The Mother series, known as EarthBound outside of Japan, stopped with Mother 3 in 2006, and only the second game was released internationally. That hasn't stopped fans from carrying a torch for it over the years, with one group deciding to stop waiting for Nintendo and create their own sequel, which has now transformed into a separate game with a new name, Oddity.
While the overt connections have been dropped, the trailer still gives out plenty of EarthBound vibes. There's a fate of the world quest, fancy powers and demons to kill, but like EarthBound it's still an urban RPG, this time set in the '70s.
The baseball bat-wielding Travis Fields has developed weird abilities thanks to a mysterious exploding gate and must use them to save the world from an assortment of monsters and a secret society. The moon, not wanting to be left out, is also in peril.
The art, cast and combat are definitely meant to evoke EarthBound, but the style remains just as appealing now as it always has.
There's no release date yet, sadly, but EarthBound fans should be used to waiting. It's been 25 years since the last game to leave Japan launched in the US, and it didn't get an official worldwide release until a few years ago. Thank god for emulation.
