Understanding Nintendo's Weirdest Game

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Full spoilers for Mother 3 and Mother 2 (Earthbound)
The music in this video is from the Mother 3 and Mother 2 Soundtracks, by Shogo Sakai, Keiichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Tanaka, Hiroshi Kanazu, and Toshiyuki Ueno.

[@blueguy9833]

Fun fact: In an interview, Shigesato Itoi, the creator of the mother franchise, explained what the happy boxes are. He said that they weren’t TV’s nor anything that the people of Tazmilly could even interact with. They essentially did nothing but give them the satisfaction of consumerism

[@santiagocarrer7394]

Shigesato*

[@shadowmsh5723]

Yep, that's essentially a basic foundation on which capitalism is built and maintained.

[@3869426384]

@@shadowmsh5723 That could also apply to drugs. Or video games. Or anything that gives you dopamine without real value.

[@toastbread7192]

@@3869426384 I belive that if you can learn from it or grow from it, it has value. For example, I wouldnt be who I am without FF6, Mother 3 or persona 3. but dont do drugs, cheap trills with no real payoff

[@fernandosegovia8806]

@@3869426384 That's were you are wrong, first because drugs have an effect on you, not a positive one but still more than just the satisfaction of buying them, and second... You are comparing video games to drugs.

[@CalmMagma]

Honestly, the Mother series is a seriously underrated nintendo masterpiece. Not that people didn't like it, it's just unknown compared to other more sucessful nintendo games like Super Mario or Splatoon, while it should have been just as famous.

[@FrahdChikun]

To be fair Earthbound had horrible advertising, with all the gross-out humor that sent out the wrong message.

[@thegirlwiththemouseyhair6486]

>underrated Dude the mother series is probably one of the most emulated series of all time.

[@CalmMagma]

@@thegirlwiththemouseyhair6486 It isn't as known as something like Super Mario or Donkey Kong tho. That's what i'm saying, it is known, just not as much as it deserved to.

[@TurtleBug8643]

This is a *fact.*

[@2dollarchickenwings689]

U n d e r r a t e d

[@buntado6]

Mother 1 ends on the hopeful note that the main villain will be redeemed by love in the end, Mother 2 destroys that while leaving you with the relief that you at least have your loved ones who watch over you, Mother 3 finally has you suffer the grief of love, almost lashing out against the world for that as the previous villains did, but ends up with the world saved, now with a form left to imagination because the author dares not take for granted what kind of world would it take for you to keep going on after having endured that. The entire saga is people being defeated by their grief of love and passing it up unto others until reaching someone that defeats that despair and finds purpose in it. Lucas could have been the next "END?", but he broke the cycle, finally making it an "END"

[@JohnnoNonno]

At least he's not scared of 3s like Valve

[@SIMIFU]

2:33 The fact that 2d sprites can show so much emotion is still spectacular to me today.

[@DavidSartor0]

I agree.

[@pulaskiatnight_]

Even though games like Sam & Max have made me laugh more, and games like Persona 3 have made me feel more, none have been able to pull off both so flawlessly as Mother 3. Every time I come back to it, it's like meeting an old friend again, and I have no idea why

[@megadick6billion512]

Dragzii nice pfp, and very much true.

[@yoot3008]

sam and max? i haven’t heard that name in forever

[@ToastyDaEngi]

I honestly think that the MOTHER and Red Dead Redemption series are masters are being able to pull off being extremely silly and extremely serious in the same game. Nothing has impacted my life more than Earthbound and RDR1.

[@pulaskiatnight_]

@@yoot3008 ikr, all of the games are so underrated in the current age

[@aziztcf]

@@pulaskiatnight_ Sam&Max Hit the Road is considered a classic point'n'click almost everywhere though. Which is fair. I wouldn't know about the Telltale ones, never got into those for some reason,. I think the switch to 3D lost a lot of the appeal of the original Purcell designs. Also from what I remember the writing wasn't really as good in them?

[@HoodoHoodlumsRevenge]

That was a beautiful, thought-provoking and powerful analysis of my favorite game of all time. Thank you for creating it.

[@eddiefernandez5052]

Discombobulated

[@tsp1999]

Mine too. God Lucas is so pure

[@shellyanimations4316]

Oh hey Denis didnt expect you here..

[@fallenhuman2081]

It's your favourite of all time? Really? I'd have said Earthbound or Undertale. They just left me feeling better.

[@briannawilson8845]

@@fallenhuman2081 Mother 3 was pretty good too, come on, admit it. I know more people tend to like Earthbound since it's more happy-go-lucky, lighthearted and how open-world it is. Mother 3 can get dark and gloomy at times, but I think it has a better combat system. I also wouldn't say Undertale is a game that leaves me feeling better either. That game can get quite gloomy too.

[@louishunter944]

For anyone who hasn't played this game: please do.. It's my favorite game of all time and the ONLY way to play it is a FREE translation by some talented fans who love the game just as much as i do!!!!

[@yeotechno6580]

Free?

[@MarioPawner]

@@yeotechno6580 The translation is free, but the original Japanese ROM isn't. ('You are a pirate' plays faintly in the distance)

[@jaysutter9934]

I played it through a rom and just promised myself to pay for it if they ever actually release the game here

[@shreever9473]

Also you can get a fan translation in GBA format. It's not too expensive I think

[@dirtydirtsgt4751]

@@shreever9473 it's free

[@EDBOMINATION]

Shigesato Itoi has said that the Happy boxes aren't TV's or computers or anything specific at all. I believe the quote is "It may as well be a fish tank". The game doesn't offer up anything on the contrary, so it's easy to see why one would think so if they didn't read some obscure interview before playing the game.

[@Moggetslittlesister]

Yeah, it kind of confuses the message when he made them look like TVs. In-game, they're depicted as emitting a wobbly glow and nothing else, but it's hard not to compare them to real life. They're meant to be a symbol of materialism, of buying something simply for the sake of having it and nothing else. Whereas TVs have value as an information and entertainment source, the only value of a happy box is that everyone else has one.

[@subprogram32]

I saw the start of the video and immediately had to go back and watch the Earthbound video first, which was deffo a good idea because this video is very strongly interlinked with that one! It was rather fascinating to finally see a breakdown on both games in relation to each other, and the quite major differences between the two. But they sure have rather harrowing but also emotionally cathartic endings though! This also reminds me that I need to go play more of Jimmy And The Pulsating Mass, because that's a more modern Earthbound-inspired JRPG that I have played a bit of, and these videos have made it even clearer how much inspiration that game had from these two.

[@badut3474]

200 like now..

[@JayJayNoelastnam]

I like to think that Lucas' heart was filled with hate/sadness when pulling the needle. I mean, he literally just witnessed his own brother kill himself in front of his very eyes. That would explain all the destruction and total darkness when Lucas pulled the needle.

[@duckfilms3662]

Hum, that's a wierd way to spell " best game Nintendo ever made"

[@pintin9843]

Well all the games are equally the best game

[@Isaax]

Right?

[@timmyjimmy7413]

@@pintin9843 not games like sonic 06

[@scanbbb]

Huh, that's a wierd way to spell " weird"

[@duckfilms3662]

@@scanbbb >:/

[@nopales9130]

"Go show the world some love" that line was delivered so beautifully, it made me tear up a little

[@Haddosan]

18:10 you kept this part of the song in. The part that always pulls out tears. You earned a sub. Also the entire video and your message was great

[@PL-uz3hf]

Do you know the name of the song ?

[@Gary_Sherman]

@@PL-uz3hf kinda delayed lol, but it's from "16 Melodies"

[@PL-uz3hf]

@@Gary_Sherman oh wow, thank you! I guess i find it later but i'm hapoy you answered ^^

[@JustCozItsMe]

17:39 you have me tearing up. How do people think games aren't art?

[@adityakhanna113]

Same.

[@tmen99]

I'm glad someone left mother 3 with the same feeling as I had. Not saying I thought of all the things Leadhead thought of of course. But the general feeling seems to have been the same. Watching this video made me thing about it again and I also thought about this book that has been a slogan of my parents and eventually of me. It's called "Humankind, a hopeful history." but in my language it is "De meeste mensen deugen" meaning "most people are good". To this day I still believe that even though a lot of evil still exists, more good exists. I know this was a bit of a tangent but I felt like it was related enough, hope you have a great day.

[@arcanocito]

that was in recommended faster than my notification XD

[@deveshwarsudhakar8392]

same lol

[@eatingsteakisfun]

Fr. 😭

[@notdonutsplace991]

lol

[@edjjr7512]

Yep

[@tommymorris3922]

Im not complaining. KZbin finally recommended good content within the hour its posted, good job youtube. Do this more often.

[@healmore8716]

Honestly mother 3 is probably my favorite game ever The story is unique and interesting The characters are really well developed The gameplay is really fun The music is just so good And also it’s the first game that made me cry and honestly it’s a really special game for me

[@pkgamer3551]

Same that series inspired and help shape my childhood and it still is, it's just a game that not enough people know about...

