On February 21, 2024, Nintendo broadcast its first Direct of the year. This program that players always eagerly await is an opportunity for the Kyoto firm to chain together surprise announcements. This week, the presentation was dedicated to third-party publishers as part of a Partner Showcase loaded with great surprises. Monster Hunter Stories, Epic Mickey, Star Wars Battlefront and Endless Ocean were there among a slew of announcements, each as tempting as the next. However, one specific announcement has managed to capture the attention of a niche of gamers usually overlooked by Nintendo.
For several decades now, Western JRPG aficionados have been asking for an official port of Mother 3. The third installment in the saga known as Earthbound in our country has never appeared on consoles outside of Japan. Initially released on Gameboy Advance on April 20, 2006, the title has established itself as a true classic over the years. Now translated into a multitude of languages by passionate modders, the title is more or less accessible to everyone, except on official hardware. Since the introduction of Gameboy Advance games as part of the Nintendo Switch Online + Add-on Pack subscription, fans have been hoping to discover its inclusion in the catalog. Against all odds, the Kyoto firm has just made this dream a reality... which unfortunately only concerns the console's Japanese store.
A better Nintendo Direct on the other side of the world
Sometimes the announcements of a Nintendo Direct differ from one region to another. Unfortunately for us, the Japanese version of today's broadcast had a major surprise in store that we will be deprived of. The famous Mother 3 retracing the adventures of Lucas' character – that Super Smash Bros players will recognize – is now part of the Japanese Nintendo Switch Online catalog. Western players can of course access it by changing the region of their console since the Nintendo Switch is not region-locked, but you still have to speak the language.
Once again, Earthbound fans must give up on the recognition of this third episode in our green lands. However, there is no shortage of petitions and other attempts to make Nintendo see reason. Even the former president of Nintendo of America Regis Fils-Aimé had made known his wish to see an officially localized version. Since the Nintendo Switch Online GBA catalog was shaping up to be the perfect opportunity to offer this gift to players, it seems that hopes are no longer in place. We will therefore have to settle for Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings, available respectively in the SNES and NES catalogs of Nintendo Switch Online.
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