But by the time Mother 3 came out in Japan, it seems Nintendo had already decided the franchise didn't have legs in the US.Īnd it wasn't so easy to begin with.
However, in the years since, there's been a grand reappraisal, with many acknowledging the series' bold originality and departure from typical RPG tropes. The second game did come to the US under the name EarthBound in 1995, only to meet with poor sales and a lukewarm critical reception. The first-ever Mother, which came out in 1989, was also a Japanese exclusive at first.