[@tyakaaaa]

Some more exposure for this amazing game is always welcome, hopefully Mother 3 one day will get enough recognition so Nintendo makes an official localization for the game

[@shadowmsh5723]

I doubt it ever will be localized. After Earthbound's low sales, Nintendo of US does not even cosider this idea possibility. But it's unfounded because the game is not bad. It's just for niche audiences. Other than that, days of GBA are already long gone and games are not really published anymore. So why would they care about localizing some games from 2006 on a dead system?Still, I wouldn't worry too much. There is a fan translation which is more than a enough as replacement for localization. Additionally, you can emulate it for free rather than actually buying a game.

[@NuggetOG]

@@shadowmsh5723 but where is this so called fan translation. i dont want to end up in some virus ridden hole. a link would be nice

[@briannawilson8845]

@@shadowmsh5723 It's not so much of what you're stating about the game "being on a now dead system" but more of the controversy it'll face when released in the West. Most of the themes, especially the Magyspies, is pretty acceptable in Eastern cultures, not so much in Western ones. Also, it being on an old system has nothing to do with it because lots of people like retro games and Nintendo has put old games most people wouldn't have been able to play onto their newer console, even Mother 1. But I agree that it was because of Earthbound's poor sells in the West was what stopped them from releasing another Mother game in the West, Itoi himself stated that in an interview and was devastated. Mother 3 also was sort of met with criticism in Japan too due to it being different and less lighthearted than Earthbound, surprisingly enough. Also, there'd be no point in releasing it if we have the fan translation, but there will always be folks who want a English release, pronto.

[@chocorocky5705]

@@NuggetOG go to Mother3.fobby.net , it's there and it was translated by a professional translator who has worked on animes , and even worked on some official Nintendo translations

[@NuggetOG]

@@chocorocky5705 Thx

[@SchutzBoysband]

It's not a SIMPLISTIC story about capitalism, materialism, the role of propaganda, relationships to the means of production, or colonialism its actually about LOVE

[@blufudgecrispyrice8528]

yes

[@anotherrandomguy7100]

It happens as in Earthbound. The story hasn´t got something emotional at first sight, but, if you emphasis whats going on, you will understand: Paula was kidnapped, Ness goes into an adventure in which he risks his own life at the age of 13, Jeff escapes a private school surrounded by snow and Poo is forced to train even if he didnt asked to. Now, lets focus on the enemies: a dog attacks you, a tree with a face, aliens attacks you... the protagonists see that as a normal thing, but ITS NOT obviusly. Mother 2 represents the child suffering of every day in the real world.

[@derealized797]

Exactly. It's insulting to hear people make stupid claims like this is an anti capitalism story. The game is much deeper than a dipshit woke college hipster moron trying to lecture everyone, if that's what they think, then they either didn't play it through or kept skipping through all the dialog and story.

[@halguy5745]

it can be about all these things at once

[@dog-ez2nu]

@@derealized797 ...but it's also about capitalism, materialism, the role of propaganda, relationships to the means of production, and colonialism...

[@NoMorePedals]

Normally, I can't hear Mother 3 music without tearing up but your analysis broke me. Beautifully written, thank you for the video.

[@kingkrab4872]

Working on my Earthbound playthrough right now, I'll watch the full video when I'm done with it

[@hopelessamaturerougeofhope4399]

I'm doing one on an emulator

[@lifefruit8738]

Earthbound: Children destroy an Evil God. Mother 3: Teenager resets the entire universe.

[@mr.selyumor5402]

I’ve seen people try to use mother 3 as an anti-capitalist weapon to epicly own chuds on social media way too goddamn often. I’m always elated to see somebody look at the bigger picture of the game’s themes instead of oversimplifying the whole story

[@scrunkore]

Neither reading of the game should be pushed aside, it's got plenty going on

[@twincherries6698]

It's seriously annoying cus while the themes are interesting in the context of mother, they're so blatantly obvious that discussing the themes solely through that lens is lame. On top of that, seeing the same basic points being made - when everybody and their mom already shits on capitalism at any given chance - is dreadfully boring. Capitalism has provably been a systemic failure but christ I'd really appreciate if people would learn "capitalism bad" isn't an interesting discussion.

[@piyushmenon4987]

While Capitalism can do a lot of good, it certainly can do a lot of bad as well. And I think that even if that isn't Mother 3's main theme, it's still something important to keep in mind.

[@143__rd3]

I’d love to see your take on LISA: The Painful RPG, the greatest game of all time imo.

[@boomkittyFX]

just remember: Terry Hintz is god.

