Prerelease:Mother 3/1999

This is a sub-page of Prerelease:Mother 3.

January 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 17

"THE NEWLY DISCOVERED SQUARE TIRE RUNS AROUND WELL!

The topic of square tires became very popular in parts of Tazmily Village, since they rotate much smoother than traditional triangular ones. This is a result of experimentation during an annual meeting between Tazmily’s Youth Club. They seem quite confident that even better tires could be made in the future."

"HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS KRAKEN SOUP!

This warm dish is recommended for the cold, winter season. For step one, you must cut pieces of the kraken into a suitable size, and prepare some pumpkin slices. After that, add some yellow mustard seeds and finely chop the garlic. Step two, you need to fill a saucepan with water and add three cups of vinegar based soup stock. Step three, you put everything from step one into the saucepan and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. If you’d like a little more flavour, feel free to add a light layer of soy sauce to finish off the recipe. Please give it a try!"

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Satoru Iwata Interview

Producer Satoru Iwata unveiled of a management style made specifically for the development of MOTHER 3 that didn't suit the project in the end.

Q: Speaking of Mother, it looks we won’t be seeing Mother 3, will we? (laughs) A: Mother 3, well… (laughs) For Mother 3, we tried a whole new process for the development, and I don’t think it went over very well… to be frank, it was a management mistake on my part. If we hadn’t cared about the quality, we could have released it right away. And the core of the game engine was actually completed very early on, when the N64 was still new.

— Producer Satoru Iwata, 1999 Used Games Magazine. Translation by Shmuplations.

February 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 18

"A GREAT GRANDSON IS BORN AT GRANDPA SYD’S HOUSE!

This month, Tazmily’s oldest resident Grandpa Syd was waiting for the birth of his great grandson. Born from his 30 year old grandson Ed, it’s clear this newborn child is the hope for Tazmily’s future. His 25 year old wife Nan, who recently became a mother said with a cheerful voice, “This child is the future of the village. Eventually, it will also become our eldest resident. I’m so happy! I want you to live a long life before you die!” Alle also cries cheerfully with a youthful voice, but in the distance something else can be heard: “Make sure to save with us frogs! I know you can hear me, I’m talking to you!” What could that mean? We haven’t the faintest clue."

"IT’LL BE RAINING FISH FOR A WHILE IN THIS MONTH’S WEATHER FORECAST

Generally the Tazmily region is blessed with beautiful weather. However, it looks like the upcoming forecast says it will be raining fish for the foreseeable future. Watch your head, because it’ll hurt pretty hard if you’re hit by the falling sardines from the sky. Extreme caution is required if you’re going to go outside. If you start to feel the gentle breeze of the sea, try to evacuate to the nearest building with a roof. Please contact us if you have any questions.

-Tazmily Weather Forecast Department"

(Source: Original TCRF research)

March 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 19

"KNIT SWEATERS QUICKLY BECOME THE NEW FAD IN TAZMILY!

The long winter is coming to an end as spring finally visits Tazmily. It’s around this time of year where you’ll find many of the residents wearing timeless knit sweaters. We asked Butch’s 70 year old grandmother, Bar her thoughts on the tradition: “I mean, every villager in Tazmily has three times the amount of yarn needed to survive winter. It’s funny, because a long time ago when I started knitting sweaters, we happened to make them out of fur.” Her kind elderly words spoke to us about how everyone used to shed lots of sweat wearing these fur sweaters. But, it seems for the next little while every villager will be wrapped around these cozy sweaters."

"WHERE IS PAPA? ONLY A SINGULAR PHOTO REMAINS…

It was one year ago today that 40 year old Mr. Papa disappeared from his home on the west side of Tazmily. Since he was formerly a sailor, Papa would on occasion suddenly leave on voyages. However, this time seems different since he hasn't returned. All he’s left behind for his 12 year old daughter Nana is a photo, which she holds close to her chest each day as she anxiously awaits his return."

(Source: Original TCRF research)

April 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 20

"MAYOR PIRKLE ANNOUNCES SUNSET CEMETERY RENOVATION PLAN!

Mayor P.K. Pirkle recently announced plans to renovate sections around the perimeter of Tazmily Village. Attracting the most attention is plans to renovate Sunset Cemetery, which is located east of the village. The cemetery is historically old, with constant bizarre rumors spreading about zombies running the fields nearby. “Everyone will feel safe in the new cemetery, you could sleep in it and have the time of your lives!” The village mayor said, “Let’s remember our motto, and rake up the leaves!” The project is scheduled to start next spring.

