MOTHER 3 N64 vs. GBA
by: Snowwood on 2/22/2020
This helpful guide will visually compare characters and elements between MOTHER 3 and its original N64 incarnation! On the left is the original N64 image, with the corresponding GBA equivalent on the right.
Characters
Lucas
Lucas sure got a fresh new haircut in the GBA version! Originally, he looked quite out of place for a MOTHER protagonist, having a pale white shirt and a parted hair style. This changed in MOTHER 3, where he is now dressed in the traditional striped shirt!
Claus
Claus received the same design changes that Lucas did, naturally with them being twins! Originally, he had reddish-brown chestnut hair, which became ginger in the GBA version.
Flint
Between both games, Flint didn’t have any drastic change in appearance, being quite recognizable between the two. In the N64 version, his hat and vest were mossy green, and he wore a cerulean longcoat. In the GBA version, he lost the longcoat and his hat and vest became brown. His eyes also became obscured by his hat!
Boney
Boney completely changed breeds between both versions of the game! In the N64 version, he was a beagle, with big, expressive eyes and a buck-tooth. Come the GBA version, Boney became a chocolate lab.
Hinawa
Hinawa received a drastic redesign, but kept her motherly appearance all the same. Originally blonde with a green shirt and white apron, Hinawa became brunette with a red dress in the GBA version.
Duster
Duster, out of all the characters in MOTHER 3, changed the least between both versions. In the GBA version, he lost his blue beret, brown sling bag, and gained some slick facial hair! Both designs of Duster sport a hand-me-down shirt and some fashionable red pants.
Kumatora
Can you believe these are the same character? We sure can’t! Kumatora in the N64 version had darker skin, two-toned, shoulder-length purple hair and a Tomb Raider-esque outfit. Her design is changed to short, spiky pink hair, a lighter skin tone and a turquoise hoodie.
Wess
Wess’ appearance sure changed quite a bit! In the N64 version, he had a blue coat, tan skin, and a bald head. In the GBA version, he gained back a few more years of hair, and a white shirt and brown vest.
Salsa
Salsa sure loved being purple in the N64 version! Look at those big, bulgy eyes. The GBA design, in comparison, looks much closer to Bubble Monkey from MOTHER 2, with bloated cheeks and brown fur.
Fassad
Yikes! No matter which version, Fassad sure is a nasty character. In the N64 version, he had a more eccentric-looking face and a feather on top of his head. While in the GBA version, he lost the feather and his hat and jacket is changed from olive green to brown.
Dr. Andonuts
Can you spot the differences? It’s pretty hard, we need a scientific mind like Dr. Andonuts to do this! “Well, as you can see, I lost a little weight between MOTHER 64 and 3! It sure took a lot of willpower to drop the doughnuts…also, where did my blue pen go? Please help me find it!”.
Mr. Saturn
“bOinG! wE 3d…nOw nOt 3d. MaGiC iT iS…pOtEntIaL!”. Thank you, Mr. Saturn…as you can see, they stayed pretty true to his MOTHER 2 counterpart in both versions!
Dragos
The friendly Dragos stand as a great companion to Lucas and co.! They were originally ride-able in MOTHER 64, and had ears and a yellow crest on their body. While the crest was kept, they lost the ears and gained large brows!
Lighter
Lighter in the N64 version was clean-shaven, with jet black hair. He also had a brown hat, and was shirtless with a green vest. His GBA counterpart in comparison has the manners to wear a shirt, along with a red vest. He also sports spiky grey hair and five o’ clock shadow.
Fuel
Yet another hair colour change! Fuel was blonde in the N64 version, with a green hat, pink patterned shirt and green vest. His GBA counterpart has a more casual appearance, with a white and red shirt and spiky brown hair.
Nana
Everyone’s favourite villager Nana got quite the makeover! Her original N64 design was brunette with a ponytail. She wore a buttonup white shirt and blue dress. Her GBA design looks similar to Paula from MOTHER 2, with blonde hair and a pink dress. The difference is Nana wears a spiffy red headband instead of a bow!
Isaac
Before you ask: Yes. These are the same character. Isaac was originally much more muscular in appearance, fully exposed except for some red shorts. However, in the GBA version, Isaac now has a lighter skin tone and wears a plaid shirt with suspenders. He also gained a toque and some glasses. I bet he’s still as strong, though!
Mayor Pusher
The Mayor sure gained a few years between versions, huh? Not only did he go from black to white haired, but his name changed from Pirkle to Pusher too! The N64 version had a similar brown coat, but had an orange tunic underneath. While both designs had glasses, Pirkle in the N64 version wasn’t always seen wearing them.