[@keibetsu2527]

FUCK YES. THIS.

[@dumbb6178]

I dont get why ppl say THE when they can say MINE.

[@Grgrqr]

Sick drops

[@ThunderKnightSilver2]

Itoi always stressed that the Happy Boxes aren't supposed to be TV's, but I think their a more subtle representation of the spread of consumerist propaganda through mass media.

[@sethwhittle3137]

I just recently beat this game, it is now one of my favorite games ever. It's a shame this is one of Nintendo's most ignored games, most people just side it off as the game that the kid from smash bros was in. This game is the definition of a hidden gem, and will forever be in the hearts of the lucky few who get the pleasure of playing this game. Edit: The reason why mother 3 has never been brought over to the west is because of its controversial subject matter, which includes trans stereotypes, animal abuse, drugs, and suicide. To put it simply; it would be a P.R. nightmare for Nintendo to officially port this game to the west.

[@kernium]

@Cookie eater "A different skin color" Somehow this sounds a bit wrong ahah.

[@briannawilson8845]

I wouldn't say these games are ignored by Nintendo. It gets a lot of dedication in the Smash Bros series so saying it gets put under the bushes is more like an understatement. It certainly doesn't get as much attention as Mario, Zelda or Pokemon, but then again, those are the big main three. I feel as if Nintendo ignores Metroid, Pikmin, F-Zero and Star Fox much more. A lot more people have also been able to play it on the WiiU, where Earthbound was the bestselling title on there. In the case of Mother 3, it's still the case that until it releases in America, most people know nothing of Lucas' backstory or have only heard of it in the least due to spoilers and mostly only know him as that guy from Smash. And not everyone knows about the fan translation and there are some people who outright refuse to play it until they get an official English release. And like you mentioned, most of M3's themes are too controversial, especially the Magyspies and Salsa's chapter which deals with animal abuse. There's also a lot of disturbing content and usage of curse words. If it did release, they'd have to tone down it's themes, which would awfully downplay the game's true intentions. At this point, it would be hard to release it. I also really love your profile pic of your pittie by the way :-)

[@pkrockin3923]

Mother 3's story and theme are eerily relevant in 2020 along with Majora's mask.

[@robumvirren]

Mother 1 Final Boss: Alien Mother 2 Final Boss: Red Gas with creepy smile Mother 3 Final Boss: Your brother

[@od4361]

"Mother 3's lesson is that where there are humans, there is evil" Funnily enough I learned that from HL2.

[@jacquesnouvel6436]

What is HL2 ? Half-Life ?

[@od4361]

@@jacquesnouvel6436 yeah

[@jacquesnouvel6436]

@@od4361 I see Thanks for answering

[@metallicsnake.]

The evil in Mother was always greed giygas himself lost his mother replacement to the greed of her husband to get psyc powers. GIYGAS pass his ideas to piggy

[@thegirlwiththemouseyhair6486]

You okay?

[@user-ds3hb5iq7h]

I can translate: GYGAS saw that porky's mother is shit, but he knew that mother too just "left him". Sooo, he passed his powers and ideas to porky.

[@ArmoredChocoboLPs]

Pokey had a shit family and Giygas had a penchant for controlling people through their flaws.

[@patricklewis9787]

I'd say lack of love

[@jestfullgremblim8002]

r/ihadastroke

[@hippolytabaker9559]

*clicks on dictation device* Theory: Tanetane Island is Mother 3's Magicant. I never really bought into the idea that Tanetane was *just* a drug trip moment since everything in this game has *some* sort of deeper meaning and connection to the game's overall theme, and I think it comes down to this: If Magicant in Mother 1 is the mindscape of our ancestor(s), and Magicant in Mother 2 is our own mindscape, then Tanetane is basically a giant Sea of Eden where the most repressed of traumas attack from all corners and leave us seeing and hearing things that aren't there, and where our most deepest and darkest of thoughts reside to make us crave death.

[@swimmyswim417]

YES. THIS. I was most convinced of this during the lines when one of the hallucinations started blasting Kumatora. “She’s unlovable, like a stick. A stupid, ugly, stick.”-or something along those lines. We know what Lucas is traumatized by, we’ve seen some of Duster’s damage, but this is really the first time we see a glimpse of Kumatora’s weakness. She’s tough, but she’s still afraid of rejection and abandonment. And you’d only really see that side of her after diving DEEP into her psyche. It’s definitely not an accident that each of the party members suffer at the hands of very specific demons. There’s general threats and creepiness, and then there’s specific comments that strike right at your core. It’s a brilliant, terrifying sequence.

