---

---

---

---

---

Though radically different in appearance than its original incarnation, Mother 3's core story seems to have remained largely unchanged: A cowboy named Flint and his sons do battle with pig-men invaders from space. Like its predecessors Earthbound and Earthbound Zero, it's steeped in American pop culture, psychedelia and rock music. But it's also a very different game than what's come before it. Mother 3 is far more story-driven than its prequels, divided into distinct chapters and (at least in the early hours) and offering little freedom to wander off the beaten path. The initial difficulty level is comparatively painless next to the often brutal encounters and high critical hit rates of the other Earthbounds, and the series' traditionally clumsy interface has been greatly streamlined... although each character has limited inventory space, so you'll still be doing plenty of item-swapping.

...

There's more to the battle system than simply dishing out menu commands, though. Despite its turn-based style, combat in Mother 3 rewards gamers who happen to be blessed with a good sense of rhythm and timing. The series has always been unique for its habit of featuring dozens of battle themes, but this time it's an integral aspect of fighting rather than simply a novelty. Each action in battle is accompanied by a musical tone, and by tapping the A button in time to the rhythm you can create a sort of counter-melody to the music that deals extra damage with each action. A perfect 16-hit combo (the maximum possible) is usually worth more than double damage over a basic attack.

Nearly every enemy in the game has its own distinct theme -- should you encounter several enemies at once, the primary enemy's theme plays -- so the trick is in learning the proper timing for each tune. A straightforward march is simple, but certain enemies are graced with unusual time signatures and shifting beats, adding a unique touch of involvement to the battle system, and introducing an extra element of strategy to the mix.

...

The melancholy atmosphere might come as a surprise to gamers who were hoping for the relentless wackiness of Earthbound, and there's definitely no shortage of trippy visuals and general oddness. But it lends the gameplay a greater dramatic weight, and gives some substance to the pop culture undertones. Where Earthbound Zero was rooted in American comics and Earthbound was built on campy science fiction B-movies, Mother 3 has more in common with a spaghetti western. (Albeit a spaghetti western with alien pigs.) The setting and themes of vengeance and filial duty seem to have been taken straight from a Sergio Leone film.

---

---

---