History VideoGame / Mother

* '''''VideoGame/Mother3'''''[[note]]nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] 2'' after the Fourside bulletin in the predecessor[[/note]] (2006, Game Boy Advance; 2015, Wii U): The series' apparent GrandFinale, featuring a wide EnsembleCast headed by Lucas, a timid child promoted to investigate the slow corruption of his home island. Again, [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]], but is the subject of a particularly famous and polished FanTranslation spearheaded by Clyde Mandelin.

** 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 stopped
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]].]]

* '''''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother'''''; nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] Zero'' until it got an official English title[[/note]] (1989, [[UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}} Family Computer]]; 2015, UsefulNotes/WiiU; 2022, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch): 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. This localization was re-released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022 as a part of Nintendo Switch Online.
* '''''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg no Gyakushū]]'''''[[/note]] (1994/1995, Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem; 2013, Wii U; 2016, [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS New Nintendo 3DS]]; 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]]

** 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]].]]

* '''''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg no Gyakushū]]'''''[[/note]] (1994/1995, UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem; 2013, Wii U; 2016, [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS New Nintendo 3DS]]; 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]]
* '''''Mother 1+2''''' (2003, UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance): A CompilationRerelease of ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=]'', [[NoExportForYou released exclusively in Japan]] to promote the release of ''VideoGame/Mother3'', and notably incorporating practically all the modifications of the then-unreleased English localization. Also has a FanTranslation by Clyde Mandelin, the same guy who lead the ''Mother 3'' fan translation project. However, only the first game was translated; this game's version of ''[=EarthBound=]'' was left untouched beyond a simple menu translation, due to a combination of the sheer volume of text in the game, the rather complicated method used to actually display said text, and the fact that this particular port was of [[PortingDisaster noticeably lesser quality.]][[index]]

** ''VideoGame/Mother3'' takes things a notch further by outright ''refusing'' to give any particular indicators of a range of years, though [[spoiler:the modernized Tazmily and New Pork City]] borrow considerable elements from ''[=EarthBound's=]'' "199X'' setting as well as a few more additions indicative of the pre-smartphone 2000's, including cell phones with extendable antennae. [[spoiler:It's eventually confirmed that the game takes place in an alternate timeline, a long time after the events of ''[=EarthBound's=]'' (potentially several millenia, given Porky's comments about his age).]]

** ''VideoGame/Mother3'' takes things a notch further by outright ''refusing'' to give any particular indicators of a range of years, simply being set an ambiguously long point of time after ''[=EarthBound=]'', though [[spoiler:the modernized Tazmily and New Pork City]] borrow considerable elements from ''[=EarthBound's=]'' "199X'' setting as well as a few more additions indicative of the pre-smartphone 2000's, including cell phones with extendable antennae.

** [[spoiler:Porky]] too, believe it or not. [[spoiler:He grew up in an abusive household, with Ness being his only [[WithFriendsLikeThese "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 ''HumanSacrifice'' 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 dictatorship upon the islands, and [[DarkerAndEdgier it only]] [[TearJerker gets worse]] [[OmnicidalManiac from there]].]]

* '''''VideoGame/Mother3'''''[[note]]nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] 2'' after the Fourside bulletin in the predecessor[[/note]] (2006, Game Boy Advance; 2016, Wii U): The series' apparent GrandFinale, featuring a wide EnsembleCast headed by Lucas, a timid child promoted to investigate the slow corruption of his home island. Again, [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]], but is the subject of a particularly famous and polished FanTranslation spearheaded by Clyde Mandelin.

* '''''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'''''[[note]]JP: '''''Mother'''''; nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] Zero'' until it got an official English title[[/note]] (1989, [[UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}} Family Computer]]; 2015, Wii U; 2022, UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch): 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. This localization was re-released on the Nintendo Switch in 2022 as a part of Nintendo Switch Online.
* '''''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'''''[[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]]

* '''''VideoGame/Mother3'''''[[note]]nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] 2'' after the Fourside bulletin in the predecessor[[/note]] (2006, Game Boy Advance): The series' apparent GrandFinale, featuring a wide EnsembleCast headed by Lucas, a timid child promoted to investigate the slow corruption of his home island. Again, [[NoExportForYou only released in Japan]], but is the subject of a particularly famous and polished FanTranslation spearheaded by Clyde Mandelin.

** [[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/Mother3'' 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|1994}}'' 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=]''.]]