The appearance of Lucas, one of the main characters, has changed a lot.

Itoh: The previous Lucas looked a lot like me…so that’s why all the staff shouted at me, “I don’t like it!” Especially Shigesato Itoi in particular who shouted, “No, I don’t like it!” So he requested I redesign the main character to something more straightforward. Thus, I completely redesigned him.

By the way, it looks like Lucas is wearing a fanny pack.

Itoh: In MOTHER 2 the main character also wore a backpack, didn’t he? I think Itoi-san was very particular about his detail, as he said to me, “Aha! You know, when I’m playing RPGs, I always wonder how the characters store all their items! Even if it’s miniaturized, I’d still like to have a place where they can store them.” So, if you look closely at the characters on screen, you can see we’ve included a method where they store their items.

How many characters are there in MOTHER 3?

Itoh: There are around 250 villagers in the game. But, that’s including all the extra characters we’ve created (laughs). Additionally, we’re planning to have about 90 enemies. Although, the final number will be double that taking colour variations into consideration. 

Please tell us all the specifics on how the 64DD makes the game more fun.

Itoh: There are certain items you’ll need in order to progress through the story. But, you can’t carry them all on your own. With the 64DD, you can store those in your favourite place, or hide them wherever you’d like. 

Ah, that sounds like a lot of fun.

Itoh: Wouldn’t it be interesting if the enemies all had their own unique behaviour, so that they’d be able to find these hidden items and steal them? Haha…then if you managed to defeat the enemy, your items would be returned to you. Hmmm…I really wonder if that would be possible (laughs). Also, please keep this next thing secret between you and I…but there’s something I want to propose to the team. Let’s say there’s a big river you can’t cross, but then (bleep), and finally then you’d be able to cross the river! The place where you’d be able to set it would differ depending on the player. This is also something secretive, but MOTHER 3 is a (bleep) game. For example, you can plant tons of seeds in a certain area, and when it comes time to harvest them, you can do so. So if the player really thinks about placing the seeds in the right area, the game will open up to them. I’m sorry, I just can’t help myself, I talk too much in America (laughs)! But anyway, what do you think? Do you think my ideas are interesting? 

They’re very interesting!

Itoh: So as I’ve said before, not only are the rooms cluttered just as the player left them, but the 64DD allows for all kinds of fun tricks. If you can imagine it, the player can even create their own landmarks on screen. I’m wondering if this’ll make it hard for second hand stores to sell the game.

I thought there might be some kind of wall in the game where players could spray paint their name, since you mentioned wanting MOTHER 3 to be difficult to sell in second hand shops. 

Itoh: That’s very cool! I think I’ll steal that idea (laughs). Also, I shouldn’t really tell you this without consulting Miyamoto-san first, but we’re using the unique features of the 64DD to create something incredible. If the conditions are right, this is something we’ll be able to do. So, Lucas is a very kindhearted child who likes flowers and small birds. For example, it’d be very nice if you’d be able to create your own garden using flower beds made from various flowers Lucas picks up. I’m in charge of the art direction, so I can pitch whatever I’d like, but I’m not sure if that’ll be easy to do in terms of the hardware (laughs).

(Laughs) So you designed everything yourself, Benimaru-san? 

Itoh: No, all the enemies are designed by Toshinao Aoki, who did the animation for “Ugo Ugo Ruga”, and I directed all the enemies he created. Therefore, some people might notice a discrepancy between the design method of the enemies and villagers. However, that’s actually what we’re aiming for. 

What kind of atmosphere is it like when creating MOTHER 3?

Itoh: The MOTHER team communicates well with one another, rather than thinking alone. All the staff get together to brainstorm ideas, and often someone will say, “I like that guy’s idea!” 

That sounds like a lot of fun.

Itoh: I don’t know…(laughs) I guess you can say that’s why it takes so long to make these games. So we discuss ideas like, “Maybe it would be fun to do something like this?”, and then we get those ideas approved by Itoi-san so he can pick out what he likes. Furthermore, we then expand on our ideas until it’s almost inflated to novel-like proportions. We’re developing things in a “give-or-take” manner, and so far it’s been working out well.

