Mother 3 Article Index for
Mother
Articles about
Mother 3
Website Links For
Mother
 

Information About

Mother 3




  developer Brownie Brown , HAL Laboratory
  publisher Nintendo
  designer Shigesato Itoi
  released April 20 2006
  genre RPG
  modes Single Player
  platforms Game Boy Advance
  media Cartridge
  preceded By Mother , Mother 2 / EarthBound


''Mother 3'' is a HAL Laboratory video game, developed by Brownie Brown and released on April 20 , 2006 for the Game Boy Advance . It is the third title in the '' Mother '' series of games, known as '' EarthBound '' outside of Japan. Details of its development were kept secret since it was announced in June of 2003 during a '' Mother 1 + 2 '' commercial in Japan. The game has remained near the top of Famitsu 's Most Wanted Games list since its announcement, only once falling below number 10 to number 11. Immediately before its release, ''Mother 3'' was ''the'' Most Wanted Game in Japan according to Weekly Famitsu {Link without Title} .


PLOT


Mother 3 is set in a land called the Nowhere Islands. Chaos ensues the Nowhere Islands after an alien invasion by a race of pig men. The pig army slowly construct a police state, while performing bizarre experiments on the land's Flora and Fauna . The invaders also introduce new technology and Infrastructure to the islands. The various chapters of the story record the trials and tribulations of a rugged man named Flint , his family, and friends, who reside in Tazmily Village.

Some chapters put completely different characters in the Protagonistic role. For example, in one chapter the main character is a thief named Duster , in another the main character is a monkey named Salsa who is owned by a rich travelling merchant named Yokuba.


BACKGROUND

See Also: EarthBound 64


''Mother 3'' was originally announced in 1996 for the Nintendo 64 . Development soon moved to the Nintendo 64DD , where it was to be a launch title, but after many delays caused by the inexperience of the development team with the hardware and 3D Graphics , it was cancelled in August 2000 . The project was revived in 2003, now with 2D Graphics in the Game Boy Advance.


MARKETING

Beginning in February 2006 , lead designer Shigesato Itoi initiated a systematic divulgence of ''Mother 3'' information on the official ''Mother 3'' website. The additions are documented below:
  • On the week of February 7 , the ''Mother 3'' slogan and theme song, ''"Strange, Funny, Heartrending"'' and ''"Mother 3 Love Song"'' respectively, were revealed.

  • On the week of February 14 , the first screenshots of the title were revealed and a special Ringtone of the ''Mother 3'' Love Theme was offered. It is only available in Japan.

  • On the week of February 21 , three additional screenshots were revealed along with the ''Mother 3 Deluxe Box''.

  • On the week of February 28 , screenshots featuring a dungeon area and a typical battle screen were revealed. Itoi also stated that, like the first two ''Mother'' games, it would be a typical RPG with traditional RPG elements, but with a unique world and story. Two character names were also revealed: Flint and Boney.

  • On the week of March 7 , a rendition of the world map was revealed.

  • On the week of March 14 , two more main characters were revealed: Lucas and Claus, Lucas being the younger twin brother and Claus being the older. Itoi also released ''Mother 3''-themed cell phone backgrounds, but only for those with Japanese phones.

  • On the week of , their mother Hinawa , and their dog Boney.

  • On the week of March 28 , the sprites of 14 enemies were presented, and two computer wallpapers, one with the world map and another with Boney the dog walking through a grass background.

  • On the week of April 4 , various screenshots of many locations were revealed.

  • On the week of April 10 , along with 12 new screenshots, the game is revealed to be setup into different chapters.

  • On the week of April 18 , two days before ''Mother 3'' was released, Itoi released a final message about the game.


This information, which was rationed out on a weekly basis until the April 20 release date, can be found at the Official Mother 3 Website .


MOTHER 3 DELUXE BOX

A limited release version of ''Mother 3'' version was sold in Japan in addition to the basic title. This "Deluxe Box" included a copy of ''Mother 3'' for the Game Boy Advance , a Special Edition Game Boy Micro and a Franklin Badge for ¥18,000. Pre-Orders began on March 1 , 2006 , continuing until the release of the game on April 20 of that year. Due to unexpected demand only a small fraction of the Deluxe Boxes were shipped by the release date of the game.


REVIEWS

Famitsu scored ''Mother 3'' with a 35/40, providing the first public review of the game. {Link without Title}


SALES INFORMATION

On April 27, 2006 it was confirmed that ''Mother 3'' sold 205,914 copies in its first 3 days on sale in Japan. {Link without Title}


EARLIEST SCREENSHOTS