I was wondering why this game had a reputation for being way more brutal/grindy than it actually is but then I saw that the Starmen.net guide I was used recommended that you grind to a level where you one-shot enemies at a point where you're already safely two-shotting them and remembered that the average Nintendo fan can't be trusted to know shit about RPGs
A game of progressively getting to see lots of wacky and charming stuff, while all the "worst game design ever" just... wasn't?
Having someone guard while I'm off going places i needed to anyways until they can fight sure was one of the grinds of all time. And i dunno those dungeons were fine. Except Mt. Itoi I guess but just run away. Your attacker cannot legally hurt you without your consent.
What I'm trying to say is that if this is the standard of quality and wit set by a game the Internet decided sucked because the inventory is a bit shit, then I'm gonna be in for a treat with the rest of the series.
Having someone guard while I'm off going places i needed to anyways until they can fight sure was one of the grinds of all time. And i dunno those dungeons were fine. Except Mt. Itoi I guess but just run away. Your attacker cannot legally hurt you without your consent.
What I'm trying to say is that if this is the standard of quality and wit set by a game the Internet decided sucked because the inventory is a bit shit, then I'm gonna be in for a treat with the rest of the series.
Yeah I’m sure earthbound beginnings is a primitive rpg with a lot of flaws that make for an overall tedious experience, but I guess I’ll never really know because I played it with the 25th anniversary patch and decided to just have a lot of fun instead.
And if you don't like the graphical changes made for it, there's a patch for that too!
And if you don't like the graphical changes made for it, there's a patch for that too!
i miss my dead friend
It's rather funny, really. I've played both Earthbound and Mother 3, but only now have I gotten around to playing Mother proper. And while I think it's a good game, it's definitely got a lot of rough patches that keep it from being much higher.
This game from what I remember was a very late Famicom/NES game, coming out only a year before the Super Famicom, and for what it is, Mother is a really impressive game. And while it definitely has its shortcomings and limitations, I find it really impressive. While this game isn't a massive RPG, I beat it in about 10-11 hours total, the sense of scale that Mother has is really cool!
I really love the aesthetic of Mother, the idea of a turn based RPG set in some midwest US state is really cool. The mundanity mixed with the fantastical nature of evil monsters and magic PSI abilities. It creates a really charming aesthetic, and one that persists throughout the entire game, even when you get to the ending. I also absolutely love the music, easily my favorite being Snowman.
The actual combat of Mother is rather fun as well, though probably the simplest of the series from what I remember. The PSI abilities are fun, but I never really used many of them. I pretty much only used them to heal, and use PK Beam when I needed a good offensive option. Though I never found the game too difficult, I probably would've had an easier time with the game if I used more of the PSI abilities. But at the same time, I never felt the need to.
Compared to its later games, Mother isn't as story heavy from what I experienced. However, the story it does have is really good, and the actual emotional core of Mother is very strong. The final moments of the game are super impactful, especially.
But, even though the game is really good in the previously mentioned aspects, it's got some noticeable problems, I feel. While I do compliment the scale of Mother's world, god it so difficult to navigate. The overworld and dungeons feel like mazes, and it's really hard to find your way around. This definitely lead to times where I was just completely lost, having no way to get my bearings. I remember this especially when I was in Duncan's Factory, where the entire area blended together and I just had no idea where to go. Eventually I just pulled a guide and followed it all the way to the end, and I don't think I could've beaten the game without it. The level layout I think is the general issue here, as I had the idea of where I needed to go, just not how to get there.
The other, and definitely more glaring issue is the rate of Random Encounters. In particular, random encounters occur so often in Mother, sometimes just taking a single step brings about one. Now, while that's passable early on, as enemies could be beaten easily, and it's good for level grinding, the further you get, the worse it becomes. Enemies often have noticeable spikes in difficulty, and can often appear in groups of 2-4, and because of how long these battles can take, it proves easier to try and run from them instead of fighting them. However, that leads into one of my personal pet peeves that appear in many RPGs, which is failing to flee from a battle. Failing to run away is often a punishment to the player, however, there's already an innate punishment in running away already, as you wont gain experience at all, thus, you'll ultimately be weaker. But regardless of that, the chance of failing the run away feels way too high, and while there is a PSI ability to ensure a success flee, it costs 16 PP to use, so you get at best about 10 uses of it at the end of the game. And with how often random encounters occur, you're likely to run out of PP before getting to the end of a dungeon. Though I think this issue wouldn't be as big of an issue here if the encounter rate was significantly lower.
But I still really appreciate Mother for what it is. It's definitely got its shortcomings, and it's probably my least favorite of the trilogy, but there's a lot of heart here. I think it was definitely worth playing, but I don't think I'd replay it any time soon.
This game from what I remember was a very late Famicom/NES game, coming out only a year before the Super Famicom, and for what it is, Mother is a really impressive game. And while it definitely has its shortcomings and limitations, I find it really impressive. While this game isn't a massive RPG, I beat it in about 10-11 hours total, the sense of scale that Mother has is really cool!
I really love the aesthetic of Mother, the idea of a turn based RPG set in some midwest US state is really cool. The mundanity mixed with the fantastical nature of evil monsters and magic PSI abilities. It creates a really charming aesthetic, and one that persists throughout the entire game, even when you get to the ending. I also absolutely love the music, easily my favorite being Snowman.
The actual combat of Mother is rather fun as well, though probably the simplest of the series from what I remember. The PSI abilities are fun, but I never really used many of them. I pretty much only used them to heal, and use PK Beam when I needed a good offensive option. Though I never found the game too difficult, I probably would've had an easier time with the game if I used more of the PSI abilities. But at the same time, I never felt the need to.
Compared to its later games, Mother isn't as story heavy from what I experienced. However, the story it does have is really good, and the actual emotional core of Mother is very strong. The final moments of the game are super impactful, especially.
But, even though the game is really good in the previously mentioned aspects, it's got some noticeable problems, I feel. While I do compliment the scale of Mother's world, god it so difficult to navigate. The overworld and dungeons feel like mazes, and it's really hard to find your way around. This definitely lead to times where I was just completely lost, having no way to get my bearings. I remember this especially when I was in Duncan's Factory, where the entire area blended together and I just had no idea where to go. Eventually I just pulled a guide and followed it all the way to the end, and I don't think I could've beaten the game without it. The level layout I think is the general issue here, as I had the idea of where I needed to go, just not how to get there.
