Nintendo has “various plans” underway to celebrate the 30th anniversary of HAL Laboratory and Ape Inc’s classic role-playing game, Earthbound (aka Mother 2 in Japan).
Nintendo has revealed that it has “various plans” in motion to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earthbound (aka Mother 2), including an event, anniversary related merchandise, an event, collaborations, and more.
To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Mother 2, Nintendo is planning a lot of exciting things in 2024. Fans are advised to keep an eye on the game’s official Twitter/X account and newsletter so that they don’t miss out on the latest information.
At this point, it’s hard to tell what these plans may turn out to be, though it’s safe to say that exclusive 30th anniversary merchandise will be available for fans to purchase in limited quantity. Whether this will lead to the possible announcement of a remaster/remake remains to be seen. EarthBound was made available worldwide on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013, 3DS Virtual Console in 2016, the SNES Classic in 2018, and is currently available on Nintendo Switch Online since February 2022.
EarthBound is the second installment in the Mother series, debuting in Japan in August 1994 and in North America in June 1995. A Game Boy Advance port, part of the Mother 1+2 bundle with the original Mother (1989), was exclusively released in Japan in 2003. The protagonist Ness, along with his companions Paula, Jeff, and Poo, embarks on a journey to collect melodies from eight Sanctuaries to defeat the cosmic adversary Giygas.
The game deviated from traditional role-playing game norms by setting itself in a modern environment and satirizing genre conventions. Themed around an unconventional depiction of Americana and Western culture, EarthBound aimed to appeal to non-gamers with its intentionally humorous tone, featuring quirky elements such as using the Pencil Eraser to remove pencil statues, in-game hallucinations, and battling unconventional enemies like piles of vomit, taxi cabs, and walking nooses. In its American release, a sarcastic $2 million promotional campaign declared, “This game stinks.” Marcus Lindblom, the localizer, reworked the game’s puns and humor. To avoid confusion about its sequel status, Mother 2 was titled EarthBound for the international release since the original Mother had not yet been launched outside Japan.
