History Videogame / MOTHER

In addition to games, various obscure pieces of Japan-only spin-off media were released, including a pair of novels based on the first two games, named ''Literature/MotherTheOriginalStory'' and ''[[Literature/Mother2 Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back]]'' which received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021, and several mangas based on Mother 2.

In addition to games, various obscure pieces of Japan-only spin-off media were released, including a pair of novels based on the first two games, named ''Literature/MotherTheOriginalStory'' and ''Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back'' which received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021, and several mangas based on Mother 2.

With an eccentric like Itoi at the helm, it's not a surprise that ''Mother'' exemplifies the "WidgetSeries": the crude-yet-oddly unique art style, the self-aware [[NoFourthWall wall breakages]], the parodical interpretation of modern-day Earth (in this case, [[{{Eagleland}} America]]... skewed by the perspective of a foreigner exposed to it only through TV and cinema), and an [[CerebusRollercoaster emotional roller-coaster]] of Dadaist humour and tragedy.

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'', ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting. ''VideoGame/{{Oddity}}'' started off life as a fan made ''Mother 4'' but eventually rebranded to avoid legal issues. It has also spawned some fan games, such as ''[[VideoGame/CognitiveDissonance Mother: Cognitive Dissonance]]'', an {{Interquel}} that attempts to bridge Giegue's transformation into the Gigyas seen in ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}''.

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'', ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting. ''VideoGame/{{Oddity}}'' started off life as a fan made ''Mother 4'' but eventually rebranded to avoid legal issues. It has also spawned some fan games, such as ''[[VideoGame/CognitiveDissonance Mother: Cognitive Dissonance]]'', an {{Interquel}} that attempts to bridge Giegue's transformation into the Gigyas seen in ''VideoGame/Earthbound1994''.

* '''''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg no Gyakushū]]'''''[[/note]] (1994/1995, UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem; 2022, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch): The series' only official international release for the longest time, and thus the one everyone's most familiar with. The star is Ness, one of the four chosen heroes destined to combat the Universal Cosmic Destroyer and his impending destruction of the universe. Re-released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022 as a part of Nintendo Switch Online.[[/index]]

** The English prototype of ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings'' that eventually was released in Japan in the CompilationRerelease ''MOTHER 1+2'' ends with two {{Sequel Hook}}s: [[spoiler:Giygas/Giegue promises to the hero Ninten that they will meet again and in TheStinger, Ninten's father calls him to inform that "Something new has come up"]]. Neither ''[[VideoGame/Earthbound1994 EarthBound]]'' nor ''VideoGame/Mother3'' address this as they have different main characters and, in fact, aside from [[spoiler:Giygas' origin]], those two games are [[TwoPartTrilogy disjointed from the original]].
** During [[spoiler:Porky's]] last piece of dialogue during the final boss of ''[[Videogame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', he'll remark that he will flee to another era to think of his next EvilPlan, and will possibly see Ness again. Come ''Videogame/Mother3'', and the latter never happens, [[spoiler:Porky instead captures Dr. Andonuts and the Mr. Saturns, with his whole plan involving an island in a post-apocalyptic Earth.]] The only time Ness and [[spoiler:Porky]] officially see each other again is during his boss fight in ''Videogame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', where Ness saves Lucas.

** ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'' feature treelike enemies that explode or burst into flames when defeated, damaging the entire party; in the first game, there's no HP odometer to stave off a potentially fatal blow.

* AffectionateParody: Of ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', which is natural seeing as that is the game that inspired Itoi to dabble in game-writing. However, ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound's]]'' battle system drifts away from the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' clone that is the original.
* AlienInvasion: In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]],'' the main conflict involves an alien invasion headed by the SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Giegue, or as he's called in the sequel, The Universal Cosmic Destroyer, Giygas.

** ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'' is set in "[[TheNineties 199X]]", and goes out of its way to avoid any particular trends from the decade in order to feel just as applicable to 1999 as to 1990. Consequently, the game includes not only elements that'd feel contemporaneous to audiences in the game's initial release year of 1994, but also elements indicative of the post-80's cultural hangover that marked the early 90's and even aspects that were phased out by the 19''70''[='s=], such as rotary phones and elementary school-age girls in bows and dresses.