The other, and definitely more glaring issue is the rate of Random Encounters. In particular, random encounters occur so often in Mother, sometimes just taking a single step brings about one. Now, while that's passable early on, as enemies could be beaten easily, and it's good for level grinding, the further you get, the worse it becomes. Enemies often have noticeable spikes in difficulty, and can often appear in groups of 2-4, and because of how long these battles can take, it proves easier to try and run from them instead of fighting them. However, that leads into one of my personal pet peeves that appear in many RPGs, which is failing to flee from a battle. Failing to run away is often a punishment to the player, however, there's already an innate punishment in running away already, as you wont gain experience at all, thus, you'll ultimately be weaker. But regardless of that, the chance of failing the run away feels way too high, and while there is a PSI ability to ensure a success flee, it costs 16 PP to use, so you get at best about 10 uses of it at the end of the game. And with how often random encounters occur, you're likely to run out of PP before getting to the end of a dungeon. Though I think this issue wouldn't be as big of an issue here if the encounter rate was significantly lower.
But I still really appreciate Mother for what it is. It's definitely got its shortcomings, and it's probably my least favorite of the trilogy, but there's a lot of heart here. I think it was definitely worth playing, but I don't think I'd replay it any time soon.
Mother 1 has a pretty bad reputation in the west, seen as "unplayable" "brutal" and the like.
Because of this its often over looked in favor of Mother 2 and 3, which are both amazing games but I don't think Mother 1 really deserves the reputation it has
Nintendo fans who've never played a JRPG and won't bother to actually learn how to play will have a very hard time getting through it but if you're a fan of the genre its a short but incredibly beautiful journey
At the core of it all is the theme of Love. The game was made because Shigesato itoi wanted to connect with his daughter more, and that love and care comes across all through out the game
Because of this its often over looked in favor of Mother 2 and 3, which are both amazing games but I don't think Mother 1 really deserves the reputation it has
Nintendo fans who've never played a JRPG and won't bother to actually learn how to play will have a very hard time getting through it but if you're a fan of the genre its a short but incredibly beautiful journey
At the core of it all is the theme of Love. The game was made because Shigesato itoi wanted to connect with his daughter more, and that love and care comes across all through out the game
Que jogo sensacional, uma historia simples com um universo tão rico e vivo, eu me transportava para outro mundo quando eu entrava na tela de inicio desse jogo, senti algo parecido jogando Hollow Knight, mas aqui foi diferente, eu não tava em um reino de insetos, eu tava em algo que se assemelhava ao mundo real, mas ainda fantástico, com carros ou velhas de sacola atacando a gente, eu me diverti e me cativei, eu gosto de jogos de turno ainda que se torne maçante eventualmente, mas a cada nova cidade eu já queria conhecer a próxima, esse jogo é incrível
garbage but its my garbage
Por una parte, infancia, aventura, descubrimiento, superación, amor, amistad y muchísimo carisma y humor.
Por otra, un combate con un desbalanceo espectacular, y un mapa gargantuescamente grande que lleva a una desorientación constante, y a vagar constantemente por todo el mapa para descubrir qué hacer y dónde ir. Pasarlo sin guía para ciertas cosas ha sido más duro de lo que pensé.
Aún así, voy a guardar Mother con mucho cariño en un rinconcito de mi corazón, y voy a entrar a Earthbound con los dientes por delante.
Por otra, un combate con un desbalanceo espectacular, y un mapa gargantuescamente grande que lleva a una desorientación constante, y a vagar constantemente por todo el mapa para descubrir qué hacer y dónde ir. Pasarlo sin guía para ciertas cosas ha sido más duro de lo que pensé.
Aún así, voy a guardar Mother con mucho cariño en un rinconcito de mi corazón, y voy a entrar a Earthbound con los dientes por delante.
I really love this game. Sometimes I feel like playing it, but when I actually start to play it again, I realize how poorly the gameplay has aged, and I stop play the game. But I really love this game!
Worth a playthrough, especially if you've played Mother 2, 3 and maybe interested in checking out Mother: Cognitive Dissonance right after. It has a rough start and I wouldn't be afraid to use a guide(especially one that tells you what key items to store). Highly recommend looking at the Mother 25th and Faithful patch it's my favorite way to play the game
Meme review: This game is like Dragon Quest 2 but if Prince of Cannock was actually good
Meme review: This game is like Dragon Quest 2 but if Prince of Cannock was actually good
A wild adventure with some issues, mostly the Mt. Itoi wild ride and leveling up randomness.
RPG with a kinda interesting setting aside classic NES issues like 8 slots inventory and random encounters outside towns but can use repel ring to reduce them.
RPG with a kinda interesting setting aside classic NES issues like 8 slots inventory and random encounters outside towns but can use repel ring to reduce them.
I never "got" Earthbound. I respect it, but I just couldn't really vibe with it how I wanted to. So when I tried its predecessor on a whim, I was expecting to bounce off it pretty quickly... But to my complete and utter surprise, I adored Mother. I don't think I've played a single NES game that resonated with me more.
On a purely presentation level, I love everything Mother is going for. The story manages to do so much with so little, using the NES's limited capabilities to tell a subtle but deceptively deep narrative that feels like a punch in the gut once you realize what it's all meant. The simple Peanuts-inspired artstyle is so cozy and charming, but can also feel haunting in how empty the game can feel at times. I love how Magicant starts off as this overwhelmingly surreal location, but as you return there more and more, it starts to become familiar and homely. I love the robust rock-influenced soundtrack, the existential dread of Youngtown, the abundance of weird and memorable setpieces like the desert tank and the early-game poltergeist, and the harrowingly desperate and personal final boss fight that had me more on edge than anything I've played in a while.
As for the gameplay, yeah, it's flawed. Its battle mechanics can feel archaic, its balancing can feel all over the place, and some of its puzzles can feel quite cryptic, but as someone who's played their fair share of NES RPGs, Mother is incredibly generous. The run button makes exploring Mother's massive open world an absolute treat, you get so many great grinding opportunities and immensely powerful PSI spells and are never really at a lack of options, and for all the complaints I've heard about the grinding in this game, I was stunned at how tightly-paced it is regardless. Even with the times I took stopped to grind up my party, Mother took me less time to beat than any of the Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy games on the NES yet still managed to cover far more ground. Like yeah, Mother is probably the grindiest Nintendo RPG, but that's not really saying much.
