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Nintendo has announced that it will hold multiple Mother 2 campaigns in Lawson outlets accross Japan in late 2024. The collaboration will consist of giveaways, lotteries, and sales of items branded with the Japanese version of Earthbound.

This campaign will introduce a vanilla-flavored Country Ma'am snack package with an additional Mother 2 brand. Nintendo will also put up 12-month subscription cards for the Japanese Nintendo Switch Online with a pixel sprite of Mr Saturn. s who have a Japanese Switch Online subscription between November 25, 2024 and December 9, 2024, can also obtain Mother 2 avatar icons if they haven't previously.

In addition, the company will also hold a raffle using any available Japanese 12-month cards, where 40 people can win a cushion blanket or a set of six glass mug cups.

Nintendo will also set up the My Nintendo mobile app so that people who perform a GPS check-in at a Lawson outlet within the event duration can receive a Mother 2 smartphone wallpaper, which features Mr Saturn.

Lawson will not be the only company Nintendo cooperates with for this campaign. It is also working with Bandai Spirits to launch an Ichiban Kuji lottery on November 30, 2024. Other than the cushion blankets and the mug cups from the Switch Online raffle, the lottery will feature a Mr Saturn-shaped savings box as the highest A-tier prize.

Mother 2 / Earthbound will the list of titles that Nintendo has used in Lawson collaboration campaigns. The companies previously worked together on promoting The Legend of Zelda titles Tears of the Kingdom in May 2023 and Echoes of Wisdom in August-October 2024.

The Mother 2 merchandise campaigns in Lawson outlets across Japan will run from Monday, November 25, 2024, until December 29, 2024.

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Hobonichi revealed that it will release more Earthbound merchandise in August 2024 to celebrate the game's 30th anniversary. The merchandise releases will also coincide with the launches of the game's exhibits, which will appear temporarily in department stores across Japan.

The new collection will range from towels and t-shirts to a stress ball featuring Mr Saturn. It will also include the real-life version of Cup of Lifenoodles, which Hobonichi had previously revealed in early July 2024. People will be able to get two sets of udon noodles at ¥1,780 (~$11.60).

Here is the complete list of the new Earthbound merchandise, along with their prices in Japanese yen:

• T-shirt: ¥4,950
• Body towel: ¥3,300
• Hand towel: ¥1,320
• Paper bag: ¥2,200
• Cup of Lifenoodles: ¥1,780
• Poo's Ramen Donburi set with bowl and spoon: ¥3,300
• Mr Saturn's hanging stress ball: ¥1,320
• Tonzura Brothers (a.k.a. Runaway Five) tin box: ¥2,860
• Space Tunnel pochette: ¥3,300

At the same time, Hobonichi will also hold exhibits that showcase the game originally known in Japan as Mother 2. The "Secrets of Mother 2" paid exhibit will run at Hobinichi's store in Shibuya Parco from August 1, 2024, to September 8, 2024. The company will also run free satellite exhibits at Tobichi Tokyo, Osaka's Umeda Loft, Sapporo Parco, and Nagoya Parco around the same period.

The new Earthbound exhibit and merchandise collection will appear in Japan on August 1, 2024.

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Hobonichi has revealed that it will release the Cup of Lifenoodles from the Earthbound series in the real world. People will be able to actually taste the food used to fully revive unconscious characters in the game series in August 2024.

The Cup of Lifenoodles appeared in Earthbound and Mother 3 as an item that players mainly use to revive fallen characters to full health, though it can also recover any other status ailments. The item's original Japanese name is "Inochi no Udon" (Udon of Life), so Udon will be the noodle type used for this product. Hobonichi will source the noodles from Japan's Gunma prefecture.

Hobonichi has yet to provide more details on the noodles' availability, including its pricing and whether it will be shippable worldwide like the 30th Anniversary concert merchandise. However, its announcement tweet did reveal the package's content. The set will contain two udon noodle packages and a coaster mat.

