Mother 3: The First Hour

 Game: Mother 3

Platform: Game Boy Advance

Genre: Role-Playing

Year Released: 2006

    Shigesato Itoi is a mad genius. Having released two prior entries in the Mother series, those games being Mother for the NES and Mother 2 (Better known as Earthbound stateside), he sought to finish the series with Mother 3. Mother 3 was delayed a number of years, having started production in 2000, and switching development off of the Super Famicom, N64 and finally unto the GBA, was finally released in Japan in 2006. Unfortunately, no one outside of Japan would be able to experience Itoi's masterpiece until 2008, when the community on Starman.net and one Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin released a fan translation. It is using this fan translation that I used to experience my first hour with Mother 3.

    Mother 3 begins on the Nowhere Islands some undetermined time after the events of Mother 2/Earthbound. We are introduced to a small family: Twins Lucas and Claus, their parents Flint and Hinawa, and the family pooch Boney. Players are able to change names and other factors, like favorite food (the default being omelets). Lucas, Claus, and their mother Hinawa are visiting Hinawa's father Alec in his mountain home. After a sweet scene involving the boys playing with dinosaur-like creatures called dragos and battling with an insect called the Mole Cricket, we learn their visit is coming to an end and that they'll be returning to their home in Tazmily Village. This ends the short prologue chapter of the game, and from that, we've learned the absolute basics of playing the game, from the battle mechanics to exploration and even talking to frogs to save the game.

    The scene shifts to the forest outside Tazmily that night, where strange individuals wearing pig masks are using bombs and strange mutant creatures to set the forest ablaze. Thomas goes to get reliable shepherd Flint, the patriarch of the family introduced in the prologue. We now get to play as Flint and interact with the villagers of Tazmily, all quirky in their individual ways. Flint is tasked with saving Lighter and his son Fuel, who are stuck in the blaze. Fighting our way past creatures like Mr. Batty, a bat creature with a battle theme that starts similarly to the classic '60s Batman theme, Yammonsters, yam monsters, to eventually Fireflies, flies that breathe fire, and a Flying Mouse boss, Flint rescues Lighter and Fuel and a rainstorm starts, quelling the blaze. Everyone returns to the village, but Flint is uneasy, as his family has not returned home as of yet. Everyone agrees to help Flint find any sign of his missing family, and back into the forest we go. Here, we're introduced to Wess and Duster, thieving father and son, who use their talents to help Flint proceed in his quest. They eventually come across a couple of pig masked individuals and some kind of robotic moose, who we fight as a boss, but unfortunately, midway through the fight, my hour came to an end.

    So, where does that leave Mother 3? Well, I'm more than intrigued. There's no game quite like it. It has a very strange, foreboding tone, and the writing and music really elevate the game for me. I'm more than sure I am going to play more of it. I only pray that I continue to enjoy it as much as I have. 

    Any questions, comments or thoughts? Want to see my thoughts on a particular game? Please type them below, I would appreciate any input. This is a labor of passion and love, and all opinions are my own. 

Thank you, and I can't wait to share another First Hour with you!