Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings shadow-drop onto NSO

Nintendo has a long and storied history filled with dozens of classic titles (owed in part to their relatively early start in the industry). The console manufacturer has been taking advantage of this lineage by introducing old games to the Switch through its Nintendo Switch Online service. Finally, two of the console manufacturer’s most requested retro games are coming to Switch.

Making a surprise announcement as part of the recent Nintendo Direct (which also saw the announcement of 48 new Mario Kart Tracks, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and more), Nintendo revealed that Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings are coming to the NSO service.

For the uninitiated, Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings are known as ‘Mother’ and ‘Mother 2’ in Japan, and are 2/3rds of a trilogy of highly rated RPGs developed by HAL Laboratory which borrow mechanics from the likes of the Dragon Quest series.

Unlike Dragon Quest and other traditional RPGs however, the Mother franchise separated itself from the crowd through its unusually modern setting and parodical stylings. This unique focus saw a dedicated group of fans flock to the franchise.

Unfortunately for Western players, Mother 3 was never brought outside of Japan – with fans asking for years to see an official translation and Western port of the game. The illusive Mother 3 was never ported however, and with the game originally releasing in 2006, it is unlikely to ever be ported.

Still, with Nintendo bringing Earthbound/Beginnings to Switch via NSO, it is clear that the company still holds the franchise in some regard. Hopefully this most recent NSO release serves as a tease for more ‘Mother’ content in the future.

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KitGuru says: Do you care about the Mother/Earthbound franchise? Do you think Mother 3 will ever come to the West officially? What was your favourite announcement from the Nintendo Direct? Let us know down below. 

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