More Mother, More Love!
More Mother, More Love
It has been ten years since the release of Mother 2 known as Earthbound in the U.S. After a long wait, Shigesato Itoi has released the third and final game in the Mother series. Does the game hold a candle to its predecessors? Does Mother 3 share the same heart rendering and fun filled moments the Mother series is known for? Find out in the review.
Graphics:
The graphics are more colorful and more animated than anything I’ve seen on the SNES or GBA. The environments are highly detailed and a lot of depth and life can be found in the in-game sprites. The game’s graphics are more polished than what you might find in Mother 2 (Earthbound). Cut scenes and dialogue are very animated and you can almost understand the story through the characters’ motions alone. The graphics can be summed up as bright and colorful with highly detailed character sprites.
Music and Sound:
Almost all the music found in Mother 3 is new to the series. There are a few remixes of older songs from Mother 1 and 2 but for the most part the music is totally new. You will feel a lot of familiarity between the music if you have played the previous Mothers. The songs are catchy and will have you humming them toward the end of the game. The sound effects are also top notch. They are well synced and beautifully executed. I felt that the music found in Mother 3 was very appropriate and fitting for the Mother series as a whole.
Gameplay:
The gameplay in Mother 3 really stuck to the traditional RPG roots that the Mother series is known for. The battle system is almost identical to Mother 2 (Earthbound). You will be able to see the enemies moving about while adventuring through areas, just like Mother 2 or Chrono Trigger (SNES). The battles are not random encounter like the older Final Fantasy series. If you run into an enemy head on you will encounter a battle normally. If you manage to get behind the enemy you will encounter the battle and gain the upper hand by having the first strike. However, if the enemy some how runs into you and your either trying to run away or are not facing the enemy. You will then enter battle but the enemy will be the one with the first strike. Once you enter the battle you will see the familiar commands like Fight, PSI (Magic), Skills, Defend, and Run. Battles are very traditional and pretty straightforward. There shouldn’t be any battle commands that really throw users for a loop or anything like that. Mother 3 does however keep the traditional RPG battle system fresh by implementing a musical based combo system. When attacking an enemy if you continually press the A button with the beat of the music, you can rack up more damage by doing combos. I really liked the music based combo system. Each enemy has a different battle theme, so the combo system never gets boring or old. It can also be quite a challenge to pull off all the time, forcing you to really concentrate and pay attention to the battles. As for the particular battles themselves, I found the game to be substantially difficult. If you walk into a battle unprepared or under leveled, you can almost expect a game over. You can’t simply choose the fight command over and over. You will actually have to use a combination of skills, items, combos, and magic to tackle your foes. Strategy definitely is a key part in defeating the epic boss battles as well. As far as exploration and adventuring goes, Mother 3 is definitely full of wandering around the many different and colorful environments as well as talking with their quirky inhabitants. Mother 3 has added a new feature to the series, the ability to run on screen while you’re adventuring. After using the feature, you will wonder how you ever played a Mother game without this essential ability. It is a small added feature but it makes a world of difference in the gameplay. Though there are a variety of towns and areas to explore. There seems to be less exploration than its predecessor Mother 2 (Earthbound). This is partially due to the restricting chapter system built into the game. The chapter system was the only thing I really disliked about Mother 3. There are a total of eight chapters in the game. The first three chapters of the game revolve around a different main character in the story. It isn’t even really till chapter four, that you gain control of the main hero and have a consistent party that remains till the end of the game. After completing certain chapters many areas become inaccessible. Once you make it to chapter eight their will be no backtracking from that point. Many RPGers tend to call this the PONR (Point of No Return) and they absolutely hate it. Why, the limitless exploration that was found in Mother 2 (Earthbound) was taken out of Mother 3 is beyond me. Because of the chapter system, the game feels very structured and very linear.
The humorous but epic story telling the Mother series is known for is also found in Mother 3. The story and characters are very moving. You really get attached to the main characters and even some of the NPCs (Non-Player Characters) from the towns. The story has a combination of humor, tragedy, reality, and fantasy. The game takes your everyday believable characters and throws them in an epic tale revolving around technology, nature, ethics, and the whole world. The story really makes you think about the deeper things in life as well as making you laugh at the quirky humor of the different characters. From beginning to end the story will glued to your GBA.
Aside from the flaws of the chapter system, Mother 3 has all the right elements to become a legend; Traditional yet fresh gameplay, a humorous yet epic tale, rich immersive environments, and a kicking sound track. I believe Mother 3 is a worthy inheritor to bear the great Mother series name.
Final Score: 9.4