Nintendo revealed in the Japanese February 2024 Nintendo Direct that it is releasing Mother 3 via the Nintendo Switch Online’s Game Boy Advance game lineup “today.” The trailer starts at the 23:15 mark in the video, and it lasts for approximately one minute.
Mother 3 is the third—and the latest to date—entry in the RPG series that is alternatively known in the West as Earthbound. HAL Laboratory developed the game with Brownie Brown, and Nintendo released it for Game Boy Advance in Japan in April 2006. But while the first two Mother / Earthbound games have received Western localizations, Nintendo has still yet to localize the third entry as of early 2024.
Even though the February 2024 Nintendo Direct was touted as a Partner Showcase edition that focuses on third-party games, Nintendo still showcased the first-party title in the Japanese video. Shortly after publishing the Direct, Nintendo also uploaded a stand-alone trailer for the Nintendo Switch Online release of Mother 3:
The Game Boy Advance RPG Mother 3 is now available for Nintendo Switch via the Japanese Nintendo Switch Online subscription. The original game is available on the GBA in Japan. There’s no word on if we will see it in other regions.
