WikiBound logo.png There are 169 stubs for enemies. Help out by expanding these pages!
Item pages are now going to be split. See WikiBound:Projects for more information.

Difference between revisions of "EarthBound Beginnings"

From WikiBound, your community-driven EarthBound/Mother wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
(13 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Game infobox
{{Game infobox
|enname=Mother  
|enname=Mother
|jpkana=MOTHER
|jpkana=MOTHER
|jptrans=Mother
|jptrans=Mother
Line 8: Line 8:
|system=Famicom
|system=Famicom
|genre=RPG
|genre=RPG
|rating=''Unknown''
|rating=''T for Teen'' <small>(ESRB rating, EarthBound Beginnings rerelease)</small>
|msrp=¥6500
|msrp=¥6500
|publisher=Nintendo
|publisher=Nintendo
|developer=APE
|developer=APE
|jprelease=July 27, 1989
|jprelease=July 27, 1989
|narelease=yes
|nareleasedate=June 14, 2015 <small>(Wii U Virtual Console)</small>
|eurelease=yes
|eureleasedate=June 14, 2015 <small>(Wii U Virtual Console)</small>
}}
}}
'''Mother''' (Japanese: '''MOTHER''', sometimes rendered in katakana as '''{{tt|マザー|Mazā}}''') is an RPG released on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] in 1989, developed by [[Ape Inc.]] and published by [[Nintendo]]. It is somewhat well-known in Japan, spawning two sequels, though neither of them features the same protagonist as Mother.
'''Mother''' (Japanese: '''MOTHER''', sometimes rendered in katakana as '''{{tt|マザー|Mazā}}'''), released in the United States and Europe as '''EarthBound Beginnings''' is an RPG released on the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]] in 1989, developed by [[Ape Inc.]] and published by [[Nintendo]]. It is somewhat well-known in Japan, spawning two sequels, though neither of them features the same protagonist as Mother.


The game was translated into English by Nintendo of America in 1990 and slated for a 1991 release, but marketing delays prevented the translated game, rebranded as '''Earth Bound''', from ever seeing release. The fan group Demiforce, who had been working on a translation of the game at the time, discovered that a prototype cartridge had been sold to Kenny Brooks, a game collector, and made a deal with him to release a ROM of the game to the public in 1998. The ROM featured minor alterations to get around the copy protections Nintendo had placed on it, as well as the addition of "Zero" to the title screen to differentiate it from [[EarthBound|its sequel]], which had received an English release in 1995. Since then, four other prototypes have been found, one of which resides in Nintendo of America's headquarters. <ref>[http://www.earthboundcentral.com/2009/09/earthbound-zero-prototype-info/ EarthBound Central: "EarthBound Zero Prototype Info"]</ref>
The game was translated into English by Nintendo of America in 1990 and slated for a 1991 release, but marketing delays prevented the translated game, rebranded as '''Earth Bound''', from ever seeing release. The fan group Demiforce, who had been working on a translation of the game at the time, discovered that a prototype cartridge had been sold to Kenny Brooks, a game collector, and made a deal with him to release a ROM of the game to the public in 1998. The ROM featured minor alterations to get around the copy protections Nintendo had placed on it, as well as the addition of "Zero" to the title screen to differentiate it from [[EarthBound|its sequel]], which had received an English release in 1995. Since then, four other prototypes have been found, one of which resides in Nintendo of America's headquarters. <ref>[http://www.earthboundcentral.com/2009/09/earthbound-zero-prototype-info/ EarthBound Central: "EarthBound Zero Prototype Info"]</ref> However, shortly before the Nintendo World Championships 2015 on June 14, 2015, Nintendo revealed an English release, entitled '''EarthBound Beginnings''', that came out the same day for Wii U Virtual Console.


