The first interview about MOTHER 3, in which Satoru Iwata talks about how the game will subvert expectations and retain Shigesato Itoi’s writing.

As reported by Lindsay “Chewy” Moore: “This is the first ever official issue of The 64DREAM (currently “Nindori”), but Volume #2 after an initial unofficial release in June. It treats us with a treasure trove of juicy insights into the creation of Earthbound 64. Itoi’s team had an impressive amount of the game finished even by 1996, which really accentuates the troubles they went through and how looong it had dragged on. (The editors from this interview got the impression it would be on sale by summer 1997.) It’s amazing to think about how the project was scrapped even after taking years and years of their time!”

Shigesato Itoi’s interview on an episode of Game Catalogue II about Spaceworld 1996.

As reported by Lindsay “Chewy” Moore: “This is a dialogue showcased in a section featured once every few months in Weekly Famitsu. One of the editors, Yasuhiro Nagata, conducted several interviews with Itoi during his time with the magazine. Nagata later went into freelancing for a few years before eventually working for Itoi’s company, where he is now. This dialogue is different from other interviews in that it has a very casual tone to it and is less focused on the nitty gritty. It feels more like you’re eavesdropping on three Japanese men at the bar who just happen to be talking about Nintendo 64 games. The bolding of the text is preserved from that in the magazine article.”

Itoi talks about the video at Spaceworld, how “ear” is going to be important to the game in terms of its sounds and music, who the protagonist character in the forest is, the move from 2D to 3D, and using the 64DD. He particularly emphasizes the importance of conveying the anxiety in battles, like with the scrolling HP display in MOTHER 2.

In this interview, Iwata is asked about what’s going on in different images of MOTHER 3. The information he gives in this interview is the same information Nintendo Power reports in its EarthBound 64 article also published in March 1997 (credit to The Magazine Rack for that article). When asked about the enemies, Iwata does give one clue that Nintendo Power leaves out: that the boss of them all might involve the character Porky.

Itoi reportedly talks about what inspired MOTHER 3 in this issue of the 64 Dream, including his views on the RPG genre as traveling and meeting new people like in a “road movie.” He also mentions Tazmily wasn’t supposed to be a “first town,” it was supposed to be a field to explore like a “Grand Hotel.”

Itoi and Iwata talk about Lucas’ new design, MOTHER 3’s subtitle change, and accidentally spoil that the game has 12 chapters. Itoi had the final line for the game written already, but not the rest of the story.

In an interview very similar to the one Iwata had with Dengeki in 1996, he talks about aspects of MOTHER 3 that make it different from MOTHER 2, MOTHER 3’s scenario, and even the game’s chimeras. For the second half about the Nintendo 64 DD, he mostly talks about the specs of the hardware, like the extra 4M expansion, and its higher rendering power for game worlds. He also emphasizes how multiplayer games like Kirby Air Ride will work better on it and mentions the Cabbage project at the end.

Benimaru Itoh reportedly spoke to Nintendo of America at E3 1997 about the characters that would be encountered in MOTHER 3.

Another Benimaru Itoh interview from E3 1997 with Nintendo officially posted on their website.

An interview with MOTHER 3’s director at the time, Atsushi Kakuta, and system manager (who later became president of HAL) Satoshi Mitsuhara.

An interview with enemy designer Toshinao Aoki.

An interview with MOTHER 3 composer Shogo Sakai and sound programmer Takuto Kitsuta.

As reported by Lindsay “Chewy” Moore: “This issue celebrates the magazine’s one year anniversary with a discussion between two of the video game powerhouses at the time: Shigesato Itoi and Shigeru Miyamoto. They discuss their professional relationship, the unpopular Japanese TV advertisements for the Nintendo 64, the 64DD (two years before its release), and lots and lots of random personal questions!”

An interview with Satoru Iwata about the status of MOTHER 3.

An interview with MOTHER 3 designer Akihiko Miura about the transition from the SNES to the Nintendo 64.

A discussion between Shigesato Itoi and Famimaga’s Nae Yuki after Spaceworld 1997 about MOTHER 3 and many other topics.

Masayuki Miura, formerly a script assistant and localization director for MOTHER 2, talks about his role in MOTHER 3.

Game Geniuses features many more game developers than just Shigesato Itoi, but his page mentions his work with MOTHER, including his current work on MOTHER 3 at the time. Full scans of the book can be downloaded from our page for it.

Akihiko Miura was interviewed in 64 Dream during Spaceworld 1999, and brings a letter from Itoi, who couldn’t be there that year.

Itoi posted discussions about games with Shigeru Miyamoto on his website Hobonichi after Spaceworld 1999, including one about MOTHER 3.

One of the last interviews about MOTHER 3 before it was cancelled where Itoi both praises and curses using 3D for RPGs.

Shigesato Itoi, Satoru Iwata, and Shigeru Miyamoto reveal and discuss the cancellation of MOTHER 3.

Shigesato Itoi and Satoru Iwata play Animal Crossing: City Folk at Hobonichi, which invokes a nostalgia in Itoi for his work on the N64 version of MOTHER 3 since Animal Crossing has brought many of his ideas for that game to life.

A brief interview from Clyde Mandelin with Toshinao Aoki, the enemy designer for MOTHER 3 on the N64.

An interview with “MT,” who was an applicant to a contest that allowed a fan to be put into MOTHER 3 during the promotion of the game on the N64.