| What a totally unfair review. I just had to write my own, and speak up for all us other TRUE fans of the Mother series. *Ahem*
[ HOW IT LOOKS ]
Graphics, graphics, graphics. First of all, anyone unimpressed with Mother 3’s graphics must be a person that has never played any of the handheld Zelda games (GB, GBC, GBA), or else must have hated every minute of doing so. Anyone familiar with Mother 2 (a.k.a. 'Earthbound' here in the states) should feel at home, even impressed by the deceivingly simple character sprites. Colorful, slightly cartoonish, and even somewhat creepy (i.e. Lucas’ blank stare), these graphics make for a broad spectrum of game play and plot possibilities. And boy, this game is chock full of both.
[ HOW IT SOUNDS ]
Music from the Mother series (even the NES original) has always been held in high regard by fans, and for good reason. Mother 2 (oh, for simplicity’s sake, let’s just call it Earthbound) had a very eclectic soundtrack, and was one of the first RPGs to feature musical samples rather than MIDI-esque bleeps and bloops. With Mother 3, the music ante has been upped…there are more melodies and songs than the previous two games, and the music is put to use with an innovative (if not frustrating) BPM combo system. Very rarely will you go into battle and hear the same music twice in a row, and even if that DOES happen, the music is so well-composed and unique (and sometimes downright avant-garde) you probably won’t mind. Naturally, the GBA’s speakers can only handle so much sound, which can be a downside, but with so many ways to play GBA games these days, this isn’t really an issue. Also, I recommend using headphones while playing.
[ HOW IT PLAYS ]
Mother 3’s game play has nearly everything you liked about Earthbound, and more! The rolling counter HP/PP system is back, along with the turn based battle sequences and dizzy psychedelic backgrounds. Like I mentioned, there IS a combo system that can be worked with (and it can come in handy once you’ve gotten good at it), but it is more of an optional thing than a repetitive task one must master. There is a wide range of PP (psychic) abilities, and the only one that I found myself missing was the ‘Teleport’ function. However, the world of Mother 3 takes place on an island, and from town square, you can ride a train out to the boondocks and back. Also, unlike Earthbound, Mother 3 features a “charge” technique, which allows you to run around at high speed and ‘tackle’ certain objects. You can even ‘tackle’ weaker enemies once they’re no longer any threat to you. Throw in a good number of chapters, characters and mini games, and you’ve got what does indeed feel like the true sequel to Earthbound.
[ HOW’S THE STORY? ]
I’m not even going to talk about the story, because I am awaiting the English translation to make full sense of it all. It is, however, a very original and emotional plot…as far as I can tell, anyway.
[ HOW IT COMPARES ]
I found Mother 3 to be about the same length as Earthbound , but it did feel a bit shorter because of the way the game is split up into 8 chapters. Unlike it’s predecessor, Mother 3 does not only focus on the main hero character, but certain family members and friends…hell, even a monkey, to progress the story. In fact, you don’t even play as Lucas (Mother 3’s ‘Ness’ typecast) until chapter 3! However, there’s no filler here. Each chapter is as fun as it is unique, and vice-versa. I only wish the cowboy, Flint, were a more featured party member. These characters seem a bit strange at first, but they do grow on you. There are even several cameos from Earthbound characters! Regarding difficulty, I found this game to be much more challenging that Earthbound. Several bosses are HUGE, and waste no time crushing you into gooey pancake batter. There is a good deal of battle strategy involved (certain bosses you can’t kill by just ‘attacking’, certain enemies you’re not supposed to kill at all), and the last boss fight is certainly strange. Think of the final boss, Giygas, from Earthbound, and what it took to defeat him. Much of Mother 3 takes this strangely pacifistic approach to new levels.
Overall, fans of Earthbound, you will probably fall in love with this game after the first chapter. To the uninitiated, it may take some time for Mother 3 to grow on you. In the meantime, however, Mother 3 is an entirely proficient, challenging, unique and, most of all, fun game for any RPG fan. A true sequel. It lived up to all of my expectations, and it can only get better once an English translated version is made available (yes, I played it in Japanese…what can I say, I’ve waited 10 years for this game). So, until that day comes, grab yourselves an import copy and enjoy your stay in Mother 3 world!
For more information on the Mother series, visit [ www.starmen.net ]
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