It will be shiny

Everyone's all on about Mother 3 these days, and guess what: so am I. IT IS BRILLIANT.

I'm in the early stages of Chapter 3 and loving it to death. It's funny that this dropped right after I got finished with Cave Story, because they share several major virtues: they both have a strong retro aesthetic, and both of them were translated into English by a small group of fans (both times resulting in genuinely impressive writing).

And both games are — quite visibly — labors of love. It's a quality you can feel, here, part of the texture of the thing: the walk and idle animations (well, the animation period — this game burns unique event sprites like nobody's business), the precise design of the menus and battle system, the daring pacing of the storyline, the dry little jokes hidden everywhere. And in the emotional depth and sharp character designs and stuff like that, sure, but here's the thing: if there are a handful of brilliant people who give a shit on staff, it's no real surprise for an Extruded Sequel Product to get the big, sweeping stuff right. Mother 3 hits all the power chords on cue and nails every two-second guitar break and insouciant yelp and almost-but-not-quite-random breath across the microphone.

What I'm saying is: this shit is real, homes. Mother 3 is smart, funny and heartbreaking in turns, and startlingly well-made. Beg, borrow, or steal; this is a real, live must-play.

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Also, playing it is making me think I should go back and replay Earthbound once I'm done.