Ninten
The game's protagonist, a boy who uses physical attacks and PSI abilities while investigating the paranormal events affecting his world.
Documented for this version
D-pad | Move Ninten and navigate menus. |
|---|---|
A | Talk, inspect, confirm selections, and open the command menu when appropriate. |
B | Cancel selections or return from menus. |
How it plays
Mother is viewed from a top-down perspective. Ninten explores towns, roads, caves, buildings, and other areas, speaking with residents, searching objects, collecting items, and solving story-related problems. Random encounters begin turn-based battles against enemies.
The player selects commands for each party member, including physical attacks, PSI abilities, items, and defensive actions. Experience raises levels and improves statistics, while weapons and armor increase combat effectiveness. Lloyd and Ana join during the adventure, and Teddy can temporarily fill the third party position. Progress depends on finding key items, learning information from non-player characters, and reaching new areas.
Plan your run
Keep several healing items available before entering caves, factories, and other long areas. Upgrade weapons and armor whenever towns offer better equipment, but reserve money for healing supplies and important purchases.
Use Ana's PSI for difficult encounters and Lloyd's items or firearms against enemies resistant to ordinary attacks. Talk to residents repeatedly when the story seems stalled, and check unusual objects because progression often depends on clues or key items rather than explicit objectives.
Save frequently at phone locations and avoid wandering far from the nearest healing point when party members are low on HP or PP.
Meet the cast
The game's protagonist, a boy who uses physical attacks and PSI abilities while investigating the paranormal events affecting his world.
A mechanically talented boy who joins the party and specializes in firearms and useful items rather than PSI.
A girl from Snowman who joins Ninten and provides powerful PSI abilities.
A strong fighter who can temporarily accompany Ninten in place of another party member.
Ninten's great-grandfather, whose research helps explain the origin of the game's supernatural events.
George's wife and a central figure in the game's backstory.
The extraterrestrial antagonist connected to the game's central conflict.
Before you begin
Search containers and suspicious objects; important items are not always received through obvious conversations.
Carry healing items and manage PP carefully before long dungeon sections.
Use the map and NPC clues to confirm the next story destination.
Mother is a turn-based role-playing game developed by Ape and published by Nintendo for the Family Computer in Japan. The story follows Ninten, a young boy who investigates strange paranormal events across a modernized version of the United States. Rather than exploring a conventional fantasy kingdom, players visit towns, schools, factories, cemeteries, and other contemporary locations while uncovering an extraterrestrial mystery. The game uses menu-driven battles, party recruitment, equipment, experience levels, and a broad range of supernatural abilities. Its unusual setting, humorous writing, memorable music, and emotional late-game themes gave it a distinctive identity. Mother received a generally positive response in Japan, although its Western release was cancelled at the time; it later became better known internationally through its sequels and fan interest.
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