I honestly didn't expect Earthbound Beginnings, of all games, to be the one to help me understand the appeal of the Mother series, but it's funny how things work out sometimes. I think they're the kinds of games that may rub you the wrong way at first, but if you just give them a bit of your time, they'll make it worth your while. I gave Mother a chance and was immensely rewarded with one of the most sincere and affecting adventures the NES has to offer, and now I can say I'm excited to do the same with its sequels someday.
And if Mother's combat is still too much for you, play a mod. Literally any mod, there's so many out there. There is a version of Mother for everyone, and everyone should experience this one-of-a-kind game.
On a purely presentation level, I love everything Mother is going for. The story manages to do so much with so little, using the NES's limited capabilities to tell a subtle but deceptively deep narrative that feels like a punch in the gut once you realize what it's all meant. The simple Peanuts-inspired artstyle is so cozy and charming, but can also feel haunting in how empty the game can feel at times. I love how Magicant starts off as this overwhelmingly surreal location, but as you return there more and more, it starts to become familiar and homely. I love the robust rock-influenced soundtrack, the existential dread of Youngtown, the abundance of weird and memorable setpieces like the desert tank and the early-game poltergeist, and the harrowingly desperate and personal final boss fight that had me more on edge than anything I've played in a while.
As for the gameplay, yeah, it's flawed. Its battle mechanics can feel archaic, its balancing can feel all over the place, and some of its puzzles can feel quite cryptic, but as someone who's played their fair share of NES RPGs, Mother is incredibly generous. The run button makes exploring Mother's massive open world an absolute treat, you get so many great grinding opportunities and immensely powerful PSI spells and are never really at a lack of options, and for all the complaints I've heard about the grinding in this game, I was stunned at how tightly-paced it is regardless. Even with the times I took stopped to grind up my party, Mother took me less time to beat than any of the Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy games on the NES yet still managed to cover far more ground. Like yeah, Mother is probably the grindiest Nintendo RPG, but that's not really saying much.
I honestly didn't expect Earthbound Beginnings, of all games, to be the one to help me understand the appeal of the Mother series, but it's funny how things work out sometimes. I think they're the kinds of games that may rub you the wrong way at first, but if you just give them a bit of your time, they'll make it worth your while. I gave Mother a chance and was immensely rewarded with one of the most sincere and affecting adventures the NES has to offer, and now I can say I'm excited to do the same with its sequels someday.
And if Mother's combat is still too much for you, play a mod. Literally any mod, there's so many out there. There is a version of Mother for everyone, and everyone should experience this one-of-a-kind game.
y luego me preguntan por qué no juego a juegos de Nes... digo, lo "disfrute" y entendí de primera mano la razón por la cual muchos aman y consideran como juego de culto a esta entrega pero lo siento... en sí su gameplay me hizo querer sacarme los ojos por lo tedioso que se vuelve en ese aspecto
pero mira el lado positivo, ahora puedo decir que genuinamente me termine Mother, ya no soy de esos que hablan y alaban mother diciendo que es la mejor saga o incluso piden Mother 3 en occidente cuando en realidad lo máximo que han tocado de la saga es a Ness y a Lucas en SSB. claro, me lo rushee en emulador con velocidad x4 constantemente mientras de fondo estaba escuchando capítulos del chavo para no perder mi sanidad mental mientras jugaba, pero de terminármelo me lo termine (?
pero mira el lado positivo, ahora puedo decir que genuinamente me termine Mother, ya no soy de esos que hablan y alaban mother diciendo que es la mejor saga o incluso piden Mother 3 en occidente cuando en realidad lo máximo que han tocado de la saga es a Ness y a Lucas en SSB. claro, me lo rushee en emulador con velocidad x4 constantemente mientras de fondo estaba escuchando capítulos del chavo para no perder mi sanidad mental mientras jugaba, pero de terminármelo me lo termine (?
Fun but frustrating at times. Mother 1 is an old school NES JRPG. If you go into it with that mindset you will probably enjoy it.
It's still super charming and the characters are fun, but the opening few hours can be a little rough and the grinding can be tedious.
Overall it's still really enjoyable despite it's dated parts. It feels really good getting through a difficult patch and the final boss is cool and has a unique resolution.
It's still super charming and the characters are fun, but the opening few hours can be a little rough and the grinding can be tedious.
Overall it's still really enjoyable despite it's dated parts. It feels really good getting through a difficult patch and the final boss is cool and has a unique resolution.
The hate for open world games is so unserious
This review contains spoilers
When my backlog wheel landed on this for me to play, I was beyond hyped. This game, after all, jumpstarted one of Nintendo's most unusual and influential franchises, and would go on to inspire masterpieces of its own. Hell, freaking Yume Nikki has a whole world referencing bits of Mother 1, and that's easily one of the most original and experimental titles ever conceived. So it paying homage to this game must mean a lot.
Well, I'm just going to say straight off the bat: this game induces suffering. Every cool mechanic you know and love about the MOTHER series, this one does not have. That means no rolling HP, no psychedelic background, and random encounters. On top of that, I found the game had a ton of balancing issues. On a whim, the right enemies can bind you into a lock, with hardly a chance of breaking free from it. The cherry on top has to be Mt. Itoi, which is from what I've heard never playtested 💀 Nintendo really smoked crack on their part. I thank myself that I had a guide and an emulator to speed up the battles when I needed to.
All the little gameplay quirks really got to me at first with the inventory management and shops but once I started to view everything from the perspective of real life, it made sense. Of course you're not going to be able to hold a whole lot, and you're going to have to swap around goods so that it can be usable. Of course you're being charged an egregious sum just to see your friends revived. Of course, instead of simply interacting with the ATM, you have to open your inventory, scroll to the Cash Card, and hit use. It makes so much sense. That also goes for having the train animation play whenever you use it, and your dad blabbing on and on before you get to the point.
I think the smartest I ever felt when viewing this game through that lens would be when Lloyd joins your party. The game tells you that he's a weakling, and he has the low stats to back that up. The most useful he gets is using gadgets that break often. I asked myself, "why would the game deliberately give you a weak party member?" Then it hit me. Of course, if you were to go on an adventure with your friends chances are you're going to have drag the dorky kid along with you. They're not all combat ready. I love how the game then ties up Lloyd's character with the typical "I'm going to prove myself" arc.
