Earthbound, known as Mother 2 in Japan, is remembered as one of the best Japanese RPGs of all time. Unfortunately, Nintendo never released the complete trilogy worldwide, with Mother 3 only ever available in Japan. However, that hasn’t stopped the series from earning a strong cult following among fans of old-school JRPGs.
Now, some fans have a chance to get their hands on an exclusive and pricey new piece of Earthbound merchandise. Fans willing to shell out about $200 can be one of a select few to purchase a limited edition Earthbound/Mother wristwatch.
The watch in question is a Casio G-Shock wristwatch with official Mother branding on the face and back. Its release is part of the larger “Mother Project” line of Earthbound merchandise, including items like bags, journals, rulers, calendars, and day planners. However, the Mother watch is significantly more expensive than those items, going for 23,100 Japanese Yen. That’s just over $200 US, not counting any currency exchange fees. It’s also a limited-run item, so there are only so many watches to go around. Buyers will be chosen through a lottery selection drawn on January 20, 2022.
G-Shock is a line of analog and digital watches manufactured by the Tokyo-based electronics company Casio. The watches are marketed for physical durability and can run anywhere from less than $100 to several thousand depending on the specific model. The limited-edition Mother watch appears based on Casio’s DW family of watches, which retail for anything from $70 to $210 depending on the specific model. Taken in that light, Casio’s Earthbound/Mother watch is about the same price as similar items from the same manufacturer.
Mother, known internationally as Earthbound Beginnings, was released in Japan in 1989. It bucked the trends of many JRPG’s, taking place in a then-contemporary America and having only minimal science fiction elements. Mother was one of Japan’s best-selling games that year. However, it didn’t launch worldwide until the Wii U Virtual Console port in 2015.
Nintendo first introduced western audiences to the Mother series through its sequel, known as Earthbound, which debuted in the US in 1995. The second game received critical acclaim but struggled to compete with more mainstream JRPGs like Final Fantasy. As a result, it sold poorly in the US, which likely explains why the game didn’t officially arrive in other markets until the 2013 Wii U release. Earthbound’s lukewarm reception may also explain why Nintendo never released Mother 3 outside Japan.
Source: Nintendo Soup
