fan projects Archives - Retro Replay

The Mother series has always held a special place in the hearts of retro role-playing game fans. In Japan it was known simply as Mother, while in the United States most people only experienced the second game in the series, which was released on the Super Nintendo under the title EarthBound. That game gained a reputation for its quirky humor, heartfelt storytelling, and unusual modern-day setting. Over time it became one of the most beloved cult classics in all of video game history. The first game in the series, which was released on the Famicom in Japan, eventually reached Western audiences under the name EarthBound Beginnings. However, the version that players received on the Nintendo Entertainment System felt limited compared to what it might have been if it had received the richer presentation of a 16-bit Super Nintendo release. Fans have long wondered what Mother would look and feel like if it had been built inside the EarthBound engine, with expressive sprites, colorful maps, and music on par with its more famous sequel. That dream is exactly what the EarthBound Beginnings Remake is trying to achieve. It is not just a translation or a patch. It is a careful rebuild of the entire first game inside the framework of EarthBound for the Super Nintendo. This means re-creating maps, rewriting systems, and reimagining the soundtrack so that the end result feels like a true SNES era release. It is one of the most ambitious fan projects ever attempted for the series, and it exists to honor the legacy of a game that deserved more than it originally received. This project has a long history, shaped by multiple people in the community who carried the idea forward. It began with early attempts such as Tomato’s EB0 work, continued with H.S. who spent years developing assets and maps, and now has reached its most promising stage under the leadership of Gabbi. She has taken on the responsibility of directing the remake, building tools, guiding a global team of contributors, and keeping the vision alive. The release date is now set for June 14, 2026, which means that fans around the world may soon be able to play Mother as if it had always belonged on the Super Nintendo. To understand the scope of the project, and to learn more about the person making it happen, we sat down with Gabbi for a wide ranging interview. She spoke with us about the origins of her involvement, the technical hurdles that had to be overcome, the role of the community, and the personal meaning behind her years of work. What follows is a detailed look at how one fan’s persistence is helping to bring a long cherished dream to life. For the full background on the project’s history and evolution, see our earlier feature EarthBound Beginnings Remake 2026 Release. Background and Inspiration Q: (Retro-Replay) Hello Gabbi! So can you tell us how you first became involved with the EarthBound Beginnings Remake? A: (Gabbi) I first became involved with the remake back in December 2021. Nothing really came before that other than me just being another starmen forum user commenting on the remake's thread. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Looking back now, what was the moment when you realized this side hobby had turned into something much bigger than just commenting on a forum? A: (Gabbi) I guess i never fully realized that. I haven't paid much attention to how big this project got. I just dont want to let it get to my head, I guess. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) What inspired you to step in and carry the torch after so many years of development challenges? A: (Gabbi) Nothing really "inspired" me to do this. ROM hacking is just a hobby I like and got good at. It was the perfect hobby because I didn't have to share to my family what I did in my spare time. I can't really reveal a whole lot about this, but I don't feel like skipping either. I have had a very complicated life that has given me several different perspectives on it and ROM Hacking kept my mind off that. I needed to get a long, ambitious project that would take me years to finish so I could keep my mind off things I shouldn't think about. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) What does the Mother series mean to you personally, and how did it influence your decision to take on this project? A: (Gabbi) It's a hyper fixation. I became obsessed with MOTHER because of world building and story elements that no other series is able to capture. Characters are written like real people. This is most apparent in MOTHER 3. MOTHER symbolizes growing up and realizing the cruel world around you and knowing what to cherish most. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) You connected MOTHER’s themes to real life. Do you feel working on this remake has made you see or cherish certain things in your own life differently? A: (Gabbi) When it comes to connecting to someone else, definitely. Having friends and going on adventures together is better than staying in the house in isolation. Development Journey Q: (Retro-Replay) What were the biggest hurdles you faced when you started rebuilding the game in 2021? A: (Gabbi) The biggest hurdle was the very beginning of development. We had to make our own python tools to convert pngs into eb map data. If HS didn't share pngs of the maps, this project wouldn't have been possible. Many have complimented my efforts into restoring map data, but I don't create much map data, I just processed it. You have to optimize the map pngs in three different ways. You must first optimize the palette colors in a separate png, you then have to use another prgram called UniqueTileFinder and remove every tile that isn't unique. You then have to sort through those tiles and order them based on foreground and background. Eb's tilesets support foreground layers, but about half-way down the set, it's background-only. Then you use the python tool to convert it into map data, copy over the data to the source project. (running out of character space) ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Since much of H.S.’s work was lost, how much did you build from scratch compared to what you were able to reference from the past? A: (Gabbi) Not all of HS's work was lost. We slowly archived just about every asset he'd share on the forum, including maps. Anything he didn't share, we recreated ourselves. We even ported over interior maps from screenshots. A lot of the maps already reused tiles from vanilla EarthBound. So half the work was already done for us. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Which part of the game has been the most challenging to adapt into the EarthBound engine? A: (Gabbi) Nothing really seemed to be too challenging. A lot of assets in EarthBound are directly based on mechanics from the first game, so half the work was already done. I'd say the most challenging was getting bread crumbs to work as it works a little differently from Exit Mouse logic. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) You recently mentioned that a Japanese version is also in the works, using the Mother 2 ROM. Can you explain the thought process behind that and why it matters to you? A: (Gabbi) It matters to me because not everyone understands English. MOTHER originated from Japan, and it would only be the right thing to make sure both fanbases get to experience the remake. There will also be spanish and french translations, but I won't be involved with them. It matters to me because it's a way I'd like to thank everyone for being part of this community. It also helps me learn more about Japanese. It's a great goal top have to learn a different language if you want to understand the regional differences between text. Context changes completely on certain things as not everything translates into English well. Technical Aspects Q: (Retro-Replay) How important have tools like CoilSnake and EBME been in making this project possible? A: (Gabbi) This project is simply too complex for something like jhack to do. jhack is powerful, but can break roms very easily as it is directly editing the rom image instead of doing what coilsnake does which is decompiling data from the rom into a source project and then compile it into a new rom. Without EBME and CoilSnake, this project simply wouldn't be possible. jhack isn't reliable enough. jhack between a team of people would have been a nightmare and debugging would be impossible. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) When you sit down to work, what does a typical development session look like for you from start to finish? A: (Gabbi) A typical session would be me sitting down and working on random things to fix until my upper back pain becomes too unbearable to continue. I never tackled anything in order. I'd work on whatever I felt like working on and then get it done. It's a bit disorganized, but you never get bored. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) What have you learned from pushing the EarthBound engine to do things it was never originally designed to handle? A: (Gabbi) I learned that modding a game to do something it wasn't designed for is kind of fun. I like bringing game's to their absolute limit. I learned a bit about how the game operates and it's kind of genius really. What could we expect from Iwata's skillset? Everything that happens in EarthBound is through is text printing system. Every cutscene, every interaction with an NPC, every time you trigger a hotspot, all of it is scripted through the text data using control codes. Everything else is just raw assembly. Creative Choices Q: (Retro-Replay) How do you balance staying faithful to the original Mother with making small improvements or necessary adjustments? A: (Gabbi) This is a hard one to answer as multiple memebers on the team are involved when it comes to balancing as it has to feel natural. I myself don't know all that much about balancing, I've gotten help from that. If there's a section of the game that just sucks to get through, that's when we make adjustments. We don't want the game to be super easy or anything, but we want people to have a pleasant experience, even when they lose a battle. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) The music is such a core part of the series. What has the process been like working with composers to reimagine the soundtrack in SNES quality? A: (Gabbi) livvy94 and I live together. I get to see her work in-real time. She's a musical genius and I'm not sure how she does it. She just knows how to use her ears, heh. I guess this would be better answered by her. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) How are you approaching the script edits while making sure the charm of the original translation remains intact? A: (Gabbi) This one is tough to answer as we don't have any specifics. If the line is too butchered and needs some polishing, we'll do it. I guess it's all about how dialogue flows and what the context is. We try to make characters talk how they should based on their personalities. Community and Teamwork Q: (Retro-Replay) How has the community on Starmen.net, Discord, and elsewhere influenced the direction of the project? A: (Gabbi) Nothing really influenced it. We just kept going. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) What has it been like coordinating a large team of contributors who are spread across the globe? A: (Gabbi) It feels like I'm some sort of government agent directing everyone on what to do and how to handle situations before they happen. It feels kinda cool. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) What’s the biggest leadership lesson you’ve learned from managing so many volunteers? A: (Gabbi) I don't think I've learned many lessons yet, but I have learned to watch how I word myself. I mainly wait for contributors to ask for my input on something instead of giving them instructions. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Motivation is tough on a long project. What helps you keep going when the workload feels overwhelming? A: (Gabbi) This one I will have to skip. It's a very morbid answer. Fun and Personal Q: (Retro-Replay) Do you have a favorite character from the Mother series, and if so, what makes them special to you? A: (Gabbi) Teddy. What makes him stand out to me is that he can have this tough guy persona all he wants, but he's just the sweetest thing. Sometimes he can't hide it, even with out that muscle. He's strong inside and out. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) If you had the chance, would you expand Teddy’s story or give him more moments in the remake? A: (Gabbi) We actually have a little. It is now possible to recruit Teddy after Magicant fades as he has healed enough to get back to the mountain. Once magicant fades, you would climb back down the mountain and teleport back to Ellay to pick Teddy up. You can then take him back with you to Giygas's lair and defeat him with the whole gang. There are two endings between the japanese and english prototype. We decided to implement both endings based on the player's actions. If you choose to skip characters, you get the japanese ending, if you get everyone, you get the Sandhop ending. You can still get the sandhop ending if you choose to fight teddy in the live house, but don't recruit him after magicant fades. This was only implemented based on how the original game is when you have more than three party members when fighting giegue. If you hacked Teddy back in your party and went to giegue, Teddy would stand behind Ninten, forming a diamond shape between all party members. Gee, doesn't that seem familiar? ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) If you could live in any town from the Mother or EarthBound universe, which would you choose and why? A: (Gabbi) I'd live in Saturn Valley because no one would bother me and having a conversation with Mr. Saturns would be great. That'd be all the company I could ever ask for. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Outside of developing this project, what games or hobbies help you relax and recharge? A: (Gabbi) DOOM wads, PVZ fusion, TF2, LBP 2, Oddworld games... I play many different games time to time. Being an adult makes it harder to enjoy them because you have priorities. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Is there a particular game you find yourself always coming back to when you need comfort or nostalgia? A: (Gabbi) LittleBigPlanet 2 ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) When the remake finally launches on June 14, 2026, how do you imagine celebrating that moment with the community? A: (Gabbi) I'd take a long break from the internet. I'd make a community post thanking everyone for tagging along the development journey and go on a hiatus. The world is on fire rn. Closing Thoughts Q: (Retro-Replay) Do you see yourself continuing with other projects after this, or is EarthBound Beginnings Remake the defining work you always wanted to finish? A: (Gabbi) honestly, this remake is just the beginning of my legacy. ------------ Q: (Retro-Replay) Thank you very much for your time, Gabbi. This was a wonderful conversation, and I truly appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences with us. A: (Gabbi) Gabbi’s journey shows how passion and persistence can transform an impossible dream into a nearly finished reality. From Tomato’s EB0 attempt, to H.S.’s decade of work, and now Gabbi’s revival, the EarthBound Beginnings Remake is the product of many hands and many years. The countdown to June 2026 is on, and fans across the world are ready to experience Mother as if it had always belonged on the Super Nintendo. Please follow Gabbi and her YouTube channel for more!

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Interview: Gabbi the developer bringing EarthBound Beginnings to life on the SNES

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