User:Cukie Gherkin/EarthBound 64

EarthBound 64 is a cancelled role-playing video game, intended to be the sequel to the Super NES video game, EarthBound.

Development
Early on, a sequel to EarthBound for the Super Famicom was planned to release on the platform, with development beginning in 1994. In September 1994, Itoi predicted that Mother 3's development would end around 1996 with a release on Nintendo's then-upcoming console. According to Reid Young, founder of Starmen.net and Fangamer, the game was intended for a brief period of time to have pre-rendered 3D sprites similar to Donkey Kong Country.

Gameplay
EarthBound 64 had turn-based battles that played similarly to those in EarthBound. Battles were designed to have a musical component to them, with the joystick on the Nintendo 64 controller being used in a similar matter to a guitar chord.

The game's world was designed with the intention of allowing players to freely explore the map.

Story
The plot of EarthBound 64 was designed with a single story in mind, although it was also designed so that different adventures could be had depending on a player's actions. The final scene of EarthBound 64 was always intended to involve the protagonist, Lucas, fighting his brother, Claus. Additionally, in a scene where the player awakens the Dragon, Itoi intended the scene to have no dialogue, wanting to leave the fate in the end ambiguous. Itoi described the ending as turning "white like an all-nighter," describing it as the creator, player, and characters "[walking] throough a city full of trash together in the morning."

The game's Japanese logo, a mix of wood and metal, was designed this way in order to evoke discomfort, with Itoi noting that these two things represent disparate elements, but are forced together regardless. By the end of the game, the logo is entirely wooden.

Cancellation
When asked if there were plans to revive EarthBound 64 for the Nintendo GameCube or Game Boy Advance, Satoru Iwata could not give a definitive answer, noting that the project would require much more than just him to come together to finish. However, he expressed interest in it occurring, due in part to the fan demand.

According to Reid Young, a copy of EarthBound 64 exists.

Game Boy Advance revival
While EarthBound 64 in Japan was titled Mother 3: End of the Pig King, the Game Boy Advance version has no subtitle, an intentional decision to avoid giving too strongly an impression of how they wanted players to view it. The ending, intended to be ambiguous in the Nintendo 64 version, was made more positive by making clear that everyone survived, with the intention of allowing the cast to say goodbye properly. Itoi noted that the final battle between Lucas ans Claus was themed around the strength of humanity.