But, those quirks didn't make me fall in love with the game though. After all, this game had indeed made me ragequit, to the point where I would take weeklong breaks from the game when it's not even that long. As I mentioned to my friends, it's art in the same way that a bully beats you up and your mom gives you grilled cheese and apple slices to help make you feel better.
It was the end that the game really got to me. Out of nowhere, I started crying after Ninten sang the Eight Melodies to Queen Maria. She started talking about Geigue and how he was when she raised him, and how his tail would always wag like a dog except for when she sang that lullaby. I was seriously fighting back tears (which I was told NOT to cry about yet, thanks Mother fandom) because the way she talked about him sounded exactly like a loving grandmother on her deathbed, recalling all the fun little memories she had with her grandchildren before passing away peacefully. And then Magicant disappearing, a place that said to always have a loving home for Ninten, felt like the emptiness I felt when my grandmother passed away. I haven't actually properly cried for her passing away, and I haven't done so for over 10 years now. But now I definitely feel like I've let out some of the deep-seeded pain. Even while writing this review, tears are dripping down my face.
So yeah, the ending manages to pick everything back up all at once. It's really not fair of me to attach a score to this game because of how deep the emotions run with it. I feel the same about this game as I do with my own life. It sucks a lot. I've been through a lot of mental pain. But there are just those tender moments, like dancing on the stage, or walking around the elementary school, or sharing a close bond with Ana, that really just make it charming. And then sometimes, it really turns out for the better.
In short, if you're able to love a piece of art, thorns and all, then I definitely recommend it provided you promise me you won't get hurt too much by it. Because this game hurts a lot but man I'm glad to have gone through it.
Well, I'm just going to say straight off the bat: this game induces suffering. Every cool mechanic you know and love about the MOTHER series, this one does not have. That means no rolling HP, no psychedelic background, and random encounters. On top of that, I found the game had a ton of balancing issues. On a whim, the right enemies can bind you into a lock, with hardly a chance of breaking free from it. The cherry on top has to be Mt. Itoi, which is from what I've heard never playtested 💀 Nintendo really smoked crack on their part. I thank myself that I had a guide and an emulator to speed up the battles when I needed to.
All the little gameplay quirks really got to me at first with the inventory management and shops but once I started to view everything from the perspective of real life, it made sense. Of course you're not going to be able to hold a whole lot, and you're going to have to swap around goods so that it can be usable. Of course you're being charged an egregious sum just to see your friends revived. Of course, instead of simply interacting with the ATM, you have to open your inventory, scroll to the Cash Card, and hit use. It makes so much sense. That also goes for having the train animation play whenever you use it, and your dad blabbing on and on before you get to the point.
I think the smartest I ever felt when viewing this game through that lens would be when Lloyd joins your party. The game tells you that he's a weakling, and he has the low stats to back that up. The most useful he gets is using gadgets that break often. I asked myself, "why would the game deliberately give you a weak party member?" Then it hit me. Of course, if you were to go on an adventure with your friends chances are you're going to have drag the dorky kid along with you. They're not all combat ready. I love how the game then ties up Lloyd's character with the typical "I'm going to prove myself" arc.
But, those quirks didn't make me fall in love with the game though. After all, this game had indeed made me ragequit, to the point where I would take weeklong breaks from the game when it's not even that long. As I mentioned to my friends, it's art in the same way that a bully beats you up and your mom gives you grilled cheese and apple slices to help make you feel better.
It was the end that the game really got to me. Out of nowhere, I started crying after Ninten sang the Eight Melodies to Queen Maria. She started talking about Geigue and how he was when she raised him, and how his tail would always wag like a dog except for when she sang that lullaby. I was seriously fighting back tears (which I was told NOT to cry about yet, thanks Mother fandom) because the way she talked about him sounded exactly like a loving grandmother on her deathbed, recalling all the fun little memories she had with her grandchildren before passing away peacefully. And then Magicant disappearing, a place that said to always have a loving home for Ninten, felt like the emptiness I felt when my grandmother passed away. I haven't actually properly cried for her passing away, and I haven't done so for over 10 years now. But now I definitely feel like I've let out some of the deep-seeded pain. Even while writing this review, tears are dripping down my face.
So yeah, the ending manages to pick everything back up all at once. It's really not fair of me to attach a score to this game because of how deep the emotions run with it. I feel the same about this game as I do with my own life. It sucks a lot. I've been through a lot of mental pain. But there are just those tender moments, like dancing on the stage, or walking around the elementary school, or sharing a close bond with Ana, that really just make it charming. And then sometimes, it really turns out for the better.
In short, if you're able to love a piece of art, thorns and all, then I definitely recommend it provided you promise me you won't get hurt too much by it. Because this game hurts a lot but man I'm glad to have gone through it.
A perfect game to me. A gorgeous story wrapped in the love for the game genre. Mother is a RPG on the Famicom, and definitely plays like a RPG on the Famicom, so it can seem a bit tedious in comparison to RPGs we see even just one console generation later, but it's not as bad as people may say... except for Mt. Itoi, which is genuinely awful and why this game isn't a full 5-star in my rating lol (4-D slipping your way to the top is my advice).
A very special game to me that will always have a strong place in my heart.
4.5/5
A very special game to me that will always have a strong place in my heart.
4.5/5
A soulful, loving grindfest that is so eclipsed by its sequel that it's no longer worth the time. Huge, ambitious, and clearly inexperienced. If you like Mother 2 and 3, then sure, give it a look. It's just not something you're likely to come back to over and over.
This review contains spoilers
At first glance, MOTHER appears as not much more than a parody of the Dragon Quests and Final Fantasies of the time, opting for or a modern setting in lieu of a medieval one - substituting inns for hotels, armories for department stores, and swords for baseball bats.
I do not believe this is what makes MOTHER a parody, however.
What truly makes MOTHER a parody, to me, is how much beauty it hides within its subtext, supplementary material, and the inferences you can make about the characters and world, especially given the time it released. It's a Famicom RPG, so naturally, not much is going to be spelled out directly. A lot of things that managed to hit me as hard as they did only hit because I bothered to talk to npcs, because I listened to the vocal album, and because I made up theories in my head about the characters' personalities based on the groundwork the game provided me.