==Plot==
==Plot==
{{spoiler}}
{{spoiler}}
{{construction}}
{{cleanup|Should follow in-game and Mother Encyclopedia content only}}
===The First Three Melodies===
In the early 1900's, a strange cloud appeared over [[Mt. Itoi]]. With the cloud's appearance, several people began disappearing and then reappearing, with no recollection of where they had been or what they'd been doing. [[George]], editor-in-chief of the Mother's Day Times set out to investigate this phenomenon with his wife, [[Maria]]. However, the day their results were to be published, they mysteriously vanished as well. In reality, they were abducted by a race of aliens capable of [[PSI|psionic powers]], abbreviated as PSI. These aliens tasked George and Maria with raising [[Giygas|Giegue]], an alien of great potential. While Maria raised Giegue like how a mother would raise her son, George illicitly studied the aliens' PSI and fled back to Earth. He then began to continue researching PSI in seclusion, while Maria was left with the aliens. Though George and Maria were not mistreated while in captivity of the aliens (because they took care of Giegue), the aliens sought revenge on George for stealing the secrets of PSI, and subsequently planned to launch an invasion of the planet Earth. When Giegue matured, he was tasked with invading Earth and stopping PSI from being used against the aliens, and Giegue obeyed reluctantly, conflicted with the fact that Earth was the home of his only family...
[[File:Mother intro.png|thumb|left|The story of George and Maria in the English prototype of Mother.]]
Mother begins by telling the story of a young married couple named [[George]] and [[Maria]] who disappeared in the early 20th century. The game starts 80 years later in 1988 in the town of [[Podunk]]. A 12 year-old boy named [[Ninten]] experiences a poltergeist in his home, taking control of inanimate objects and attacking him and his [[Mimmie and Minnie|sisters]]. After getting rid of the poltergeist, Ninten finds an old music box, playing a short melody. He remembers the melody, as it seems important to him. Ninten's father calls and tells him that his great grandfather studied [[PSI]]. Ninten decides to go out and solve the mystery of the poltergeists invading homes in Podunk.  


Ninten soon comes to the home of a woman in panic. When he talks to her, she mentions that her daughter, [[Pippi]] is missing. Ninten, being the responsible boy he is, takes this up with the mayor of Podunk. The mayor insists that he is a very busy man and that Ninten go to the town's graveyard to look for the missing girl. Ninten does, and eventually finds Pippi in a coffin underground. He takes her back to the mayor, who bribes Ninten with the key to the [[Choucream Zoo|zoo]]. When Ninten shows his modesty and bravery to Pippi, she gives him an item called the [[Franklin Badge]]. After, Ninten visits the department store in town to see if they have anything to offer. In the "Pets" section, he realizes that all the animals have run away, except for a small canary. After bartering with the owner, Ninten takes it into his care and brings it to its mother in the [[Canary Village]] just out of town. The mother sings a song, and Ninten then remembers it. He then continues to the zoo.
The story then fast-forwards to 198X, in the rural American town of [[Podunk]]. Here, the tale focuses on a 12-year-old American boy named [[Ninten]]. His story begins when his home is attacked by a poltergeist, who possesses two [[Lamp|lamps]] and a [[Doll|doll]]. after exorcising the ghost, Ninten's father calls him, explaining that George, now revealed to be Ninten's great-grandfather, studied PSI. Ninten's father then tasks him with investigating a series of strange phenomena occurring across America, leaving Ninten to go out on his own.


When Ninten arrives at the zoo, he learns that all the animals are running loose, uncontrollable. He goes to the Superintendent's office, fighting off wild animals on the way. Inside, he hears a high pitched noise, that must be causing the animals to act the way they are. Ninten makes his way to the top floor and finds a strange pill-shaped object in the middle of a room. He approaches it and from inside, comes out an alien called a [[Starman Jr.]]. The Starman Jr. proves to be a challenge for Ninten, but in the end, he succeeds in defeating it, and bringing peace to the zoo. On his way out, Ninten sees a sign that advertises a singing monkey, and Ninten checks out what the monkey has to sing. The monkey sings, and once again, he finds the need to remember what he heard. He then continues to investigate the poltergeist.
After rescuing and befriending a 7-year-old girl named [[Pippi]] from the local cemetery, Ninten is sent to investigate the escaping and sudden hostility of the animals in the [[Podunk Zoo|local zoo]]. There, he discovers the phenomena are the work of [[Starman|an invading alien race]]. Ninten is then warped to the world of [[Magicant#In Mother|Magicant]], where the land's ruler, Queen Mary, has recently started to experience horrible nightmares. When she meets Ninten, she asks him to find her song, the [[Eight Melodies]], and play them to her, as she has forgotten the song and desperately needs to remember it. After returning to the real world, Ninten visits an elementary school in in the prototype) and meets an 11-year-old boy named [[Lloyd]], who is constantly bullied for being a weakling. Ninten befriends Lloyd, and joins Ninten on his adventure to find the Eight Melodies. The two then travel to the town of [[Snowman]] to deliver a lost hat to a 12-year-old girl with PSI powers, referred to as [[Ana]], who tells Ninten that she saw him in a dream, and joins the party in hopes of finding her missing mother. The group then continues their investigations in the town of [[Youngtown]], where all but two of the adults were abducted by a U.F.O. Having learned this, they decide to continue onward and further investigate these coinciding phenomena.


