はじまり） [16 Melodies (Beginning)] – 3:00 MOTHER3 - theme of LOVE - – 3:41 (iTunes Music Store only) We miss you 〜愛のテーマ〜 (Inst.) [We Miss You - Theme of Love - Instrumental] – 3:39

[edit] MOTHER3i MOTHER3i was released on the February 6, 2007 in the iTunes Music Store and Napster in Japan, as well as a few other online music services. On April 1, 2007, it was released in the iTunes Music Store in the United States. It contains more music from the game than MOTHER3+. The track list for the album is as follows, translations in brackets:

Welcome to MOTHER3 World – 3:48 舞台はタツマイリ [Tatsumairi] – 2:44 Twist and Battle – 4:33 どうすることも [Gentle Rain] – 4:59 哀愁のマンボ [Mambo and Battle] – 3:40 ダスターのテーマ [Theme of DUSTER] – 3:22 オソヘ城にて [The Castle of OSOHE] – 4:59 奇妙なダンス [Funky Monkey Dance] – 4:39 嗚呼、ブタマスク [Oh, Buta-Mask] – 3:14 タツマイリの思い出 [Memory of Tatsumairi] – 4:21 マジプシーと [With Magypsy] – 3:26 じゃまをしないでくれ [Do Not Disturb] – 4:47 Flowers – 4:22 Bad Boyのテーマ [Theme of Bad Boy] – 7:10 行きどまりの街から [From Utopia] – 5:51

Official sites
(Japanese) Official site (Japanese) 1101.com (Shigesato Itoi's website): Mother 3 (Japanese) SpaceWorld 1999: Mother 3

Press coverage
IGN: Mother 3 GameSpy: Mother 3 1UP.com: Mother 3 Preview GameStats: Mother 3 RPGamer: Mother 3 Import Review

Fan sites
Starmen.net: Mother 3 (Japanese) Mother Party (Mother-jp.net): Mother 3 Mother 3.org Unified Mother 3 Fan Translation Project