"WHAT SECRET IS MR. FLINT HIDING UNDERNEATH HIS HAT?

It is often said Flint is the most reliable man in the village of Tazmily. His trademark feature is his hat, which evokes a strong Western spirit. A 7 year old child, Richie wondered what could be underneath his hat, inspiring it to become a topic among the other villagers. Even in this publication, we are seeking theories from our readers! Please send them to the editorial department."

(Source: Original TCRF research)

May 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 21

(Translation for volume 21 provided by Kody NOKOLO of Source Gaming.)

"EVERYONE'S HEAD-OVER-HEELS FOR BONEY!

Tazmily villagers are head-over-heels for a mut called “Boney” (estimated to be about 1 year old). The name “Boney” was given to him by his owner, Flint’s eldest son Claus, but it seems that other Tazmily households each call him “John,” “Benjamin,” and other names they prefer. No matter what he’s called, Boney, who’s often pleasantly wagging his tail with charm, has become an idol for all of the villagers."

"A PEACEFUL TRIP IN TAZMILY ~ PART 1: TOILETTE FALLS

This new series visits historical and famous sites on the outskirts of Tazmily every month. The site of Part 1, located several kilometers east of the village, is “Toilette Falls.” This 10 meter high waterfall flows from a river directly into the sea, a very rare sight, and, with this sublimely romantic and dangerous view, it’s enjoyed by the young Tazmilian eyes that travel by it."

64 Dream

From the May 1999 64 Dream.

Art Director Benimaru Itoh reveals some staff from the Pokémon development team began helping with MOTHER 3.

64 Dream: By the way, doesn't the "64 Modelling Center" specialize in Pokémon?

Itoh: No, it doesn't. We're also concerned about the "MOTHER 3" project as well (laughs.) You must be thinking, "This isn't the time to be wearing a leopard print suit!" Some staff from the Modelling Center were sent to help with MOTHER 3. But, Pokémon related work is still the main focus.

June 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 22

(Translation for volume 22 provided by Kody NOKOLO of Source Gaming.)

"THE SECRET OF TWINS LUCAS AND CLAUS?

[Everything you need to know about look-alikes Lucas and Claus. How do village residents tell them apart? And what were the results of the survey?]

The sons of the Flint Family: Lucas and Claus. The two share the exact height, weight, and hairstyle – they’re what’s called “twins.” We interviewed the villagers on how they’d even think to tell the difference between these two.

“The docile one’s Lucas. Claus is reckless.” “No, no, Claus is actually gentle. If you ask me, Claus is the one who has a mole off to the side.” “Oh, then here’s a secret in that case: Lucas puts his pants on with his left foot first.” We heard many things like this in our survey about telling the difference between the boys. But, the easiest way to distinguish them seems to be what this person said: “It’s the color of their hair that’s different!”

(Picture caption) The one with the gold-colored hair is Lucas, and the one with the chestnut-colored hair is Claus. … But, how would you tell them apart if they put on hats?

"A PEACEFUL TRIP IN TAZMILY: OSOHE CASTLE

[Osohe castle is located in the northeastern direction from Tazmily. It was once a castle with splendor to boast about, but…]

(Picture caption) Could there have been a princess in this castle?

Northeast from the center of Tazmily, standing before travelers is the lone figure of Osohe Castle, the ruins of dreams from the once praiseworthy and glorious King Osohe and Queen Senaka. In a visit to what’s left of this place now, only the courtyard is used by villagers as a garden to grow fresh vegetables."

July 1999

The MOTHER 3 Times Volume 23

"IF YOU HEAR THE BELL OF REPOSE RINGING…

“No matter how interesting a sound The Bell of Repose makes, whenever I hear it I feel the need to take a rest…”

Tazmily Village is blessed with many great traditions. One of these is the sound of a ringing bell every two hours, which seems to send a reminder to the villagers to "always try their hardest at everything, but in moderation.", whether they're feeling happy or sad on a sunny or rainy day.

The man who rings this bell every day is known only as the "Bell Ringer" to the other villagers. Although he may be a silent old man, he seems to live his life to the fullest and is loved by everyone just like the old bell itself. Today, everyone gathered around in front of The Bell of Repose to celebrate the old man’s birthday. There was not a single care in the world as the bell proudly echoed a peaceful melody."

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Shigesato Itoi Message Board Update

On July 27th - the tenth anniversary of MOTHER for the Famicom, Shigesato Itoi posted a letter to the fans on the message board for the Japanese fan site, MOTHER Nippon. He was curious to see what fans were talking about, and wanted to give a development updated on 3. Those posting on the board were skeptical of the legitimacy of this message, as Itoi did not have much personal presence on the internet at that time:

   Writer:darling
   DATE:99/07/27 04:24
   Title:This may be breaking the rules, but…
   URL:http://www.1101.com

   Coming to this board like this may be breaking the rules in a sense, but please let me say something just this once.

   Not even I, myself, was aware that July 27th was MOTHER’s birthday. I just happened to learn that this site was celebrating its anniversary, so I’ve come here with feelings of gratefulness.

   MOTHER 3 is also coming along nicely now. Just like every other time, it’s taking a long time to come out. This one has quite a different “taste” than MOTHER 1 and 2, so it might not go over well with long-time fans. But I think it may be the very best one in terms of sheer excitement. But, I’m always worried, of course.

   A playable version of the game is planned for an August game expo, whose name escapes me at the moment. It’s a bit of a dilemma, because a lot of time will be spent focusing on the demo and not the game. But I think it will show how things are.

   I’m considering possibly releasing screenshots, sound clips, and the like little by little at some point in time on Hobonichi. I humbly ask for your patience and understanding, even if you’re not fond of how things are turning out.

   I don’t have proof, but this has been Shigesato Itoi. 

August 1999

New Images

Several new images were released through press at this time to promote MOTHER 3's upcoming appearance at Spaceworld '99. These images are from an earlier build of the demo itself, with some minor UI and texture differences.

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  Flint battles a couple of capybaras.

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  Flint, Boney, Duster and Wess at a cliffside in the rain.

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  Flint standing in Mayor Pirkle's household.

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  Flint battles a couple of Pig Warriors (soon revealed to be renamed Pigmasks.)

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  Flint standing in Idobata Square.

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  Flint talks to a villager who says, "I heard from Thomas. Do you suppose the commotion at Great Scale Village is true?"

Game Wave

The Japanese television program GAME WAVE advertised MOTHER 3's upcoming appearance at Spaceworld 1999 a couple of times leading up to the event. Notice the "Forest of Strange Creatures" subtitle is omitted.

Hikaru Ijuin and his co-host look over MOTHER 3 on the August 8th broadcast.

A brief overview of MOTHER 3 on the August 24th broadcast. Here, we see one of the first mentions of the final subtitle - "Fall of the Pig King.

Space World '99

On August 27th, doors finally opened at Spaceworld '99 where players could finally get their hands on MOTHER 3: Fall of the Pig King. The wait time for the game ranged between '30-45 minutes' for '10 minutes' of play time. Out of all the games at the event, this was on the shorter end. Unique to the MOTHER 3 booth was provided headphones, so players could get a feel for the game's new '"Sound Battle"' system. Down below, you can check out details about the demo separated into sections:

A page from twitter user JINKO's Spaceworld report, written hours after playing the demo. One of our primary sources of information on the game.

Controls

• Control Stick = Move, menu navigation, and baton pass (battle).
• A button = Confirm, brake vehicle, jump, and dodge (battle).
• B button = Cancel, kick, and accelerate vehicle.
• C buttons = Scroll menu pages.
• R button = Open menu, exit vehicle.
• Z button = Speak, check, punch, baton pass and enter vehicle.

Overworld Gameplay

• The demo would begin with Flint in Tazmily's Idobata Square. Here, you can talk to residents and check out the interior of buildings, such as the Yado Inn or the Pigeon Postal Office.
• Talking to villagers would offer a choice of multiple responses for dynamic conversations, something unique to the series.
• If you jumped in front of an NPC, they would react to you.
• Exit paths from Tazmily Square and the Crossroads would lead to either a cutscene or new playable area.
• Present boxes found throughout the overworld would teleport you back to Idobata Square in Tazmily.
• Exiting Tazmily to the right would lead to a yellowing desert, where Flint could find Lucas kicking sand and recruit him to his party.
• Characters could mistakenly bump into each other and fall over. When this happened, sparks would fly out. This was also seen when colliding with enemies, as seen in the Spaceworld '99 trailer.
• A "Baton Pass" to switch the playable lead character could be performed by pressing the Z trigger in front of other party members. This allowed Lucas to be playable in the demo.
• Running up steep slopes would cause the player to trip and slide.
• Characters could trip on certain parts of the terrain. Lucas reportedly fell at one point and took roughly 10 seconds to get back up.
• Exiting south of Tazmily past the archway would lead to the Pork Bean area.
• The Pork Bean gameplay ran very smooth. If you crashed into a wall, the character's head would get stuck in it momentarily.
• A Snake Cavern was the final playable area, in an unknown location. You could hop on mushrooms to reach alternate paths in the dungeon.
• The enemy battle theme would fade in audibly as they approached you on the overworld, in certain areas without music.

Battle Mechanics

• A battle would not be initiated by immediately touching the enemy. Instead, you'd have to jump on a smaller enemy, or punch bigger ones. After that, you could attack again to start the turned based battle system.
• You could stun smaller enemies by kicking them over, which would flip them on to their backs. This would give you the advantage in battle.
• You could only fight enemies one by one in a group instead of selecting which one you want to attack. Additional enemies would be on a standby behind the one you're currently fighting.
• Instead of saying, "The (Enemy) Attacked!" like previous games, the window would read: "Battle with the (Enemy) Began!". This is likely because of the non-hostile battles introduced in MOTHER 3.
• Only three party members were available in battle, unlike the four seen in MOTHER 2. Likewise, only three enemies were ever on screen.
• New to this game was the "Speak"' mechanic, where the player could talk to the enemy in order to avoid conflict and run from battle.
• A "Kindness" stat was new to the series, as seen in menus of the Spaceworld demo. However, it is unknown what it affect it had.
• Lucas also had a new, unique ability called "Call", where he could summon nearby friendly animals to aid in battle. This ability was locked in the demo.
• The "Magic" system was completely reworked from previous titles. You'd absorb the energy of the environment to create magic, which would fill a meter at the bottom of the screen. If you filled it too much, your character would overheat and become temporarily unusable. This was locked in the demo as well.
• Only one party member was active at a time. However, you could change characters by flicking the control stick left or right. This was encouraged to be used strategically, like quickly swapping to another character to take the hit for you during the enemy phase if your active character was in danger.
• You could press the A button to the beat of the music to perform consecutive attacks. This was changed from strumming the control stick as stated earlier in development. According to a whiteboard at the venue, this system was called "Sound Battles".
• SMAAASH' attacks returned.
• You could dodge enemy attacks by pressing the A button at the right time during their attack animation.
• Like in MOTHER 2, if your guts were high enough you could endure a mortal hit with 1 HP remaining.
• Instead of displaying EXP growth like in previous games, in the demo the window read "(Character) learned something important from this battle!" after winning a battle.
• Enemies in the demo included: Pigmask Sergeants, Supreme Tank Z's, Capybaras, Poison Snakes, Flying Rats, and Vultures.

(Note: The Pig Warriors received their final name "Pigmask" in this demo.)

Demo Cutscenes

These are the cutscenes which were featured fully in the demo itself.

• To the left of Tazmily Square, the Minecart cutscene would play. Claus helps Lucas into a minecart in the Spectacular Cave, a gold mining quarry in the mountains. They ride through several treacherous tunnels before falling off the incomplete track into the river below. IGN noted this scene had a beautiful orchestral score.
• North of Tazmily Square, the DCMC concert would play upon entering a building. The DCMC rock out while a large group of Pigmasks dance to the beat of the music.
• At the edge of Tazmily, the Boney cutscene would play. Boney howls and notifies Flint of something at the top of a cliff, and Wess comes in to offer his son's help. Boney ran through the rainy storm to fetch Duster, but dragged him by the leg back to the site upon finding out he was asleep.

Video-only Cutscenes

These cutscenes were only seen on the TV's displayed at the top of the demo booths, and the trailer.

• Flint running past a waterfall in Toilette Falls, where he hears one of his sons crying for help.
• A Clayman escaping enslavement from the factory and emerging by a waterfall in the forest.
• A cyborg zombie rising from its grave.
• A heartfelt conversation between Flint and Mayor Pirkle.
• Flint, Lucas, Duster and Boney escaping a Pigmask facility by hanging on to a ship.
• Lucas riding a Drago alongside a bullet train in the desert. Near the end of the cutscene, he'd jump from the Drago to the roof of the train.
• Lucas riding a Pork Bean around in a desert.
• Lucas, Flint, and Kumatora fighting against a Pigmask Soldier and a Supreme Tank Z.

(Source: http://starmen.net/eb64/spaceworld/)

The demo would end once the demo booth representative finished timing the player. Upon exiting the MOTHER 3 booth, players could participate in a questionnaire from the developers, looking to hear their thoughts on the game.

Response to the Spaceworld '99 demo was intensely positive, with many journalists and fans praising the detailed graphical style, music, and dynamic gameplay elements. The only criticism seemed directed towards the battle system, which some found confusing (especially due to the rhythm combo mechanic, which was explained by the staff rather than the demo itself.) The game, even at this 50% completion rate seemed well on its way for release in May 2000 as stated by the Spaceworld '99 booklet. MOTHER 3 was slated to use the rumble pak for battles, and would be retailed for $6800 Yen.

Spaceworld Demo Photos

Here is every photo of the Spaceworld Demo that's been found thus far. These come from various sources, such as IGN, Nintendo Japan, 1101.com and most of all a Japanese MOTHER fan named EXCELSIOR!

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  From Nintendo Japan. There's sure a lot of people in line for MOTHER 3!

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  From Nintendo Japan. Some players listen to the game's music on the provided headphones.

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  From Core Magazine. Flint converses with a villager in Idobata Square.

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  From IGN. A player brings up the overworld menu as a Spaceworld attendant gives the camera man a dirty look.

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  From 1101.com. The crowd gathers as they play the MOTHER 3 trailer on the big screen!

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  From 1101.com. The staff at Nintendo set up the MOTHER 3 booth before the venue opens.

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  From 1101.com. Looks like the usual 30 minute waiting time has risen to 45 minutes!

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  From Club Nintendo Magazine. A player listens in on the music during the Boney fetching for Duster cutscene.

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  From retokyo.com. Red shirts galore for all the players at the booth right now.

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  From retokyo.com. Taken moments after the last image.

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  The first of EXCELSIOR's photos (which all the following photos are). A close-up of the waiting time standee.

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  A close-up photo of the main family render seen in the Spaceworld '99 booklet.

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  The twins leap past the moon in an E.T. reference in the minecart scene, as seen in the trailer. A funky battle can be seen on the right.

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  A close-up of Claus and Lucas facing forward in the minecart. As described by a few who went to the event, they were "expressionless", as seen here.

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  Flint talks to Mayor Pirkle's wife, with the train scene from the trailer playing on the TV above.

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  Flint raises his hands up as he talks to a villager beside the well in Idobata Square.

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  Tazmily can be seen on the left TV, with the right two displaying the title screen.

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  Uh oh! Only 1 HP left, Flint; you had better watch out! On the right TV, the battle text reveals the “SMAAASH!” text; unfortunately, we can’t see the whole thing!

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  On the top TV, we see the Clayman rising out of the lake from the trailer. Below, Flint is attacked by a poisonous snake, which many mistook for worms! On the right, a little bit of the desert area can be seen.

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  “You defeated the Flying Rat!” This enemy was revealed previously in the “MOTHER 3 Times”. Better finish off that snake too, Flint.

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  Shimmy Zmizz kills it with his keyboard solo on the left, while on the right we see Flint has engaged with the Flying Rat. You can even see the blue encounter swirl forming around the screen!

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  The player engages an encounter with a Pigmask and Supreme Tank Z, resembling the scene from the trailer. However, only Flint is here! On the left and right, more desert area can be seen.

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  Fatality! EXCELSIOR is defeated by the Supreme Tank Z, despite managing a five-hit combo on it.

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  If the enemy got the advantage on you, the battle screen would be titled to the left, like seen against this Pigmask soldier! On the right, Flint explores the desert on foot.

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  Victory! After winning a battle, sometimes the text would inform the player that, “You learned something new!” or, “You mastered something!”. On the left and right, more of the ol’ desert area is visible.

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  A player has fallen against a poison snake in battle on the left, causing the UI at the bottom to turn red. On the right, Flint runs around Tazmily with an especially zoomed-out camera.

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  Flint accelerates through the desert canyons on his Pork Bean. According to EXCELSIOR!, the music here was derivative of a previous MOTHER soundtrack. It is unknown which one, sadly.

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  On the left, the twins reach a crossway in the mineshaft. On the right, Flint runs through the Snake Dungeon. IGN described this area as having pretty simplistic textures.

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  On the left, Flint has entered from a corridor within the Snake Dungeon. On the right, a player is accessing the inventory menus inside of a building. Unfortunately, you couldn't use anything besides healing items.

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  Flint converses with Mayor Pirkle’s wife on the left. On the right we see a very funky battle with the Flying Rat.

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  From Game Players Magazine, September 1999. Mayor Pirkle tells Flint, "An upper jaw filled with joy, and a lower jaw filled with sorrow..."

Spaceworld Demo Diagrams

Below are several diagrams JINKO drew in her report, after playing the demo.

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  Flint and Lucas bump into each other and fall over. Sparks fly out of the characters when they collide.

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  Claus helps Lucas into the minecart at the beginning of the cutscene. How adorable!

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  Lucas and Claus fall off the minecart tracks into a river below.

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  I found you, my darling son! Flint finds Lucas kicking around sand in the distance in the desert area.

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  Oof! Lucas trips and falls flat on his face. JINKO says for some reason, he couldn't get up for around 10 seconds.

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  Wham! Flint propels out of the Pork Bean's seat after hitting a boulder, getting his head stuck inside of it.

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  A visual representation of the "Sound Battles" in the demo.

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  An NPC that looks like Mayor Pirkle acts surprised after seeing Flint suddenly jump!

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  In a clever MOTHER-like fashion, the gift boxes teleport you back to Tazmily Village!

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  JINKO drew this handy map of Tazmily from the demo.

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  Baaaaaton-Pass! Flint high fives Lucas, swapping Lucas to the lead party member!

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  Physics are lots of fun! Lucas slips and slides down a steep hill.

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  In a very "Paper Mario"-like fashion, you had to jump or spin into the enemies to instigate battle.

This page or section has one or more broken YouTube links. Please find an archived version of the video(s) or a suitable replacement.

Spaceworld Demo Dialogue

Here is a collection of dialogue from the Spaceworld demo itself. These come from various sources, such as JINKO.

Unknown Villager: “Spaceworld is on today, so it’s really noisy.”

Unknown Villager: “This MOTHER 3 can be played only at Spaceworld. That’s a rare treat!”

Unknown Villager: “I heard from a MOTHER commercial that if you drop the M from MOTHER, you’re left with something other, but maybe you should leave the M and add a 3 instead!”

Bateau: “You like pigeons? No, not pigeon meat, I mean pigeons as in birds.”

Pigeon: “Summer vacation is almost over…”

Female Villager: “MOTHER 3 is slowly progressing along. For now, we’ve put together all the good bits and funny bits just for Space world. You can enjoy it just like a bento.”

Female Villager: “I think my dialogue in the actual game will go something like this: ‘Be careful out there. Don’t pick up and eat food from the ground.’”

Male Villager: “Is it just me, or am I being watched by a huge crowd of people.”

Women at the Crossroads: “If you go past here, you’ll get a scene of a dog running. It won’t make much sense here, but I assure you it does in the full game. So don’t go all ‘who is this dog?’ ok?”

Unknown Villager: “The protagonist this time is an adult man. It would be quite problematic if you were to assume otherwise”

Gift Box: “Good job, sending you back to Tazmily Village.”

Spaceworld '99 Booklet

Below is a translation of the MOTHER 3 page in the Spaceworld '99 booklet. This is an official translation from an English PR document given out to overseas journalists who attended the event. A couple of missing lines from the official translation have been filled back in.

"THINK ABOUT OUR FAMILY TIES THROUGH MOTHER."

"SHIGESATO ITOI BRINGS YOU HIS THIRD INSTALLMENT IN THE POPULAR RPG SERIES. IN A TINY VILLAGE CUT OFF BY A VAST FOREST, BY WHAT TALE SHALL YOU BE TOUCHED?"

"Living in a tiny village, a family of four and their dog are the main characters in this story. After an unidentified object appears in a nearby inlet, strange things begin to happen in the village. To make things worse, a fearsome cry comes echoing from deep within the forest. "Something is happening in the forest!" Flint, the father, heads towards the deepest parts of the forest to protect it, his village, and his beloved family."

"A SINGLE ADVENTURE THAT BLENDS ENJOYMENT WITH THRILLS AND EXCITEMENT!"

"How many chapters?"

"This installment is broken up into several chapters. The main character changes in different chapters, but since this is one story compromised of many chapters, the characters each live out their own part of the story."

"Battles"

"Indispensable battles that differ from your typical RPG. Run, jump, and throw yourself at the enemies! Master rhythm with successive blows! There are strategic plusses as well, so bargaining with enemies is also important."

"Magic"

"The timing with which you use it is key. You can use powerful "magic" by using the energy of the place in which you are fighting. But you must be careful, for if you use too much, your head may overheat!"

Etc."

"The background music that builds up battle scenes ranges from the orthodox to the odd. And there are plenty of strange events that help to build up the story as well. You'll find yourself laughing before you even know it."

Pictured here is another featurette on MOTHER 3 found in the back of the Spaceworld '99 booklet. While brief, it's significant due to the fact it's the only piece of N64 material which mentions the island setting of the game.

"This is the third installment in Shigesato Itoi's series. This time around, the story takes place on an island surrounded by a "chimera forest." Something is going on in the forest! It's up to Flint and the other villagers to protect their families!"

(Source: Original TCRF research)

MOTHER 3.5

An announcement of an expansion disk called MOTHER 3.5 was mentioned by IGN, claiming the producer of the game had announced it a Japanese press event. However, no official Japanese source ever reported of such an announcement or event. It is likely this information was a minstranslation of an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto featured in Game Walker Magazine, where he stated he thinks an expansion disk for MOTHER 3 would be beneficial, like they were doing for Ura Zelda:

"Game Walker: What is the release schedule looking like for Mother 3 and other titles?

Miyamoto: The development team is working on Mother 3 releasing somewhere around the end of this year or next spring. It depends on the 64DD's launch date. But from a software development standpoint, we're on schedule.

As for Mother 3, it will use a system like we do in Zelda 64. Games like Cabbage, Mario Artist, Sim City 64 will be able to utilize the 64DD's features. So it can't be changed to a standard cartridge game. The strong point of a cart is that it can exchange data in real time. A cart's big advantage is running the basic engine. But if you're thinking about exchanging more data and producing lots of data, the DD system is more fitting for the task than a cart.

For a game like Mother 3, which uses more data and needs to run in real time, using a cart and a DD is a perfect mix.

Currently, we have a 256-megabit cart now. It can store much more data than in the past. So I think DD will be used for additional data so you can play the game once again after you complete it, just like after Ura Zelda appeared in the past Zelda or as a method for backing up data."

In fact, a MOTHER 3 development staff representative who was interviewing players at Spaceworld 1999 outright debunked the existence of such an expansion. When asked if it was still going to be released on DD, the staff member informed the player that only a cartridge release was planned.

According to the MOTHER 3's programmer, Akihiko Miura in 2011, "I think there might be a plan about releasing add-on product for miserable 64DD platform, but no specific action was done" [1]. Once again, IGN's claim of a MOTHER 3.5 expansion is debunked. It seems the staff may have considered it at one point, but no actual announcement ever occurred.

Despite the hard luck it had gone through, it seemed that MOTHER 3 would finally see the light of day after all.

September 1999

1101.com Blog Post

On September 14th, 1999, Shigesato Itoi posted about Spaceworld '99 on his blog. Naturally, MOTHER 3 was among the several games he wrote about. Here is his snippet on MOTHER 3:

"Well, well, well, I'm sure this is what you've all been waiting for. That's right. No, it's not that I forgot about MOTHER 3. It's just that I'm a little anxious to go and check it out myself. But, let's go and take a look together, shall we?"

"Good! It seems this little corner is quite popular. The Almost Daily Team is relieved. The person explaining the game's fuctionality here is probably from Nintendo's Information Development Department. Thank you! Thank you very much, you in the back!"

"Some of you may have never seen this before, but the logo is metallic this time around. Yes, it's metallic, but also somehow made of wood. Why is that? Will you understand once you play the game?"

"Whoa! The waiting time is now 45 minutes. 45 minutes! I'll have to tell darling (I'll have to tell darling~) Please wait for us, everyone! The staff is working hard everyday to make it."

"The Almost Daily Team walked around the convention again after crying at the sight of finally seeing MOTHER 3 in action. Anyway, Makuhari Messe is a huge place. No matter how many times we circled around it, we still couldn't see everything. This is no time to be discouraged! We have to hang in there!"

November 1999

64 Dream

Akihiko Miura was interviewed in a November issue of 64 Dream:

Itoi-san wasn’t present at the show, was he?

Miura: In addition to his main job as a copywriter, Itoi-san’s site “The Almost Daily Itoi News” has become an amazingly successful business, so he is very busy. But even when he’s working on other projects, he still gets asked “What’s going on with MOTHER 3?” There was a lot of excitement when he visited a MOTHER fansite, “MOTHER Nippon” on the 10th anniversary, where Itoi wrote “Oh, so it’s the 10th anniversary today.” He went on to say, “Everyone is patiently waiting for us to finish the game, and their support is appreciated.” So Itoi wrote all the dialogue in this demo version of the game, because we knew that’s what people wanted to see.

How did you make this demo version?

Miura: An RPG is difficult to display in shows like these, aren’t they? You don’t have time to level up or adjust equipment given the time limit, which is the most enjoyable part of an RPG. However, I made sure to arrange a savory appetizer for the fans that balances the two.

In other words, you packaged together the best parts from various chapters.