===The Queen and the Mission===
After finding five to six of the melodies (three of which Ninten found in Mother's Day, prior to his first visit to Magicant), Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd wind up in the city of [[Ellay]], where they learn that strange, black clouds have appeared over Mt. Itoi. However, during the trio's invesigations, they are harrassed by [[B.B. Gang|members]] of the [[Bla-Bla Gang]], a powerful street gang who attacks anyone that provokes them. After overcoming these thugs, the trio performs karioke at the Live House. However, their performance is interrupted by the Bla-Bla Gang's [[Teddy|leader]], who is angered by the fact that the trio was beating up his lackies. The leader then challenges Ninen (the trio's leader) to a duel, only to quickly realize how powerful of an opponent Ninten is. Swearing defeat, the leader introduces himself as Teddy, and explains that his parents were killed by wild animals on Mt. Itoi. Seeking vengance, he joins Ninten's party, replacing Lloyd, who rests up at the live house. Teddy then instructs the group to climb Mt. Itoi and avenge his parents.
[[File:Xxstone.png|thumb|Ninten approaching the strange stone in a cave.]]
Eventually he finds a strange rock formation, marked "XX" in a cave just outside his hometown. Using his power of [[Telepathy]], he is warped to a mystical place called [[Magicant]], where seashells are homes and people wear strange attire. After exploring a bit he finds a castle. Inside he meets the queen of Magicant, [[Queen Mary|Mary]]. She asks him to find the [[Eight Melodies]] hidden throughout the land. Ninten finds his way out of Magicant through [[Magicant Underground]] and begins his search.


[[File:TwinkleHeights.png|thumb|left|The strangely high view Twinkle Elementary has to offer.]]
The trio then treks up the mountain, facing numerous formidable foes along their way. Eventually, they rest at a cabin, the only place where they can currently find safety. There, Ana drags Ninten into a secluded room, where the two dance and confess their love for each other. However, Teddy interrupts them, pointing out strange noises coming from outside. When they look out the window to investigate, they are immediately attacked by [[R7038]], an upgraded version of [[R7037|a similar robot]] encountered earlier on in the game. R7038 brutally devestates the trio, and escapes by tearing a hole through space. Lloyd then arrives in a tank borrowed from a man in the [[Yucca Desert]], having hoped to save the trio from the robot. Lloyd then transports the trio back to the cottage, where Teddy is critically damaged from the fight. Teddy realizes that one cannot win all battles simply using brute force, and stays in the cottage to heal. Lloyd then rejoins the party in Teddy's stead.
After leaving Magicant Underground, Ninten finds himself on the hillside of a [[Sweet's Little Factory|factory]]. He continues across the small mountain and eventually spots a town not far from him, so he, exhausted and tired, goes for the town. After resting and healing, Ninten goes to the local elementary school, Twinkle Elementary. Speaking to many of the schoolchildren, Ninten hears a lot of a weak boy who is very smart. Curious about the school, he has the janitor take him to the roof to see the seemingly impossible heights. He notices a moving trashcan to his left, and he decides to check it out. Inside he finds a boy named [[Lloyd]] who is revealed to be the same boy that the children pick on. He asks Ninten to get him a bottle rocket from Sweet's Little Factory. Ninten, being the kind boy he is, decides to go get him one, and journeys back south to the factory he saw on his way out of Magicant.


===A New Friend===
Continuing their trek up Mt. Itoi, the trio is sucked into a whirlpool while trying to cross a lake in the center of the mountain path. The whirlpool brings the trio to George's abandoned underground laboratory, where they find a large robot named [[EVE]]. EVE explains that she was built with the purpose of protecting Ninten in his time of need, and joins the trio on their adventure. The glass windows in the lab then give way, flooding the lab and whisking the trio (now a quartet, with EVE supporting them) back to dry land. The quartet then continues their trek, learning that EVE is so powerful that she can kill enemies in a single blow. However, she is soon challenged by [[R7038XX]], an upgraded variation of R7038. R7038XX and EVE then duel on the mountain, R7038XX gaining the upper hand. However, as a last resort, EVE self-destructs, destroying R7038XX in the process. The remaining trio then finds a chip in EVE that plays the seventh of the Eight Melodies. They then continue up the mountain until they reach a cliff near the peak, where they find a cave barricaded by several immovable rocks. Along with the cave, they find George's gravesite, where his spirit contacts Ninten and relays to him the final melody. Ninten and co. then head back to Magicant, where they relay the full song back to Queen Mary. Not only does Mary remember the song, but she also remembers that her true identity is Maria, George's wife and Giegue's former caretaker from 80 years ago. She explains that she sang the Eight Melodies to Giegue as a lullaby, and that she and Giegue loved each other very much, akin to a mother and her son. Realizing her true identity, Maria ascends to heaven to join George, as Magicant slowly disappates, as it was only a figment of Maria's imagination...
When Ninten gets to the factory, he traverses the maze-like layout of the building to find Lloyd a Bottle Rocket. Inside the abandoned factory, he encounters many [[Rat]]s and strange creatures called [[Barbot]]s. Near the end of the factory, Ninten, confused, has not found the bottle rocket his new found friend hopes for. He decides to look in the only place he hasn't checked yet: the [[Present|trash can]] right next to him. To his relief, he finds the bottle rocket Lloyd has been seeking, and Ninten returns to Twinkle Elementary to return it to him. Lloyd comes out of his hiding place and brings Ninten to the science room with his bottle rocket. He fires it and destroys the room, and decides he wants to fire a bigger bottle rocket. Of course, he knows where to find it, and joins Ninten to go get it.


