History Trivia / MOTHER3

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Despite [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings its two]] [[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 prequels]] being rereleased into both the Platform/WiiU and Platform/NintendoSwitch Platform/VirtualConsole, this game has never been released again after hitting the stores in 2006, not even in its native Japan - until 2024 where it got released on the Nintendo Switch Online ... in Japan.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Despite [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings its two]] [[VideoGame/EarthBound1994 prequels]] being rereleased into both the Platform/WiiU and Platform/NintendoSwitch Platform/VirtualConsole, this game has never been released again after hitting the stores in 2006, not even in its native Japan.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: One of the guesses as to why ''Mother 3'' remains a case of NoExportForYou is due to its music. While ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound|1994}}'' faced similar speculation that was eventually proven false by its Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online releases[[note]]While ''[=EarthBound=]'' does indeed sample numerous pieces of music, sampling remains a copyright grey area, especially if the samples are transformed to the point of unrecognizability like most of ''[=EarthBound=]''[='=]s are.[[/note]], the issues with ''Mother 3'''s music are more egregious since several of its tracks are very recognizable homages to many popular songs. This, along with numerous {{Shout Out}}s to various other works that may also be infringing, probably would prevent a release even if Nintendo thought it would sell well enough. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if64VlLa5Oc A detailed explanation can be watched here]].

* RoleReprisal: In v1.3 of the fan translation, Lani Minella provides the sound clip of Lucas saying "ready, set, go!"

* IKnewIt: Fans were able to guess the basic plot of this game years before it was released. On the one hand, this is impressive, as they had nothing but a few screenshots to work with, but on the other, they did have [[DevelopmentHell over five years to work it out]].

* DevelopmentGag: Near the end of the game, the main party runs into Flint and discover that [[spoiler:he's "bald as a bean" beneath his cowboy hat]]. This is a nod to the April 1999 issue of ''The MOTHER 3 Times'', a promotional newsletter put out during the development of the game's UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 incarnation, which encouraged fans to send in letters theorizing about [[spoiler:what's under Flint's hat]].

* NoExportForYou: Probably the most notable example in Nintendo's library. Lucas and other elements of the game have appeared in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series since ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl Brawl]]'', but his home game has never seen a release outside of Japan. Nintendo is ''very much'' aware of the vocal fanbase's demands for an official Western release, even [[https://youtu.be/4FgzkZC0reE?t=47 joking about it during an E3 press conference]], but executives have stated that the main concern is that they can't justify translating a lengthy EasternRPG into English without knowing for certain that they'll recoup costs. They did briefly consider the idea of putting the original Japanese version of the game onto the North American and European UsefulNotes/WiiU UsefulNotes/VirtualConsole, but [[https://www.eurogamer.net/dont-hold-your-breath-for-more-earthbound-reggie-fils-aime-says such plans were scrapped entirely]] when the console flopped.
* SavedFromDevelopmentHell: The game was first proposed as an UsefulNotes/{{SNESCDROM}} game, then started development as a standard UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem title shortly after the release of ''[=EarthBound=]''. The game was then moved to the [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 64DD]], then the standard [=N64=], then delayed several times until finally being canceled. It was ultimately revived for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and finally finished.

** ''Mother 3'' was announced for a Western release on the [[UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance GBA]], but remained in Japan.

** ''MOTHER 3'' [[http://youtu.be/6pcd9VnnXSQ started life as a]] UsefulNotes/{{Nintendo 64}} title, which was rather widely previewed and received significant press attention both in Japan and internationally, and Nintendo of America seemed pretty dead-set on giving it an international release.

* MarthDebutedInSmashBros: ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' marked Lucas' debut international debut due to ''Mother 3'' infamously receiving no official release outside Japan, with his arrival bringing with him several instances of LateArrivalSpoiler.

* MarthDebutedInSmashBros: Infamously, Lucas debuted in the West in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'' and with him brought a truckload of spoilers to casually sling around as if it doesn't matter, including [[spoiler:King P.'s identity and New Pork City]]. [[LateArrivalSpoiler This did not amuse a large number of fans.]]

** There's also unused sprites of [[spoiler: Flint actually killing the Mecha-Drago instead of leaving it alive, which suggests that he was going to turn out similar to the beast]], as well as sprites of Kumatora [[spoiler: as a Magypsy, suggesting that ''she'' was supposed to be the final Magypsy instead of Fassad]].

*** Early video footage of ''[=EarthBound 64=]'' depicts [[https://i.imgur.com/xyEEiiv.png a character]] similar in design to Ninten and Ness, implying that Lucas was supposed to be a Ninten {{expy}} like Ness was. Later promotional material uses different designs for Lucas and Claus than the early Ninten-esque design, while the GBA version redesigns them further to better fit the art style of the first two games.

* DevelopmentHell: The game was first proposed as an UsefulNotes/{{SNESCDROM}} game, then started development as a standard UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem title shortly after the release of ''[=EarthBound=]''. The game was then moved to the [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 64DD]], then the standard [=N64=], then delayed several times until finally being canceled. It was ultimately revived for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and finally finished.

