Since the release of both EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound on Nintendo Switch’s online service, there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding the game. Although most of it’s positive, there is a spark of debate among some of EarthBound‘s more cumbersome design choices, from people first experiencing the games.

Yes – you shouldn’t need a Hint Guy to figure out what those criticisms might be! For years, even the most celebrated MOTHER fans have lamented what it would be like if the game had an improved inventory system…but what if there’s something more? Something even better that could be improved?

What if…you could ride the bike anywhere, anytime?

That’s where we cue in the topic of the day – Shrine Fox! If you don’t know who they are, he’s a software modder and developer who’s all about utilizing open source tools to improve upon our favourite games! And most recently, he’s been taking a look at EarthBound following it’s release on Nintendo Switch Online. A mod like this really couldn’t have come at a better time when the topic of EarthBound‘s flaws have reached it’s zenith. But what kind of improvements is Shrine Fox promising? A look at his Twitter updates tells all!

In his first tweet on February 22nd, Shrine Fox details changes he had already made to the game at this point:

• A separate menu for key items

• The ability to auto advance level up text

• Unrestricted bike riding

• A simplified photo system with no Photographer

• No more phone calls from Dad about taking a break

• A mod menu to test all of the above features and more!

All these changes will make for a more streamlined EarthBound experience. However, some fans might feel a few of these changes could remove some of the game’s identity…have no fear, though! This is something Shrine Fox and the people at PK Hack have taken into consideration. So, there’s also a new options menu where you can toggle any of these individual features on or off anytime!

A couple more tweets show off the Key Items menu…

And the mod menu, where you can toggle and test many features, new and old!

Lastly, Shrine Fox seems to be experimenting with making a MOTHER 3 style drop-down menu for the game. But, since this is in the early stages, no custom graphics have been made for it yet. So time will tell if this is something that’ll be present in the finished mod!

The finished mod will be compatible with the standard EarthBound ROM, as well as other popular QoL hacks like MOTHER 2 Deluxe. So, that’s a lot of options for players looking to make their ideal EarthBound playthrough! Shrine Fox plans to release a video in the near future covering how this mod was created, along with a playable version. So stay tuned for more updates on his progress, and check out his website here.