TriforceBun's EarthBound Beginnings (MOTHER 1) tips and info!It's finally here! 26 years ago, Japan was introduced to the game Mother, and it's actually kind of a phenomenon over there. See, while EB (Mother 2) got its own cult following in the US, Mother 1 is actually very fondly remembered in Japan. I mean, Mother 2 was still a hit over there, but the culture's got quite a bit of nostalgia for the first game that's not really matched the its two sequels. It's the first game made by all-around renaissance man Shigesato Itoi, a very well-known Japanese author.
Going into EBB, you need to keep in mind that this is an NES RPG, which means there's going to be some clunkiness to it. There're frequent, occasionally relentless random battles, the difficulty can be brutal and may necessitate grinding at spots, and you'll have to go through a Dragon Quest-style submenu to talk to people. If those things sound too daunting, you may be better off elsewhere.
That said, this is an EarthBound game through and through. Once you get the hang of some of its archaic quirks, you'll find a game with a ton of heart put into it, lots of clever inversions of the genre, and a charming story all wrapped in one of the best NES soundtracks of them all. The game got its own CD vocal release in 1989 (which is very good)--all involving lyrical versions of its music, some of which is performed by a children's choir, and some of which is done by 14-year-old Catherine Warwick. Pollyanna (the main theme) is one of my all-time favorite pick-me-up songs, and it's ridiculously appropriate after today's events:
Like I said, Mother 1 is a bit of a Japanese phenomenon. And for good reason, it's a very appealing game. It's a bit upsetting that we don't have the nostalgia attached to it, but there's lots of stuff the game does really well regardless. Tons of EarthBound staples got their start here--modern suburban setting, ATMs and hotels, eating Hamburgers for health, bashing hippies, general quirky enemies and weird dialogue, etc. If EB was FF4, EBB is FF1. The spirit of the series is still there.
Either way, I recommend it as long as you have a stomach for NES-era RPGs! It just may be the best RPG on the system (it or DQ4, anyway). If you disliked EarthBound, you won't like this, but otherwise, you should give it a shot. It's $6.99--Nintendo gave it the ol' EarthBound tax.
TIPS:
-Here are the default names for the characters:
Ninten (boy with hat),
Loid (boy with glasses),
Ana (girl in dress),
Teddy (greaser guy). Pick whatever you want for your favorite food though!
-Death is like in EB, where you don't really lose progress but you do drop half the cash in your pocket and you start from your last phone with no PP. But still, better than having to reload a save.
-If you eat the item Bread, you'll regain some HP. It's much more useful when used though--use it and the item will turn into Crumbs. The Crumbs will set a warp point right where you initially used the Bread, so then you can later use the Crumbs to instantly warp to that point!
-The first drugstore sells slingshots, but keep in mind that--like EarthBound--they miss more often than bats. It's up to you if you want to pick one up, but I just saved money for the best bat they sell there.
-I like setting A and B to the shoulder buttons as well. Do both of them on L and ZL to play with one hand, EarthBound-style!
-Remember to choose your item you want to equip (like a bat) and hit "Use" to equip it. It doesn't take up inventory space when equipped.
The first bit is pretty straightforward, so you should be able to get an idea of what to do and what's effective against enemies. Remember--this is a tough game sometimes, so don't shy away from making some slight progress (like in the graveyard) and then running back to heal up! Best of luck!
@JargonThere are multiple battle songs, like in EarthBound, including the Johnny B. Goode-style hippie theme. They're generally good, I think.