--> [[TearJerker ''No crying until the end.'']]

* BlackBeadEyes: A ''MOTHER'' series tradition, though if the 64DD/N64 development period of ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' is any indication, this may have been more due to technical pragmatism as opposed to deliberate stylistic choices (note that characters such as Ana, Paula, and Lucas in ''Brawl'' have blue eyes).

** Quite brilliant, in fact. The major one you find is ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'''s title logo, which starts off with a half-wooden and half-chrome design. When the game finally ends, the logo is back to all wooden, with a Earth instead of the chrome O, greatly resembling the logo of the ''[[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings first game]]''.

* {{Eagleland}}: Both ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', and ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'' take place in fantasy pastiches of various American settings, though only ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' literally refers to it as 'America.' ''[=EarthBound=]'''s Eagleland is even the TropeNamer.

* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies: Zombie mooks pop up time to time. In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', you see them the early graveyard section of the game and Rosemary's house. ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarhBound's]]'' Threed has been completely overwhelmed by zombies, trapping them in a perpetual George Romero movie. In ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', the cemetery north of Tazmily Village when you take control of Duster in Chapter 2 comes up with some as well.

* TheFellowshipHasEnded: At the end of both ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]''.

** [[spoiler:This eventually becomes Porky's [[FateWorseThanDeath ultimate fate]] in ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'', [[AndIMustScream doomed to be isolated from the world in an indestructible capsule for eternity]]]].

* HealerSignsOnEarly: [[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings Ninten]], [[VideoGame/Earthbound1994 Ness]], and [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER3}} Lucas]] all serve as the party's healers, although since Lucas doesn't become the protagonist until chapter 4, you're forced to rely on other means until the story makes him the main character.

* MeaningfulName: The franchise's name was inspired by the Music/JohnLennon song off of Music/PlasticOnoBand, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have any meaning the series games. [[spoiler:Giygas's connections with his adopted mother Maria and sequential feelings of abandonment]] is what drives a major portion of the overarching plot of ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', and carries over slightly into ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]''. ''[=EarthBound=]'' also has Ness's mother, who he must call periodically to cure his homesickness. In ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', [[spoiler:the loss of his mother and sequential attempts to deal with it]] are a major part of Lucas's CharacterDevelopment, as well as [[spoiler:his mother's spirit being the one who brings Lucas' BrainwashedAndCrazy brother Claus back to his senses in the final battle.]]

** All the games have a sequence where a band gets up on stage and plays a song, be it the protagonist themselves in ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', The Runaway Five in ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', or the DCMC in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}''.
** Similarly, all the games have a mini-arc that deals with the undead in some way. [[note]]Podunk Graveyard in ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', Threed in ''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'', and chapter two in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}''[[/note]]

** In ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', Ness' party travels to Giygas's lair, a cavern at the center of the Earth teeming with plant life, but it's otherwise empty. They deduce that Giygas is attacking from the past, and use Dr. Andonuts' [[TimeTravel phase distorter]] to send them there.

* SameStoryDifferentNames: ''[=EarthBound=]'' shares many plot similarities and musical cues from ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'', to the point that some theorize it to be a [[VideogameRemake re-envisioning]] of the Famicom title.

** Every game at least has one of these, usually them being the Final Boss. In ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' [[spoiler:Giegue, who you need to sing to 8 times in a row in order to defeat him.]] In ''[=EarthBound=]'' we have the final battle against Giygas, who you have to [[spoiler:continuously pray against in order to call aid from your friends and the player to defeat him.]] And in ''MOTHER 3'' we have [[spoiler:The Masked Man, Claus, who you have to constantly keep yourself alive against while [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight Hinawa's ghost fights to get him to remember himself and stop fighting.]]]]

* SurrealHumor: Humor involving odd, wacky and outlandish characters, quirky dialogue, and cartoony antics is a staple of the ''MOTHER'' games, especially with enemy designs. ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'' and ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' are probably the best examples of this.

