History VideoGame / Mother

* StandardStatusEffects: Everything from "Blindness" to "Petrification" to "Sleeping," with the usual "Poison" effect (losing HP each turn) being split into no less than three effects depending on the game (head cold, poison, nausea, etc.).

[[caption-width-right:350:'''Top L-R:EVE''' [[Trope/Robot]]\\

[[caption-width-right:350:'''Top L-R:EVE''' [[Trope/Robot]]\\]]

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mother_serieslogo_7662.png]]

* TwoPartTrilogy: An odd case of this trope in that it applies in two different ways. ''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'' and ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' 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'' 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 [[NotSoDifferent 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=]''.]]

* FlashyTeleportation: Teleports are a PSI power in the first two games that requires movement but enables instant travel to towns that have already been visited. It [[WhatCouldHaveBeen may have been planned to be in the third game]], if [[DummiedOut unused teleportation sprites of Kumatora and Duster]] are any indication.

** Usually there's always at least one of these in each game. In the first game there's the fight against [[spoiler: Giant Robot R7038, who easily decimates the party and gravely injures Teddy. The party is saved by [[BigDamnHeroes Lloyd who finally returns with a Giant Tank that wipes out the robot.]]]] In the second game there's the Clumsy Robot, that when Jeff and Ness do a significant amount of damage to him, he just eats a Peanut Butter sandwich and heals himself back to full, and the fight only ends when [[spoiler: [[BigDamnHeroes the Runaway Five join the fray and flip the off Switch to shut down the robot.]]]] And there's a couple in the last game, there's Master Eddy and [[spoiler: the Porky Bots.]] No matter what you do, Master Eddy always washes your party away onto the beach of Tanetane Island at the end of the fight and causes them to lose all of their items and be reduced to 1 HP and 0 PP; this forces them to eat the Hallucenogetic Mushrooms in order to recover their strength (and if you try to move forward without doing this, you face another Hopeless fight in Zombieshroom who is blocking your path, as he wipes the floor with your party in their current state). With the second case, it's a very similar scenario to the Clumsy Robot fight in ''[=EarthBound=]''; [[spoiler: The Porky Bots don't heal themselves, but they keep constantly spawning new ones and summoning more enemies the more you defeat, the fight only ends when the DCMC show up and destroy the last of the Bots.]]

** ''VideoGame/Mother3'' takes things UpToEleven 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.

''For the first game in the trilogy, which shares the same Japanese title, [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings go here]]. For the unrelated 2020 game, [[VideoGame/Mother2020 go here]].''

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'',[[note]]an adventure/exploration game[[/note]] ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting. ''VideoGame/{{Oddity}}'' started off life as a fan made ''Mother 4'' but eventually rebranded to avoid legal issues.

* '''''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 complication method used to actually display said text, and the fact that this particular port was of [[PortingDisaster noticeably lesser quality.]][[index]]

* FrickinLaserBeams: The PK Beam series of PSI used by Ana in the first game, and beams are a favorite weapon of the Starman enemies. Some of Lloyd and Jeff's guns are laser guns.

** [[spoiler: This eventually becomes Porky's [[FateWorseThanDeath ultimate fate]] in ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', [[AndIMustScream doomed to be isolated from the world in an indestructible capsule for eternity]]]].

* {{Teleportation}}: A PSI power in the first two games that enables instant travel to towns that have already been visited. It [[WhatCouldHaveBeen may have been planned to be in the third game]], if [[DummiedOut unused teleportation sprites of Kumatora and Duster]] are any indication.

''For the first game in the trilogy, which shares the same Japanese title, [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings go here]].''

** During [[spoiler: Porky's]] EvilMonologue during the final boss of ''Videogame/{{Earthbound}}'', he'll remark that he will flee to another era to think of his next EvilPlan, and will possibly see Ness again. Come ''Videogame/Mother3'', and this never happens, [[spoiler:Porky instead raptures Dr.Aldonuts and the Mr.Saturns, with his whole plan involving an island in a post-apocalyptic Earth.]] The only time Ness and [[spoiler:Porky]] officially see each other again is during his boss fight in ''Videogame/SuperSmashBrosBrawl'', where Ness saves Lucas.

* ArtStyleDissonance: The ''Mother'' trilogy is a prime example of this. Who would think such ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''-esque looking games would contain stories about [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings how much]] ParentalAbandonment [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings can negatively effect a child]], [[VideoGame/EarthBound or contain one of the most infamous]] FinalBoss fights in video game history, or tell VideoGame/Mother3 one of the most heartrending stories in all of video games?]]

The series as a whole is a chronic victim of NoExportForYou, and while it is rather famous now, that may be more related to, or at least instigated by, its continued presence in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series.

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'',[[note]]an adventure/exploration game[[/note]] ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''Mother'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting.

* '''''VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings'''''[[note]]JP: '''''MOTHER'''''; nicknamed ''[=EarthBound=] Zero'' until it got an official English title[[/note]] (1989, [[UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}} Family Computer]]; 2015, Wii U): 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.
* '''''VideoGame/EarthBound'''''[[note]]JP: '''''MOTHER 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg no Gyakushū]]'''''[[/note]] (1994/1995, UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem): 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.[[/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/{{MOTHER 3}}'', 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 complication method used to actually display said text, and the fact that this particular port was of [[PortingDisaster noticeably lesser quality.]][[index]]

* ArtStyleDissonance: The ''MOTHER'' trilogy is a prime example of this. Who would think such ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}''-esque looking games would contain stories about [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings how much]] ParentalAbandonment [[VideoGame/EarthBoundBeginnings can negatively effect a child]], [[VideoGame/EarthBound or contain one of the most infamous]] FinalBoss fights in video game history, or tell [[VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}} one of the most heartrending stories in all of video games?]]

* '''''MOTHER 1+2''''' (2003, UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance): A CompilationRerelease of ''[=EarthBound=] Beginnings'' and ''[=EarthBound=]'', [[NoExportForYou released exclusively in Japan]] to promote the release of ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'', 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 complication method used to actually display said text, and the fact that this particular port was of [[PortingDisaster noticeably lesser quality.]][[index]]
* '''''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'''''[[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.

The series has become a major source of inspiration for indie-produced [=RPGs=] with a similar offbeat-yet-creepy atmosphere. Notable examples include ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Lisa}}'', ''VideoGame/YumeNikki'',[[note]]an adventure/exploration game[[/note]] ''VideoGame/{{OFF}}'' and ''VideoGame/SpaceFuneral''. ''VideoGame/CitizensOfEarth'' is another game influenced by ''MOTHER'' that focuses more on the parodical modern setting.

''MOTHER'' is an EasternRPG trilogy by Creator/{{Nintendo}}, the brainchild of Japanese writer and media personality Creator/ShigesatoItoi as a personal experiment in the ability of the video game medium to tell a story. Yep, it's an [[AuteurLicense auteur]] game series, and one of the first of its kind, too. It was named for the Music/JohnLennon song "Mother", of whom Itoi is a large fan, and is subject to quite a lot of {{Title Drop}}s.

With an eccentric like Itoi at the helm, it's not a surprise that ''MOTHER'' exemplifies the "WidgetSeries": the crude-yet-oddly unique art style, the self-aware [[NoFourthWall wall breakages]], the parodical interpretation of modern-day Earth (in this case, [[{{Eagleland}} America]]... skewed by the perspective of a foreigner exposed to it only through TV and cinema), and an [[CerebusRollercoaster emotional roller-coaster]] of Dadaist humour and tragedy.

** [[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]].]]