EarthBound 64

EarthBound 64
Developer(s)	Nintendo HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigesato Itoi
Artist(s)	Benimaru Itoh
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64DD, Nintendo 64
Release date(s)	Cancelled
Genre(s)	Role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player

EarthBound 64, officially known as Mother 3 , is a cancelled role-playing video game that was in development by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory for the Nintendo 64DD. It was later transferred to the Nintendo 64 after the Nintendo 64DD proved to be unsuccessful. The game adopted several subtitles in Japan, including Chimera no Mori (キマイラの森, Kimaira no Mori^?, lit. "Forest of the Chimera"), Kikai Seibutsu no Mori (奇怪生物の森^?, lit. "Forest of the Strange Creatures") and Butaō no Saigo (豚王の最期^?, lit. "Death of the Pig King"). It was to be the third game in the EarthBound series, following EarthBound for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The developers included series designer and creator Shigesato Itoi, and artist Benimaru Itoh. Due to the development team's inexperience with making games in three dimensions, it was delayed several times, and ultimately cancelled. The plot of EarthBound 64 was to star ten characters across twelve chapters, including Lucas, a young boy; Claus, his twin brother; Flint, a farmhand and the father of the twins; Boney, Flint's dog; Duster, a thief; Kumatora, a princess; and Salsa, a monkey. The identities of the other three main characters are unknown. The antagonists are a group called the Pigmask Army, led by Porky Minch, returning from EarthBound.

Despite the cancellation of the Nintendo 64 version, Mother 3 was remade for the Game Boy Advance. Itoi supervised the game and wrote its scenario, while Brownie Brown, HAL Laboratory and Nintendo developed the game. It was announced at the end of a television advertisement for Mother 1 + 2 that Mother 3 would be coming to the Game Boy Advance. It was revealed several years later with two dimensional visuals, as opposed to EarthBound 64's three dimensional graphics. The game was released exclusively in Japan on April 20, 2006, six years after it was cancelled for the Nintendo 64.

Gameplay

EarthBound 64 uses similar mechanics to other games in the EarthBound series for battle. Before entering battle, the player must run into the enemies on the overworld. In battle, the battles are seen from a first person perspective, and are turn-based. Art developer Benimaru Itoh remarked at E3's 1997 convention that the game would probably utilize the Rumble Pak in battle sequences, but worried that the controller would become too cumbersome for players given the time-consuming nature of role-playing games.^[1] The mechanic of matching the beat to the background music was utilized in the Nintendo 64 version. It utilized a "3D stick" that the player would strum like a guitar chord.^[2] Before entering battles, instead of immediately going into battle like previous titles in the series, the player would have an exchange with the enemy.^[2] Characters featured several abilities, including jumping and spin attacks.^[3] Developers stated that the game would take over 40 to 60 hours to beat for experienced gamers, and more for those less experienced.^[3]

One objective of EarthBound 64 was to make it a unique experience for every single individual who purchases it. An example provided by game designer Shigesato Itoi was that one player could theoretically plant seeds, causing a tree to grow which the player could climb to get to a high cliff, while another player could find a way around the cliff, so the player had multiple paths he or she could take.^[3] Another example given was that if the player mistakenly drops food on the ground as he or she goes through the forest, it could attract a hungry monster, causing a battle to ensue.^[3] During battle, the mechanics included Fight, Speak, Magic, Call (for Lucas only), Stand, Check, Goods, and Strength, though the Goods, Magic, Speak, and Call options were unusable in the Spaceworld '99 demo.^[4]

Itoi also aimed to use several of the Nintendo 64DD's features with EarthBound 64. He wanted to allow players to pick several character faces or create new visages with Mario Artist while it was in development for the N64DD,^[1] as well as use the 64DD's internal clock feature to match the in-game time with the time of the player's.^[3] When it was moved to a cartridge-based media, whether the internal clock would be included was not known.^[3] IGN commented that they may scale it down to be more like a traditional role-playing game, but include these features in the 64DD add-on that was being developed as well.^[3] After it was moved to the Nintendo 64, the developers continued making an add-on disk that would allow players to continue playing in the world of EarthBound 64 with new quests and adventures tentatively titled Mother 3.5.^[3][5]

