A novelization of Mother 2, aka EarthBound (1994), written by Saori Kumi. It follows the events of the game very closely, though adds a lot of extra details regarding the characters and changes some events around. It is noticeably Darker and Edgier than the original game, having unambiguous deaths and some new tragic backstories for many characters that would be right at home in Mother 3.
The novel never left Japan, but was fully translated by Nyaasu in 2022 and can be read online for free.
The Mother 2 Novelization provides examples of:
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: A ton of characters get this including Ness, Paula, Pokey, and even Carpainter. Jeff though by far gets hit with this the hardest. He had an older brother named Jack who died protecting Jeff from a boating accident, which would then result in his parents divorcing and being so despondent over the events they are unable to care for Jeff. Jeff firmly blames himself for all of this and has the added problem of gaining a phobia of boats after seeing his brother die before his very eyes.
- Adaptational Curves: Ness’ Mom in the game is flat chested, Ness’ Mom in the novel on the other hand is described having an incredibly ample chest that she has trouble keeping in her nightgown.
- Adaptational Intelligence: The Kraken is no longer a mindless beast, but a sentient being who even keeps up with human politics.
- Adaptational Villainy:
- Aloysius Minch was already a despicable Abusive Parent in the game, but the novel manages to make him the most loathsome character in the entire story short of Giygas himself. He cons Ness’ dad and forces him on a business trip to try and break him so that Aloysius can claim the secret formula for his burgers and get his wife. He is also more aware of Giygas’ influence and encourages his son Pokey to pursue serving him just for material gain.
- Giygas himself is also arguably more evil here than in the game. The Giygas of the novel is established as being a completely separate individual from the alien being introduced in Mother, and is implied to have been a horrific cosmic destroyer from the very start with nothing resembling the redeeming features he had in the games.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Paula remains kind-hearted and noble; but rather than be a calm and level-headed girl, she is now a fiery, flirty, and short-tempered Tomboy with a Girly Streak.
- Body Horror: Pokey becomes an especially disturbing example of this due having Giygas incubating inside him. Pokey steadily gets fatter and bigger as the novel goes on, eventually becoming a bloated goliath who can barely move on his own. The novel goes into great length on how hideous Pokey becomes and how painful the transformation is.
- Cosmic Retcon: After the final battle, the heroes come back to a world greatly changed than before. Jeff's parents are still married with a baby on the way, Buzz Buzz is Back from the Dead, Ness's dad is now Onett's top businessman instead of Aloysius Minch, and most significantly, Pokey is Ness's beloved older brother who's actually off to college soon.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Carbon Dog presents no threat to Ness and his robot body. Quite the contrast to him being one of the toughest bosses in the original game.
- Darker and Edgier: While there is still a ton of humor and the tone of the story remains idealistic, the novel is far darker than the original game with deep looks at various characters new tragic histories and most villains showing off their evilness more.
- Death by Adaptation: Aloysius dies of starvation in Deep Darkness. It gets subverted when his fate gets undone but he still faces a prison sentence for embezzlement.
- Divine Intervention: In the fight with Giygas Paula first prays to God Himself. It is then heavily implied that it is due to His aide that Paula’s later prayers reach everyone else, including the reader.
- Doing in the Scientist: When Jeff has a Heroic BSoD so bad he blacks out, the other Chosen Four utilize Astral Projection to try and help him. They then see him meeting with his dead brother who relieves him of his burden of guilt. Initially it is thought they were in Jeff’s mind and they witnessed him metaphorically letting go of his emotional baggage… But later it is revealed they were actually on the edge of the afterlife and Jeff was literally being comforted by his brother’s soul.
- Eldritch Abomination: Giygas is arguably more this here than he is in the game. With the novel having no continuity with the story of Mother, this Giygas was always a malevolent planet destroying super-being who has annihilated many worlds For the Evulz. And aside from a bunch of spidery appendages that sprout from Pokey's mouth at the climax, we are never given an in-depth look at what Giygas' true form looks like.
- Good Parents: As in the game, both of Ness’ parents are loving and helpful. Ness’ dad also has a legit reason for not being home so much thanks to Aloysius.
- Lemony Narrator: The narration has a lot of snark to go around, such as commenting on how Pokey wouldn't be allowed to get a driver's license if anyone knew about his underage driving.
- Mister Seahorse: Probably the most infamously disturbing change in the novel is how Pokey becomes not only a pawn of Giygas, but becomes infected with Giygas’ essence and essentially gets pregnant with the alien overlord’s new body. It has some horrifying adverse effects on Pokey.
- My Greatest Failure: Ness is given one. When he and Pokey were younger, Pokey got ganged up on by a bunch bullies. Ness ran away in fear, which cemented Pokey’s hatred of him. Since then Ness regretted his cowardice and he became determined to make up for it by becoming braver. He still feels great guilt over what he did, so much so that the Mani Mani Statue almost succeeds in killing Ness in Magicant by summoning the memories of the traumatic event and triggering a Heroic BSoD in Ness.
- Parents as People: Dr. Andonuts is portrayed in a more tragic and sympathetic light here. He is unable to really connect to Jeff due to the painful memories of their broken family, but he still tries his best to support him and assures him nothing of what happened was his fault.
- Spared By Adaptation: Giygas actually survives his fight with the Chosen Four, though he is still beaten; the fight leaves him severely weakened and he ends up being trapped between dimensions (for now).
- Unseen Evil: Giygas’ new body is never actually shown or described outside of seeing four spidery legs reach out of Pokey’s mouth. Afterwards he constantly hides his form behind illusions.
- Void Between the Worlds: Mentions are made of a strange realm that lies between all dimensions and timelines. Both the Fire Spring and the Devil’s Machine lie in this plane rather than being under the earth’s surface. It also becomes Giygas’ prison when the Chosen Four beat him
