MOTHER 2/Earthbound Differences

General Changes

The MOTHER 2 map has the shops labeled as “DRUG”, the hospitals with the red cross, the restaurants as “FooD”, the department stores as “DEPT.”, and Threed is named “THREEK”. The Earthbound shops are labeled as “SHOP”, the hospitals as “HOSPITAL”, restaurants as “FOOD”, department stores are labeled as “DEPT. STORE”. In MOTHER 2, all hospitals have the word “HOSPITAL” on them with a red cross next to it. In Earthbound the red cross was replaced to avoid legal trouble with Red Cross. In MOTHER 2, all nurses have a red cross on their caps. In Earthbound, this was removed. In MOTHER 2, all pencil statues were instead octopus statues, and the eraser statues were kokeshi dolls. In MOTHER 2, Threed was called “Threek”. In MOTHER 2, the item description for the Picnic Lunch is “There are even octopus weiners in here.” In Earthbound it is “There’s even a slice of your favorite cake!”

Character Name Changes In MOTHER 2 Buzz Buzz is named Bunbuun, and is a rhinoceros beetle (not). In MOTHER 2, Pokey is instead named “Porky”. In MOTHER 2, Pokey’s Father is named Anburami Minch. In Earthbound he is Aloysius Minch. In MOTHER 2, Lier X. Agerate is instead named “Lier Horando”. In MOTHER 2, Onett’s mayor is named G. H. Pirkle. In Earthbound his name is B. H. Pirkle. In MOTHER 2, “Ruffini the dog” is instead named “Itako Dog”. In MOTHER 2, the Chaos Theater’s manager is named “Mr. Dogfood”. In Earthbound he’s named “Mr. Poochyfud”. In MOTHER 2, the band in the Chaos Theater was named “The Tonzura Brothers”, and their outfits are black suits. In Earthbound they are known as “The Runaway Five”, and their clothing was changed to various colors. In MOTHER 2, the monkey that likes gum is named Balloon Monkey. In Earthbound he’s known as Bubble Monkey. In MOTHER 2, a rich man in Fourside is named Monomochi Monitori. In Earthbound, his name is Geldegarde Monotoli. Likewise, the sign on his building is changed from MONOTORI to MONOTOLI. The researcher in the Fourside Museum is named Mr. Ricebowl in Mother 2 and Mr. Spoon in Earthbound. In MOTHER 2, the names of the miners who give you a diamond are Souji and Chuuji Mochii. In Earthbound they are George and Gerardo Montague.

Enemy Changes In MOTHER 2 the Insane Cultist’s sprite had a “HH” on it. In Earthbound the “HH” was removed, and a puffball added to the end of the Insane Cultist’s cap.

Intro The MOTHER 2 intro screen says “MOTHER 2 GYIYG STRIKES BACK!” The Earthbound intro screen says “EARTH BOUND THE WAR AGAINST GIYGAS!” The MOTHER 2 title screen is red, and has the Mother logo in grey and black 3D text with an orange 2 and a white Japanese subtitle that translates to “Gyiyg Strikes Back”. Underneath it is the white text “©1994 Nintendo” with “©1994 SHIGESATO ITOI/APE inc” underneath that. The Earthbound title screen is purple with the word “EARTHBOUND” in stylized orange and purple text with a yellow “glow” around it. Underneath it in white text is “©1994, 1995 Nintendo” with “©1994, 1995 Shigesato Itoi/Ape Inc.” underneath that. In the Japanese credits intro the “Burglin Park” sign says “Nusutto Park” in English. The Fourside Cafe sign says “BAR” in English instead of “CAFE”.