[@brownhorn111]

Peace on earth, and good will toward men.

[@danyosuna7276]

Mother 3 is hands down the bast game ever made in terms of storytelling. The pacing, story, seeing the map change, seeing all the side stories unfold chapter after chapter, the music, the characters and ultimately the whole message "humans are not good". The black screen at the end "Thanks for taking care here, we will be fine, now go save your own world" still makes me smile to this day.

[@wonnor53]

I was just watching one my other favourite creator's videos on this game last night thinking "man, I really hope leadhead does a video on this at some point". And here it is! Great video as always man, you're currently my favourite creator on here.

[@mishaolarrea7259]

Who is the other creator?

[@mistereagleman]

I'm really happy this didn't pin Mother 3's plot as just some bare bones anti-capitalist message, rather an analysis of a lot of its themes regarding humanity itself. I think government is a tricky subject to cover, and while the game definitely revealed certain aspects of those themes, it was more about humanity and social atmosphere of emotion and change. If Mother 3 was simply a game advocating for or against a specific governmental message, I don't think it would have nearly the same emotional impact and community behind it. Also, side note: I really enjoyed your analysis of Club Titiboo! I had never really considered a lot of the themes in that area and just how insane it is that these people work full days just to go to a club to essentially worship Pork.

[@smartstuf1026]

simply gauging the argument against one political ideology would arguably be much less complex than just human's in general so i'm also greatful they didn't go that route

[@twincherries6698]

It's weird seeing people getting upset about it in the comments lol, sorry your KZbinr didn't tell you "hey guys capitalism bad" for the 1,000th time.

[@NukeOTron]

4:10 WAIIIIT a minute... That sounds suspiciously like an infamous event involving TV cutting out all shows set in rural communities. I believe it's called the "Rural Purge". Heck, anyone who turns on a TV in a rural area, especially these days, knows they aren't going to be seeing a town like theirs unless it was a pathetic and technically insulting caricature. It's always going to be about the bigger cities, because that's where the life, the people, and colleges are at. Sometimes, you don't know what is lost until you've lost it. Sometimes, you don't know what truly is good for you.

[@zoidsfan12]

I can definitely jive with the make less hate spread more love philosophy. I spent most of my life struggling with anger issues, but I slowly realized all I was doing was perpetuating a cycle. I try to show kindness, especially to those I disagree with. Because if the person can realize there isn't a need for antagonizing they will often see things in a clearer light. I more and more have the you do you philosophy, nothing I can say will change anything anyway. It is honestly kinda hard to get to that point where you aren't taking sides and gaining naive certainty in your infallibility. It takes being humble and realizing you don't have shit figured out so who are you to control other people.

[@spencer1531]

Amazing video! This analysis goes great with the Agota Kristof books M3 is based on, as well. "The Notebook" is all about how two boys named Claus and Lucas are forced to do terrible things to survive the civil war in their country.

[@turtlezrcool7252]

Mother 3 is the embodiment of “We live in a society.”

[@fallenhuman2081]

Mother 2: Mental maturity and recognising evil's existence. Mother 3: recognising the inherent evil within human beings. Don't ask me about mother 1, lol.

[@cosmicalize]

Mother 4 when

[@fallenhuman2081]

@@cosmicalize I believe Shigesato Itoi is done with the Mother series. He is getting quite old now too.

[@krist0king]

Solitary confinement is considered by many as one of the worst possible punishments, and Porky basically has to endure that forever. Pretty fitting for the amount of evil he did, though I still think it's pretty damn cruel

[@cototo_2377]

I’m just gonna say this, holy cow, this is some amazing writing. Good job with this video, it represented the game in an amazing way. It’s a great analysis of the game.

[@MrQuickrebuttle]

Mother 3 is about loss and how humans cope with it. Empathy, Strength, Sadness, Solitude, Escapism, Nostalgia, Indifference, Distraction, Support. How you handle loss determines who you become. A truly beautiful game.

[@jeffandonuts4245]

No truer words have been spoken. This game is a fantastic JRPG.

[@tictac8556]

For almost 10 years now, I’ve called this game my absolute favorite. Not once in that time have I seen someone explain this strange masterpiece so flawlessly. Your real world examples really exemplified the game’s themes, and spoke to me on a personal level! Keep up the incredible work! I’ve got some of your older videos to watch. =)

[@YourLocalShadow]

Me and my boyfriend played this together, I legit cried at the end cause it was so hard-hitting. but yeah, one of my main goals that my therapist and I came up with through a list system is to make one person smile everyday, I try my best to be a positive person cause there is already so much hate and sadness in the world. I hope everyone has a wonderful day/night, stay strong, and know that no matter what pain you are feeling you're not alone, there is always a hand waiting to help you.

