Image: Nintendo Life/Gavin Lane
Since the game launched on the Game Boy Advance in 2006, Mother 3 has never been officially localized and released outside of Japan, which has been a source of grief and frustration for fans in the West. The sequel to the cult classic Earthbound — the SNES entry series in Motherhood sold poorly in the U.S. and didn’t see light in Europe until the Wii U and 3DS Virtual Console releases — arrived late on the GBA. Backwards compatibility, however, means that Japanese players entering the heyday of the WiiDS won’t have to pull out their old handhelds to enjoy the final chapter of author Shigesatao Itoi’s trilogy.
Avid fans have been calling for an official Western premiere of “Mother 3” for more than a decade, but despite behind-the-scenes conversations, there’s no sign yet. We got EarthBound Beginnings (a localization of the previously unreleased Famicom-only first entry) on the Wii U, and we recently heard from Reggie Fils-Aimé that there was a “serious” take on a potential release for the handheld trilogy dialogue”. Coincidentally, the game’s producer Shinichi Kameoka also recently speculated that the translation Itoi’s unique writing style may be a sticking point for official Western releases.
We’re not sure we’ll buy it, though – despite a very reputable core fanbase, it seems more likely that Nintendo doesn’t believe the game will find enough audience to warrant investing in “challenging” Localization work. As far as Itoi’s style and unrivaled charm go, it’s perfectly captured in EarthBound’s localization, so there’s no reason to think the same can’t be achieved again.
Actually the same already have This was achieved in a wonderful fan translation updated last year.This brings us to the question: is there a real need Is Nintendo releasing Mother 3 now?
Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube
Don’t get me wrong, we’ll be at the top of the list to download Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and Blades of Light in a limited-edition “3arthBound” set, or a surprise standalone digital version la la EarthBound Beginnings, or GBA updates added to the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack.we will absolutely Love Play Nintendo Official Edition for this wonderful ending.
However, the truth is that most of us who want to play it have already played it. Although never released in the West, Mother 3 currently sits alongside Metroid: Mission Zero at the top of our readers’ list of the best Game Boy Advance games. Series superfans and curious gamers alike have bought the original Japanese game, have downloaded the fan translation and played this thing. A cursory search on the internet reveals that all sorts of replica cars are readily available, not to mention the myriad other ways that die-hard fans can find GBA games on the original hardware – assuming you have a legitimate original ROM, also using a perfectly legal one method form.
Part of the reason we’re still hoping for an official release is that new generations can easily access the game and discover the series, perhaps for the first time. It’s been a far-reaching journey, and we want to see as many viewers as possible have the opportunity to play the game on Switch. With over 100 million consoles, if only a handful of people were involved in this quirky little adventure, it could soon outsell the original EarthBound’s roughly 658,000 units worldwide. We really just want to spread mother love.
We’ve always loved the infographic on the back of the box and all the ways to play (Image: Nintendo Life/Gavin Lane)
Although only a relatively small number of players have played the series, the series has inspired so much love that if you watch our video celebrating Mother’s Day, you’ll see testimonies from some familiar faces. We recently saw a homage in the style of Link’s Awakening remake, hinting at what a remake of Mother 3 could look like. The enthusiasm for the game and the series is impressive, but most pragmatic fans will not only understand Nintendo’s reluctance to release official localizations from a business perspective, but have found a way to experience the game for themselves.
That leaves Nintendo and Mother 3 fans in a bind. This is a poser!
What do you think? Let us know your stance on Nintendo’s 2022 release of Mother 3 in the poll below, and share more thoughts in the comments.
Does Nintendo still need to release Mother 3 in the West given that its biggest fans already play the game? (1,274 votes)
- certainly!Think of the wider audience it could reach on Switch55%
- No, but it’s going to be a PR win, right?27%
- It would be nice, but most fans have probably already played11%
- not needed for now7%
Have you played the fan translation of Mommy 3? (1,144 votes)
- Of course I played the fan translation of Mom 3. What a stupid question!25%
- I don’t but I will14%
- It seems a bit complicated to set up7%
- I’d rather play the official localization tbh40%
- I’m not interested in mom, I just love voting15%
If you played fan translation, would you buy/play the official version? (722 votes)
- Absolutely, the love for my mother has no limits57%
- Of course, if not stupid moneytwenty three%
- hmm, maybe10%
- maybe not6%
- no, been there, did it5%