Lisa
It seems there was a theme of changing brunette characters to blonde! Lisa was originally brunette with an olive green and white dress. Her GBA design is blonde instead with red earrings, a gold necklace, white shirt and brown pants. It also seems like her age may have changed too.
Thomas
Thomas is one of the goofier personalities in Tazmily, and both designs sure reflect that! N64 Thomas was ginger, with wide eyes and a bushy mustache. In the GBA version, he now has black hair and a curlier mustache, and is also wearing a fireman uniform instead of the original design’s yellow shirt.
Leder
Leder stands as the tallest character in the game in both versions! His original N64 design had a long, white mustache and eyebrows, as well as a head of spiky grey hair. While his GBA design retains the black suit and white shirt, he instead has a more tamed white goatee, glasses, and a brown hat. Both are holding their bell hammer, too!
Richie
Our first gender swap! Richie was originally a boy with jet black hair, a yellow shirt and a purple hat and vest. In the GBA version, Richie is now a brunette girl with a bun hairstyle and red dress!
Nichol
You shouldn’t be surprised to see Richie’s sibling Nichol also swapped genders! Nichol originally was a girl with a white balaclava and a blue shirt. In comparison, GBA Nichol is now a boy with a similar design to Jeff from MOTHER 2, with curly brown hair instead.
Butch
Big ol’ Butch was more rotund in appearance in the N64 version, with highly-defined eyebrows and a green shirt. His GBA version is a tad bit slimmer in comparison, now wearing a white shirt with blue overalls.
Scamp
Scamp remains both the oldest villager in Tazmily and bed-ridden no matter what version of MOTHER 3. In the N64 version, he had dark grey hair, crooked teeth and his parrot on his shoulder. In the GBA version, he gained lighter coloured facial hair, and his parrot instead rests on a separate post.
Alle
It’s a boy! Or…is it a girl? Depends on the version! In the N64 version, Alle was a newborn baby boy, with a yellow pacifier and pointy blue cap. Alle became a young girl in the GBA version, with white hair and a pink shirt.
Nan
The mother of Alle, Nan was originally brunette with a long, emerald dress. Her GBA counterpart is now blonde with a sky blue dress instead!
Ed
Ed, Nan’s husband in the N64 version, was originally more cheery lookin’. He had wavy brown hair and a purple shirt with a green sweater over top. His GBA design on the other hand is a little more shady, wearing a grey shirt, black vest, glasses, and a fedora.
Ionia
Ionia is the only Magypsy that was revealed in the N64 version, who had blonde hair, purple mascara and a red beret. Their GBA counterpart now has pink hair, a grey goatee, and subtle pink mascara.
OJ
OJ changed positions for the D.C.M.C. between versions! Originally, he was the guitarist in the N64 version, sporting a red mohawk, green shades, and a bone piercing in his nose. In the GBA version, he is now the sax player, with rockin’ blonde sideburns and a pink suit instead of being shirtless.
Baccio
Baccio was originally the sax player in the N64 version, looking curiously similar to Gorgeous from MOTHER 2. He had a black hat, shades, and a little mustache. Baccio is now the drummer in the GBA version, wearing the traditional pink suit instead of his old black vest and white shirt. Baccio is also now blonde instead of black haired, still keeping the nice shades!
Magic
Magic was originally the drummer in the N64 version, and had a yellow beret and parted mustache. He also wore a white shirt with a red tie, which as expected changed to the GBA’s pink suit. Now the guitarist, Magic has a lighter skin tone and is clean shaven. He lost the mustache and gained a brown mohawk with his new design.
Shimmy Zmizz
Surprise; for once the D.C.M.C. position stayed the same! Shimmy Zmizz, the keyboardist, originally looked eerily similar to Lucky from MOTHER 2, with the black hat and shades. Like Baccio, he wore a black vest and white shirt, which of course changed to the pink suit. His GBA counterpart looks more like the keyboardist from the Runaway Five rather than Lucky himself…gotta at least keep those allusions intact!
Lucky
Who is this person and why does he remind me of Duster? Well…anyway, Lucky also remained the bassist between versions! His N64 counterpart had a purple beret and white and black tuxedo. His GBA design now has, you guessed it—the pink suit! Also, he has this totally fake afro…I swear this guy looks familiar!