** Kumatora, Wess, and Salsa face a Pork Tank in ''MOTHER 3''.

* TwoPartTrilogy: An odd case of this trope in that it applies in two different ways. ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' are unrelated in about every aspect [[note]]Well, except for the similarities in how both games and atmospheres are noticably DarkerAndEdgier than ''[=EarthBound=]'', and as how [[spoiler:Lucas and Giegue both love and mourn the loss of their Mothers and try to deal with those feelings, as well as ThePowerOfLove defeating the Final Bosses of both games by reminding them of their Love for their Mothers]][[/note]], but ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'' serves as the second and first parts of each TwoPartTrilogy, respectively. Of note, ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=]'' are connected by [[spoiler:Giegue / Giygas, the former showing his StartOfDarkness and the latter being the game where he's finished off for good.]] ''[=EarthBound=]'' and ''MOTHER 3'' are connected by [[spoiler:Pokey / Porky, the former showing his StartOfDarkness and the latter being the game where he's finished off for good. However, it has nothing to do with Giegue / Giygas, nor are the events dealing him even mentioned in ''3'', making both ''1'' and ''2'' a TwoPartTrilogy with ''[=EarthBound=]''.]]
* UselessUsefulSpell: Very much [[AvertedTrope Averted]] series wide. In the [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings original game]], the InstantDeathAttack spells were near flatout {{Game Breaker}}s thanks to working on nearly ''all'' enemies, only balanced out by the fact that you can't get it before all that's left are [[ScriptedBattle plotline bosses]] and the fact that [[NintendoHard most enemies late game will pretty much require you to spam them.]] Even though [[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 the latter]] [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}} two games]] would better balance {{Instant Death Attack}}s by making PK Flash more likely to make the enemy start crying instead of auto-killing them, even that can still come in handy. Most bosses are still at least fifty percent weak to at least ''one'' of the game's status aliments in ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', and lowering and buffing stats in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' is pretty much required to beat some of the game's bosses.

** In ''[[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 EarthBound]]'', [[spoiler:Giygas has gone full EldritchAbomination]], and just doing damage to him won't kill him; the player instead [[spoiler:has to use Paula's Prayer command, and this results in the use of ThePowerOfLove to defeat him]].

* BigBad: Giygas and [[spoiler:Porky]] for the whole series. In fact, these two are what connect each game to each other: Giygas's defeat in the first game drove him insane and turned him into the monster who we see in the second, and [[spoiler:Porky being manipulated by Giygas and his time travel abuse both make him a recurring antagonist in the second game and the main villain of the third.]]

** [[spoiler:Porky]] too, believe it or not. [[spoiler:He grew up in an abusive household, with Ness being his only "friend" as a kid. And while the English Translation makes him out to seem like he's just a plain asshole who assisted Mr. Carpenter in trying to make Paula a ''HumanSacrfice'' of his own volition, the original (and canon, mind you) Japanese version shows that he actually was mind controlled just like everyone else, and truly does ask Ness for {{Forgiveness}} afterwards. But because Ness doesn't respond to this due to being very angry at him, Porky storms off very hurt and angry at Ness, and more or less sends Porky to join Giygas as a result, and things escalate to the point where he constantly tries to make Ness's journey harder and ruin his life at every turn he can, and eventually escapes to a different time period at the end of ''Earthbound''. After thousands of years of time traveling and being locked out of every time period except for one (as well as [[OurTimeTravelIsDifferent aging unnaturally into a very old man]]), he ends up on the Nowhere Islands of Mother 3, and begins a Pig Dictatorship upon the islands, and [[DarkerAndEdgier it only]] [[TearJerker gets worse]] [[MagnificientBastard from there]].]]

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'', ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting. ''VideoGame/{{Oddity}}'' started off life as a fan made ''Mother 4'' but eventually rebranded to avoid legal issues. It has also spawned some fan games, such as ''[[VideoGame/CognitiveDissonance Mother: Cognitive Dissonance]]'', an {{Interquel}} that attempts to bridge Giegue's transformation into the Gigyas seen in ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}''.

** During [[spoiler: Porky's]] last piece of dialogue during the final boss of ''Videogame/{{Earthbound}}'', he'll remark that he will flee to another era to think of his next EvilPlan, and will possibly see Ness again. Come ''Videogame/Mother3'', and the latter never happens, [[spoiler:Porky instead raptures Dr.Aldonuts and the Mr.Saturns, with his whole plan involving an island in a post-apocalyptic Earth.]] The only time Ness and [[spoiler:Porky]] officially see each other again is during his boss fight in ''Videogame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', where Ness saves Lucas.

** ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' feature treelike enemies that explode or burst into flames when defeated, damaging the entire party; in the first game, there's no HP odometer to stave off a potentially fatal blow.

* AffectionateParody: Of ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', which is natural seeing as that is the game that inspired Itoi to dabble in game-writing. However, ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound}}'''s battle system drifts away from the ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' clone that is the original.
* AlienInvasion: In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/EarthBound,'' the main conflict involves an alien invasion headed by the SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Giegue, or as he's called in the sequel, The Universal Cosmic Destroyer, Giygas.

** ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' is set in "[[TheNineties 199X]]", and goes out of its way to avoid any particular trends from the decade in order to feel just as applicable to 1999 as to 1990. Consequently, the game includes not only elements that'd feel contemporaneous to audiences in the game's initial release year of 1994, but also elements indicative of the post-80's cultural hangover that marked the early 90's and even aspects that were phased out by the 19''70''[='s=], such as rotary phones and elementary school-age girls in bows and dresses.

* ArtifactTitle: ''MOTHER'' refers to the fact that [[spoiler:Ninten's grandmother, Maria, [[ParentalSubstitute raised Giegue]] from infancy, and the lullaby she used to sing him is what [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas ultimately repels]] Giegue's AlienInvasion.]] But then ''[=MOTHER 2=]'' lacks an important central mother figure, playing this trope straight. Then ''[=MOTHER 3=]'' averts this trope once more, with [[spoiler: Lucas's Mother, Hinawa, and her death being a major driving force of the Story for the characters and the events that play out, as well as her spirit being very instrumental in the final battle.]] This was averted with the localized names of the first two games, ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=],'' respectively.
* ArtStyleDissonance: The ''Mother'' trilogy is a prime example of this. Who would think such ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''-esque looking games would contain stories about [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings how much]] ParentalAbandonment [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings can negatively effect a child]], [[VideoGame/EarthBound or contain one of the most infamous]] FinalBoss fights in video game history, or tell [[VideoGame/Mother3 one of the most heartrending stories in all of video games?]]

* BigBad: Giygas and [[spoiler:Porky]] for the whole series. In fact, these two are what connect each game to each other: Giygas's defeat in the first game drove him insane and turned him into the monster who we see in the second, and [[spoiler: Porky being manipulated by Giygas and his time travel abuse both make him a recurring antagonist in the second game and the main villain of the third.]]

** ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=]'' are opposite numbers in terms of their endings. In the original, Magicant is a figurative representation of [[spoiler: Ninten's great grandmother, Maria]], restoring his HP and providing a safe haven at the cost of halting the game's progression; indeed, it gets easier to visit Magicant (via a WarpWhistle item), while getting back "on-track" becomes increasingly harder since Magicant's exit spits you back out at the game's starting point, [[Film/BeingJohnMalkovich like John Cusak flopping into a ditch on the New Jersey Turnpike]]. Eventually, [[spoiler: Maria regains her memory]], and Magicant vanishes for good. However, in ''[=EarthBound=]'', the PlayableEpilogue is a one-way track leading back home; Giygas's minions are all gone, you can guide Ness around the world for as long as you please -- but it'll get boring. There are no new places to explore and nothing left to do but return to Ness's house in Onett.

* DeconReconSwitch: As the games' stories go further, they both deconstruct and reconstruct elements of many typical JRPGs.
* {{Eagleland}}: Both ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', and ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' take place in fantasy pastiches of various American settings, though only ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' literally refers to it as 'America.' ''[=EarthBound=]'''s Eagleland is even the TropeNamer.

* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies: Zombie mooks pop up time to time. In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', you see them the early graveyard section of the game and Rosemary's house. ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound}}'''s Threed has been completely overwhelmed by zombies, trapping them in a perpetual George Romero movie. In ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', the cemetery north of Tazmily Village when you take control of Duster in Chapter 2 comes up with some as well.