Take Lloyd, for example. He's an evidently bullied, socially anxious, but incredibly intelligent kid with a love for explosives - just going off of NPC dialogue in Twinkle Elementary. Hell, he isn't just bullied by the other students, the game bullies him. Practically all of the flavour text relating to weapons refers to him as "puny", "weak", "nerdy" or some other synonym. So you find him in a trash can that he's voluntarily hid himself in, go to the sweet's factory to the south, get some bottle rockets for him in what is probably the single act of kindness anyone has ever given him, and he decides to join you. This is going to sound really corny, but I immediately saw him as neurodivergent. He's a smart, socially anxious kid who latches onto Ninten as soon as he does something nice for him, and has a hyperfixation on explosives, going as far as to immediately show them off to Ninten by dragging him to the science lab. I say all this because quite frankly I immediately saw myself in him (minus the intelligent part, I'm not that smart lol), and if I were in his shoes I'd probably want to be friends with Ninten too. Lloyd may be the only mandatory party member to beat the game, and despite that, this whole sequence of events comes across as the forming of a genuine friendship between two kids. If you're not sold on the two becoming genuine friends yet, the overworld music literally changes to "Bein' friends". This all culminates in Lloyd coming to the group's rescue on Mt. Itoi, in a bid to prove his bravery.
"Now it's the weakling's turn. You stay here and wait!"
Ana and Teddy have similar circumstances. You deliver Ana her lost hat and joins having developed feelings for Ninten from seeing him in her visions (which concludes with a really cute scene where the two dance together and confess their love). You get in a fistfight with Teddy, who recognises his strength and decides that the group (save for Lloyd) are strong enough to brave Mt. Itoi and avenge his parents. It was a rarity for party members i RPGs from this time to have nearly this level of character, let alone feel like they joined the party because they simply wanted to and not because the story demanded it, and it plays a huge part in one of MOTHER's core themes.
From the very beginning, MOTHER is a game about family. The found family of the party, the legacy of Ninten's great grandfather's research, his great grandmother's dissapearance, and how this all relates to the game's main protagonist: Gyigue.
There's so much I want to talk about regarding this game, from how much you can really feel Itoi just wanted to roam and explore the countryside as a kid, the heartfelt soundtrack, and my defence of the core game actually being that it's fine and not grindy or obtuse (because it isn't. Duncan's factory and Mt itoi are far from the worst RPG dungeons, and I actually quite the latter, which I'll get to). What I want to talk about the most, though, is MOTHER's fantastic, emotionally charged endgame. This gets pretty in depth and over analytical(even by the standards of this review so far), so I'm going to clearly distinguish where that begins and where the the point where I actually talk about the ending comes up, which you can read from if you want to skip this. It's basically a plot summary with my ramblings, inferences and thoughts on things that happen.
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You're going through the cave leading to Mt Itoi. The enemies are some of the toughest yet (though very manageable assuming you don't get too unlucky with PK beam from the blue starmen), but after not too long, you're able to make it through to Mt Itoi itself. From the very first measure of music, Mt Itoi is a complete tonal shift. It gives off an incredibly foreboding atmosphere that really pairs well with just how much more difficult the encounters have become. They're somehow even tougher (and should still be manageable without grinding. you have buffs and powerful psi. use them.). It's a very clear indicator that you're nearing the end of the game, and I honestly think the area not being playtested was to its benefit?? I do genuinely feel toning down the difficulty here would take away from the game's ludonarrative consistency. You know that Teddy's parents were killed here, you know that nobody dares go near the place, and most importantly; it serves as Gyigue's base of operations - it would naturally be guarded his elite and wildlife driven mad by his very presence. If it was made easier, it just wouldn't make much sense, at least for me.
Anyway, you're able to make it to yet another healer's house and effectively another checkpoint. Unless you missed any melodies before this point, and save for coming back later with Lloyd, this is practically the point of no return. Ninten and Ana have their previously mentioned dance here, and while it does feel like they went from nothing to confessing love, I do want to note the poignancy this scene just has in general. "Fallin' love" only plays here, and having a character directly confess their love to the protagonist like this, as far as I know, wasn't really heard of until Final Fantasy IV, a good few years later. It's interrupted with Teddy barging in to check on the two, and the group then getting ambushed with an unwinnable encounter that leaves Lloyd arriving just in time tp save the group. Teddy is presumably dead after this, though, which I see as the game's way of saying "he was injured protecting Ninten and Ana". I don't think it'd make sense if "the three were all equally wounded but the two kids made it out alive because psychic abilities". Regardless, Lloyd rejoins, has his quick character arc, and you quickly find a boat that he's able to get working, in turn having EVE join you.
EVE is the primary reason why I really don't think Mt Itoi is as impossibly difficult as many seem to describe it as. You're given an invincible robot designed by Ninten's great grandfather specifically with the intent on protecting him, should she ever be found, that oneshots every enemy in the area. You could keep her around for grinding, but by now you should have 4th D slip. Want my advice for getting to the top of Mt Itoi? Just run from every encounter. You really won't need those levels for the final boss. Either way, EVE quickly dies protecting the group in another scripted boss fight, and investigating her remains gives you the seventh melody. There's something bittersweet about a living organism, whether biological or artificial, having their flame finally go out with a tune. I think it just attests to music's beauty and its ability to illicit emotions in us.
Even after this, Mt Itoi has quite a ways to go. It genuinely is this long trek up a perilous mountain, and it becomes ever more rewarding when you reach the final melody at the top. George, Ninten's grandfather, even in death, is able to communicate with the group and bestow to them the final piece of Magicant's puzzle, before presumably finally moving on to the afterlife. The fact that his soul has lingered here for decades, him having created EVE, his diary - it's clear he died with many regrets, and as to why is quickly revealed when Queen Mary finally hears the full song. The game left many bread crumbs, but it's finally revealed Mary is Maria: Ninten's missing great grandmother, that the combined melodies are a lullaby that she sung to an adopted Gyigue as a baby. She cries out to her husband before joining him in the afterlife.