Lloyd tells Ninten that [[Duncan's Factory]] to the north has the bottle rocket he seeks, so the two follow the nearby train tracks until they have to turn due to a boulder in the path. On the way, Ninten finds an old pass, and decides to keep it in case it could be helpful. When they reach the factory, they are stopped by a [[Stray Dog|guard dog]]. Ninten, using his Telepathy, learns that the pass was to the factory and that it had expired. The dog attacks Ninten and Lloyd, but easily falls to the hands of the youths. Inside the factory, Ninten and Lloyd find a gigantic labyrinth of a workplace. After a while, at the end of the factory, the duo find a room holding many rocket launchers, one holding a big bottle rocket. Lloyd fires it, and conveniently it destroys the boulder blocking the path to the [[Union Station]], where they can continue to find more parts of Queen Mary's song.
When Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd return to the real world, they find that the rocks blocking the cavern are gone, allowing them to enter. Inside, they find a room filled with alien pods containing numerous adults, many of whom were abducted from the town of Easter. One adult recognizes Ana from her hat, and explains that her mother is being held in a room in the back. However, it is also explained that it is impossible to free anyone without defeating Giegue first. With this in mind, the trio then continues through the cavern and reaches the summit. There, Giegue appears in his mothership and attacks the trio, explaining his backstory all the while, and expresses his gratitude for Ninten's family, as Maria raised Giegue when he was but a child. While he initially reprimands Ninten for obstructing his plans, Giegue offers to spare Ninten's life, should he board the mothership with him. However, Ninten refuses, and an angered Giegue then attacks the trio further, stating that they can "fall into a long sleep with the rest of the ugly Earth people". When the trio tries to fight back with force, they are unable to defeat him, no matter how much they attack. However, upon [[Check|checking]] the alien, Teddy's realization from before comes into place: Maria's spirit explains that Giegue cannot be defeated with brute force, and can only be defeated by the singing of the Eight Melodies. With this in mind, the trio repeatedly tries to sing the Eight Melodies, yet are attacked by Giegue, who hopes to silence him to escpae his old conflictions. However, after ten failed attempts, one member of the trio (determined by the player's actions during the battle) manages to sing the entire lullaby. Unable to bear the pain of the memories induced by the melodies, Giegue is defeated, and flies back to the cosmos, swearing that he will have his revenge. In the Famicom version, the game ends at this uncertain point, as the characters turn to the player while the credits scroll behind them, leaving the player to assume that all is well again. However, the English prototype and [[Mother 1+2|Game Boy Advance re-release]] add an extended, clarified ending, as shown below:


===Snow and Sun===
After Giegue's defeat, the adults in the cavern are freed and brought back to their families in Easter, while Ana reunites with her mother and returns to Snowman. The group then parts ways, and each member continues with their own life. Lloyd is given a hero's welcome back in Merrysville, and is no longer bullied by his peers. Teddy, now fully recovered, changes his ways and becomes a live performer at the Live House in Ellay. In Snowman, Ana recieves a letter from Ninten, and eagerly hopes to meet him again. Back in Podunk, Ninten is greeted by his family, who infer that Ninten must be famished after his long journey. Now that the earth's crisis is finally over, Ninten decides to lay down and go to sleep. This extended ending finishes off with a cast of all the characters who appared ''in person'' in the game (minus Giegue, standard enemies, and bosses), a new credits sequence, and a post-credits scene: Ninten's father tries to call Ninten, apparently with urgent news, implying that a new problem has arose for investigation...
The two boys then ride the [[train]] to [[Reindeer]], and upon arriving, an old woman stops them and asks them to find [[Ana|the girl]] who's name was embroidered the [[List of key items in Mother#Hat|hat]] that she found. The boys then travel to [[Snowman]], and find the young girl in the [[Snowman Chateau|chateau]] at the edge of the town. The girl introduces herself as Ana, and says that her mother had recently went missing. She then asks the boys to take her with them, and tells her father goodbye as she exits the chateau.
 