* TheFellowshipHasEnded: At the end of both ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound}}''.

** [[spoiler: This eventually becomes Porky's [[FateWorseThanDeath ultimate fate]] in ''VideoGame/MOTHER3'', [[AndIMustScream doomed to be isolated from the world in an indestructible capsule for eternity]]]].

* HealerSignsOnEarly: [[VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings Ninten]], [[VideoGame/{{Earthbound}} Ness]], and [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER3}} Lucas]] all serve as the party's healers, although since Lucas doesn't become the protagonist until chapter 4, you're forced to rely on other means until the story makes him the main character.

** Usually there's always at least one of these in each game. In the first game there's the fight against [[spoiler: Giant Robot R7038, who easily decimates the party and gravely injures Teddy. The party is saved by [[BigDamnHeroes Lloyd who finally returns with a Giant Tank that wipes out the robot.]]]] In the second game there's the Clumsy Robot, that when Jeff and Ness do a significant amount of damage to him, he just eats a bologna sandwich and heals himself back to full, and the fight only ends when [[spoiler: [[BigDamnHeroes the Runaway Five join the fray and flip the off Switch to shut down the robot.]]]] And there's a couple in the last game, there's Master Eddy and [[spoiler: the Porky Bots.]] No matter what you do, Master Eddy always washes your party away onto the beach of Tanetane Island at the end of the fight and causes them to lose all of their items and be reduced to 1 HP and 0 PP; this forces them to eat the Hallucenogetic Mushrooms in order to recover their strength (and if you try to move forward without doing this, you face another Hopeless fight in Zombieshroom who is blocking your path, as he wipes the floor with your party in their current state). With the second case, it's a very similar scenario to the Clumsy Robot fight in ''[=EarthBound=]''; [[spoiler: The Porky Bots don't heal themselves, but they keep constantly spawning new ones and summoning more enemies the more you defeat, the fight only ends when the DCMC show up and destroy the last of the Bots.]]
** With the final boss of Mother 3 however, this is actually subverted: [[spoiler: when you get his HP down to 0, Porky gets into the Absolutely Safe Capsule and makes it seem like he's about to destroy you in battle. But then you realize that while he's in the capsule, he can't actually attack you and is trapped in there for eternity, so the party decides that nothing more can be done and stop fighting, leaving him there.]]

* MeaningfulName: The franchise's name was inspired by the Music/JohnLennon song off of Music/PlasticOnoBand, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have any meaning the series games. [[spoiler:Giygas's connections with his adopted mother Maria and sequential feelings of abandonment]] is what drives a major portion of the overarching plot of ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', and carries over slightly into ''VideoGame/EarthBound''. ''[=EarthBound=]'' also has Ness's mother, who he must call periodically to cure his homesickness. In ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', [[spoiler:the loss of his mother and sequential attempts to deal with it]] are a major part of Lucas's CharacterDevelopment, as well as [[spoiler: his Mother's spirit being the one who brings Lucas' BrainwashedAndCrazy Brother Claus back to his senses in the Final Battle.]]

** All the games have a sequence where a band gets up on stage and plays a song, be it the protagonist themselves in ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', The Runaway Five in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', or the DCMC in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}''.
** Similarly, all the games have a mini-arc that deals with the undead in some way. [[note]]Podunk Graveyard in ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', Threed in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', and chapter two in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}''[[/note]]

** In ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', Ness' party travels to Giygas's lair, a cavern at the center of the Earth teeming with plant life, but it's otherwise empty. They deduce that Giygas is attacking from the past, and use Dr. Andonuts' [[TimeTravel phase distorter]] to send them there.

* ThePowerOfLove: Lucas' signature PSI attack, "PK Love" is a literal example. [[spoiler: Giegue is only defeated [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas by the memories]] of his [[ParentalSubstitute surrogate mother Maria]], and Hinawa's love for Claus is what snaps him out of his BrainwashedAndCrazy spell as the Masked Man.]]

