Having played and beaten EarthBound so, so, SO many times since I was 10 years old or so, I had really high expectations for this game, which is basically a classic, turn-based RPG with a light-hearted, almost comedic approach. Unlike EarthBound, this RPG isn't necessarily set in an almost mockingly modern setting, possibly due to the fact that it takes place in the "Nowhere Islands". The setting is much less "United States city", like its predecessor, and, unfortunately, the world you get to explore isn't nearly as vast as it was in EarthBound. However, the visual style is exactly the same as it was in EarthBound, and there was a constant barrage of nostalgia that made me constantly giggle like a giddy schoolgirl. The names of the various psychic abilities, the sound effects, the music and even a lot of the same sprites for NPCs are featured in Mother 3, and although they aren't necessarily exactly the same, it's perfectly fitting for a follow-up title. Fantastic.
The story is told quite cleverly, and follows a multitude of characters (namely Lucas, Kumatora, Dusty, and Boney)--two of which are gifted with psychic abilities--on their journey to rid their land of a tyrranical "king" by the name of Porky (also known as Pokey in the US translation of EarthBound). At various points in the game, characters join your party temporarily, and the game flashes back, forward, or to another party's perspective in present-time.While I do appreciate this take on storytelling, for me, it was often difficult to follow, and far too often was I asking myself who would eventually end up in my "final" party because characters come and go so often. Thankfully, the game doesn't require experience-grinding, so it ultimately wasn't too much of an issue.
The gameplay in this title is pretty much what you'd expect from a traditional RPG. You explore various areas with your party (which constantly is shifting, as mentioned before), battle monsters and level up to learn new abilities. The battle system is simple and turn-based, and characters act based on their speed statistic. The new additions to the battle system were totally rad, though! One of the most notable aspects of EarthBound was the battle music--unlike in most RPGs, different music played when you were fighting with an enemy, and not just a difference in random-encounter monsters and boss battles. When facing the "New Age Retro Hippie", the music would shift to a rock 'n roll sound. When fighting robotic enemies, the music would become techno-tastic and mechanical. Mother 3 continued this awesome aspect and took it one step further and incorporated music into the battle system, itself.
When fighting, you can actually combo your basic attacks by pressing the button to the enemy "heartbeat", which, essentially, is the beat of the background music, and you can chain up to fifteen hits together. At first, this seems like a really simple task, but later on in the game, the music becomes erratic and complex, so comboing against final bosses and enemies is quite an arduous task, indeed. Another neat aspect is that when a character or enemy attacks, a sound effect or musical instrument rings out, in various pitches and tones to correspond with the current music track playing. Some characters had trumpets, some had guitars. Boney the dog, one of your final party members (which made me really happy, since Ness's dog King left the party early on in EarthBound), makes a bark noise when he attacks, which I always adored hearing. I really thought this was a fun way to take advantage of the awesome soundtrack, as well as keep otherwise simplistic and monotonous battles somewhat engaging. This game's soundtrack is absolutely outstanding.
Battle scene of what was going to be the GameCube version of Mother 3.
Only two of your characters continue to learn abilities as they level up, Lucas and Kumatora. Duster and Boney don't have psychic abilities and don't even learn new abilities past what they begin with, so that's a little bleh, but whatever. Learning abilities isn't as simple as leveling up as it is in EarthBound, however. Once they have reached the level necessary to learn an ability, they experience a "fever" while their mind realizes a new ability, during which your party is unable to dash on the field map. It's an interesting concept, and I understand because it's psychic abilities and all, but it was a bit of a downer, for me.
I am quite saddened as a fan of this series to admit that I was a bit disappointed. My expectations were so, so high because of how amazing EarthBound was, and although Mother 3 was incredibly charming and addictive, it lacked something that I just can't put my finger on: that spark that EarthBound had from beginning to finish. Having that said, it's not a bad game at all. I'd go so far to say that it's astounding. The humor is spot-on, and that is the primary appeal of the Mother series, anyway. I found myself constantly laughing out loud at silly lines spoken by random NPCs, as well as a lot of the monsters encountered (although they weren't nearly as memorable as the ones in EarthBound, like the Cranky Old Lady), but most amusing were, of course, the Magypsies, the race of tranny, bearded, immortal beings that the plot of the story eventually revolves around.
What I thought was the most appealing about Mother 3 was, as I said before, the addition of a music-based combo system in the battle. I was also incredibly impressed by the storytelling devices used, although I didn't really care for the whole "chapter" method. There were lots of flashbacks, lots of shifts in perspective, and far too much party member shuffling. Having so many temporary party members was a bit frustrating -- it made me feel like I was wasting time leveling characters I knew I wasn't going to be taking to the end of the game, but in general, I was impressed by the way the story was told, and the plot was certainly much more in-depth and emotional than it had been in EarthBound.
I really hated the fact that I had to wait so much time after leveling up Lucas and Kumatora for them to learn a new ability instead of just freakin' learning it. I had to walk around without being able to dash 'til they decided to realize whatever new power they learned from leveling up ten minutes prior. Bleh.
Something else that was totally disappointing was the overall serious and dark tone. EarthBound was incredibly light-hearted and silly, all of the way until the final battle. In Mother 3, the game starts out... well, dark. Incredibly dark. So dark that I cried. Several times. This game is just plain sad. It lightens up a bit, here and there, but over all, the tone of this game is much, much more serious than its predecessors, and that killed it for me. The whole appeal of EarthBound, to me, was the light, goofy atmosphere of it all. Bummer.
It took far, far too long for the central plot of the game to even be explained, and it certainly seemed rushed, particularly the ending. Oh geez, the ending. I have never been so disappointed when beating a game since... well, okay, never. It honestly pissed me off; it was a fun experience, but the ending made the entire journey feel like it was totally not worth it. There were so many loose ends that weren't tied off, and never will be. Sigh.
The cons do not outweigh the pros, for me, with Mother 3, but once again, keep in mind that I'm comparing it to the masterpiece that is EarthBound. So I apologize to those of you who are huge Lucas fans, but please understand that Mother 3 simply doesn't live up to the amazingness that is Ness's game of origin. Overall, I did enjoy playing it, although I felt like I was having to force myself through it, as opposed to being helplessly addicted to it, and once again... the ending. Oh gawd, the ending. Just... there... wasn't even an ending! Just... ugh!!!
- Audio: 4.5
- Gameplay: 4
- Originality: 4
- Story: 5
- Visuals: 3.5
- Overall: 4
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Completion Time: ~25 Hours
+ Excellent retro-styled graphics and soundtrack
+ Nostalgic, yet engaging battle system
+ Quirky humor that fits perfectly in the Mother series
+ Incredibly emotional and surprisingly deep storyline
- Too many flashbacks and perspective-shifts
- Fairly short completion time with an unsatisfying ending