The children then travel to the town of [[Spookane]], and a woman gives them the key to her [[Rosemary's house|house]], saying it is haunted. Despite all of the ghosts and the maze-like appearance of the house, the group manages to traverse the house. In the westernmost room, they find a piano that plays by itself-- the fourth melody.
 
The group then travels back to the Union Station, planning to take the train to [[Youngtown]], but they soon learn that the train tracks through [[Yucca Desert]] are broken, meaning they must make the trip on foot. In the center of the desert, the group finds a cactus with a face on it. Ninten's telepathy seems to reach the cactus, as it begins to sing the next melody.
 
===Plane Trips===
After some more wandering around the dessert, they find a oasis, where a man says he has from a war that happened at [[Yucca Desert]], and that he doens't seem to find the last landmine he placed there. He then asks if they would like to take a plane trip. After saying yes he says that, if they get ten ticket stubs, they can borrow his tank.
 
Trough the trips they take, they see many places, including [[Ninten's house]], [[Duncan's Factory]], [[Ellay]], and other places. After ten thicket stubs, they borrow his tank, and then explore the desert with it.
 
After wandering a bit, they find some mysterious ruins, which, after trying to enter, they are attacked by a giant robot named [[R7037]]. Luckily, he is no match for the tank, and is quickly destroyed, granting acess to the [[Ruins of Desert|ruins]]. Inside, they find the ruins are full of monkeys and one penguin, with most of the monkeys being liars. However, Ninten's Team reach the bottom, which is actually another entrance to [[Magicant]].


==Characters==
==Characters==
Line 63: Line 49:
'''[[Ana]]''' is a girl from [[Snowman]]. Ana joins Ninten to look for her missing mother. She has many powerful PSI powers. Additionally, Ana can use [[frying pan|frying pans]] as weapons.  
'''[[Ana]]''' is a girl from [[Snowman]]. Ana joins Ninten to look for her missing mother. She has many powerful PSI powers. Additionally, Ana can use [[frying pan|frying pans]] as weapons.  


'''[[Teddy]]''' is a member of the [[Bla-Bla Gang]]. Teddy joins Ninten to avenge his parents, which were killed at the mountains. He is unable to perform PSI attacks, but can use deadly [[blade|swords]] and [[blade|knives]] to attack.
'''[[Teddy]]''' is the boss of the [[Bla-Bla Gang]]. Teddy joins Ninten to avenge his parents, which were killed at the mountains. He is unable to perform PSI attacks, but can use deadly [[blade|blades]] to attack.


===Major Characters===
===Major Characters===
Line 78: Line 64:


'''[[Eve]]''' is a robot created by [[george]] to defend [[Ninten]]. It also has the [[Eight Melodies|seventh melody]].
'''[[Eve]]''' is a robot created by [[george]] to defend [[Ninten]]. It also has the [[Eight Melodies|seventh melody]].
==Virtual Console re-release==
On June 14, 2015, MOTHER was released on Wii U Virtual Console. While the American and European versions are the same as the unreleased English prototype, the Japanese version was edited a bit. Most notably having the same censorship as the American and European versions and a line of text in Twinkle Elementary School being tweaked. [http://earthboundcentral.com/2015/06/japanese-wii-u-mother-has-changes/ Source]


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
Line 86: Line 76:
{{Gallery/cell|PseudoZombie.png|80px|[[PseudoZombi]]'s Clay Model}}
{{Gallery/cell|PseudoZombie.png|80px|[[PseudoZombi]]'s Clay Model}}
|-
|-
{{Gallery/cell|Nancy_Model.png|80px|[[Nancy]]'s Model}}
{{Gallery/cell|Nancy_Model.png|80px|[[Nancy]]'s Clay Model}}
{{Gallery/cell|The Fish Model.png|110px|[[The Fish]]'s Clay Model}}
{{Gallery/cell|Cerebrum Model.png|100px|[[Cerebrum]]'s Clay Model}}
|}
|}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Mother was named after the [[wikipedia:John Lennon|John Lennon]] [[wikipedia:Mother (John Lennon song)|song]] of the same name.
*Mother was named after the [[wikipedia:John Lennon|John Lennon]] [[wikipedia:Mother (John Lennon song)|song]] of the same name.
*Unlike the original release of ''Mother'', the unreleased North American version contained detailed enemy descriptions, some redesigned areas, an ability to run, among other differences. A few of the changes were requested by Nintendo of America producer and script writer Phil Sandhop, who stated that there were plans to release the game with an 80 page instruction manual and a separate release of the game's soundtrack, but the production costs ended up having the game cancelled. Most of the alterations later saw official release in ''[[Mother 1+2]]''.
*It took 26 years for ''Mother'' to get an English release, making it only the second game in the series to be released outside of Japan.


