A game that carries Mother's crown, and is yet in a whole league of its own...
Mother 3 takes a more serious route than it's predecessors. Set in the Nowhere Isles, it follows Lucas and his friends and family as they fight against the mysterious Pigmask Army and their attempt to ravage the protagonists' homeland. The story is told through a series of eight chapters throughout the course of the game, which helps to break the story up, which Chapter 7 being without a doubt the game's longest.
On the field map, you, like many RPGs, control your character's movement through an over-head view. What differs from many RPGs is that you see your whole party on the field map, not just the main character, as is the case with many Role Playing Games. There is also a lot of party diversity, ranging from a cowboy, to a dog dressed as a human.
The battle system has a lot in common with EarthBound. It remains mostly unchanged, save for the addition of Rhythm Attacks. If you hit the a button in rhythm with the enemies' heartbeat, then you can deal multiple attacks to them. With the addition of a lot of brand new enemies and returning faces, along with some new attacks commands and Psi spells, there's plenty to keep the action original and interesting.
Overall, it's a game that must be experienced. Whether you played both the previous games, or are brand new to the series, you will enjoy this. I personally could never get into EarthBound, but I lapped up this little beauty!
Its difficulty is well balanced. It's not difficult to the point of frustration, but do expect to die a least a few times, and to have to grind once or twice.
Bottom line: PLAY THIS GAME!