Beginning the game In the game screens after you start a new game, the Japanese window type screen doesn’t mention ‘flavor’. The Earthbound window type screen says flavor after the color. The Earthbound naming screens has the Japanese and Roman alphabet character sets replaced with an uppercase and lowercase Roman alphabet character set. Miscellaneous and punctuation characters were switched. The MOTHER 2 default names for Ness: “Ness”, “Hat”, “Takuya”, “John”, “Monkeymaru”, “Mario”, and “Sit Up”. The Earthbound default names for Ness:”Ness”, “Alec”, “Roger”, “Will”, “Brian”, “Tyler”, and “Lane”. The MOTHER 2 default names for Paula: “Paula”, “Ribbon”, “Goroko”, “Yoko”, “Rilla”, “Peach”, and “Shake”. The Earthbound default names for Paula: “Paula”, “Nancy”, “Skye”, “Paige”, “Marie”, “Holly”, and “Jane”. The MOTHER 2 default names for Jeff: “Jeff”, “Glasses”, “Tsuyoshi”, “Paul”, “Oran”, “Luigi”, and “Fetch”. The Earthbound default names: “Jeff”, “Dan”, “Henry”, “Isaac”, “Ralph”, “Sean”, and “Rob”. The MOTHER 2 default names for Poo: “Poo”, “Pigtail”, “Shingo”, “George”, “Chimp”, “Kinopio”, and “Roll Over”. The Earthbound default names: “Poo”, “Kato”, “Kai”, “Omar”, “Ramin”, “Aziz”, and “Lado”. The MOTHER 2 default names for Ness’ dog: “Runt”, “Bernard”, “Masahirorin”, “Ringo”, “Lucy”, “Yoshi”, and “Walk”. The Earthbound default names: “King”, “Peach”, “Sparky”, “Rex”, “Baby”, “Rover”, and “Misty”. The MOTHER 2 default names for Ness’ favorite food: “Salisbury Steak”, “Sukiyaki”, “Morisoba”, “Honey Pie”, “Banana”, “Mushrooms”, and “Dog Food”, The Earthbound default names:”Steak”, “Pie”, “Pasta”, “Cake”, “Eggs”, “Bread”, and “Salmon”. The MOTHER 2 default names for Ness’ favorite thing:”Fighting Spirit”, “Kapow”, “SMAP”, “LOVE”, “APE”, “Goal”, and “Champion”. The Earthbound default names: “Rockin”, “Hammer”, “Love”, “Gifts”, “Slime”, “Gaming”, and “Boxing”.

Onett In Earthbound, a policeman near a roadblock says, “We are going for the world record…”. In MOTHER 2 he says, “We are going for the Guinness record.” When Pokey is knocking on the door in Mother 2, the sound effect bubble says, “DON”. In Earthbound it was changed to “!” In MOTHER 2, when Picky is missing, Pokey says that if his parents find out he’ll “get spanked 100 times.” In Earthbound he instead says “I know I’m gonna get it…” In MOTHER 2, at the meteorite, when your dog gets scared and runs off, he says “(!!!!!)”. In Earthbound he says “Awooooof!”. In MOTHER 2 Buzz Buzz’s speech pattern switches back and forth from a stereotypical old wise man to a normal person. His speech is as follows:

