Us MOTHER fans strive to see the N64 version of MOTHER 3 come to life in any capacity, don’t we? With each new piece of information we find, our curiosity grows ever stronger. After all, MOTHER FOREVER itself was founded on that same foundation of passion! That’s why today, we’d like to share something very special from the MOTHER 64 sub-community. Yes, just fresh off the recently translated report!

For the past year, aspiring game designer PolyGarrett has been hard at work bringing the world of MOTHER 64 to life. What began as a simple challenge to improve his modelling skills became something greater all together. Before he knew it, he was joined by the likes of Zen64, a figurehead in the Twilight Princess modding community as well as Snowwood, a freelance VHS editor. Some further assistance was provided by SamTheSalmon for graphical assets as they put their skills together to bring MOTHER 64 to life in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time engine. Henceforth, the hack dubbed “OcarinaBound” was born.

As you may recall, an early iteration of this ROM hack was showcased by Tony Hard4Games on his YouTube channel. However, the project has steadily progressed since then, as Zelda canvas has been painted over by something far more MOTHER-like.

When speaking about the project, PolyGarrett said, “We have periodically been off-and-on working on it. Since then, I’ve been screwing around with maps, so I put together what models and maps I have on a whim in order to experience it.”

If you look at the most recent footage of the ROM hack shared on MOTHER FOREVER, you might find the most convincing aspect of it is the authenticity of the cutscenes. This is a result of Snowwood’s excellent editing skills, and to his surprise working with the Ocarina of Time debug camera tools was a pretty simple feat: “Well, first of all it was pretty easy to understand, because it’s mostly using regular controls with the D-pad and the control stick. I sorta visualize a cutscene in my head, and sort of the angles and how it’s like in motion. And then, I’ll write something based on that. What I love, and what makes it worth it is seeing the final product from my rough draft…It‘s just beautiful.”

The fruits of labor have certainly payed off to all those involved in the project, as the initial reaction to these videos have been full of awe. Although, there is one person still doubtful of how “real” it really looks – PolyGarrett himself!

“It definitely is great to see all models and work go to use, and see them moving and stuff like that. The Ocarina of Time project has been really awesome to work on, and I hope to work on it more in my spare time. It’s weird…I don’t think it’s real. I’m not gonna see any of my stuff as real until I see the real thing!”

Nonetheless, until the day comes that we get to see MOTHER 64 in action, Garrett and co.’s work will certainly fill that void! Please check out the credits for everyone who worked on the project below, as well as the two videos that have been released so far.

OcarinaBound ROM Hack Credits:

• PolyGarrett: Art Director, Model and Map Design
• Zen64: Lead Programmer
• SamTheSalmon: Texture Assistance
• Snowwood: Playtester and Cutscene Director
• Echoes: Playtester and Creative Consultant