Mother 3/Earthbound 2 Fan Translation Finished

Back in 1995, when I was still hopelessly addicted to all things Nintendo, EarthBound was a pretty big deal. With its giant box, modern-day setting and killer soundtrack, it was easily the most revolutionary RPG I’d ever played. I definitely devoted a large amount of time to it, and still consider it one of my all-time favorite games.

What I didn’t know at the time was that EarthBound was actually a sequel, and part of a series called “Mother” in Japan. Nintendo had translated the first game, but they never released it. The ROM of the unreleased prototype is available on the Internet for those who are curious.

Around 2005 or so, it was announced that a Gameboy Advance sequel to Earthbound (or Mother 2 if you will), was being developed in Japan, along with a compilation GBA cartridge that would include the first two Mother games. Despite the cult following that EarthBound had going here, Nintendo never released either one in the States.

But things were not as dim as they seemed. A group of hackers and translators stepped up to make Mother 3 available here. And after a couple of years of hard work, the unofficial translation has finally been released in the form of a ROM patch. Simply download the Japanese ROM along with an emulator and the patch, apply it and presto! Mother 3 goodness for all to enjoy!

So after 13 years of waiting for an EarthBound sequel, it’s fair to say that I’m satisfied. I haven’t made much progress in the game yet (I’ve clocked only about an hour and a half of play time) but I gotta say, it’s great so far. Mother 3 retains the same EarthBound charm while remaining fresh and innovative. And since I’ve been sick and stuck in bed all weekend, I thank my lucky Starmen that I have something so exciting to keep my mind off my nausea.