Mother 3 keeps everything from the previous installments of the series that we loved and it adds much much more.
Before you decide to continue reading this review here is a little back info on the Mother series and the original Mother 3-
Mother 1 was released for the NES awhile back and Japanese gamers were charmed by the games sense of style and unique gameplay. Unlike RPGs about dungeons and dragons, Mother was different. You call your dad to save your game and draw money from ATM machines, and you journey with friends to save the world! Unfortunetly Mother 1 never made it out of Japan.
Later on a sequel was released, and unlike its predecessor it made it out of Japan as the series many gamers had learned to love, Earthbound. Earthbound was generally a sort of retelling of Mother 1, but it was much more then that. Gamers in America who actually bought the game and looked pass the its simple graphics and saw the funny, quirky, gameplay and story. Sadly, here in the U.S it was considered a failure with its disappointing sales. Looks like most people were looking for some more eye candy rather then fun gameplay.
Earthbound's ending clearly lead to a sequel. Mother 3, and it was headed to the Nintendo 64! People had high hopes for this game, but delay after delay after delay hope started faded, and information dried up...then before we knew it Earthbound 64/Mother 3 was cancelled....
Later in 2003 an unlikely announcement was made during a commercial advertising Mother 1 + 2 (a repackaging of the two classics). Mr Saturn informs us that Mother 3 was in development for the GBA!
And now for my review of Mother 3-
Gameplay- Unlike mother 2 the gameplay feels more polished and organized (like the menus). But the game still retains the humor and addictiveness that made us fall in love with the game in the first place.
The battle system is generally the same as Mother 2 but it received some basic touch ups such as a new music theme combo system and the enemy can be facing a different position depending on the side it was encountered on. .
As for the story- I just don’t wanna spoil anything =) even if it is in Japanese you still can understand the story perfectly (for the most part)
Though the quest is slightly shorter then the previous installments the new chapter system is a welcome addition.
Graphics- Mother 3 keeps the simplistic style of Mother 2, but a lot more detail has been added to the sprites, and more frames of animation. Still, I cant say im not disappointed. Looking back at the Earthbound 64 screens just makes me think of what it would be like playing a 3D Earthbound.
Sound- The Mother series, in my opinion has EXCELLENT music and sound effects. So how does Mother 3 do compared to the others? Perfect! Mother 3 has the right sounds at the right time and the perfect music to set what ever mood the creator wanted. Also the addition of the “Sound Play” is great, it allows you to choose from any of the games sound effects and music (through the opening menu) and customize your favorites list. Though It might take awhile to find your favorite tracks from the game. But once you do it would be smart to write down what number they are to add them to your favorite list.
Import Friendly?- Though you may need to pull out a walkthrough once in a while, its very clear where to go and what to do. The characters facial expressions can really tell a lot, and the commands are icon based so no problem there. Of course there is an occasional -take the item and meet back with someone- that might cause some confusion but that is nothing a online walkthrough cant help you through!
This game is hands down the best in the entire series. At first I was a bit skeptical wheather it could surpass Mother 2/ Earthbound but with the polished menus and improved battle system it became clear it did.
So if you’re a fan of Earthbound this is a must buy, but if your not to big on import games its best to wait until Nintendo localizes it (that is if it will ever happen).