It’s out. Yep. It’s out. If you’re on the Internet, you’ve probably already heard. It’s ridiculous how quickly the news spread like radiation through ground zero – a true testament to the hidden, latent nature of the Earthbound fandom. In almost every OS, there’s an available patch for you, and an emulator to boot. Not only can you finally play the sequel 13 years in the making in English, but thanks to advances in homebrew and emulation, you can play it wherever you want on whatever you want.

Awesome.

Completely… Badical.

So, before the majority of you descend into the World of Mother 3 (or th :|, for those who are inaugurated), I think a couple of words are in order. When 4cr started covering the Mother 3 Fan Translation, things were incredibly optimistic. The team had been announced as a veritable dream team of ROM hacking experts, and in addition to this, the team was going to detail everything going on in a blog. Crazy, we thought. Awesome, we went on record to say. However, as we all know, life has a funny way of intervening in these things. As the hack progressed, the team eventually boiled down to just Tomato and Jeffman, with surprise guests popping in every now and then with a care package.

But what was most amazing near the end is that, despite life intervening, things managed to stay relatively on the sunny side. So many other translation projects fizzle out at the slightest dissent. Heck, even the original Mother 3 translation project quite literally imploded from the first sign of drama.

So, all in all, you’re not just playing a ROM hack: you’re playing the tireless, fanatical devotion that Mother fans are known for and proud of. The work of 2 years of sleep deprivation, of too many cups of coffee, and of a strong dream: do-it-yourself devotion.

As you load up Mother 3 in the coming days and weeks, remember that Tomato was perhaps the most qualified person on the Internet to bring us Mother 3 as true to Itoi’s vision and voice as possible. What you’re playing, while a translation, is probably about as close to the original as it could get. I’ve known the guy for neigh-on 7 years now, and despite co-authoring the Earthbound fandom, he’s been following the work of Itoi since 1999. This guy knows Itoi better than I know how many knives are in my kitchen drawer. And I think it’s about 6. But it could be 10. I forget.

Well, whatever. Anyway, my point is, Mother 3 rocks. It’s out in English now, and that rocks even more. When it launched, we all witnessed video game history, to boot. Mother 3’s fan translation is, perhaps, among the most ambitious and well-done patches ever created. If you hold your ears and forget thirteen years of bitter neglect, it feels just like Reggie kicked down our doors and screamed “HERE’S YOUR PRECIOUS MOTHER 3, NOW GO TO HELL” and collapsed our chimneys on the way out. The fact that the game works as flawlessly as it does is an amazing example of just how much hard work got poured into it, and a wonderful example of just how dedicated and awesome fans can be.

I watched the translation grow and prosper - and I even participated by drawing pictures for (almost) every update - and now seeing it out makes me just smile. Knowing that the Earthbound love is still alive and strong makes this old man’s heart beam with joy (and what appears to be a black, gooey liquid).

So, as the blog ends and our love for the game begins to flower, I ask that you take the game up and give it an open-minded, open-palmed playthrough. You may find the game, like our reporting, strange, funny and ultimately heartrending.

Mother 3 Fan Translation