● A rhinocerous beetle… I am not! ● I’ve come from ten years in the future! Gyiyg, the universal cosmic destroyer, has plunged everything in existence into the darkness of hell! ● But… However… ● A mysterious legend exists in the future I’m from! ● It goes, “Should the boy reach the place, the just one will find the light. The flow of time will shatter the nightmare boulder, creating a path of light.” ● My sharp hunch says that you, Ness, are that boy! ● …… ● Gyiyg’s evil plan MUST already be underway in parts of the Earth! ● There should still be time, if you begin your fight at once!! ● What’s most important is wisdom, courage, and your friends. ● According to the legend, three boys and one girl defeat Gyiyg. ● I can fill you in on the details later. ● Let’s go! ● Don’t worry. In Earthbound the differing lines in Buzz Buzz’s speech are: ● A bee I am not… ● I’m from 10 years in the future. And, in the future, all is devastation… Giygas, the universal cosmic destroyer, sent all to the horror of eternal darkness… ● Where I am from, there is a well­known legend that has been handed down from ancient times. ● It says “When the chosen boy reaches the point, he will find the light. The passing of time will shatter the nightmare rock and will reveal the path of light.” ● If you start to confront the enemy immediately, you may have time to counter the evil intentions of Giygas. ● And do not be anxious about the future. ● You have much work to do, Ness. In MOTHER 2, the Starman Jr. speaks in katakana, which is commonly translated to ALL CAPS. In Earthbound, “click”s and “whirr”s were added instead. In MOTHER 2, Buzz Buzz’s line about the Starman Jr being sent from 10 years in the future to kill him translates to “He was a hired killer/assassin who came here from 10 years in the future to eliminate me.” In Mother 2, when Pokey’s father takes his children to another room to punish him, the sound effect used is a “hitting” sound effect(like they’re being punched). In Earthbound this was changed to an “angry yelling” sound effect. In MOTHER 2, after Pokey has been punished, he says “I was really scolded by my father. Aa, my butt hurts.” In Earthbound this was changed to “My dad really got after me. He said I get no dessert for the rest of the decade…” In MOTHER 2 Pokey’s dad says they may have lent Ness’ family hundreds of trillions of dollars. This is phrased in an exaggerated way. In Earthbound he says it may have been a hundred thousand dollars or more. In MOTHER 2, when Lardna freaks out and kills Buzz Buzz, she says “Eeeeek! A pesky toilet fly! Die and go to Hell!” In Earthbound she instead says “Ayaaaeee! I think it’s a dung beetle! I’ll smash your guts out!” In MOTHER 2, Buzz Buzz’s dying speech is: ● U­ugh… It turns out I’m much, much weaker… than I thought. ● But don’t concern yourself with me… You must set out on your adventure… ● Oh, right! Before you go, listen to my dying words! ● To defeat Gyiyg… you will need to unite the earth’s power with your own. ● There are eight locations on earth – “spots that are only yours” – that will draw out your power and strengthen you. ● One of those locations is in Onett. A place called “Giant Step”! ● Go there first, Ness! ● Do you understand? If yes: ● Excellent. You’re a bright young lad. ● So… Oh, the pain… I think I’m about to die… U­ugh… ● B­but, before I do, I must give you this. ● It’s the “Sound Stone”! ● It’s a great item that will absorb the sound from each of the eight “spots that are only yours” on the earth. ● Bet you’re happy to get it, huh? ● Now, then… I’m about to die now, but do you want to hear all that over again? If no to first question: ● …I see. I guess I didn’t explain it well enough. If no to second question: ● That’s a relief… ● It’s dawn outside now… ● But that doesn’t matter to me, now that I’m on my deathbed… In Earthbound the differing lines are: ● Oh, I just remembered… Listen to my final words… ● The Earth will then channel your power and multiply it… There are eight points that you must visit. Make these places your own. Each of these locations is “Your Sanctuary.” If yes: ● Oh! The pain!… Everything is getting dark… urgh!… *Gasp*… ● Before I pass on, I want to give you something… ● You can record the melodies from the eight “Your Sanctuary” locations into this stone. It is an awesome item… ● By the way… I’m almost gone, but did you want to hear the story one more time? If yes to the second question: ● Good! ● But it doesn’t matter to me. I’m fading fast… ● Argh! *Gasp*

In MOTHER 2, the photo man says “Say, ‘Cheese Sandwich!’” In Earthbound he says “Say, “fuzzy pickles.’” In MOTHER 2, the librarian tells you that if you press “the blue button”, it brings up the map. She continues by saying the X button is the same as the blue button. In Earthbound she just calls it the X button. The super Famicom is color coded, unlike the SNES.

In Earthbound, a citizen of Onett, who you talk to through their front door, asks “OK, pop quiz! A Beatles song, XXXterday. Can you fill in the blanks?” Your only choices are “Yes”, and “No”. In MOTHER 2 he asks “OK, quiz.’OOdi, Girl of the Alps’. What goes in the place of OO?” The choices are “hai”, which is “yes” in Japanese, and “iie”, meaning “no”. In MOTHER 2, a red truck has a logo with the word “Come” and a white swirl below it. In Earthbound this logo was replaced with a stick figure running. In MOTHER 2, the second policeman you fight says “Policemen are even stronger than Superman, you know!” and gives a war cry. In Earthbound, he instead says “Your average policeman is stronger than any super hero!” In MOTHER 2, the man living in the mice’s house says “I’m taking the liberty of living in the mice’s home and mooching off of them.” In Earthbound he just says “I live rent­free in the mouse’s house.” In MOTHER 2, Captain Strong says he’s going to use his “Super Ultra Sambo Mambo martial arts”. In Earthbound he instead uses his “Super Ultra Mambo­Tango­Foxtrot martial arts”. In MOTHER 2, the magazine inside the $7500 house has only two changes: “Koshu Kaido” instead of “Jersey turnpike”, and “80 kph” instead of “80 mph”.