Pigmasks
The Pigmask Soldiers are sure an odd bunch between both versions! In the N64 version, they wore greyish blue armour with a loincloth, and brown gloves. Their eyes were also slit, and they had a spike on the top of their helmet. In the GBA version, they now scream “pig” with their pink overhaul; their military outfit is far more traditional, and their mask’s eye sockets are also now fully exposed.
Claymen
The sorrowful Claymen were a design Itoi wasn’t personally satisfied with in either version of the game. Originally, they were thin, seaweed green creatures with a wavy pattern. In the GBA version, the Claymen are now bulkier, with a solid grey colour and red antenna.
Save Frog
Gero-gero! We can’t forget about the Save Frog! The original N64 design had white, slit eyes which popped up above its head. The GBA design however has traditional beady black eyes and now has a yellow crest on its stomach!
Locations
Tazmily Square
Tazmily Square (Or Idobata Square in the N64 version) between both versions of the game didn’t see any radical change. In the center of both lies the well, surrounded by an arch of buildings. However, the pattern of the terrain did swap! Originally, the well had a stone lining surrounded by grass; in the GBA version it’s the opposite, where the well has grass lining and is surrounded by stone!
Crossroads
The crossroads visually didn’t change much, but where each paths led to sure did! The northern path leads to a formation called Great Rock in the N64 version, whereas now in MOTHER 3 it leads to the Sunset Cemetery. East, however, led to the cemetery in the N64 version originally, which was changed to a blocked-off tunnel. The western path was never identified in the N64 version, but it does lead to the Sunshine Forest in MOTHER 3, so we can assume that may have been the case in MOTHER 64 as well.
Sunshine Forest
The Sunshine Forest is a tough one to compare, considering we never saw too much of it in the N64 version! However, from the images we do have, we can see the GBA incarnation was built more narrow and streamlined in comparison to the N64’s more open design. However, they are visually similar with the sandy patches found scattered in the grass fields!
Sunset Cemetery
Now this is a grave comparison. The Sunset Cemetery leads into Osohe Castle in both versions of the game. Not much of the location was shown off in the N64 version, but it seems to remain mostly unchanged in MOTHER 3. We do know one thing: It never caught a break from the walking dead rising at nighttime!
Great Scale
Great Scale sure got down scaled in MOTHER 3! What was once was a bustling port community existing separate from Tazmily became the small, spacious beach in the GBA version. The only visual resemblance is now the cove which leads directly into the ocean. In the fan translation, Great Scale was renamed “Cerulean Beach”.
Osohe Castle
Welcome to Osohe Castle! Watch out for the sweeping brooms. In the GBA version, Osohe seems to have gained a drawbridge (at least, the bridge wasn’t visible in this N64 image), and is now two stories tall. Otherwise, the moat, vegetation field, and decaying walls stay true to the original design.
Gold Spittoon Room
The Gold Spittoon room found in Osohe Castle looks completely different in MOTHER 3! Originally, it was a gold, decorated chamber with various shapes creating a pattern along the walls, which in the GBA version became standard stone bricks. The face on the door was originally seen from the side instead of directly facing the dancer as well! The strangest difference is probably the dance platform Wess is seen standing on, which triggers a spotlight shining on him. This was completely removed in the GBA version.
Death Desert
Death Desert was never identified by name in the N64 version, but was shown off to likely be a more significant location than it ended up being in MOTHER 3. Both are seen as a base of operations for the Pigmask Army, but the location is abandoned post-timeskip in MOTHER 3. The desert was much larger in the N64 version, with more landmarks and variety of enemies to be found, such as the pyramid in the background of this image.
Clayman Factory
While the Clayman Factory is a pretty sad location in MOTHER 3, it seemed even more dismal an atmosphere in MOTHER 64. The Claymen were found spinning a contraption, and seem to have been violently threatened by Pigmasks when tired. In MOTHER 3, they are found roaming more freely, with the volunteers escorting the tired Claymen instead.
Club Titiboo
Club Titiboo, home of the D.C.M.C., had a drastic redesign between versions. In MOTHER 3, it is very colourful, with light purple walls and a red and yellow checkerboard floor pattern. Originally in MOTHER 64, it had a more rustic appearance, with mounted candles lighting the walls! The location of the club also varied between versions. In MOTHER 64, it was found in the center of Shimedori Forest, whereas in MOTHER 3, Club Titiboo can be found high above a ropeway in Murasaki Forest.
Writers and Contributors
The Video Game History Foundation, Kody “NOKOLO”, btmup, DaEgg123, and Katie – Provided many of the images published on the page.
ArnoldKMTR – Ripped the MOTHER 3 maps which were used for comparison reference.
Echoes – Published and manages the page.
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