** Every game at least has one of these, usually them being the Final Boss. In ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' [[spoiler: Giegue, who you need to sing to 8 times in a row in order to defeat him.]] In ''[=EarthBound=]'' we have the final battle against Giygas, who you have to [[spoiler: continuously pray against in order to call aid from your friends and the player to defeat him.]] And in ''MOTHER 3'' we have [[spoiler: The Masked Man, Claus, who you have to constantly keep yourself alive against while [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight Hinawa's ghost fights to get him to remember himself and stop fighting.]]]]

* SheatheYourSword: A full-on assault on Giygas and [[spoiler:The Masked Man]] is pointless. To win, you have to eschew violence (the antithesis of every JRPG at the time) and instead appeal to the humanity inside them.

* SurrealHumor: Humor involving odd, wacky and outlandish characters, quirky dialogue, and cartoony antics is a staple of the ''MOTHER'' games, especially with enemy designs. ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' and ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'' are probably the best examples of this.

** Giygas. [[spoiler: He felt betrayed by his adopted parents when his adopted father stole secrets [[note]]Implied to be the ability to use PSI[[/note]] from his people that could be used against them, and pushed away his adopted mother who still loved him as a result. He eventually attempted a full scale invasion of Earth in retaliation, only to be stop by his technically great-nephew who reminded him about his feelings of his adopted mother. He swore he'd come back for revenge later, and attempted to throw off any feelings he still had for his adopted parents, and it [[SanitySlippage all went]] [[AlmightyIdiot down hill]] [[EldritchAbomination from there]].]]
** [[spoiler:Porky]] too, believe it or not. [[spoiler: He grew up in an abusive household, with Ness being his only "friend" as a kid. And while the English Translation makes him out to seem like he's just a plain asshole who assisted Mr. Carpenter in trying to make Paula a ''HumanSacrfice'' of his own volition, the original (and canon, mind you) Japanese version shows that he actually was mind controlled just like everyone else, and truly does ask Ness for {{Forgiveness}} afterwards. But because Ness doesn't respond to this due to being very angry at him, Porky storms off very hurt and angry at Ness, and more or less sends Porky to join Giygas as a result, and things escalate to the point where he constantly tries to make Ness's journey harder and ruin his life at every turn he can, and eventually escapes to a different time period at the end of ''Earthbound''. After thousands of years of time traveling and being locked out of every time period except for one (as well as [[OurTimeTravelIsDifferent aging unnaturally into a very old man]]), he ends up on the Nowhere Islands of Mother 3, and begins a Pig Dictatorship upon the islands, and [[DarkerAndEdgier it only]] [[TearJerker gets worse]] [[MagnificientBastard from there]].]]

* TwoPartTrilogy: An odd case of this trope in that it applies in two different ways. ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' are unrelated in about every aspect [[note]]Well, except for the similarities in how both games and atmospheres are noticably DarkerAndEdgier than ''[=EarthBound=]'', and as how [[spoiler: Lucas and Giegue both love and mourn the loss of their Mothers and try to deal with those feelings, as well as ThePowerOfLove defeating the Final Bosses of both games by reminding them of their Love for their Mothers]][[/note]], but ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' serves as the second and first parts of each TwoPartTrilogy, respectively. Of note, ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=]'' are connected by [[spoiler:Giegue / Giygas, the former showing his StartOfDarkness and the latter being the game where he's finished off for good.]] ''[=EarthBound=]'' and ''MOTHER 3'' are connected by [[spoiler: Pokey / Porky, the former showing his StartOfDarkness and the latter being the game where he's finished off for good. However, it has nothing to do with Giegue / Giygas, nor are the events dealing him even mentioned in ''3'', making both ''1'' and ''2'' a TwoPartTrilogy with ''[=EarthBound=]''.]]
* UselessUsefulSpell: Very much [[AvertedTrope Averted]] series wide. In the [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings original game]], the InstantDeathAttack spells were near flatout {{Game Breaker}}s thanks to working on nearly ''all'' enemies, only balanced out by the fact that you can't get it before all that's left are [[ScriptedBattle plotline bosses]] and the fact that [[NintendoHard most enemies late game will pretty much require you to spam them.]] Even though [[VideoGame/EarthBound the latter]] [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}} two games]] would better balance {{Instant Death Attack}}s by making PK Flash more likely to make the enemy start crying instead of auto-killing them, even that can still come in handy. Most bosses are still at least fifty percent weak to at least ''one'' of the game's status aliments in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', and lowering and buffing stats in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' is pretty much required to beat some of the game's bosses.