* FanTranslation: Nintendo's decision to not release the game internationally led to a group of fans doing an extremely extensive localization project that took two years and thousands of hours to complete. Released in 2008, the ''Mother 3'' fan translation stands as probably the most famous example of a fan translation in gaming history, rivaled only by the 1999 fan translation of ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana''. [[http://mother3.fobby.net/ These awesome guys]] extensively hacked the game front-to-back to provide as close of an experience to a hypothetical official localization as possible, aided by the fact that it was all spearheaded by Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, previously a subtitler for Creator/{{Funimation}}. The end result was one of the most widely acclaimed fan translations ever made, and its presence within the fandom has galvanized its status as ''the'' definitive way to experience ''Mother 3'' in the west (and not just among fans either; even Website/{{Wikipedia}} accepts the fan translation's terminology as close enough to official, with the article on the fan translation even getting 'Good Article' status). The [[http://mother3.fobby.net/or/ online readme]], about halfway down the page, starts a very, ''very'' long list of every hack that had to be programmed in order to make the translation work. Buried in there is this gem:

* InspirationForTheWork: Mozart's [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata_No._21_(Mozart) Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 21]], which he wrote after the death of his mother, served as composer Shogo Sakai's inspiration for [[https://youtu.be/hEKNzmWD9yk "Confusion",]] which plays over Flint's reaction to [[spoiler:Hinawa's death]]. He discusses the specific influences from the Mozart piece on his [[https://youtu.be/sWyyp_5wTVo YouTube channel.]]

* DevelopmentHell: The game started out as being a Super Famicom game shortly after the release of ''[=EarthBound=]'', and was then moved to the [[UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 N64DD]], then the [=N64=], then delayed several times until finally being canceled. It was ultimately revived for the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and finally finished.

** DCMC was originally supposed to have a female vocalist, and Kumatora's outfit was surprisingly more {{Stripperific}}; most of the cast's appearances and clothing were fairly different. Ness may have been set to appear in it, or perhaps Lucas was intended to look identical to him much as Ness was identical to Ninten.

** There are lots of unused lines of text in the game. Notable examples include an exchange with the producer of something called [[VideoGame/EarthBound "Mr. Pirkle and Ms. Lardna's]] Love Nest", mentions of a [[spoiler:New Pork Island]], a conversation with the seventh Magypsy, Locria (who evidently had different development), and some end-game conversations with Kumatora and Duster (asking Lucas how having a mother felt like, and [[spoiler:discovering all of their memories were fake.]])

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: One of the guesses as to why ''Mother 3'' remains a case of NoExportForYou is due to its music. While ''Earthbound'' faced similar speculation that was eventually proven false by its Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online releases[[note]]While ''Earthbound'' does indeed sample numerous pieces of music, sampling remains a copyright grey area, especially if the samples are transformed to the point of unrecognizability like most of ''Earthbound''[='=]s are.[[/note]], the issues with ''Mother 3'''s music are more egregious since several of its tracks are very recognizable homages to many popular songs. This, along with numerous {{Shout Out}}s to various other works that may also be infringing, probably would prevent a release even if Nintendo thought it would sell well enough. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if64VlLa5Oc A detailed explanation can be watched here]].
* SequelGap: It came out a good twelve years after ''VideoGame/{{EarthBound}}'''s Japanese release.

** Unlike in ''VideoGame/EarthBound'', there's only a single set of "Don't Care" names... the game is still programmed to cycle through seven sets of names, just like in ''[=EarthBound=]'', but the same names are copied into all seven sets.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: One of the guesses as to why ''Mother 3'' remains a case of NoExportForYou is due to its music. While ''Earthbound'' faced similar speculation that was eventually proven false by its Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online releases[[note]]While ''Earthbound'' does indeed sample numerous pieces of music, sampling remains a copyright grey area, especially if the samples are transformed to the point of unrecognizability like ''Earthbound''[='=]s are.[[/note]], the issues with ''Mother 3'''s music are are more egregious since several of its tracks are very recognizable homages to many very popular songs. This, along with numerous {{Shout Out}}s to various other works that may also be infringing, probably would prevent a release even if Nintendo thought it would sell well enough. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if64VlLa5Oc A detailed explanation can be watched here]].

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: One of the guesses as to why ''Mother 3'' remains a case of NoExportForYou is due to its music. While ''Earthbound'' faced similar speculation that was eventually proven false by its Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online releases[[note]]While ''Earthbound'' does indeed sample numerous pieces of music, sampling remains a copyright grey area, especially if the samples are transformed to the point of unrecognizability like ''Earthbound''[='=]s are.[[/note]], the issues with ''Mother 3'''s music are are more egregious since several of its tracks are very recognizable homages to many very popular songs. This, along with numerous {{Shout Out}}s to various other works that may also be infringing, probably would prevent a release even if Nintendo thought it would sell well enough.

* FanTranslation: Nintendo's decision to not release the game internationally led to a group of fans doing an extremely extensive localization project that took two years and thousands of hours to complete. Released in 2008, the ''Mother 3'' fan translation stands as probably the most famous example of a fan translation in gaming history, rivaled only by the 1999 fan translation of ''VideoGame/TrialsOfMana''. [[http://mother3.fobby.net/ These awesome guys]] extensively hacked the game front-to-back to provide as close of an experience to a hypothetical official localization as possible, aided by the fact that it was all spearheaded by Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, previously a subtitler for Creator/{{Funimation}}. The end result was one of the most widely acclaimed fan translations ever made, and its presence within the fandom has galvanized its status as ''the'' definitive way to experience ''Mother 3'' in the west (and not just among fans either; even Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} accepts the fan translation's terminology as close enough to official, with the article on the fan translation even getting 'Good Article' status). The [[http://mother3.fobby.net/or/ online readme]], about halfway down the page, starts a very, ''very'' long list of every hack that had to be programmed in order to make the translation work. Buried in there is this gem: