EarthBound Beginnings and its sequel, EarthBound, are heading to the Nintendo Switch later today. The two games will be added as part of the Nintendo Switch Online library, an announcement at the Nintendo Direct on Wednesday said.
In Japan, the cult-hit games are known as Mother and Mother 2, so they’re referred to as part of the Mother series. EarthBound is the second installment of the turn-based JRPG franchise, and it follows the baseball-bat-wielding Ness on his quest to defeat an all-powerful alien named Giygas. Ness is perhaps most recognizable for his appearances in the Super Smash Bros. fighting game series.
EarthBound Beginnings was released to the Famicom in 1989. EarthBound, released to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, became far more popular, known for its quirky storyline and offbeat characters. In this adventure, the enemies aren’t monsters, they’re everyday horrors like upset shoppers and arcade bullies. EarthBound has gone on to garner a dedicated following, and has been rereleased multiple times, with a re-release on the SNES Classic in 2017, as well as other ports to consoles like the Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS.
Although this means we will finally be able to play Mother and Mother 2 on the Nintendo Switch, the news is bittersweet. The third video game in the series, Mother 3, has never gotten an official release Stateside, and was not announced at the Direct.
Source: Polygon