** In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', Giegue has an infinite amount of health, so just attacking him solves nothing. The player instead has to sing Maria's song to him in order to win.
** In ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', Giygas has gone full EldritchAbomination, and just doing damage to him won't kill him; the player instead has to use Paula's Prayer command, and this results in the use of ThePowerOfLove to defeat him.
** In ''VideoGame/Mother3'', the final boss fight is essentially Lucas and company [[CurbStompBattle getting their heads handed to them]] by the Masked Man. Lucas refuses to even fight, and everyone else goes down before they even have a chance to. Unlike the above examples, though, this one's just a waiting game, and the player merely has to survive long enough for the fight to reach its conclusion.

** The English prototype of ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings'' that eventually was released in Japan in the CompilationRerelease ''MOTHER 1+2'' ends with two {{Sequel Hook}}s: [[spoiler:Giygas/Giegue promises to the hero Ninten that they will meet again and in TheStinger, Ninten's father calls him to inform that "Something new has come up"]]. Neither ''VideoGame/Earthbound'' nor ''VideoGame/Mother3'' address this as they have different main characters and, in fact, aside from [[spoiler:Giygas' origin]], those two games are [[TwoPartTrilogy disjointed from the original]].

** The English prototype of ''VideoGame/EarthboundBeginnings'' that eventually was released in Japan in the CompilationRerelease ''MOTHER 1+2'' ends with two {{Sequel Hook}}s: [[spoiler:Giygas/Giegue promises to the hero Ninten that they will meet again and in TheStinger, Ninten's father calls him to inform that "Something new has come up"]]. Neither ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' nor ''VideoGame/Mother3'' address this as they have different main characters and, in fact, aside from [[spoiler:Giygas' origin]], those two games are [[TwoPartTrilogy disjointed from the original]].

[[caption-width-right:330:''[[{{Tagline}} No crying until the end.]]'' [[labelnote: (Japanese)]]エンディングまで泣くんじゃない。 (Endingu made nakun ja nai.) [[/labelnote]]]]

-->-- Snippet from '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBbRJoHTJAM "Pollyanna"]]''', a RecurringRiff throughout the series

* WidgetSeries: It's most apparent in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', which mostly keeps things silly and wacky outside of its infamous FinalBoss. While ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' have their silly moments, they're generally far more serious in tone than ''VideoGame/EarthBound''.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Though ''[=EarthBound=]'' shares the same villain with its predecessor, it's more this than a direct sequel to ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings,'' keeping the same overall plot and very similar characters in a different setting.

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'', ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting. ''VideoGame/{{Oddity}}'' started off life as a fan made ''Mother 4'' but eventually rebranded to avoid legal issues. It has also spawned some fan games, such as ''[[VideoGame/CognitiveDissonance Mother: Cognitive Dissonance]]'', an {{Interquel}} that attempts to bridge Giegue's transformation into the Gigyas seen in ''VideoGame/Earthbound''.

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'', ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting. ''VideoGame/{{Oddity}}'' started off life as a fan made ''Mother 4'' but eventually rebranded to avoid legal issues.

** Ness is nearly identical to Ninten, down to the red baseball cap and blue-and-yellow striped shirt. Paula is one of Ana, with them both being cute little girls in pink dresses, and Jeff is a glasses-wearing {{Nerd}} who uses gadgets similar to Lloyd. These lookalikes are not the same characters, however. Ness has more powerful PSI but is not as good at running away. Paula has less offensive PSI options but more more buffing and debuffing PSI, as well as "praying". Jeff has a greater variety of weapons, and can [[VideoGameStealing steal]] by "spying", but has to "fix" his items. Averted with Teddy and Poo, who have no real similarities to one another.

* {{Nerd}}: Lloyd and Jeff, with their glasses and penchant for technology.

* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Your first two enemies in ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' are a desk lamp and a doll. [[UpToEleven It just gets more off-the-wall from there]]. Enemies in all three games consist of everything from [[AnimateInanimateObject Animate Inanimate Objects]] to BrainwashedAndCrazy townsfolk to rampaging animals.