Hobonichi's Japanese tweet is also available to view right below:

The real-world version of Cup of Lifenoodles from the Earthbound series will be available in August 2024. The product will be based on the item that appeared in Earthbound and Mother 3. The entire Earthbound series is available to play on Nintendo Switch via its Online subscription, although Mother 3 remains exclusive to Japan due to its lack of localization.

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Hobonichi revealed a new collection of Earthbound merchandise that will appear to help celebrate "The Music of Mother" live concert. The concert's English webpage confirms that people from all around the world will be able to place pre-orders on Hobonichi's web store, and the store s global shipping via FedEx.

A total of four item types are revealed, with one of them having two separate versions. The first one is a pair of plushes featuring Gorgeous and Lucky, the two front of the Runaway Five group. People can get both plushes encased in a bus-shaped packaging for 6,600 yen (~$42).

The second highlighted item is a tin container with Jim Dunlop guitar picks that cost 3,300 yen (~$21). This set will be heavily inspired by the preferences of the Earthbound series composer Keiichi Suzuki. The musician prefers to use pink teardrop picks for electric guitars and orange medium picks for the acoustic versions.

Other than those two, Hobonichi will also sell T-shirts at 4,950 yen (~$31.50) apiece and towels at 2,200 yen (~$14) each. The T-shirt will feature the complete Runaway Five lineup with the group's Japanese name Tonzura Brothers. It will be available in four sizes from S to LL (XL). Meanwhile, the towels will appear in two different designs: one with the Mother logo, and the other with the iconic word "SMAAAASH!!"

Here are the sample images for each of the items mentioned above:

The Earthbound-themed merchandise from "The Music of Mother" live concert will be available for sale worldwide on June 4, 2024, at 11 AM JST (June 3, 2024, at 10 PM ET).

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2024 marks the 30th anniversary of Earthbound and there will be several campaigns, some involving exclusive limited-time merchandise, available throughout the year as celebration.

You can keep track of the Earthbound 30th Anniversary campaigns via the official website or on Twitter (X). As of the time of writing, the website is a page with the logo for the anniversary, as well as the same text as the press release. To summarize it, there will be commemorative merchandise, events that Nintendo and Hobonichi have never done before for Earthbound, and collaboration events. The team doesn’t know all the details just yet, in the sense that they’re still coming out with new ideas. They’ve finished planning out some, whereas they’ve only just secured permissions for others. So they cannot say anything for sure just yet.

Earthbound (or Mother 2 in Japan) first came out in 1994 on the NES. It plays like a standard or traditional Dragon Quest-like RPG but set in a modern (for the 1990’s) USA parody. The plot of the story revolves around a boy named Ness who, with his friends, discover that the Gigyas, an alien race, have filled the world with hatred. They travel through many strange lands and meet new allies to defeat the Gigyas and save the world.

Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings are available on the Nintendo Switch if you have Nintendo Switch Online.

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Fans of Earthbound will have a chance to induct their shelf into Happy Happyism soon. On March 8, 2023, pre-orders will open for a "life-size" replica of the Earthbound Evil Mani Mani statue in Japan. Mother series creator Shigesato Itoi's Hobonichi Mother Project created the item, based on a one-off replica used for events. According to the press release, Itoi received an "overwhelming" amount of interest from fans who wanted their own copy. [Thanks, Dengeki!]

Like the original, the Earthbound Evil Mani Mani statue is based on the item (and enemy) from Earthbound (a.k.a. Mother 2). It's also known as the "Mani Mani Demon", and is a shiny, golden statue. It stands about 30 cm tall (about 1 foot), and is described as having a "heavy, comfortable weight." The statue depicts a horned figure (the Evil Mani Mani) standing straight and holding a sword in its hands. The bottom of the statue's base has the Mother logo engraved on it. A special sticker with the character "封" (for "Seal") is included with every purchase, in case one is concerned that the statue's ominous appearance may actually be unlucky.

