PSI Rockers: MOTHER Discussion

[Ness]

In rm Nosa said we needed a MOTHER thread so here we are.

What are your thoughts on this series as a whole and who is your favorite protagonist?

I got into the games in mid-2024 with Mother 2 (EarthBound) and my favorite protagonist is... well take a wild guess

The series is amazing in everyway especially with how emotional the games truly are

 

[Bantigon]

How am I supposed to explain that the game that has several distinct farts inside of presents made me cry

 

[Daren]

Earthbound was one of my early RPGs; I still recall how the extra-large box caught my eye at Blockbusters one night. A rental eventually turned into purchasing a copy. When Earthbound Beginnings appeared on the Virtual Console it was an easy choice to grab it.

Personally, I don't think either really have great battle systems and what I think really sells them is a combination of the writing and atmosphere. At the time an RPG taking place in modern times as opposed to the distant past of a Sci Fi setting was unique. Of the two, I'm tempted to say Beginning has an almost low-key horror vibe throughout--the alien invasion is unsettling and there motives unclear for much of the game, and the huge difficulty spike late-game, although apparently the result of a lack of testing, accidentally works well with the story; is resistance doomed to fail?
It was also quite nonlinear, letting you do all sorts of fun and often ill-advised things.

Earthbound had a bit of this too at times, but had a bigger focus on being bizarre and funny (though again, both elements were also present in Beginnings). It was made much more linear to put a bigger emphasis on the storyline.
Gameplay wise it fixed a lot of Beginnings issues--the party is a lot better balanced in combat and the difficulty is less punishing.

Yet despite that (and that in many ways it felt almost like a retelling more than a sequel) I don't think Earthbound entirely replaces it's sequel; the original has some special charms of it's own.

But there's no denying Earthbound is much bigger and more expansive; there's a stronger sense of characterization thanks to the 16-bit era amounts of writing, and it's got one of JRPGs finest final bosses.

 

[Bantigon]

Apple Kid appreciation post

 

[Ness]

Apple Kid appreciation post
View attachment 245677

One of the best characters and he has the best sprite:

Spoiler: Apple Kid sprite

 

[Thegameandwatch]

At least some things from EarthBound would likely influenced Pokemon to an extent and especially because some of the Pokemon developers (Creatures) worked on EarthBound. Notable example could be the modern setting since most RPGs at the time were in a completely fantasy world.

 

[Vlachya]

Someone peer pressure me into playing Mother 3, please. I keep telling myself I'll play it one of these years, but I've been saying that for over a decade!

 

[Bantigon]

Someone peer pressure me into playing Mother 3, please. I keep telling myself I'll play it one of these years, but I've been saying that for over a decade!

I wont comment on MOTHER 3's content or tone or anything itself because it really does need to be experienced blind, but it doesn't really get dull throughout the game. It doesn't really suffer from being predictable, because it's still a MOTHER game, and its slapstick still hits like a truck. Battling is engaging, (more than Earthbound) and the game is fairly good at pointing you in a direction, while still having you speak to NPCs for guidance on what happens next. Just play it so we can arrogantly joke about Duster either being a moron or the best character in the game by far