Story and setting

See also: Characters in Mother 3 and Mother 3#Plot

EarthBound 64 was to be set on Nowhere Islands, and was going to take place 200 years after the events of EarthBound. It contained allusions to it, including an image of a destroyed Onett.^[6] IGN described the world of Mother 3 as having a futuristic Western style.^[7] The plot of EarthBound 64 was created a while before it began development,^[8] and was once to feature 12 chapters^[8] that span 10 years.^[3] The plot followed a family which consisted of a cowboy-like man named Flint, his wife Hinawa, his twin sons Lucas and Claus, and his dog Boney, amongst several other protagonists as they deal with the Pig Army, who is attempting to enslave mankind.^[3] At the time, the main protagonist had not been chosen,^[8] though he later said if one of the characters was the main character, it would be Lucas.^[9] The first two chapters each featured different heroes,^[2] and it would have 10 main characters throughout the plot.^[3] One of the main characters' plots was that his 40 year old father mysteriously disappeared during the course of the game.^[10] The locales of EarthBound 64 were to span a fantasy world, a medieval world, and a futuristic world.^[3]

Development

Development of Mother 3 for the Super Famicom began soon after the Japanese release of EarthBound. After a period of time, the game was moved to the Nintendo 64DD, and titled Mother 3: Chimera no Mori in Japan.^[11][12] It was planned as one of the four launch games for the platform.^[13] The Chimera no Mori subtitle was dropped from the title due to copyright issues over the use of the word Chimera,^[14] and the game's title was changed to Mother 3: Kikai Seibutsu no Mori.^[12] The final planned title became Mother 3: Butaō no Saigo in Japan.^[12] Owing to the failure of the 64DD, the project was cancelled and moved to the Nintendo 64.^[3] In its 100th issue, Nintendo Power expected it to be one of the first 100 video games released for the Nintendo 64.^[15] It was to use a 256 megabit cartridge, similar to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.^[3]

Game designer Shigesato Itoi's team ran into trouble while developing this game, due to their inexperience with 3D games and the difficulty with developing for the Nintendo 64 hardware. They had assistance from the development tools and the Pokémon Stadium development team in improving its visuals. The high level of difficulty caused Itoi and the other developers to become demoralized to develop a Mother 4. Itoi states that if the game were made for the Super NES, it would have been released much earlier.^[8] It was shown at Spaceworld in 1999 in playable form. It was later delayed, and would be released on March 22, 2000.^[16] On April 18, it was revealed that it would not be shown at E3 in 2000 in any form.^[17] On August 21 of the same year, Itoi officially confirmed the game's cancellation.^[18][19] Itoi cited trying to "make something truly special" for why EarthBound 64 was delayed and eventually cancelled.^[20] After it was cancelled, the development team played through what was completed and gathered screenshots to put on Itoi's web site. People continued to ask Itoi when Mother 3 was going to be released even after its cancellation, after which he commented that he was unable to believe it would not be released.^[18]

A comparison shot between the Nintendo 64 EarthBound 64 and the Game Boy Advance Mother 3. Both feature the character, Flint, inside of an inn.

Shigeru Miyamoto, a prominent Nintendo producer, commented that while he would like to see remnants of the game salvaged, it is unlikely that they would be seen in the EarthBound series. He and others were negotiating with Itoi to see if a licensing agreement could be worked out so that the project could be salvaged. He later commented that he felt sorry for himself and the gamers who were looking forward to it, but if they were told that there were 500,000 people that were looking forward to Mother 3, their attitude may have been different. However, due to Nintendo putting the development team on Nintendo GameCube projects and high costs, which were in excess of several hundred million yen, it had to be put on hold. Both Miyamoto and then President of HAL Laboratory Satoru Iwata expressed an interest in reviving Mother 3.

