Score
Gameplay:	8
Graphics:	9
Sound:	10
FunFactor:	10
PlasmaFactor:	10
Overall:	9.4

Mother 3 Review
July 14, 2008 by Shaun Hinklein

It was with a solemn heart I stumbled across Earthbound many years ago on the Super Nintendo. The journey with Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo introduced me to how encouraging an RPG truly can be through its powerful story accompanied by underlying moral concepts. Taken back with grief when stumbling across the news that Mother 3, its predecessor, would only release in Japan, I feared I would never be able to experience the tale of Lucas, Duster, Kumatora, and Boney. After much procrastination, I imported Mother 3 and experienced nothing short than one of the most heartfelt stories of this generation.

Welcome To “Mother 3 World”

Immediately upon starting Mother 3, I felt this sense of serenity watching the main characters gracefully interact as I entered their names. The game runs like your basic Dragon Quest RPG as you engage your surroundings developing an understanding of the characters, ever-changing plot, and environments. Differentiating from Earthbound, Mother 3 is generally linear and is divided into 8 chapters. In these chapters, different characters surface with their unique stories offering more diversity than your classic single protagonist. Thanks to lack of publicity-- and to Super Smash Bros. Brawl-- it’s commonly believed that Lucas is the only main character of Mother 3; however, the truth of the matter is that the story encompasses the tales of several other characters that ultimately turn into party members. Some of these characters don’t stick with you up until the end, though their agendas are crucial… such as Flint, Lucas’ father, who plays a pivotal role in the opening and Salsa, an imprisoned monkey whose captivity introduces him to the others in his aid to escape.

The game is mainly divided into separate areas of play as is the case with most classic RPG’s: wandering and battling. There is not much deviance from this set pattern, though the interactivity eases noticing this strain allowing for a much more pleasant experience. Though my experience was different than someone fluent in Japanese, even using a translation guide to interpret the dialogue didn’t sway my enjoyment from the words exchanged. The humor, despite Mother 3’s quite depressing storyline, made me smile in times of strife against an overpowered enemy. In fact, I noticed that in its story there are quite a few homosexual references, which I found to be quite interesting. After acquiring Lucas and pursuing the main quest of Mother 3, the player must reach seven gypsies that are men dressed in drag. In another instance on an underwater quest, the only way to stay alive is to be given oxygen from an enemy oxygen supplier—which just happens to be a male mermaid kissing your entire party on the lips. Where I found this hilarious and groundbreaking, some might find it insulting and grotesque. It is amazing that amidst Mother 3’s theatrical presence they’re capable of bringing some laughs, and when I say “theatrical”, I purposely keep it vague as to not hinder the experience of the gamer in uncovering the storyline.

Graphics

The simplest presentation with the grandest of moments basically defines Mother 3 in a nutshell. Released in 2006 on the Game Boy Advance, graphically it’s a replica of Earthbound with enhanced sprites. In this simplicity, I did find that the innocence of the characters and environments was definitely portrayed through Mother 3’s uncomplicated 16-bit haven. Being as this game was originally designed for the Nintendo 64 platform but was scrapped within months of its production, it could be fair to say that maintaining this visual innocence was one of their fundamental goals in releasing it for the Game Boy Advance. Looking at it, it is a Super Nintendo game, though judging Mother 3 by its ingenuity visually is only possible in realizing their decision of choosing a system to release it on.

Sound

Mother 3’s soundtrack is a work of genius, encompassing neo-classical, jazz, virtuoso melodies, alternative, and the most zany, compulsive battle songs I’ve ever heard in any video game. Intertwining their battle system with their music is a first for a turn-based RPG and luckily they’ve accomplished it with fantastic music. Mother 3’s overture, The Theme Of Love, quickly will leave you breathless during the later parts of the adventure. The in-game band, DCMC, will keep your spirits high with a jazz-rock swing that carries you only to nearly break your heart with Bon Voyage, Amigo as they send you off with fair wishes. An electronica-inspired medley will aid your hatred of the villain as you wander through New Pork City. The music compliments the nature of the game—which is the fundamental goal of video game music.

Plasma Factor

Even though the mechanics are straight from Earthbound, Mother 3’s originality critically overcompensates for any of its shortcomings. The linear sequence of Chapters-- in addition to addressing each main character separately-- provides a distinct connection between the story and the player. Current RPGs have taken stabs at allowing such a bond to exist, but have faded in the wake of sacrificing prime dialogue for pretty visuals and classy FMV sequences. Beside the emotional construction that Mother 3 allows, its battle system is quite revolutionary. The incorporation of the beat into a chain-link combo system gives an added thrill when successful and a constant challenge when burdened with a miss. This is quite minor, but there were also no loading times. I know this might seem obvious to some, but keeping in mind modern-day RPGs and their “next-gen” capabilities, it’s refreshing to see a title that sticks to roots providing subtle bonuses.

Conclusion 

By intertwining multiple stories, carrying an epic tragedy glorified through its emotional characters, and accompanied by an overwhelming musical score, Mother 3 has transcended the traditional RPG. Earthbound was revolutionary for its time, but due to lack of marketing and audience it wasn’t nearly as successful as it deserved to be. Donkey Kong Country and Mortal Kombat stole attention and revenue where a game with outdated graphics and, well… reading… wasn’t allowed to succeed. Over 10 years later, having witnessed the power that RPGs contain and allowing a cult following for Earthbound to develop, Mother 3’s success is well deserved. American gamers: Do not be swayed by its exclusivity to Japan! Do not be hindered by not being allowed to share in this experience! The way I see it after completing this game, Mother 3’s story is unparalleled; everything else that is wonderful about this game is an added bonus. I’m aware that I kept this review as broad as I could—and I did that purposely in high hopes you will heed my advice and investigate this game further. It is only after experiencing the story in Mother 3 that you can comprehend its gigantic presence in the gaming world. For me, it reminded me how crucial fantastic story-telling really is in an RPG. Experience Mother 3 for exactly what it is and you’ll grasp this concept.