How will Mr. Saturn appear in MOTHER 3?

Itoh: There is a Mr. Saturn village, after all. In addition to Mr. Saturn, there are other characters bound to make you cry. Mr. Saturn was originally created from Itoi-san’s doodling, and these new crying characters were born from that as well. It’ll spoil the fun if I say too much, so I won’t reveal more about it. But, I believe these are characters with a personality just like Itoi.

How will you make use of the clock function?

Itoh: We’re currently in dispute on whether to use the clock or not. Using the 64DD, the player can set the time themselves. So, if a specific enemy doesn’t appear until a certain time of day, the player can easily change the time. That kind of clock function doesn’t make much sense for us to use, although it definitely is beneficial for other software on the 64DD. For example, I’m sure many other developers might include a Christmas event on December 25th, but that’s not the way MOTHER likes to take a spin on things. That’s why I think the clock function will be utilized in the manner which I said earlier, about the player being able to plant seeds which will grow as time goes by.

So changes will appear over time after you start playing the game?

Itoh: Yes. Things in the village will change along with seasons over the course of time. Additionally, the player’s own actions may have an influence in how things might change. I really hope we can do something like that.

Itoi-san once said MOTHER 3 will be a game themed around betraying the player’s expectations. 

Itoh: There is a feeling of strangeness for people who have played the previous games, but the basic theme is the same. After all, it is a continuation of MOTHER 1 and 2. By all means, we can’t disappoint every MOTHER fan! So that’s what’s being done. However, the art style has changed drastically. So, I think people who played the previous games may feel quite uncomfortable at first. I do believe you can enjoy this game without playing the previous ones, but those who did will enjoy it even more.

I’m happy to hear that.

Itoh: When we visited the U.S. this time around, we were informed by the staff that we should let everyone know “EarthBound 64” was in development. I think many people are going to be introduced to MOTHER for the very first time on the N64, so our priority was making the game fun for them. So that’s why I feel like people who have been familiar with the series up to this point have been crying everywhere, “This is it! This is finally it!” (laughs). I’m glad so many people are looking forward to it.

I’m really looking forward to it myself. By the way, why is it called “EarthBound 64” in North America?

Itoh: I think it was because we thought “MOTHER”  was a difficult title for English speaking audiences to understand, and because it was going to be the first RPG released by Nintendo of America on the N64, we wanted to make it a title players would immediately jump on. I think the name came from the image of children jumping around the Earth.

Lastly, it seems the 64DD has been delayed until next March.

Itoh: Really?! (laughs) It’s not my fault! 

So…(laughs) Some people believe the reason the 64DD was delayed is because Itoi-san is busy fishing. Is production going smoothly?

Itoh: This is our first time working with the 64DD hardware, so there have been a few hiccups along the way, but those have been resolved and work has gone smoothly since. So, it’s not as if everything has gone to a halt just because Itoi-san is busy fishing. No, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure he’s busy fishing anyway (laughs)! The concepts created by Itoi-san are in the hands of every staff member, and we’re in the process of bringing them to life. Some people may think we’ve been fishing instead of working on MOTHER 3, but the reality is we’ve been busy in between jobs (laughs). However, he’s still leading the staff properly, so I don’t think there are any issues in that regard. Of course, he has a role to give direction when it comes to something very important, but it’s not like all the staff are waiting with their mouths hanging open not sure what to do because Itoi-san is in between jobs. So, development is not affected even if he’s busy fishing. 

Itoi-san keeps claiming that the scenario is very interesting.

Itoh: The dirty thing about that guy is…(laughs) Well, I shouldn’t have phrased it as “dirty”. But, the dirty thing about him is he’s drunk on his own ideas, and he won’t even tell me what the last line is (laughs)! On the contrary, he seems to like it so much himself that it drives him drunk with power. That’s why all the staff are working so hard to figure out what the last line of the game might be, which I find very moving. 

Thank you so much for your fun stories today. 

Source to original interview