Itoi announced at a Super Smash Bros. musical concert that an announcement of Mother 3 was going to come very soon,^[21] and it was eventually revived for the Game Boy Advance. It was first announced at the end of a Mother 1 + 2 television advertisement, which displays text announcing that it was coming to the Game Boy Advance. It was mentioned again in a list of upcoming titles from Nintendo Corporate Ltd., which listed it with a TBA release date for the GBA.^[22] It was ultimately released on April 20, 2006,^[23] retaining several features from EarthBound 64, including the rhythm combo system^{[citation needed]} and a similar setting and characters. It was only released in Japan.

Final battle

The scenario for the final battle between Lucas and Claus was written while Itoi was overseas in Saipan.^[24] Throughout the development history of the game on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Advance, the scenario remained mostly the same, with the brothers battling each other,^[25] though it was "much, much darker" in EarthBound 64.^[24] However, as other aspects of the game moved forward, Itoi was unable to decide on aspects of the final battle, comparing this technique to how anime director Hayao Miyazaki directs his films. He considered leaving out dialogue for the final battle so that players could use their imaginations, making it more vague than the final version ended up as.^[25] He also wanted to betray players by adding content to the ending that would disappoint them.^[24] Itoi cited not being presented with as many confrontations as he had been when he made the Game Boy Advance version than when he was making this version. He states that there are things like that which are connected to the series as a whole, and that while it's good from a business perspective to work things into a routine, he made it because he enjoyed it, and wanted to take chances. He added that maybe he was wrong in using that technique.^[24]

Impressions

The mine cart sequence, seen in the Spaceworld 1999 trailer and demo, was well-received by IGN, who called it one of the most impressive cutscenes for a Nintendo 64 game.

Early in its development for the Nintendo 64DD, IGN editors referred to EarthBound 64 as stunning, comparing it to the PlayStation blockbuster Final Fantasy VII, though they remained skeptical that it could carry the 64DD.^[26] In response to short footage shown at Spaceworld 96, they called it a step up from EarthBound for the Super Nintendo, comparing some of the scenes to renders due to the high quality of the animation.^[27] EarthBound 64 made Famitsu's Most Wanted list in September 1999, ranking in the 10th spot.^[28] EarthBound 64 was fairly popular amongst Nintendo Power readers, making the top ten most wanted list multiple times.^[21]