[@Schmorbo]

I LOVE how much I don't HATE this video

[@superstarcadet]

Seeing an analysis on Mother 3 in 2020 honestly made my entire week! This game is one I hold so near and dear to my heart, so much so that I not only consider it my favorite game of all time, but a game that changed my life for the better. I absolutely adored your take on the game and it was one of the most unique takes I’ve seen. I also love how you connected themes from this game to Earthbound, something people seem to take for granted when doing an analysis on it. Keep it up with the amazing work :)

[@superstarcadet]

@Hinawa Mother of Claus and Lucas yessss I am a HUGE fan! Mom 3 fans, rise up lol :D

[@noahkleinwort3271]

I love how most episodes have a message at the end like this one or his recent half life video

[@heystamp]

I thought nothing can get weirder than Earthbound except EARTHBOUND ITSELF

[@MedalionDS9]

Isn't it comforting to think you can project the idea of Evil and Insanity into an alien intangible idea and defeat it but in this game it is no longer holding your hand and hiding the truth... the greatest evil is Humanity at times... no more projecting it onto other creatures that look scary and ugly... it's right in front of you everyday

[@beneil2]

well if there are other life they won't be better that us.

[@eggbun]

Another lens other than Anti-Capitalism? I'm sold. After watching, I have reignited my quest to restore my faith in humanity, and myself. Thanks for the vid ma dude

[@PancakemonsterFO4]

That's why it's the “forbidden one“

[@Twisted_Logic]

I honestly always got primarily an anti-industrialization vibe from Mother 3 than necessarily anti-capitalism specifically. The factory isn't bad because of who owns it but because it's a factory.

[@joaoassumpcao3347]

What Twisted Logic said. The problem with capitalism according to redies is that there's a big useless guy on top, not the factories themselves. Otherwise our fellas ussr would be a big farm today

[@eggbun]

@@joaoassumpcao3347 As the saying goes. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[@testnamepleaseignore526]

Karl Marx was well known for discontent of labor. He hated all of it, to quote the communist manifesto “communism is when you do the bad and lazy, and feel entitled to basic human rights”

[@CrazyRiverOtter]

What else is great about MOTHER 3 is that is brings the series full circle from MOTHER 1. In 1, Giygas isn't this swirling ball of evil, he's a conflicted alien. It's humans that made him so angry in the first place by betraying his trust.

[@simi6751]

I love this so much, it really makes me think about my life right now, especially the theme that if the wrong person get their hands on you at the right time you could be in that very same position as someone homeless or drowning in debt. Either way this is a really great video and I’m glad it got recommended to me.

[@balkyrie]

it's great to see people still giving deep thought to this game's themes even now. thank you for enjoying my favorite game of all time. if you haven't yet, i'd suggest taking a 'slow-play' through the game and try to talk to everyone at every possible time you can think of. especially in chapter 2, there are a lot of lines spoken by the townsfolk that get missed thanks to the rush of 2's events pushing you forward.

[@tolafia6708]

Yeah, our humanity is pretty lost if something big doesn't happen, like big companies being taxed 1%, or a sudden wave of nice people appear and change the toxic people

[@JayQuilson]

Good video. I'm not sure, though, why you felt the need to try and seperate the anticapitalist themeing from the love themes? The game pounds it home that human hatred and the cycle of abuse created the dire circumstances after chapter 4. All of the contributing factors in the expansion of the porky empire are created by capitalism, though. It is inextricably linked.

[@anotherrandomguy7100]

The game has a side-theme (which is love, in Mother 3) and you only can see the real message. First of all, i always take art as a way to commicate a message, in the form of something beautiful. Dont you see what I mean with these? The "main" story (or message in this case) is amazing, but the message is amazing too It happens the same in Earthbound. The story hasn´t got something emotional at first sight, but, if you emphasis whats going on, you will understand: Paula was kidnapped, Ness goes into an adventure in which he risks his own life at the age of 13, Jeff escapes from a private school surrounded by snow just to meet someone he didnt even met and Poo is forced to train even if he didnt asked to. Now, lets focus on the enemies: a dog attacks you, a tree with a face, aliens attacks you... the protagonists see that as a normal thing, but ITS NOT obviusly. Mother 2 represents the child suffering of every day in the real world.

[@notsofunny9651]

The Mother series has always been my favorite franchise of all time and hearing you talk about what makes it so special makes me feel joy. So thank you and also great video!