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{projectlinks|strategywiki|page1=Mother}}


{{Games}}
{{Games}}

Revision as of 18:12, 26 July 2015

Mother
MOTHER Mother
Mother boxart.png
Mother boxart
System Famicom
Genre RPG
Rating T for Teen (ESRB rating, EarthBound Beginnings rerelease)
Publisher Nintendo
Developer APE
Release dates
North America June 14, 2015 (Wii U Virtual Console)
Europe June 14, 2015 (Wii U Virtual Console)

Mother (Japanese: MOTHER, sometimes rendered in katakana as マザー), released in the United States and Europe as EarthBound Beginnings is an RPG released on the Famicom in 1989, developed by Ape Inc. and published by Nintendo. It is somewhat well-known in Japan, spawning two sequels, though neither of them features the same protagonist as Mother.

The game was translated into English by Nintendo of America in 1990 and slated for a 1991 release, but marketing delays prevented the translated game, rebranded as Earth Bound, from ever seeing release. The fan group Demiforce, who had been working on a translation of the game at the time, discovered that a prototype cartridge had been sold to Kenny Brooks, a game collector, and made a deal with him to release a ROM of the game to the public in 1998. The ROM featured minor alterations to get around the copy protections Nintendo had placed on it, as well as the addition of "Zero" to the title screen to differentiate it from its sequel, which had received an English release in 1995. Since then, four other prototypes have been found, one of which resides in Nintendo of America's headquarters. [1] However, shortly before the Nintendo World Championships 2015 on June 14, 2015, Nintendo revealed an English release, entitled EarthBound Beginnings, that came out the same day for Wii U Virtual Console.

Plot

Warning! Spoiler warning: this article or section may contain major plot or ending details! Proceed with caution.
Clean the mold off of this article and there won't be anything left. In other words, it's a pile of mold.
This article or section may require a cleanup.
The editor who added this tag believes this page should be cleaned up for the following reason: Should follow in-game and Mother Encyclopedia content only
You can discuss this issue on the talk page or edit this page to improve it.

In the early 1900's, a strange cloud appeared over Mt. Itoi. With the cloud's appearance, several people began disappearing and then reappearing, with no recollection of where they had been or what they'd been doing. George, editor-in-chief of the Mother's Day Times set out to investigate this phenomenon with his wife, Maria. However, the day their results were to be published, they mysteriously vanished as well. In reality, they were abducted by a race of aliens capable of psionic powers, abbreviated as PSI. These aliens tasked George and Maria with raising Giegue, an alien of great potential. While Maria raised Giegue like how a mother would raise her son, George illicitly studied the aliens' PSI and fled back to Earth. He then began to continue researching PSI in seclusion, while Maria was left with the aliens. Though George and Maria were not mistreated while in captivity of the aliens (because they took care of Giegue), the aliens sought revenge on George for stealing the secrets of PSI, and subsequently planned to launch an invasion of the planet Earth. When Giegue matured, he was tasked with invading Earth and stopping PSI from being used against the aliens, and Giegue obeyed reluctantly, conflicted with the fact that Earth was the home of his only family...

The story then fast-forwards to 198X, in the rural American town of Podunk. Here, the tale focuses on a 12-year-old American boy named Ninten. His story begins when his home is attacked by a poltergeist, who possesses two lamps and a doll. after exorcising the ghost, Ninten's father calls him, explaining that George, now revealed to be Ninten's great-grandfather, studied PSI. Ninten's father then tasks him with investigating a series of strange phenomena occurring across America, leaving Ninten to go out on his own.

After rescuing and befriending a 7-year-old girl named Pippi from the local cemetery, Ninten is sent to investigate the escaping and sudden hostility of the animals in the local zoo. There, he discovers the phenomena are the work of an invading alien race. Ninten is then warped to the world of Magicant, where the land's ruler, Queen Mary, has recently started to experience horrible nightmares. When she meets Ninten, she asks him to find her song, the Eight Melodies, and play them to her, as she has forgotten the song and desperately needs to remember it. After returning to the real world, Ninten visits an elementary school in in the prototype) and meets an 11-year-old boy named Lloyd, who is constantly bullied for being a weakling. Ninten befriends Lloyd, and joins Ninten on his adventure to find the Eight Melodies. The two then travel to the town of Snowman to deliver a lost hat to a 12-year-old girl with PSI powers, referred to as Ana, who tells Ninten that she saw him in a dream, and joins the party in hopes of finding her missing mother. The group then continues their investigations in the town of Youngtown, where all but two of the adults were abducted by a U.F.O. Having learned this, they decide to continue onward and further investigate these coinciding phenomena.