Twoson In MOTHER 2, the first sign you see when entering Twoson says “This is the second town, so it’s called ‘Twoson’. Did you notice?” In Earthbound it instead says “Twoson– we got this name because we weren’t first.” In MOTHER 2, Twoson’s newspaper is named “Twoson Today”. In Earthbound it is instead named as the “Twoson Tribune”. In MOTHER 2, the bicycle shop’s name is “Panku”. In Earthbound, it is instead named “Acu­Punk­Sure”. In MOTHER 2, the main floor and balcony seats are called the A and B seats, and the box seats the S seats. In MOTHER 2, the shop on the top floor of the Twoson Department Store has a sign that says “DRUG”. In Earthbound this was changed to “SHOP”. In MOTHER 2, the sign for Burglin Park says “Nusutto Park”. In MOTHER 2, Everdred is named “Tonchiki”. In MOTHER 2, Everdred says that he has a secret cabin in Grateful Dead Valley (in Earthbound Peaceful Rest Valley) and that he rented it out. When speaking of Paula’s imprisonment, he says “She may’ve been killed already, so hurry and go there.” In Earthbound this line is instead “You know, she might be gone already. You’d better hurry.” In MOTHER 2, the sign above the Chaos Theater says “TONZURA BROTHERS”. In Earthbound, this sign says “RUNAWAY FIVE”. In MOTHER 2, the woman waiting in line at the Chaos Theater says that she loves lines (gyoretsu) and that she also loves potstickers (gyoza). In Earthbound she says she loves standing in queues, and that she also loves words that start with the letter “Q”. In MOTHER 2, Paula’s mother says to Ness that he shouldn’t worry about Paula, because “God is with her”. In Earthbound this line was altered to “She has a guardian angel, it seems.” In MOTHER 2, Apple Kid gives you the “Octopus Erasing Machine”, and tells you it shouldn’t be used near shops selling takoyaki octopus dumplings. In Earthbound he gives you the “Pencil Eraser, and says you shouldn’t use it near shops that sell pencils.

Happy Happy Village

In MOTHER 2, Peaceful Rest Valley is instead known as “Grateful Dead Valley”. In MOTHER 2, the man near the entrance to Happy Happy Village says “One day, Master Carpainter suddenly received a revelation from God. His words are the words of God.” In Earthbound this was altered to “One day, Mr. Carpainter received a revelation. He now speaks the real truth.” In MOTHER 2, the line of a hippie was “Master Carpainter can communicate with all kinds of gods, you know.” In Earthbound this is instead “Mr. Carpainter communicates with the divine…” In MOTHER 2, a woman’s line was “Kids like you deserve to get struck by lightning and die.” In Earthbound this line is “You deserve to be struck by lightning.” In MOTHER 2, a man says that Mr. Carpainter wanted Paula to be a goddess for Happy Happyism, but in Earthbound “goddess” was changed to “high priestess”. In MOTHER 2, the shop is called “Blue Blue Shop”. In Earthbound this is instead “Blue Blue Drugstore”. In MOTHER 2, when Paula is in the cabin she says “If you hadn’t come, I… would have started crying.” In Earthbound, she says “If you didn’t come, I would have had to try to bust out of here.”

