Today marks the 17th Anniversary of the Hal Laboratory-developed and Nintendo-published turn-based RPG, Mother 3. And to commemorate this anniversary date, the game’s art director, Nobuhiro Imagawa, shared new artwork depicting the vast cast.
The tweet officially sharing this notable illustration had the following message:
“Today, April 20, is Mother 3’s anniversary! To celebrate the occasion, Nobuhiro Imagawa, the art director, has made this huge graphic featuring the colorful cast of characters. Feel free to use this as a lock screen or phone wallpaper. Happy birthday and congratulations!”
For those unaware of what Mother 3 is, it’s a legendary RPG that was the final release for the titular series. However, unlike Mother 1 (Earthbound Zero) and Mother 2 (Earthbound), Mother 3 never saw a localized release. Still, despite its lack of an official Western launch, fans took it upon themselves to translate the title in its entirety years ago, giving countless players, such as myself, the opportunity to experience this beloved title.
Everything about this game, from its brilliant soundtrack to its masterful tonal balance between its cast and narrative, really struck a chord with me, and it remains an experience I’ll never forget. While we’ll likely never see Nintendo bring this title globally, it’s sometimes nice to dream.
You can view the official Mother 3 17th Anniversary artwork below, uniting the cast I’d never see depicted ever again:
