What is Mother 3?
For the uninitiated, the EarthBound series has a strong following, of which I am among. The series is composed of three games and the second one, called EarthBound in the US and Mother 2 in Japan, is by far the most significant.
- Mother (Japan), EarthBound Beginnings (US)
- Famicom/NES (Japan, 1989), Wii U (US, 2015)
- Mother 2 (Japan), EarthBound (US)
- SNES, 1995
- Mother 3 (Japan)
- GameBoy Advance, 2006
Mother 1 and 3 are often compared to what is considered the central game, Mother 2 (EarthBound), although story-wise they all stand separately. The most appealing aspect of these unique games is the music, created from a variety of influences with styles from around the world, including but not limited to country music, Cajun music (including a clear example of zydeco), hip hop, reggae, rock, jazz (including free-style and fusion), Egyptian music, Buddhist chants, Indian music, Asian music, other video game music, and many more.
What are the games like?
These strange adventures are saturated in social and political commentary. There are many statements about what a healthy society values versus what they should value. The original title “Mother” is meant to pinpoint how central family is in Japanese culture and is likely a general statement about how family bonds are a universal means to tie people together. There is endless Bathic humor of the sort where a lot of fanfare is built up for nothing, or seemingly nothing, depending on what you value. Again, the term “Mother” itself is either a strange irrelevant title or it brilliantly pinpoints the real central theme of staying in touch with your roots. Is it excluding those who don’t have a strong traditional family structure? Or is it trying to use that word to signify whatever it is that grounds you?
The makers of the games are clearly enamored by American culture. This is portrayed as both a virtue and a vice, in the constant play and irony that the games subject you to. A central theme in all three games is that as cities get larger, crime increases and traditional values and bonds start to break down, but if you are lucky you will find people who still remember. Mother 3 goes much deeper into themes of losing track of where you really came from, as well as deliberately forgetting. It also has a lot to say about the inherent goodness in people even as the world descends into darkness.
Each game has a different set of characters. This one surely has the most. I’ll let you learn about them all, but a few central figures are Lucas and Claus, the young brothers, Flint, the experienced father, Hinawa, the loving and central mother, and Duster, a member of a separate yet related family line.
So why won’t Mother 3 be released in the US?
The first two games boldly balance many themes that could be considered mature but are presented in a neutral way, you might say. Some material was directly edited in the US release, such as the main character, Ness, in EarthBound appearing without clothes in the imaginary world Magicant in the Japanese version, whereas he is in pajamas in the US. In Mother 3, in addition to many a sprite likely needing to be swapped, there is a handful of subject matter that would have to be either avoided or handled differently, and a few thematic elements that may need changing.
Flint’s nervous breakdown
The father figure of Mother 3, a tall dark Clint Eastwood-type fellow named Flint, as well as his family, suffer a traumatic event at the beginning of the story. You begin playing what feels like a typical heroic but flawed character, but he reacts to events in a way that do not seem rational, although his actions are understandable. The moment is a bit extreme and not something typical of the other games in the series. It would be a leap forward that might be asking much of the audience.
The Magypsies
These… um… unique characters are once again asking a bit much from the player. They are the kind of folks you just have to experience to understand what all the fuss is about. This is where it starts to go into progressive sexual subjects that may very well be eternal topics, but still might be considered newer concepts to talk about, especially in the video game medium.
Other sexually-suggestive content
There are innuendos scattered throughout the game, such as when a denizen of an arcade in the big city talks to you about avocado burgers. Lucas’s familiarity with psychic powers requires a certain increasing level of intimacy with the Magypsies that likewise feels increasingly uncomfortable. A lot of those “jokes” may need to be rewritten for a US audience.
Poisonous Mushrooms
There is one scene that is rather humorous and likely the most controversial, where the protagonists consume a hallucinogenic mushroom in a desperate attempt to replenish their health on an unfamiliar island. There is much dark humor upon returning to the area sober and realizing what you went through. Your dog, Boney, refuses to eat this mushroom and has odd responses to your actions as you go through the area, but upon returning you see exactly where he was coming from.
Other relatively innocuous but possibly controversial themes
There is a scene reminiscent of brief moments in Mother 1 and 2 where the characters are covered in soot and have a blackface-like appearance. There are no overt racial overtones, but the moment is extended in Mother 3 where if you stay in this state, everyone you talk to mentions that you are completely covered in soot.
There’s so much more to go into. Lucas learning more about the fate of Claus was a monumental moment in gaming history. The Chimera Lab that employed everyone, even the very people that the leader of the company was hunting, was hilarious. Mr. T makes an unexpected, and likely unlicensed, appearance. I wish I had recorded all these moments, but here are the ones I managed to document:
