One of Nintendo's least known franchises, EarthBound (also known as Mother) is also one of its most beloved. Despite this, only two of the games in the Mother trilogy have been released in English, with Mother 3 being one of the most requested game localizations of all time. While Nintendo has left a major part of the series stranded in Japan, and creator Shigesato Itoi has stated he has no intention on returning to the franchise ever again, fans have long wondered what a modern remake of EarthBound would look like. Thankfully, Twitter artist Ezequiel has provided a beautiful rendition.
The first entry in the Mother series first released in 1989 for the Famicom, however the game never saw an official western release until June 2015, where it was renamed to EarthBound Beginnings. In 1994, Mother 2 released on the Super Famicom in Japan, with a western release following on the Super Nintendo in 1995 under the name EarthBound. The game's western release was met with mixed reception and low sales, however in later years the game has become one of Nintendo's most beloved cult franchises. In 2006, Mother 3 was released for the Game Boy Advance, and while there have been many fan campaigns to see the game localized, the game has still never released outside of Japan.
This artwork comes from Twitter user Ezequiel, who claims that EarthBound Beginnings, the first title in the series, is their favorite. The artwork features the game's protagonist, often named Ninten, along with party members Lloyd, Ana, and Teddy. The artwork depicts the characters in a clay style similar to the promotional material released in gaming magazines around the release of the games, which is similar to the art of the recent remake of The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening.
This artwork even seems to have attracted the attention of Mother series creator Shigesato Itoi, who retweeted the artwork on his Twitter account. The artist said in a statement to Nintendo Enthusiast “I remember a few guys telling me [that Itoi retweeted me] on Twitter and I was like, ‘nah… can’t be true.’ But when I found out it was true, I [shook] and had a chill … I was so excited." Ezequiel is a 2D/3D artist and co-founder of video game developer Pizia Studios, which is developing multiplayer card game Master of Wills for iOS and Android.
Fans have requested HD remakes ever since the release of the Nintendo Switch. 2021 marks the 15th anniversary of Mother 3, a title which Nintendo has had a long history of not localizing despite numerous fan campaigns ever since its release. One would think that 2021 would finally be the year Nintendo decides to localize the game, but recent rumors have proven that there is not much use in raising expectations.
EarthBound is currently available on New Nintendo 3DS, Super Nintendo Mini, and Wii U.
Source: Nintendo Enthusiast