After finding five to six of the melodies (three of which Ninten found in Mother's Day, prior to his first visit to Magicant), Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd wind up in the city of Ellay, where they learn that strange, black clouds have appeared over Mt. Itoi. However, during the trio's invesigations, they are harrassed by members of the Bla-Bla Gang, a powerful street gang who attacks anyone that provokes them. After overcoming these thugs, the trio performs karioke at the Live House. However, their performance is interrupted by the Bla-Bla Gang's leader, who is angered by the fact that the trio was beating up his lackies. The leader then challenges Ninen (the trio's leader) to a duel, only to quickly realize how powerful of an opponent Ninten is. Swearing defeat, the leader introduces himself as Teddy, and explains that his parents were killed by wild animals on Mt. Itoi. Seeking vengance, he joins Ninten's party, replacing Lloyd, who rests up at the live house. Teddy then instructs the group to climb Mt. Itoi and avenge his parents.

The trio then treks up the mountain, facing numerous formidable foes along their way. Eventually, they rest at a cabin, the only place where they can currently find safety. There, Ana drags Ninten into a secluded room, where the two dance and confess their love for each other. However, Teddy interrupts them, pointing out strange noises coming from outside. When they look out the window to investigate, they are immediately attacked by R7038, an upgraded version of a similar robot encountered earlier on in the game. R7038 brutally devestates the trio, and escapes by tearing a hole through space. Lloyd then arrives in a tank borrowed from a man in the Yucca Desert, having hoped to save the trio from the robot. Lloyd then transports the trio back to the cottage, where Teddy is critically damaged from the fight. Teddy realizes that one cannot win all battles simply using brute force, and stays in the cottage to heal. Lloyd then rejoins the party in Teddy's stead.

Continuing their trek up Mt. Itoi, the trio is sucked into a whirlpool while trying to cross a lake in the center of the mountain path. The whirlpool brings the trio to George's abandoned underground laboratory, where they find a large robot named EVE. EVE explains that she was built with the purpose of protecting Ninten in his time of need, and joins the trio on their adventure. The glass windows in the lab then give way, flooding the lab and whisking the trio (now a quartet, with EVE supporting them) back to dry land. The quartet then continues their trek, learning that EVE is so powerful that she can kill enemies in a single blow. However, she is soon challenged by R7038XX, an upgraded variation of R7038. R7038XX and EVE then duel on the mountain, R7038XX gaining the upper hand. However, as a last resort, EVE self-destructs, destroying R7038XX in the process. The remaining trio then finds a chip in EVE that plays the seventh of the Eight Melodies. They then continue up the mountain until they reach a cliff near the peak, where they find a cave barricaded by several immovable rocks. Along with the cave, they find George's gravesite, where his spirit contacts Ninten and relays to him the final melody. Ninten and co. then head back to Magicant, where they relay the full song back to Queen Mary. Not only does Mary remember the song, but she also remembers that her true identity is Maria, George's wife and Giegue's former caretaker from 80 years ago. She explains that she sang the Eight Melodies to Giegue as a lullaby, and that she and Giegue loved each other very much, akin to a mother and her son. Realizing her true identity, Maria ascends to heaven to join George, as Magicant slowly disappates, as it was only a figment of Maria's imagination...

When Ninten, Ana, and Lloyd return to the real world, they find that the rocks blocking the cavern are gone, allowing them to enter. Inside, they find a room filled with alien pods containing numerous adults, many of whom were abducted from the town of Easter. One adult recognizes Ana from her hat, and explains that her mother is being held in a room in the back. However, it is also explained that it is impossible to free anyone without defeating Giegue first. With this in mind, the trio then continues through the cavern and reaches the summit. There, Giegue appears in his mothership and attacks the trio, explaining his backstory all the while, and expresses his gratitude for Ninten's family, as Maria raised Giegue when he was but a child. While he initially reprimands Ninten for obstructing his plans, Giegue offers to spare Ninten's life, should he board the mothership with him. However, Ninten refuses, and an angered Giegue then attacks the trio further, stating that they can "fall into a long sleep with the rest of the ugly Earth people". When the trio tries to fight back with force, they are unable to defeat him, no matter how much they attack. However, upon checking the alien, Teddy's realization from before comes into place: Maria's spirit explains that Giegue cannot be defeated with brute force, and can only be defeated by the singing of the Eight Melodies. With this in mind, the trio repeatedly tries to sing the Eight Melodies, yet are attacked by Giegue, who hopes to silence him to escpae his old conflictions. However, after ten failed attempts, one member of the trio (determined by the player's actions during the battle) manages to sing the entire lullaby. Unable to bear the pain of the memories induced by the melodies, Giegue is defeated, and flies back to the cosmos, swearing that he will have his revenge. In the Famicom version, the game ends at this uncertain point, as the characters turn to the player while the credits scroll behind them, leaving the player to assume that all is well again. However, the English prototype and Game Boy Advance re-release add an extended, clarified ending, as shown below:

After Giegue's defeat, the adults in the cavern are freed and brought back to their families in Easter, while Ana reunites with her mother and returns to Snowman. The group then parts ways, and each member continues with their own life. Lloyd is given a hero's welcome back in Merrysville, and is no longer bullied by his peers. Teddy, now fully recovered, changes his ways and becomes a live performer at the Live House in Ellay. In Snowman, Ana recieves a letter from Ninten, and eagerly hopes to meet him again. Back in Podunk, Ninten is greeted by his family, who infer that Ninten must be famished after his long journey. Now that the earth's crisis is finally over, Ninten decides to lay down and go to sleep. This extended ending finishes off with a cast of all the characters who appared in person in the game (minus Giegue, standard enemies, and bosses), a new credits sequence, and a post-credits scene: Ninten's father tries to call Ninten, apparently with urgent news, implying that a new problem has arose for investigation...

Characters

Playable

Ninten is the protagonist of Mother. He is sent by Queen Mary of Magicant to locate the Eight Melodies. Ninten can use special PSI abilities only him can use like 4th-D Slip and Quick Up. He can also use various baseball bats to attack opponents.

Lloyd is a boy from Merrysville. He joins Ninten's quest to locate the Eight Melodies. Although lacking PSI, Lloyd can attack enemies using various types of guns and explosives.

Ana is a girl from Snowman. Ana joins Ninten to look for her missing mother. She has many powerful PSI powers. Additionally, Ana can use frying pans as weapons.

Teddy is the boss of the Bla-Bla Gang. Teddy joins Ninten to avenge his parents, which were killed at the mountains. He is unable to perform PSI attacks, but can use deadly blades to attack.

Major Characters

QueenMary.gif

Queen Mary , the queen of the mysterious land of magicant. The game is focused on learning her song.

Maria is married with George, but she never returned. She is Ninten great-grandmother.

George is Maria husband, but the only one to return. He is also Ninten great-grandfather.

Laura will sing one of the parts of the melody, after you find her son.

DragonSprite.gif

The Dragon holds part of the melody. He can be battled in the Magicant Underground later in the game.

Eve is a robot created by george to defend Ninten. It also has the seventh melody.

Virtual Console re-release

On June 14, 2015, MOTHER was released on Wii U Virtual Console. While the American and European versions are the same as the unreleased English prototype, the Japanese version was edited a bit. Most notably having the same censorship as the American and European versions and a line of text in Twinkle Elementary School being tweaked. Source

Gallery

Gallery
Telepathy.gif
Telepathy
M1 Game Over.png
Game Over Screen
Train clay.png
Train's Clay Model
File:PseudoZombie.png
PseudoZombi's Clay Model
Nancy Model.png
Nancy's Clay Model
The Fish Model.png
The Fish's Clay Model
Cerebrum Model.png
Cerebrum's Clay Model

Trivia

  • Mother was named after the John Lennon song of the same name.
  • Unlike the original release of Mother, the unreleased North American version contained detailed enemy descriptions, some redesigned areas, an ability to run, among other differences. A few of the changes were requested by Nintendo of America producer and script writer Phil Sandhop, who stated that there were plans to release the game with an 80 page instruction manual and a separate release of the game's soundtrack, but the production costs ended up having the game cancelled. Most of the alterations later saw official release in Mother 1+2.
  • It took 26 years for Mother to get an English release, making it only the second game in the series to be released outside of Japan.

References


EarthBound and MOTHER
by Shigesato Itoi
Ninten Ness Lucas Mr. Saturn
EarthBound Beginnings (Mother) EarthBound (Mother 2) Mother 3 Mother 1+2

Unreleased titles
Flint Ness
EarthBound 64
(EarthBound 64)
Untitled EarthBound game (Nintendo GameCube)
(Nintendo GameCube)


Mother Characters of
EarthBound Beginnings
Mother
Main Party
Ninten sprite.png
Ninten
Lloyd sprite.png
Lloyd
Ana sprite.png
Ana
Teddy sprite.png
Teddy
Allies
GeorgeMaria
Mimmie and MinniePippi
Queen MaryFlying MenEve
Villain
Giegue
Others
MickMrs. LindgrenA. GoodmanAbbottMysterious Goods-KeeperMysterious MimickerBenevolent Old ManForgotten ManGoldrich DuncanOld Sawbones BennyMysterious TeacherSuzyBuggerror RosemaryTom GarricksonGarrickson babyLloyd's fatherBla-Bla GangAbleBaker
List of all characters

Template:Mother locations

WikiBound.png This article is a stub. Please help by contributing to this page.