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I struggle to articulate as to why, but there's something especially poignant about someone dying with regrets so extreme, that they essentially create an alternate dimension/dream world that they can live on in, with the only thing that perpetuates their continued existence being relegated to their subconsciousness. NPCs talk about how Queen Mary "sounds as if she is scoling a child" or "singing a lullaby to a child" in her sleep, which gave some clues towards her being Gyigue's adoptive mother well in advance when coupled with the riddles George's diary had in order to access Magicant to begin with. It's a testament to just how good the game's subtext is, and how much better it gets when given closer inspection.
Something I think I can articulate, is just how good MOTHER's final boss is. With the completed song, MOTHER, a game about family and the beauty and power of music, naturally tasks the player to beat the final boss using music. Music that the final boss is all too familar with. A mother's song. There's something so visceral, so evokative of having the final boss of a 1989 famicom RPG be defeated by merely having them crumble under their own guilt from hearing the selfsame tune that helped them to sleep as a baby. I guess even a universal cosmic destroyer can still love their mother, even if they're of the same species they seek to destroy. And I think I love my mother too, despite it all.
That is the unshakable bond that family can provide. This is what MOTHER, and by extension, the mother series, stands for.
I do not believe this is what makes MOTHER a parody, however.
What truly makes MOTHER a parody, to me, is how much beauty it hides within its subtext, supplementary material, and the inferences you can make about the characters and world, especially given the time it released. It's a Famicom RPG, so naturally, not much is going to be spelled out directly. A lot of things that managed to hit me as hard as they did only hit because I bothered to talk to npcs, because I listened to the vocal album, and because I made up theories in my head about the characters' personalities based on the groundwork the game provided me.
Take Lloyd, for example. He's an evidently bullied, socially anxious, but incredibly intelligent kid with a love for explosives - just going off of NPC dialogue in Twinkle Elementary. Hell, he isn't just bullied by the other students, the game bullies him. Practically all of the flavour text relating to weapons refers to him as "puny", "weak", "nerdy" or some other synonym. So you find him in a trash can that he's voluntarily hid himself in, go to the sweet's factory to the south, get some bottle rockets for him in what is probably the single act of kindness anyone has ever given him, and he decides to join you. This is going to sound really corny, but I immediately saw him as neurodivergent. He's a smart, socially anxious kid who latches onto Ninten as soon as he does something nice for him, and has a hyperfixation on explosives, going as far as to immediately show them off to Ninten by dragging him to the science lab. I say all this because quite frankly I immediately saw myself in him (minus the intelligent part, I'm not that smart lol), and if I were in his shoes I'd probably want to be friends with Ninten too. Lloyd may be the only mandatory party member to beat the game, and despite that, this whole sequence of events comes across as the forming of a genuine friendship between two kids. If you're not sold on the two becoming genuine friends yet, the overworld music literally changes to "Bein' friends". This all culminates in Lloyd coming to the group's rescue on Mt. Itoi, in a bid to prove his bravery.
"Now it's the weakling's turn. You stay here and wait!"
Ana and Teddy have similar circumstances. You deliver Ana her lost hat and joins having developed feelings for Ninten from seeing him in her visions (which concludes with a really cute scene where the two dance together and confess their love). You get in a fistfight with Teddy, who recognises his strength and decides that the group (save for Lloyd) are strong enough to brave Mt. Itoi and avenge his parents. It was a rarity for party members i RPGs from this time to have nearly this level of character, let alone feel like they joined the party because they simply wanted to and not because the story demanded it, and it plays a huge part in one of MOTHER's core themes.
From the very beginning, MOTHER is a game about family. The found family of the party, the legacy of Ninten's great grandfather's research, his great grandmother's dissapearance, and how this all relates to the game's main protagonist: Gyigue.
There's so much I want to talk about regarding this game, from how much you can really feel Itoi just wanted to roam and explore the countryside as a kid, the heartfelt soundtrack, and my defence of the core game actually being that it's fine and not grindy or obtuse (because it isn't. Duncan's factory and Mt itoi are far from the worst RPG dungeons, and I actually quite the latter, which I'll get to). What I want to talk about the most, though, is MOTHER's fantastic, emotionally charged endgame. This gets pretty in depth and over analytical(even by the standards of this review so far), so I'm going to clearly distinguish where that begins and where the the point where I actually talk about the ending comes up, which you can read from if you want to skip this. It's basically a plot summary with my ramblings, inferences and thoughts on things that happen.
-----------------------------------
You're going through the cave leading to Mt Itoi. The enemies are some of the toughest yet (though very manageable assuming you don't get too unlucky with PK beam from the blue starmen), but after not too long, you're able to make it through to Mt Itoi itself. From the very first measure of music, Mt Itoi is a complete tonal shift. It gives off an incredibly foreboding atmosphere that really pairs well with just how much more difficult the encounters have become. They're somehow even tougher (and should still be manageable without grinding. you have buffs and powerful psi. use them.). It's a very clear indicator that you're nearing the end of the game, and I honestly think the area not being playtested was to its benefit?? I do genuinely feel toning down the difficulty here would take away from the game's ludonarrative consistency. You know that Teddy's parents were killed here, you know that nobody dares go near the place, and most importantly; it serves as Gyigue's base of operations - it would naturally be guarded his elite and wildlife driven mad by his very presence. If it was made easier, it just wouldn't make much sense, at least for me.
Anyway, you're able to make it to yet another healer's house and effectively another checkpoint. Unless you missed any melodies before this point, and save for coming back later with Lloyd, this is practically the point of no return. Ninten and Ana have their previously mentioned dance here, and while it does feel like they went from nothing to confessing love, I do want to note the poignancy this scene just has in general. "Fallin' love" only plays here, and having a character directly confess their love to the protagonist like this, as far as I know, wasn't really heard of until Final Fantasy IV, a good few years later. It's interrupted with Teddy barging in to check on the two, and the group then getting ambushed with an unwinnable encounter that leaves Lloyd arriving just in time tp save the group. Teddy is presumably dead after this, though, which I see as the game's way of saying "he was injured protecting Ninten and Ana". I don't think it'd make sense if "the three were all equally wounded but the two kids made it out alive because psychic abilities". Regardless, Lloyd rejoins, has his quick character arc, and you quickly find a boat that he's able to get working, in turn having EVE join you.