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Each statue will cost 9,999 Yen (about $74 USD). The pre-order period will last from March 8-29, 2023. Delivery is expected around late May 2023 in Japan, though overseas shipping is available from the official site. To promote the Earthbound Mani Mani statue, the Hobonichi Mother Project is also publishing a series of interviews with Itoi about the game, and the character.

In the game itself, the Evil Mani Mani is a mystical object said to spread the influence of Giygas and bring out human beings' evil tendencies. It was used to control the minds of the Happy Happyism cult.

Earthbound can be played on the Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo Switch Online SNES game library.

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During the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, worldwide Nintendo Switch Online releases of Earthbound Beginnings (Mother) and Earthbound (Mother 2) came up. Prior to the reveal, Mother series creator Shigesato Itoi teased on Twitter that people might expect something. Now as a follow up, Itoi offered additional thoughts on the two JRPGs becoming more widely available on a new platform. [Thanks, Nintendo Enthusiast!]

The video began with Itoi explaining how he anticipated the release. He also recreated his excitement at learning it would appear via the service. After that, he mentioned how he appreciated how these additions mean people who haven’t been able to play because they didn’t know where they could now have a place they can go to. At the end, he also joked, “And, you know, now I can make friends young enough to be my great-grandchildren.”

Itoi also followed things up with another tweet. This time, he shared a photo showing that he's just started replaying Earthbound on the Switch.

しまった、はじめちゃった！ pic.twitter.com/IJ0FcwCMAp

— 糸井 重里 (@itoi_shigesato) February 10, 2022

People who subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online can now find Earthbound Beginnings in the NES app and Earthbound in the SNES app. Both are playable with the standard, $19.99 per year hip.

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Nintendo announced that both Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings are ing the NIntendo Switch Online service. Subscribers will be able to play it starting on February 9, 2022.

Here’s the trailer revealing they are on the way. It offers a look at how both will look on the system. Earthbound Beginnings is the first Mother game for the NES. Earthbound is the localization of the SNES game Mother 2.

#SuperNES and #NES RPGs EarthBound and EarthBound Beginnings will be available to #NintendoSwitchOnline …shortly after today's presentation! pic.twitter.com/tOGgfINibk

— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) February 9, 2022

Ahead of the reveal, Mother creator Shigesato Itoi teased something would be on the way.
https://twitter.com/itoi_shigesato/status/1491443271146827784

Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings both appeared outside Japan digitally before. For example, you could play Earthbound Beginnings on the Wii U.

Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings will come to Nintendo Switch Online on February 9, 2022.

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Some new Earthbound items are on the way in Japan via the Hobonichi Mother Project. These pay tribute to the places you go in the game. Starting on January 26, 2021, Earthbound hotel keychains with matching stickers will appear. Each one will cost 1,870円 (~$18). [Thanks, 4Gamer!]

In each case, someone will get a double-sided keychain and a matching sticker. The keychain will show the hotel name and logo on one side and a character from the series on the other. While the logos are in English, the names might look a little different. For example, Fourside’s is referred to as Monotoly, rather than Monotoli.

Here’s a list of the six Earthbound Hotel keychains and stickers available. Rather than alphabetically, they’re listed in the order you would visit them in-game.

• Hotel Onett: green Ness keychain
• Twoson Hotel: orange Paula keychain
• Threed Sunset Hotel: purple Jeff keychain
• Fourside Monotoli Grand Hotel: red Runaway Five Lucky and Gorgeous keychain
• Summers’ L’hotel du Summer: blue beach chairs and umbrella keychain
• Scaraba’s Great Southern International Resort Hotel: yellow Poo keychain

Quite a few Mother 2 items appeared in Japan over the last year. Mr. Saturn and Master Belch stuffed toys showed up in October 2020. There was also a sukajan jacket in November 2020.

The six Earthbound hotel keychains will go on sale on January 26, 2021.

The post Earthbound Hotel Keychains Honor 6 Towns appeared first on Siliconera.