It was well-received by IGN, who referred to it as being more than a "cookie-cutter dungeon exploration fare" that most RPGs were. They called its controls intuitive and easy to master, and found the sound well-orchestrated and memorable.^[3] They specifically praised a scene included in the trailer and demo, the mine cart scene, proclaiming it one of the most impressive Nintendo 64 cut scenes yet due to its "silky smooth graphics" and "perfectly orchestrated music".^[3] They added that it may prove to be one of the most important launch titles of the often-delayed Nintendo 64DD.^[3] Yahoo! commented that it was a little too off-the-wall to appeal to everyone, but was confident that the wait was worth it for the most part. They praised its game engine cut scenes, calling them better looking than any other game on the Nintendo 64. They added that the only problem with the game was its battle system, which they considered "more confusing than anything else."^[29] Despite the title being only about 50% done at the time, IGN editors called EarthBound 64 promising at Spaceworld '99. They praised the control as both intuitive and easy to master. They closed their impressions by calling it an unusual RPG quest, and that gamers should save their money for this.^[3] In later impressions, they compared the developer's intentions to not have one set main character to the Super Famicom Live a Live.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Takao Imamura, Shigeru Miyamoto (1997). Nintendo Power August, 1997 - Pak Watch E3 Report "The Game Masters". Nintendo. pp. 104–105. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Interview: Dengeki Nintendo 64". Dengeki. http://starmen.net/eb64/interviews/3.php. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s} "EarthBound 64 Preview". IGN. 2000-08-22. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/121/121968p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
4. ^ "Spaceworld '99". Starmen.net. http://starmen.net/eb64/spaceworld/. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
5. ^ "Mother 3.5?". IGN. 1999-08-13. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/069/069581p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
6. ^ ".". Shigesato Itoi. http://www.1101.com/nintendo/nin13/nin13_14.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-18. 
7. ^ "State of the RPG: GameCube". IGN. 2005-07-19. http://cube.ign.com/articles/634/634965p3.html. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d} "Interview: Mycom Inc.". Mycom. http://starmen.net/eb64/interviews/5.php. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
9. ^ "EarthBound 64 Fact Refresher". Starmen.net. http://starmen.net/eb64/refresher.php. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
10. ^ "Mother Lives". IGN. 1999-04-07. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/067/067649p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
11. ^ "History of Mother 3's Development". Starmen.net. Archived from the original on 2009-02-22. http://web.archive.org/web/20090226232532/http://starmen.net/mother3/gameinfo/history.php. 
12. ^ ^{a b c} "糸井重里さんインタビュー" (in Japanese). Nindori.com. Kabushiki-gaisha Ambit. August 2006. http://www.nindori.com/interview/m3/m3int_09.html. Retrieved June 17, 2011. 
13. ^ "Four Games to Launch with Japanese 64DD". IGN. 1997-06-02. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/060/060850p1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
14. ^ "Interview: Weekly Famitsu Magazine". Famitsu. http://starmen.net/eb64/interviews/2.php. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
15. ^ . Nintendo Power. Nintendo of America. pp. 111. 
16. ^ "Mother 3 Pushed Back". IGN. 2000-03-22. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/076/076914p1.html. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 
17. ^ "Not Bound for E3". IGN. 2000-04-18. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/078/078180p1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
18. ^ ^{a b} "MOTHER 3: For everyone who waited". Starmen.net. 2000-08-21. http://starmen.net/eb64/itoi/page1.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
19. ^ "Earthbound 64 Cancelled". IGN. 2000-08-21. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/083/083811p1.html. Retrieved 2009-01-21. 
20. ^ "Further News of Mother 3". RPGamer. http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q2-2003/041603a.html. Retrieved 2009-01-22. 
21. ^ ^{a b} "EarthBound / Mother 3 Goodness". Starmen.net. http://starmen.net/eb64/news/. Retrieved 2009-02-03. 
22. ^ "Nintendo announces new games and release dates". Games Are Fun. 2004-05-30. http://www.gamesarefun.com/news.php?newsid=1009. Retrieved 2009-02-11. 
23. ^ "(Almost-daily paper) Itoi's Newspaper - Welcome to the world of Mother 3". Shigesato Itoi. http://www.1101.com/MOTHER3/index.html. Retrieved 2009-01-22. 
24. ^ ^{a b c d} "Exclusive Interview (Part 2)". Nintendo Dream. http://mother3.fobby.net/interview/m3int_07.html. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
25. ^ ^{a b} "Exclusive Interview (Part 2, Page 2)". Nintendo Dream. http://mother3.fobby.net/interview/m3int_08.html. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
26. ^ "EarthBound 64 Worth its Weight in Gold". IGN. 1997-07-24. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/061/061124p1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
27. ^ "The Mother of All RPGs". IGN. 1997-11-25. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/061/061515p1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
28. ^ "Japan Wants Zelda". IGN. 1999-09-02. http://ign64.ign.com/articles/070/070099p1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-03. 
29. ^ "The Best of Spaceworld". Yahoo!. 1999-08-31. http://www.videogames.yahoo.com/printview_article?eid=1089950. Retrieved 2009-02-22. 

External links

• (Japanese) SpaceWorld 1999: Mother 3