EarthBound (EU/US) / MOTHER (JP)
RPG series started in 1989
A cult classic series set in the modern day where young children gain psychic powers called "PSI" that they use to defend against alien threats. The series was written and directed by Shigesato Itoi, copywriter, lyricist and actor, among other things.
EarthBound Beginnings (EU/US) / MOTHER (JP)
Release date:
JP: 27 Jul 1989
US: 14 Jun 2015 (first released via the Wii U Virtual Console)
EU: 14 Jun 2015 (first released via the Wii U Virtual Console)
System: Famicom
Developer: Ape Inc and Nintendo Tokyo R&D Products
Genre: RPG
The protagonist encounters possessed objects, aggressive animals and zombies in his home town of Podunk, and together with three companions, embarks on an adventure to find the cause of all these strange happenings. Ordinary, everyday objects such as baseball bats appear as useable weapons and items.
MOTHER2: Giegue no Gyakushuu (JP)
Release date:
JP: 27 Aug 1994
US: 05 Jun 1995
EU: 18 Jul 2013 (first released via the Wii U Virtual Console)
System: Super NES + Super Famicom
Developer: Ape Inc and HAL Laboratory
Genre: RPG
Shigesato Itoi's second attempt at an RPG. This game features Ness as the protagonist, and along with his three companions, he fights to protect the planet Earth from Giygas, a cosmic destroyer that possesses animals, humans and inanimate objects, and causes them to act violently.
Release date:
JP: 20 Jun 2003
System: Game Boy Advance
Developer: Ape Inc and HAL Laboratory
Genre: RPG
The two original MOTHER games have been ported to the GBA. "MOTHER1" has been given some much needed improvements to make the game less tedious to play, such as button to run and move faster while out of battle, and some overall changes to game difficulty. "MOTHER2" has also received some more minor tweaks.
Release date:
JP: 20 Apr 2006
System: Game Boy Advance
Developer: Brownie Brown and HAL Laboratory
Genre: RPG
This game's story unfolds over the course of eight distinct chapters, and, as the final instalment of the "MOTHER" trilogy, marks the definitive end of the series. The battle system in this game has a mechanic where additional attacks can be performed by tapping the button in time to the beat of the battle theme.