In MOTHER 2, Pokey says “And just when it looks like I’m going to be able to be a big shot in Happy Happyism thanks to Mr. Carpainter…” In Earthbound, Pokey says that Mr. Carpainter made him an important person in Happy Happyism. In MOTHER 2, a cultist in the Happy Happyism base says “*tremble* *tremble* Don’t glare at me with such a stern look! Okay, fine. I’ll move out of your way.” When you talk to him again, he says “*tremble* *tremble* Is scaring me that much fun for you?” In Earthbound, he says “Blew, blew. I’m trying to learn how to whistle.” and “Blew, blew. Whistling is hard…” In MOTHER 2, Mr Carpainter asks you, “Won’t you and Paula become my right hand assistants?” In Earthbound he asks “Will you be my right hand assistant?” In MOTHER 2, after Mr. Carpainter is defeated, he states, “The gold­colored statue behind me…” In Earthbound he says “Do you see the Mani Mani Statue behind me…” In MOTHER 2, Pokey says: ● “That was really something, Ness! It looks like I somehow woke up, too. ● Let’s be friends again! ● C’mon, reply to me, will ya? I promise I’ll be a good guy. ● I guess that’s a no, huh? ● Bleeehhh! (sticking his tongue out) I was just lying! Someday, you’ll see!” In Earthbound, he says: ● “What a horrible nightmare. I somehow woke up. ● Ness, let's be friends again. ● Please answer me. I promise to be good. ...uh...okay... ● Hah! I lied! See you, sucker! In MOTHER 2, after Mr. Carpainter is defeated, the hippie says “We might’ve been listening to messages from the Devil rather than God…” In Earthbound, this line was changed to “We might have been listening to evil messages rather than good.” In MOTHER 2, a man says, “My wife who had returned ran away again. Man, I have no luck…” In Earthbound, the line is “My wife has run away for a second time. I’m such a lucky man!”

Twoson 2

In MOTHER 2, after Paula joins you and you return to Twoson, a man says ““Paula! I heard you kicked the kidnappers’ balls off! You’re amazing!” In Earthbound he says ““I heard that you, Paula, beat up the kidnapper. You’re my favorite!” In Earthbound, Paula’s mom exclaims “It’s my very own hand­made band­aid! Ooo! That rhymes! I know, I’ll call it a Hand­aid!” In MOTHER 2 she says nothing about the fact that it rhymes. In MOTHER 2, Everdred’s lines are: ● I’d like to have you join me, but I see “no” is written all over your face. ● I was gonna give you this money if you became my lackey, but I can’t exactly go back on that now, either. ● Here, take this suitcase. There’s 10,000 dollars in bills inside. ● Use as much of it as you want, whether it’s for good stuff or bad stuff. There’s no use in trying to give it back to me! Just give it up and take it! ● I’m planning to head out to get my hands on the so­called “Mani Mani Demon” or whatever that petty bad guy named Lier Horando or something dug up in Onett. ● Let’s meet again if we ever get the chance. In Earthbound, Everdred’s lines are: ● I was going to ask you to be my partner, but I know you’ll refuse. It’s written all over your face. ● If you accepted, I was going to give you some money. ● Actually, I can’t keep the money now anyway. Let me give this to you. It’s 10,000 dollars. ● Use the money any way you like. You cannot refuse my generosity. Just accept it. ● Now I plan on looking for the evil Mani Mani Statue that Lier X. Agerate unearthed in Onett ● I’ll see you at another time, in another space. In MOTHER 2 Lucky calls the Backstage pass “Platinum tickets”. In MOTHER 2 a man in the Chaos Theater is annoyed because there are no hostessess, and complains that he has no room to do his dance moves and that there are no girls dancing on raised platforms. In Earthbound he’s annoyed because there are no pretty waitresses or room to do his dance moves. In MOTHER 2, a woman is singing along to Japanese folk music, however in Earthbound she’s singing along to ragtime. In MOTHER 2, the Runaway Five’s intro is this: ● Yeah! The Chaos Theater soulmeeeeen! Sexy and exciting! A dynamite performance! Come on! Greatest bluesmen…. Tonzura Brothers Band! Here we come! Gotcha! Gotcha! In Earthbound, the intro is this: ● Yeah, that’s right! Tonight you get the Chaos Theater Soulmen comin’ at ya! Rockin’ and rollin’ on this here stage for a limited time only! The world’s greatest Bluesmen, the Runaway Five! And here they come! Oh yeah! Baby! In MOTHER 2, the sign in the theater says “TONZURA”. In Earthbound this was changed to “RUNAWAY FIVE”. In MOTHER 2, when the Runaway Five go up to Mr Poochyfud’s desk after paying their debt, they say ● Well, whadya know?! ● Thanks to this tyke, we’ve gone from Hell to Heaven! ● Bravo! Now we can leave this town. ● I’m great at drivin’. Just leave it to me. ● Let’s go to the next town! ● Alright, let’s go to our hunk o’ junk. ● I didn’t really stand out during our show, did I? In Earthbound they say ● Well, what do you know? ● This little nipper took us from a nightmare to a dream… ● Ow! This means we can get out of this dump! ● I’m a good driver. C’mon, I’ll show you. ● All right, let’s move on to the next town. ● I’m sure our ol’ hunk o’ junk will get us there… ● I didn’t make a spectacle of myself, did I?