EVE is the primary reason why I really don't think Mt Itoi is as impossibly difficult as many seem to describe it as. You're given an invincible robot designed by Ninten's great grandfather specifically with the intent on protecting him, should she ever be found, that oneshots every enemy in the area. You could keep her around for grinding, but by now you should have 4th D slip. Want my advice for getting to the top of Mt Itoi? Just run from every encounter. You really won't need those levels for the final boss. Either way, EVE quickly dies protecting the group in another scripted boss fight, and investigating her remains gives you the seventh melody. There's something bittersweet about a living organism, whether biological or artificial, having their flame finally go out with a tune. I think it just attests to music's beauty and its ability to illicit emotions in us.
Even after this, Mt Itoi has quite a ways to go. It genuinely is this long trek up a perilous mountain, and it becomes ever more rewarding when you reach the final melody at the top. George, Ninten's grandfather, even in death, is able to communicate with the group and bestow to them the final piece of Magicant's puzzle, before presumably finally moving on to the afterlife. The fact that his soul has lingered here for decades, him having created EVE, his diary - it's clear he died with many regrets, and as to why is quickly revealed when Queen Mary finally hears the full song. The game left many bread crumbs, but it's finally revealed Mary is Maria: Ninten's missing great grandmother, that the combined melodies are a lullaby that she sung to an adopted Gyigue as a baby. She cries out to her husband before joining him in the afterlife.
-----------------------
I struggle to articulate as to why, but there's something especially poignant about someone dying with regrets so extreme, that they essentially create an alternate dimension/dream world that they can live on in, with the only thing that perpetuates their continued existence being relegated to their subconsciousness. NPCs talk about how Queen Mary "sounds as if she is scoling a child" or "singing a lullaby to a child" in her sleep, which gave some clues towards her being Gyigue's adoptive mother well in advance when coupled with the riddles George's diary had in order to access Magicant to begin with. It's a testament to just how good the game's subtext is, and how much better it gets when given closer inspection.
Something I think I can articulate, is just how good MOTHER's final boss is. With the completed song, MOTHER, a game about family and the beauty and power of music, naturally tasks the player to beat the final boss using music. Music that the final boss is all too familar with. A mother's song. There's something so visceral, so evokative of having the final boss of a 1989 famicom RPG be defeated by merely having them crumble under their own guilt from hearing the selfsame tune that helped them to sleep as a baby. I guess even a universal cosmic destroyer can still love their mother, even if they're of the same species they seek to destroy. And I think I love my mother too, despite it all.
That is the unshakable bond that family can provide. This is what MOTHER, and by extension, the mother series, stands for.
The original Famicom is so massively overshadowed by it's successor that it's very easy to forget just how ambitious and cool so many of the games on this thing were. I suspect, although I have no evidence to back this up, that a lot of people would draw the line between "playable" and "unplayable" retro games right between the third and fourth console generations. I get it to some extent, it doesn't help that all the best titles (Mother included) didn't make it to the west, and it definitely doesn't help that the big staple Nintendo franchises, your marios, zeldas, and metroids, were all WAY better on the snes. Still, I've got a soft spot for this system despite how little of it's library I've actually experienced, and Mother embodies just about everything I love so much about it. This game is absolutely bursting at the seams with passion and ambition. It came out at the absolute end of the Famicom's lifespan and it's pretty apparent, you can tell Itoi was aiming for stuff far beyond the physical capabilities of the console. The sense of scale the world has and the pacing are incredibly impressive for the era, almost every aspect of the game is punching above it's weight. The story is refreshingly unique even today, it's been mimicked and copied thousands of times especially in recent years but that basic concept of an epic adventure RPG about kids with psychic powers in Rural America, circa 1988, is still so much fun. Everything in Mother feels like an attempt to push the envelope for Nintendo RPGs and just take the basic idea into all the craziest places possible, people joke about jrpg plots going from saving cats to fighting God but only in Mother do you go from fighting hippies (who don't die, they just go "back to normal") to singing a lullaby at the top of a mountain to defeat a psychic alien from the year 1900. The story is consistently fun, and for it's era Mother has maybe the coolest and most original conclusion of any rpg. The music is catchy, the visuals are charming, and the humour is great. it's more sporadic than in Mother 2, but most of the jokes were really good. I particularly liked the "Unsinging Monkey", who asks you if you have any questions for him after introducing himself, and if you say Yes he responds with "I bet it's a stupid one, too" and the conversation immediately ends before you can ask anything.
At the end of the day, everything here is expanded on and arguably improved in the sequel, but the fact that all the stuff people love about Mother 2 was present here on the Famicom, albeit slightly more unformed, is truly impressive. I used to think this was largely unremarkable in comparison to 2 the first time I played it, a few years ago, but going through it again I think there are areas where the ambition shines through the technological limitations to a level that even surpasses the more sheer quality of the sequel. It's translated and easily available in various forms now, so if you skip right to Earthbound you've got no excuse! Mother is absolutely worth playing, don't let anyone convince you otherwise. One of the true gems of Nintendo's first-party offerings on the Famicom, and probably the system's library in general.
At the end of the day, everything here is expanded on and arguably improved in the sequel, but the fact that all the stuff people love about Mother 2 was present here on the Famicom, albeit slightly more unformed, is truly impressive. I used to think this was largely unremarkable in comparison to 2 the first time I played it, a few years ago, but going through it again I think there are areas where the ambition shines through the technological limitations to a level that even surpasses the more sheer quality of the sequel. It's translated and easily available in various forms now, so if you skip right to Earthbound you've got no excuse! Mother is absolutely worth playing, don't let anyone convince you otherwise. One of the true gems of Nintendo's first-party offerings on the Famicom, and probably the system's library in general.
O começo dessa franquia incrível porém morta, o primeiro jogo é sem dúvidas o mais difícil, porém nada que se resolva com um pouco de grinding, a estética desse jogo é linda e assim foi nas sequências e a trilha sonora é muito boa trazendo um ar mais descontraído 90% das vezes. Nintendo volte com Earthbound!!!
simple perfection! childlike americana and teh power of love and friendship that leaves a crater in your heart!
insane the amount of times i messed up teleporting bc i didnt give myself enough room to run
Mesmo ele sendo tão simples eu simplesmente amei jogar ele, ele é todo malucão humor japonês que eu adoro
a lore do giygas é muito linda e me deixou muito triste de verdade.
A ost é muito foda PRINCIPALMENTE Eight Melodies e o tema do jogo que me faz chorar.
Amem suas mães
a lore do giygas é muito linda e me deixou muito triste de verdade.