Miura: That’s right. However, since I’m in charge of the scenario, I made sure not to show anything that I thought might be too revealing.

The scene where Lucas and Claus ride on the minecart was extremely impressive.

Miura: That’s a scene from the beginning of the game.

Do the two work together from the beginning? I’m not sure, but I recall the twins having opposite personalities, like yin and yang…

Miura: That’s right. I think they will eventually grow up to become opposite personalities.

I see, since they experience different things...is the scenario finished up to the ending?

Miura: It’s finished. The framework of the scenario itself was actually finished two years ago, but it was only about three months ago we managed to put it all in the game.

So since you have a clear idea of what the ending is, that’s how you decided on the subtitle “Fall of the Pig King”?

Miura: That’s correct.

It really makes me wonder about the ending.

Miura: Yes, it does. We wanted it to be easy to understand, since the previous subtitle was “Giygas Strikes Back!” as well.

Is Porky truly the Pig King?

Miura: Those who played MOTHER 2 might think so, but it’s still a secret.

We once heard there were 12 chapters…

Miura: So far, nothing has changed. But there is a possibility it might change eventually, however.

Was there anything you sacrificed by moving from the 64DD to cartridge?

Miura: I don’t know about sacrifices, but of course there were many ideas we had on the 64DD. However, there are good things about using ROM cartridges as well: We can create more dynamic pictures, since the area in which a ROM reads data is larger and more flexible than that of the 64DD. And since it’s not on the 64DD, I’m just happy to see it’s likely more people will play it!

(Laughs) The music is really good too. Did you want to parody the music of a blockbuster RPG?

Miura: I wouldn't say "parody" is the right word, but I think Itoi-san has a certain way about him that thinks, “This is what I would do.” Shogo Sakai’s music was a good fit. There were many cases where the game was pulled along by the taste of the music.

MOTHER 3 was the only game which provided headphones at the event.

Miura: On our end, we asked Nintendo if we could let them hear the music. The game design team insisted it wouldn’t really be playable without sound, since battles require being able to listen to the music.

Could you elaborate on that?

Miura: Nothing is displayed on screen, but you can perform consecutive attacks by pressing the button to the beat of the music. Also, when an enemy approaches in a silent area where the only sound is from a flowing waterfall nearby, the enemy’s theme song starts to play. It’s really a series of songs that flow into each other, from the moment you make contact with the enemy, to when the battle finally begins, etc.

Please tell us about the main theme of MOTHER 3.

Miura: I was talking about that with Itoi-san before…let’s just say that we want to make people cry (laughs). He said he wanted MOTHER 3 to make people cry. In MOTHER 1, it was the world itself that was sad. Whereas in MOTHER 2, we wanted to break that up and create more fun scenarios. But now…we want to make it hard for people. We want it to be hard enough that they will break down and cry.

(Laugh) That’s terrible! (Laughs)

Miura: It really is. After all, MOTHER is always about betraying fans of the previous game. If you’re expecting the heartwarming world of MOTHER 2, you might suddenly be betrayed (laughs).

1101.com Miyamoto Interview

Shigesato Itoi published a multi-part personal interview with Miyamoto on his blog on November 19th 1999. Below is the snippet about MOTHER 3, as translated by Nintendo World Report:

"Shall I go ahead and say a bit about Mother 3? I might as well – the response at Space World in Makuhari was positive. It’s pretty responsive now. I think it’s at about 80 percent currently. Once we got these graphics that were completed a while ago in, tuned it and played it with our own hands I got the feeling that this is different from what we’d make in Kyoto (Nintendo).

That’s something we’re really appreciative of – ‘cause lately there’s this feeling that all these games were made in Kyoto. Even with Rare’s output. (Laughs) It’s got that scent, you know? (Laughs)　

From that point of view, Mother 3 feels pretty fresh, new. I feel like it’s more than a role playing game made in 3D. Lately you have two kinds of games more or less – those that have this Super Famicom look, painted in beautiful 2D textures, or those that feel like the latest in computer graphics. You see these types of games and you know they’re modern. But parts of Mother 3 include graphics that are in a different class entirely. I’m looking forward to that one.

That being the case – I feel like even if Mario RPG and Zelda come out next year, during the same period as Mother 3, that it’s not going to feel like there’s this kind of overlap. Also, I really hope we get it into a playable state by winter. I look forward to that one. That’s the kind of game that just gets better and better the more we put into it, so there’s this feeling of “So when do we finally stop and put it out the door?” I’m really looking forward to that one."