Threed In MOTHER 2, Threed was called “Threek”. In MOTHER 2, a sign says “Grownups, kids, and even your sister”, which was Earthbound’s advertising slogan in Japan. In Earthbound, the sign says “...Just play it!” In Mother 2, a sign is posted by a made­up parents organization that tells young players that it’s bad to play the game over 2 hours straight. In Earthbound only the name of the organization is different: “Parents Opposing Obsession Plan”. In MOTHER 2, the Threed newspaper has been replaced by the “Zombie World” newspaper. In Earthbound this newspaper is instead named “Zombie Herald. In MOTHER 2, the sign next to the Hint Shop states “Giving Hints for 40 years — Hint Shop “Naruhodo””. In Earthbound the sign says “Hint Shop Realization”. In MOTHER 2, the zombies blocking the underground path use the Japanese onomatopoeia for staring. In Earthbound they “look you over” and “stare into your soul”. In MOTHER 2, the man staring at the zombie girl in front of the hotel says “The woman in front of that hotel… She’s looking pale, but man, she’s a hottie…!” In Earthbound he says “Take a look at that chick in front of the hotel. Regardless of some of the people I’ve seen her hanging out with, I think I’d like to spend some time with her!”

Winters In MOTHER 2, Tony says that if you’re caught breaking the rules, you get spanked. In Earthbound, “you get spanked” was changed to “you’ll get punished big time”. In MOTHER 2, a kid says “I’m sleepy. I’m gonna take a pee and go to sleep.” In Earthbound he says “I’ll wash my face, brush my teeth, do my business, and go to sleep.” In MOTHER 2, Tessie is called “Tassie” and Lake Tess is called “Lake Tass”. In MOTHER 2, a kid says that there are stories of a race of giants that live around Stonehenge. In Earthbound he says that there are stories of Cave Boys living there. In Mother 2, Maxwell was named Gauss. In MOTHER 2, Maxwell gives you the “Machine That Can Open Simple Locks Surprisingly Easy”. In Earthbound he gives you the “Machine that Opens Doors, especially when you have a slightly bad key.” In MOTHER 2, a Tessie Watcher says “Do you suppose I’d wind up in the newspaper if I found Tessie? I don’t want to stand out, you see.” In Earthbound he says “If I find Tessie, do you think I’ll get in the newspaper? I’m looking for my 15 minutes of fame…” In MOTHER 2, a healing machine is called the “instant Energy Machine”. In Earthbound it’s named the “Instant Revitalizing Machine”. In MOTHER 2, the time­space traveling machine is called the “Space Tunnel”. In Earthbound it is the “Phase Distorter”. In MOTHER 2, Dr. Andonut’s UFO­like machine is called the Sky Walker. In Earthbound, it is the Sky Runner. In MOTHER 2, the sprite of Dr. Andonuts’ laboratory has the word “LABO” on it. In Earthbound the word is “LAB”, and the lab has more bolts on it.

Threed 2 The fact that the Zombie Paper is actually a machine that attracts is made clear in MOTHER 2, but not in Earthbound. In MOTHER 2, one of the zombies says “I’m ready to die now. Oh, wait, oops, I guess I’m technically already dead, huh?” In Earthbound he says “I don’t care if I pass away… Ha! I’m dead already!” In MOTHER 2, another zombie says “You enemy of the zombies! You demon! You devil!” In Earthbound he says “You’re the enemy of all zombies! You monster!”

Saturn Valley In MOTHER 2, The Mr. Saturns say nonsense words like “pu”, and “po~en”. In Earthbound they say things like “boing”, and “zoom”. In MOTHER 2, the Mr. Saturn ATMs have the letters “CD” in place of the eyes, standing for “Cash Dispenser”. A Mr. Saturn in MOTHER 2 says “UGH! GEEZ! THIS REALLY… SMILEY!” In Earthbound he says “AH! SOOOO… HONEST! SMILE. BOING!” In MOTHER 2 during Belch’s speech, he says this about the person prophesized to defeat Giygas: “...then there must not be any demons and devils in the world!” In Earthbound he says this instead: “...he would have to be worse than the greatest evil…” In Mother 2, after defeating Master Belch, a Mr. Saturn says “I THINK I’LL THINK ABOUT COMPLEX THINGS NOW.” In Earthbound he says “I THINK NEW THINGS… DIFFICULT THINGS… FROM NOW…” At the end of the coffee scene in MOTHER 2, there is a line of text that says “May the goddess of good fortune smile upon you always.” In Earthbound this line was changed to “I wish you luck…” In MOTHER 2, a Sanctuary boss is named “Trillion Year Tree Sprout”. In Earthbound the boss is named “Trillionage Sprout”.

Threed 3 In Earthbound, one of the NPCs makes a pun on the word “share”. There was no pun in MOTHER 2. In MOTHER 2, a man mixes up the Tonzura Brothers’ name and calls them the Donbun Brassieres. In Earthbound he calls the Runaway Five the Runway Fire. The two missing NPCs in Threed have no translation differences in their dialogue.

Dusty Dunes Desert

Dusty Dunes Desert is known as Doko Doko Desert in MOTHER 2. In MOTHER 2, a man says “Welcome to the butt­end of this traffic jam!” In Earthbound he says “Welcome to the end of the world’s longest traffic jam!” In MOTHER 2, the hermit who lives in a cave is named Tarai Jabu. In Earthbound he’s called Talah Rama. In MOTHER 2, a pile of bones says “I’m just a pile of horse bones, so I can’t talk.” (“Horse bones” is a phrase in Japanese meaning “some random nobody”) In Earthbound, it says “I’m just a pile of bleached bones. I can’t talk.”

In Earthbound, there is a character named Tomas Jefferson. In MOTHER 2, he is named Ooshio Heihachirou.

Fourside

In MOTHER 2, the theater in Fourside was named Topollo Theater, which was changed to Topolla Theater in Earthbound. In MOTHER 2, a sign in Fourside states the following: “MOTHER 3 planning meeting underway. Authorized personnel only. APE Kanda Development Office.” In Earthbound, it instead states this: “Planning Meeting for EarthBound 2. Only those who are related to this project are allowed to enter. APE Software Development Team”. In a part of Fourside, a punk is selling stuff. In MOTHER 2, if you don’t buy anything, he says “What the hell, dude? God damn! You can’t do this to me, dude!” In Earthbound, this line was changed: “Mod­boy jerk! You can’t do me like that!” In MOTHER 2, a man in Fourside says “...It’d be enough to pay off even a hundred billion jillion dollar debt. I’d use that money to order three or so pork cutlet sets at the Kastuman restaurant in Tokyo!” In Earthbound, “a hundred billion jillion dollar debt” was changed to the realistic “million dollar debt” and the second line was changed more drastically: “If I were them, I’d go to Japan and live it up!” In the Fourside hospital in MOTHER 2, a nurse tells of a man who came into the hospital and asked for a haircut. The Japanese word for hospital, “byouin”, looks like the word for hair salon, “biyouin”, when written in hiragana. The nurse thinks he made this mistake because in the game hiragana is used in the place of kanji. In Earthbound, the nurse supposes that the man thought his “bad hair day” could be treated there at the hospital.