[@Prubkoopa]

My story with Mother 3 is literally like : Before : Who’s this blonde kid in Smash Ultimate? After : Mother 3 is the best game ever made

[@belinskiparadox7687]

It's sad that this game will probably never be officially bought over to the west, since some of the content in the game is a bit strange and controversial. What's worse is that there are people that will refuse to play a game that doesn't have a official localization, and because of that they're missing out on a fantastic experience.

[@scrunkore]

Every "controversial" theme in the game has been done in countless others, don't know why people always blame that

[@matraser3201]

Cried a bit at the end

[@rhythmtengokutweezers9857]

I have a theory about the ending of Mother 3: When Lucas pulls the final needle, the world is destroyed, but personally, I've always thought that the world was destroyed so that a new world, a better world can begin where everyone can finally be safe from the Pigmask Army, Porky, etc... so no one is dead...

[@Isaax]

Fucking had me crying again when the love theme started playing at the end

[@harrrieee]

as it stands now, Mother 3 is the only game that made me cry

[@sci_pain3409]

well this was a nice video, back to my organ harvesting operation

[@E4439Qv5]

One ticket to Candy Mountain, please.

[@bebopobama4686]

Absolutely beautiful video, admittedly I've never even played any of the Mother games, though through osmosis I'm very aware of what they are and how important they are to the history of jrpgs.

[@LMC764]

This video really opened my eyes at how important mother 1 is to the direction of the plot in all 3 games

[@lilithpyrope476]

hey this video is really good but you do know that you don't have to choose between anti-capitalism and the triumph of love against evil, yes? take the strength of love and use it to end a system that encourages and forces hate.

[@jedgrahek1426]

Thank you for noticing. While the "message" of this analysis is something everyone can easily agree with, I had the feeling the entire time that the *purpose* of the analysis (and they way it ends with a universally agreeable point) was to actively downplay the anti-capitalist message of the game, and muddy the waters with a BS implication that the anti-capitalist message is somehow both unimportant and merely surface level, and that it is mutually exclusive to the easy-to-agree-with message of the analysis... when the whole point of the game in the first place is that individual human evils (usually) have systemic roots.

[@SweatinSteve]

This video just really hit poorly... it’s actively denying the blatant anti capitalist themes present throughout the game while trying to force some “love triumphs over all” as the *real* lesson. Shit... is “love wins over all” a controversial statement in popular media? It’s just so lazy to pretend that the themes have no interaction

[@JT-hs6hc]

@@SweatinSteve Yeah I was surprised at how, uh, boring this analysis was. Like, I was just expecting it to get to a bigger point throughout and then realized it had played all it's cards already when I thought it was still setting up its thesis. Weirdly paced and just not very agreeable in my eyes.

[@twincherries6698]

lmaoing at this thread

[@dannyanderson6677]

Hey LeadHead. I've only recently found about your channel from your Stanley Parable video and holy crap, you have f**king amazing content. I never watched a youtube channel with really unique takes and opinions on games and media. You've really helped me think deeper about games and taking a new look about games in general. If I have any criticisms, I say to improve your voice to not sound like a pretentious bored nerd and to improve your editing, but those are minor. Your videos are great and keep making them! You deserve a million subscribers to put out this quality content every week.

[@al_fuzzy9280]

Gahhh the ending, ur message, and the music!!! Don't make me cry!! I loved it!

[@coolthingsbyjames]

I loved the message here, Leadhead! The ending here was stellar

[@kayagorzan]

This video feels cozy, like warm tea in winter It's heartwarming, and leaves a powerful and lasting impact Thank you Leadhead!

[@nascentspace]

13:38 I got an email just like that a while ago, ignored it and nothing has happened

[@dubioustheatreyt8096]

I feel like part of why Nintendo tries so hard to cram this under the rug is due to it's message and what Nintendo has become. Nintendo has become the very thing this game detests.

[@jackfrazier698]

great vids man, keep it up :)

[@TheBert.]

great vids man, keep it up :)

[@jackfrazier698]

@@TheBert. i Will.

[@TheBert.]

@@jackfrazier698 man you broke the chain on your own comment

[@jackfrazier698]

@@TheBert. demon time

[@starryknight5555]

This is the best video about this game on KZbin. An incredibly underrated video essay that actually breaks down this game in the best way.

[@rialvita7141]

I would time travel to kill Porky before Mother 2, essentially preventing Giegue transformation (or at least taking more time with another individual), maybe save him, and Mother 3's never had Lucas and the world to suffer. Porky is the real villain here.