-->--Snippet from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBbRJoHTJAM "Pollyanna"]], a RecurringRiff throughout the series

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=]'' star an [[TheAllAmericanBoy All-American Boy]] and his friends saving a [[{{Eagleland}} fantasy pastiche of America]] from an AlienInvasion. ''MOTHER 3'' departs radically from that setting and formula and deconstructs the tradition of the series itself, which more or less brings it back to the common Fantasy setting and Heroes that you usually see in JRPG's. This is perhaps one of the reasons for its more lukewarm reception in Japan.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/e453db74d9b413cc7c2c452d15d45a7e.jpg]]

->No crying until the end. [[labelnote: (Japanese)]]エンディングまで泣くんじゃない。 (Endingu made nakun ja nai.) [[/labelnote]]
-->--{{Tagline}} of the first game in the trilogy

* '''''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother'''''; nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] Zero'' until it got an official English title[[/note]] (1989, [[UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}} Family Computer]]; 2015, Wii U): The series' debut, telling the story of Ninten as he works to uncover his family's connections to an impending alien invasion. [[NoExportForYou There was never a physical release outside Japan]]; it did get localized by Nintendo of America under the name ''Earth Bound'' and was slated for a 1991 US release, but these plans were shelved after being deemed commercially nonviable. A test cartridge of this localization was eventually discovered by fans and dumped online in 1998. This version was finally officially released outside of Japan as a Wii U Virtual Console title nearly ''26 years'' after its release in Japan.
* '''''VideoGame/EarthBound1994'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg no Gyakushū]]'''''[[/note]] (1994/1995, UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem): The series' only official international release for the longest time, and thus the one everyone's most familiar with. The star is Ness, one of the four chosen heroes destined to combat the Universal Cosmic Destroyer and his impending destruction of the universe.[[/index]]

In addition, a pair of novels based on the first two games, named ''Literature/MotherTheOriginalStory'' and ''Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back'' were released, and received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021.

In addition, a pair of novels based on the first two games, named ''[[Literature/MotherTheOriginalStory Mother -The Original Story-]]'' and ''Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back'' were released, and received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021.

In addition, a pair of novels based on the first two games, named [[Literature/MotherTheOriginalStory ''Mother -The Original Story-'']] and ''Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back'' were released, and received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021.

In addition, a pair of novels based on the first two games, named [[Literature/Mother the original story ''Mother -The Original Story-'']] and ''Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back'' were released, and received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021.

In addition, a pair of novels based on the first two games, named ''Mother -The Original Story-'' and ''Mother 2: Giygas Strikes Back'' were released, and received [[FanTranslation fan translations]] in late 2021.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys:
** A singing monkey gives you a part of a MacGuffin in ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings''. Later, you get to go in a cave full of monkeys. A majority of them lie to you.
** In ''[=EarthBound=]'', the Bubble Monkey helps Jeff cross a lake, and in the desert there is a cave full of monkeys who can teach you [[WarpWhistle PSI teleport.]]
** Salsa, a monkey, is a prominent character and GuestStarPartyMember in ''MOTHER 3''.

* '''''VideoGame/EarthBound'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg no Gyakushū]]'''''[[/note]] (1994/1995, UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem): The series' only official international release for the longest time, and thus the one everyone's most familiar with. The star is Ness, one of the four chosen heroes destined to combat the Universal Cosmic Destroyer and his impending destruction of the universe.[[/index]]

* MeaningfulName: The franchises name was apparently inspired by one of Music/JohnLennon songs, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have any meaning the series games. [[spoiler:Giygas's connections with his adopted mother Maria and sequential feelings of abandonment]] is what drives a major portion of the overarching plot of ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', and carries over slightly into ''VideoGame/EarthBound''. ''[=EarthBound=]'' also has Ness's mother, who he must call periodically to cure his homesickness. In ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', [[spoiler:the loss of his mother and sequential attempts to deal with it]] are a major part of Lucas's CharacterDevelopment, as well as [[spoiler: his Mother's spirit being the one who brings Lucas' BrainwashedAndCrazy Brother Claus back to his senses in the Final Battle.]]

* TitledAfterTheSong: After a song by John Lennon.