Rather famously, the bar in MOTHER 2 was changed to a cafe in Earthbound. For whatever reason, the bar owner’s name was changed from Boris to Jackie. All alcoholic references that were originally in MOTHER 2, the majority being in the bar, were edited out in Earthbound. One of the guys seated in the cafe says “Don’t you think it’s natural for a guy like me to be in here?! I enjoy the atmosphere here,” though in MOTHER 2 his second sentence is really “...I think so, which is why I’m drinkin’ here.” Another man says, “I was drunk, so I accidentally knocked on the wall instead of the bathroom door.” In Earthbound this was changed too: “I was in the middle of a caffeine buzz, and I had to get to the bathroom fast! When I got there, I accidentally knocked on the wall instead of the bathroom door...” In MOTHER 2, a man makes a bad pun about curry. In Earthbound, he makes a pun on “made” and “maid”. The woman in the bar says, “You know you can’t drink alcohol, you’re just kids. Quit hanging around here.” In Earthbound this was changed to “Kids shouldn’t be drinking espresso! Quit hanging around here.” Outside, a man behind the bar says, “No, I ain’t (hic) drunk! Dumbass!” In Earthbound this was changed: “Yeah, yeah, I’m okay… just leave me here to cry into my cappuccino! Nosy!”

Inside the Monotoli Building in MOTHER 2, there’s a man who says “There was a Monopoly tournament last night. Man, I really had my butt kicked.” He also mentions that you can play Monopoly on the Super Famicom. In Earthbound he just says, “Last night there was a solitaire tournament. ...I lost my shirt….” In MOTHER 2, one of Monotoli’s men says “Someone could even shoot you with a machine gun and kill you.” In Earthbound this was altered: “Someone might be suspicious of you and take a pot shot at you with a machine gun” In MOTHER 2, Mr. Spoon, the researcher in the Fourside Museum wishes that “idol­talents would come here once in awhile.” In Earthbound he instead says “I wonder if there are any famous stars here today?” At the beginning of the Fourside Runaway Five show in MOTHER 2, the announcer shouts, “Have I got a real bombshell for you nice assholes today! Nnnnnn! Blow ‘em away! Tonzura Brothers Band! 3...2...1… GO!” In Earthbound this was changed to “Have I got a bombshell for you tonight, kids! aaaaaAAAAAH!!! Ka­Boom!! The Runaway Five!!! Yeah!! 3 ­ 2 ­ 1 ­ Go!” In MOTHER 2 at the last Runaway Five show, the announcer says “This performance is going to rock so much you might just wet your pants a little! This one’s dedicated to the little runts over by the entrance!” In Earthbound he says “It’s going to be a great show! We’re so good it makes me think that those kids by the exit will wet their pants! Those kids are hip, baby!” When you go up to the Department Store Spook in Mother 2, he exclaims “Gwehehehe! I’m impressed you actually made it here. This department store is going to be your grave! Gwehehe! Die and go to hell­ No, to heaven!” In Earthbound this was changed to “Gwaaagh, Gwarrrgh!. You finally made it. This department store is gonna be your grave! Gwaaagh. You will be gone, and you’ll be burning in… Well, you’ll go to heaven!” In MOTHER 2 before the blackout, a mouse states “For some reason, I get the feeling that there’s going to be a blackout. Call it a mouse’s sixth sense.” Afterwards he says “For some reason, I got the feeling there was a blackout in this department store. Call it a mouse’s memory.” The mouse’s lines in Earthbound are nearly the same, but for a small change: “(Somehow, I felt like the lights would get turned off in the department store. I guess it’s just a mouse’s sixth sense…)” In MOTHER 2, the woman in the cafe says, “There seems to be a real commotion outside. I wonder if Swallows fans are singing ‘Tokyo Ondo’ or something…” In Earthbound the line is “There’s a loud noise outside. Must be the seventh inning stretch, and the fans are singing ‘Take me out to the ballgame’ at the stadium.” In MOTHER 2 when Everdread is lying outside the cafe, a person in the crowd says, “Someone’s lying on the ground here. You don’t suppose he’s dead, do you?” In Earthbound the line is altered to “There’s a person lying on the ground. I wonder if he’s… he’s…” In MOTHER 2, a woman in the crowd exclaims “Yick, I can’t believe someone’s died in a place like this…” In Earthbound she says “Oooo… I don’t like seeing a corpse around here.”