[@swimmyswim417]

Mother 3 is an absolute trip, and I’m in love with it. It was the first video game that I became connected with solely over the internet, the first that I fell in love with before I could play it for myself. It says something about the game, how even without firsthand experience it has a way of hitting home hard. I’ve since gotten my hands on an unofficial English translation GBA cartridge and it’s something I go back to frequently. The music, the dialogue, the emotional heart, everything. It’s beautiful and heart wrenching. The Tanetane Island sequence still messes me up. There’s something so uncanny about it, how by trying to escape your current suffering, you just end up exposing yourself and becoming that much more vulnerable to demons you didn’t realize were even there. It’s such a zany and wacky interlude but it’s genuinely terrifying.

[@P1NKPVNK_]

Wow, recommendations were fast.

[@j.r.7339]

I never thought that Nintendo would ever make/sell (a) game(s) like this.

[@retinas2001]

This is the only game that has made me cry.

[@Bi_scotti_5]

I think your point about the game not necessarily being about capitalism vs communism is a good one, but it's worth mentioning that capitalism and fascism are often symbiotic. The factory just outside of Club Tittiboo is the perfect analogy for this: though working in the factory is grueling and tedious, the prospect of going to the club is a carrot on a stick for the men living on the island, which conveniently distracts them from what the money could potentially be going to in the long run.

[@notradaem9213]

You mean to tell me the guy that did all those game analysis videos is now analyzing my favorite game? I'm in.

[@TheMinecraftersYeeh]

I can't fathom how you can crank this stuff out by the week. Keep up the great work!

[@tonioender9928]

I was just looking for something to watch while I ate my ravioli, things got too real too fast.

[@moomillmarloseph9179]

this made me cry in class

[@luciobertramo783]

This was really cool, i'm excited for that a machine for pigs video but you know don't pull yourself too much

[@duckfilms3662]

16 tons is totally relevant to this game, also it slaps.

[@AlvinFlang69420]

I have always thought it hilariously stupid when millionaires publish works about anticapitalism through a massive corporation.

[@Mariogirl17]

This video was expertly scripted. You put into words several reasons why this game is nothing short of art. I'm glad you share this perspective.

[@SpoopyChicken]

"Hello? Sir? Where can I buy hope for humanity 2?"

[@deepwebwhirlpool]

im so sad because i could never finish the game because i could never get past mr genetor, and it makes me wanna cry because the game is so beautiful but i never got to experience it,

[@LunaTulpa]

Thanks mother 3 for being one of two games to make me sob like a child, undertale the other. God what a fantastic experience this was Also the absolutely safe capsule is a fucking terrifying thing to actually be in

[@subprogram32]

Especially when you are an immortal being! At least a mortal stuck in there gets the mercy of dying from thirst a couple days in.

[@spyr0guy]

Porky will survive the heat-death of the universe, fully conscious and with nothing to do and no one to talk to the entire time.

[@extrascript6622]

jesus, that's terrifying

[@lunk6867]

It's a fate worse than death

[@subprogram32]

@@lunk6867 One of the worse-worse ones too. *shudders*

[@DPedroBoh]

As said in the first line of Tales of Phantasia by Dhaos, the game's villain: "If there's evil in this world, it lurks in the hearts of men."

[@andya4528]

I just discovered your channel, and must say; This is great. Thanks for doing this.

[@doctorbonez9685]

Thanks for reviewing my favorite game I always saw mother 3 as Itoi expressing the final emotions he wanted to create with this trilogy, but it ended up in this odd yet interesting mess. A lot of this game was redone over the years of development (you can tell by the number of unused sprites Claus has) and was most likely ment to be somthing totally different, and that real life mystery is an interesting play on the games narrative: somthing that couldve happened differently but ended up lacking and leaving those possibilities in mystery

[@fb1179]

Great job with the new patreon roll. The background was a really nice touch. I hope to see even more improvements away from the "long dry list of names" in the future!

[@xoticmf]

Mother series is a whole lot of experience that must be experienced some day.

[@TheHickup101]

Played this game a long time ago, still gives me the feels. I forgot the lessons I've learned back then so this analysis is a wonderful refresher. Thank you, Leadhead.

[@MrXemrox]

Love and forgiveness can overcome hate and vengeance. Focusing on love and forgiveness isn't sweeping past under the rug or forgetting it, but can heal it, vengeance will just bring more vengeance, forgetting the past can lead to people taking advantage of it, and distorting it. Love and forgiveness can help preventing people's self-destruction.

[@tdrk6114]

Beautiful video. All that stuff you said about love really hit me close.