Line #42 Trivia/MOTHER


1	* ApprovalOfGod: Itoi has given his approval for fan works as a whole, saying that since he was done with the series, it was up to fans to continue the story.
2	* ColbertBump: The series has gotten more than a few fans of indie [=RPGs=] after their creators have cited the games as a major source of inspiration, especially Creator/TobyFox, creator of ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' & ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'', and Austin "Dingaling" Jorgenson, creator of ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}''.
3	* {{Defictionalization}}: [[http://lvl1-chef.tumblr.com/tagged/earthbound This tumblr blog]] focuses on making real life versions of a lot of the ''MOTHER'' series food items, from stuff like skip sandwiches to pork chips to peanut cheese bars.
4	* MovedToTheNextConsole: ''MOTHER 3'' was originally planned for the SNES, subsequently developed for the Nintendo 64DD, then just the Nintendo 64, and [[DevelopmentHell eventually]] completed for the GBA; shedding international release plans, 3D graphics, two tentative subtitles, four story chapters, at least three playable characters, and who knows what else along the way.
5	* NewbieBoom: The ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound\|1994}}'' fandom got a sudden surge of new members when the game ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes finally]]'' got rereleased on the Wii U. At one point it was ''the'' most downloaded Platform/VirtualConsole game on the Wii U, which resulted in many newcomers to the series, with some being people who likely never heard of the game at that point. This has notably caused some friction between [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood those who were in the cult fandom before it gained a wider audience]], as not only are the newbies more willing to point out the flaws in ''[=EarthBound=]'', they've even started to criticize ''VideoGame/{{Mother 3}}'''s flaws upon finding out about it, which considering the game was considered a SacredCow by those who were in the cult fandom...
6	* NoExportForYou: For a while, the series as a whole is possibly ''the'' most infamous example of this trope in all of video games. Only ''MOTHER 2'' was released in America back in the day, under the name ''[=EarthBound=]''. Europe got it even worse, as ''none of the three games'' were ever released there. [=EarthBound=] then proceeded to become a case of KeepCirculatingTheTapes for years until it eventually got another rerelease during the ''Platform/WiiU'' era, which also finally brought the series to Europe. Then, on June 14, 2015, the first game ''finally'' got an international release under the name ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'', nearly ''26 years'' after it came out in Japan. Only time will tell if ''Mother 3'' will at last be able to finally avert this trope officially (albeit for this one, an UpdatedReRelease at the very least) in the future...
7	* ShortLivedBigImpact: The series consists solely of three games and a CompilationRerelease, yet has been cited as a major influence by a large number of creators across media, from indie developers (most notably ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' & ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' creator Creator/TobyFox) to let's players (e.g. LetsPlay/{{Chuggaaconroy}} and LetsPlay/StephenPlays) to ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' creators Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone. The series' nontraditional approach to the RPG genre also had a noticeable influence on later bigger-name games in the field, with urban settings, offbeat writing, and deviations from and expansions upon the gameplay template ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' set becoming an increasingly prominent element in series from ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' to ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' to Nintendo's own ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' [=RPGs=].
8	* SimilarlyNamedWorks: The series shares its name with [[VideoGame/MotherHorrorShopGames two different]] [[VideoGame/MotherIrwinSegarane horror games]].
9	* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
10	** Mother 3 started its life as ''Earthbound 64''. However, the project entered DevelopmentHell and took so long to be completed it was moved over to the ''64DD'', but then was canceled after the ''64DD'' proved unpopular.
11	** Prior to the development of the GBA version of ''MOTHER 3'', an installment for the Platform/NintendoGamecube was being considered, [[https://nintendoeverything.com/nintendo-and-namco-discussed-a-potential-earthbound-game-for-the-gamecube-concepts-shown/ with some concepts for a felt-like art style being created]]. The project quickly died due to Itoi having little interest at the time.
12	** A great deal of unusued sprites and code were found in ''MOTHER 3'', including sprites for Porky dying, an alternate Chapter 1, and Claus as a playable character with his own unique weapon.
13	* WriteWhoYouKnow: Many characters and events in the games are inspired by Creator/ShigesatoItoi's real life experiences:
14	** In all three games, the main character has an absent parent -- Ninten and Ness's fathers are always away at work, while [[spoiler:Lucas' mother is mauled to death by the Mecha Drago]]. According to Itoi, the decision to do this was inspired by his experiences growing up without a father, which influenced his decision to name the series after a Music/JohnLennon song about his absent mother.
15	** In ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'', Ninten's asthma is a reflection of Itoi's own, which caused sleeping problems for him during the '80s because lying down would trigger coughing fits.
16	** ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound\|1994}}'' features Tony, a gay boy based on queer people in Itoi's own circle of friends. The game also lampoons Itoi's failed attempts at gold mining via Gerardo Montague's mine in the middle of Dusty Dune Desert. Montague's Japanese name, Shoji Motchi, is even a riff on Shouji Mochizuki, who helped Itoi with his mining excursion.
17	** The Magypsies in ''VideoGame/Mother3'' were based on Itoi's gender nonconforming friends.

Context Trivia / MOTHER