Why Mother 3 is the best

 I was extremely reluctant to write about this topic. I'm already dreading the possibility of getting voted "Gaming addict" for the Senior superlatives, even though I'm not addicted I'm just good. But the game I am about to write about is different. It's a single-player, role-playing game called Mother 3. If you know Ness or Lucas from Super Smash Bros., they are both characters from the Mother series. This is my favorite game of all time, a game I would like to experience again for the first time.

I played this game because I like experiencing the "old but gold's." Whether it's 90's hip-hop or 60's films, I enjoy going back and seeing where these genres of entertainment started. In my head, Mother 3 was an "old but gold" game that was always raved about by old people on the internet. But, the game ended up being less "old" than I thought. The game had the same look the series had in the 90's in Mother 2 (titled Earthbound), but the game is actually from 2006.

As for the "gold" part, it blew away my expectations. This game had countless surprises that I found really clever and enjoyable. It gives the game a lot of personality. For instance, while walking around an area doing a task to progress the story, I found a sign in an empty spot of land next to a road reading "Thank you for taking the time to read this sign. This sign loves you."

In this game you save your progress by talking to little green frogs scattered along your journey. These frogs are sometimes just hopping around on land, but are often found in all sorts of creative predicaments. I talked to one frog who was stuck inside the belly of a snake, one extremely elderly frog in a nursing home, several frogs driving tiny red cars, and even one frog occupying a locked bathroom, who you talk to from outside the door.

Some may know that I used the sprite of a frog in a car as my profile picture online for a few months.

The game shows its personality in similar ways through every major and minor character. Even the enemy creatures you encounter have similar levels of diversity, ranging from a Batangutan (a dopey-looking bat-orangutan chimera), to a Gently Weeping Guitar, to a Men's room sign. It's so much fun just to see what ideas the game brings you.

The music of the game also surprised me, especially since I originally thought the game was made in the 90's. It still sounds arcade-y since it was meant to be played on the Gameboy Advance, but the songs manage to sound incredibly well-produced and modern nevertheless. "Snowman" is a classic of the series, enchanting and dreamy as always, and is a good example of the incredible sound I was surprised by in a lot of the soundtrack. "Monkey's Delivery Service" also displays some expert composition in my opinion, and "New Pork Bossa" is one of my personal favorites just from its feel. The soundtrack has a lot of main themes and melodies related to characters, settings, or feelings that are included in different songs with twists on them (I think the word for this is a "leitmotif") that make the game feel cohesive.

The story itself was also thought out extremely well plot-wise, bringing you through several surprisingly diverse settings with your squad of friends, developing each of their threads while pursuing one main goal together. It ends impactfully after forming a great connection between you and the characters. To use the word surprised one last time, I was surprised to find myself touched emotionally by the story after its end, since I can count the number of times I've cried from a movie or show or game or anything on one hand (two fingers to be exact).

One of the only downsides is that this game was never actually released in America. The game is played through an exceptional fan translation. People like me are still hoping for Nintendo to release a localization of this game in the U.S., especially with Nintendo re-releasing a lot of old Nintendo console games onto the Switch. I played it using the mGBA emulator, and if Nintendo ever gives me a way to buy the game and support the creators I will in a heartbeat.

I haven't covered every reason why I found myself so invested in this game, but in general you can tell how much effort and thought was put into every aspect of it when you play. The exceptional storytelling, characters, music, combat system, and diversity left me with an experience I wish I could find myself surprised by once again.