Mother 3 finally announced for Nintendo Switch Online but there’s a catch

Mother 3 is finally coming to Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack, but there’s a huge catch that will prevent most people from being able to play it.

Few Nintendo games have had such a passionate drive for an English localization than Mother 3. This Game Boy Advance follow-up to EarthBound prompted numerous fan movements to get a release in the USA or Europe, but alas, it always stayed in Japan.

The Game Boy Advance is long past its sell-by date, but the hopes of Mother fans were stoked when it was revealed that Nintendo would add Game Boy Advance games to Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack, which already includes titles like Golden Sun and Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

While a fan-made English translation of Mother 3 is readily available online, it can only be played through using emulation. As such, many EarthBound/Mother fans have waited decades for an official English release of the game on a Nintendo platform.

Mother 3 is a Japan-exclusive Nintendo Switch Online game

The Japanese version of February 2024 Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase is available on the Nintendo YouTube Channel. It was here that it was announced that Mother 3 is coming to Nintendo Switch Online’s Expansion Pack, but only in Japan, with no word of an English release.

EarthBound/Mother Fans quickly took to Twitter to express their anger at yet another slight. @Stealth40k said, “Mother 3 is coming to Switch Online in Japan only. That one hurts,” while @jackamp said “There’s something very twisted about Japan getting Mother 3 while we got… Battletoads…..”

@_VioMarks summed up the feelings of the fanbase with, “The Japanese Mother 3 announcement is the first time i’ve been so f—-g mad that i’m genuinely speechless.”

The @MotherForever Twitter page made a good point. “MOTHER 3 has finally been released on Nintendo Switch Online!! Although it’s not localized, this is the first time it can be downloaded outside of Japan by downloading the Japanese NSO GBA app!”

It’s a shame that Mother 3 isn’t getting an English localization right now, but that doesn’t mean the door is shut forever. There’s always a chance that Nintendo could put in on the future, especially if the fans make their voices heard. After all, the original Fire Emblem on the NES got an English rerelease on the Switch, so there’s no reason the same can’t happen for Mother 3 someday.