A ost é muito foda PRINCIPALMENTE Eight Melodies e o tema do jogo que me faz chorar.
Amem suas mães
alright im just gonna get this out of the way, mother is my favorite game of all time. a lot of people see it as clunky, old, and outdated, and just dismiss it off of that, and i think that's a damn shame. while yes, it can be difficult to hop into this one if you're coming off of something like earthbound or mother 3, it shouldnt just be judged off of that alone. mother's story feels so much more personal and tender than any other game i've played, i won't spoil anything but queen mary might be one of my favorite game characters ever for that reason. i also really like the presentation it has going on, it's simple, yes, but effective and stands out against not only the other mother games, but also most other nes rpgs. i always really liked how the buildings looked, it sort of reminds me of simcity.
of course, the main issue i always see people bring up is the encounter rates, and yeah i can admit in certain areas they can be a bit rough. duncan's factory is a standout example, and while there is a useful trick to navigate to the rocket easily (always take the first ladder to your right until you reach the top, then go all the way left) that isn't something someone going in blind is gonna know, and considering loid is pretty underleveled by that point and you need to keep him alive until the end of the dungeon, it can be a struggle to say the least. mt. itoi is another pretty rough segment of the game, especially since if you decide to get teddy in your party the game makes you climb the mountain TWICE, but as long as you're prepared things shouldn't get too bad. besides those two parts though, the game remains fairly balanced for the most part, and as long as you're not always running from encounters, you generally shouldn't have any issues.
man how the fuck do i talk about my favorite game of all time. this shit is Hard. i just like it ok. if you're having trouble getting into this one, i suggest playing Mato's mother 1+2 translation and using the easy ring, it makes the experience a much smoother ride overall if you just want to experience the story. mother isn't for everyone, but i'll still love it to the end, and it'll always be my favorite
of course, the main issue i always see people bring up is the encounter rates, and yeah i can admit in certain areas they can be a bit rough. duncan's factory is a standout example, and while there is a useful trick to navigate to the rocket easily (always take the first ladder to your right until you reach the top, then go all the way left) that isn't something someone going in blind is gonna know, and considering loid is pretty underleveled by that point and you need to keep him alive until the end of the dungeon, it can be a struggle to say the least. mt. itoi is another pretty rough segment of the game, especially since if you decide to get teddy in your party the game makes you climb the mountain TWICE, but as long as you're prepared things shouldn't get too bad. besides those two parts though, the game remains fairly balanced for the most part, and as long as you're not always running from encounters, you generally shouldn't have any issues.
man how the fuck do i talk about my favorite game of all time. this shit is Hard. i just like it ok. if you're having trouble getting into this one, i suggest playing Mato's mother 1+2 translation and using the easy ring, it makes the experience a much smoother ride overall if you just want to experience the story. mother isn't for everyone, but i'll still love it to the end, and it'll always be my favorite
this game would truly truly be like 60% better if the encounter rate was like halved
I've never played Earthbound or Mother 3 but I've heard great things about both of them, so I thought I'd play through the whole series, though I hadn't heard much about Mother 1 . After beating it I can happily say that it's honestly really good, especially for a Famicom/NES RPG.
I will say I beat the Mother 1+2 version with the english patch, so it also means I did use the easy ring. I will say though my main issue with the game is the combat, frankly it's bad and the encounter rate is very high, so the Easy Ring was a big help, I don't like to cheat in games but I was fine doing it here because from what I'd researched I heard that the gameplay was unbalanced and it very much is, so if you want to play the game I'd reccomend doing it with the Mother 1+2 patch with the easy ring makes it more bearable.
Apart from the combat being iffy, I loved everything else in the game the music is incredible and sounds great even with the famicom sound chip limitations, and the ost versions while quite different are lovely too. The characters while not really being a main focus or super fleshed out or anything are still nice, and I like them. The main thing I loved about the game is the writing is really good, just very funny and strange but overall really enjoyable, especially with how strange it can be. The actual story felt a bit confused (to me anyway) but I still liked it, maybe I'm stupid and didn't understand it but it did feel very rushed but I mean ehh,
Overall for what it is and when it came out this game is amazing and I really enjoyed my time playing it, something I'd never expect playing a NES era RPG, but honestly I'd play it again and I'd say you should give it a chance if you are at all interested, just don't be afraid to use save states and cheats I'd say
I will say I beat the Mother 1+2 version with the english patch, so it also means I did use the easy ring. I will say though my main issue with the game is the combat, frankly it's bad and the encounter rate is very high, so the Easy Ring was a big help, I don't like to cheat in games but I was fine doing it here because from what I'd researched I heard that the gameplay was unbalanced and it very much is, so if you want to play the game I'd reccomend doing it with the Mother 1+2 patch with the easy ring makes it more bearable.
Apart from the combat being iffy, I loved everything else in the game the music is incredible and sounds great even with the famicom sound chip limitations, and the ost versions while quite different are lovely too. The characters while not really being a main focus or super fleshed out or anything are still nice, and I like them. The main thing I loved about the game is the writing is really good, just very funny and strange but overall really enjoyable, especially with how strange it can be. The actual story felt a bit confused (to me anyway) but I still liked it, maybe I'm stupid and didn't understand it but it did feel very rushed but I mean ehh,
Overall for what it is and when it came out this game is amazing and I really enjoyed my time playing it, something I'd never expect playing a NES era RPG, but honestly I'd play it again and I'd say you should give it a chance if you are at all interested, just don't be afraid to use save states and cheats I'd say
Really would appreciate if the discussion of this game would shift from centering around how “dated” (it plays like an NES/GB rpg. Theyre practically their own genre. It plays exactly how a modern player should expect it to) it is in favor of how ambitious it is. NES games rarely tried to be funny, affecting, thematically coherent, or even player friendly (yes I would say this, you have maps, constant hinting NPS, multiple options for free heals AND multiple fast travel options to get to them all throughout the game. Play 25th Anniv if random encounter rate is the endall for you) as this one does. That said, I mean yeah Earthbound is better except for the Eight Melodies which are are better here.
Un remake es todo lo que necesita este juego para brillar, genuinamente bello, con personajes interesantes que se ven limitados por la corta duración del juego. Muy infravalorado, no lo recomiendo porque la neta juego castroso, pero tiene una historia que, en mi opinión, es más bonita que la del tercer juego.