H.S. Archives - Retro Replay

For decades, the cult following of Nintendo’s quirky RPG series has kept alive the dream of seeing the original Mother (localized as EarthBound Beginnings) fully reimagined for modern audiences. That dream has not only survived but evolved into one of the most ambitious ROM hack projects ever attempted: a complete rebuild of Mother inside the EarthBound engine. What started as a scattered dream among individual fans has now matured into a coordinated, years long effort involving dozens of artists, musicians, and programmers. And if you follow the community’s updates, you know that after nearly ten years in development, this project is finally within reach. Unlike quick hacks that add a character or adjust some dialogue, this remake is closer to a full scale “what if” scenario. The guiding philosophy is simple but profound: what if Nintendo had actually developed a Super Nintendo version of Mother to accompany EarthBound in the mid 90s? Every sprite, map, and line of dialogue is being carefully crafted to feel like an authentic product of that era. The result is not just a technical curiosity, it is shaping up to be the definitive way to play Mother for those who always wished it had been released in its golden age RPG glory. The team has even circled a date for this dream to become reality: June 14, 2026, according to the official FAQ page. (FAQ page written by the most excellent livvy94) An announcement made by the team! A Community Dream with a Long Road The story begins back in the mid 2000s, when community translators and hackers were just beginning to push the limits of what was possible with Nintendo’s 16 bit cartridges. At that time, Clyde “Tomato” Mandelin, famous for the Mother 3 fan translation, even experimented with adapting Mother to the EarthBound engine. The tools were not ready, and the project was put on hold. But the spark was there, and fans could not shake the thought that the concept was too good to abandon. It is worth noting that Tomato never officially passed the project to anyone else. Instead, he shared his EB0 work openly through sprite sheets, scripts, and a help request that explained the limits of the available tools. His early notes are all archived here, dating back to January 30th 2007. Once he stepped away, his progress remained as a foundation for anyone in the community who wished to continue. Several years later H.S. picked up the idea independently. Drawing inspiration from Tomato’s early concepts, he rebuilt much of the game from scratch and carried the project forward for nearly a decade. His maps, screenshots, and gameplay previews became a source of excitement and hope for fans who had long dreamed of a proper remake. Tomato kept amazing notes: Archived here. Although Tomato, H.S., and later Gabbi all worked separately and in different eras, their efforts connect like links in a chain. Together they formed an unofficial team across time, keeping the vision alive and gradually shaping it into the project that now stands on the verge of completion. From around 2010 onward, the project had a major driving force in a hacker known simply as H.S. Over the course of a decade, he produced detailed maps, screenshots, and playable builds that circulated in the community. His vision showed fans what was possible, and he steadily chipped away at the impossible task of adapting an entire game to a new engine. Videos of his early work can still be found on his YouTubechannel, offering a glimpse into how ambitious his efforts truly were. Sadly, by 2020, H.S. had disappeared without explanation, leaving behind only fragments of his work. For a time, many believed the project had died with him. Yet the passion of this fanbase is not so easily extinguished. By 2021, new leaders had emerged, and the project was revived with fresh energy. Among them, one name now stands out, Gabbi. Taking inspiration from H.S.’s earlier progress, she spearheaded a rebuild that has grown into today’s nearly finished version. On her YouTube channel she has been posting gameplay previews that show off polished towns, rebalanced battles, and an unmistakable EarthBound vibe. The community’s dream, once thought lost, had been reborn. Please check out our interview with Gabbi here. Who’s Behind the Remake This remake is no one person project, it is a community masterpiece with a credits list longer than many commercial indie games. Graphic artists like Tricimir, Zeta_Null, and ShadowOne333 have rebuilt character sprites and environments to match the SNES aesthetic. Mappers such as food_eater and AvatarNeo have reimagined familiar locations like Podunk and Magicant, giving them richer detail while staying true to the spirit of the original designs. Each contributor adds a piece to the puzzle, and together the whole world of Mother is being reborn in pixel perfect SNES style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?vh9ppmP7eG2Q On the technical side, programmers such as SupremeKirb and Vittorio have made invaluable contributions. Tools like EBME (EarthBound Map Editor) and CoilSnake are the backbone of the project, allowing modders to build, edit, and recompile the ROM with modern efficiency. Without this new generation of hacking tools, a project of this scope simply would not be possible. Gabbi and other coders have also taken on the painstaking task of implementing events, fixing scripts, and ensuring that gameplay flows seamlessly from start to finish. Music has always been at the heart of the Mother series, and this project treats it with the reverence it deserves. Contributors like livvy94, Pinci, and MaryStrawberry have worked to adapt and rearrange Mother’s 8 bit soundtrack into full SNES quality compositions. The end result is a score that feels like it could sit on the shelf alongside EarthBound’s legendary soundscape. For longtime fans, hearing familiar themes in that warm 16 bit timbre is enough to stir nostalgia and excitement in equal measure. A full roster of contributors can be found on the official credits page, a testament to the scale of teamwork involved. gameplay screen Tools, Technology, and Technique If you have never peeked behind the curtain of ROM hacking, it is easy to underestimate the sheer technical complexity of a project like this. Unlike modern game engines where assets are neatly arranged in folders, SNES games store data in compressed, highly specialized formats. For many years, even small hacks required hex editing and trial and error tinkering. What this remake demonstrates is how far community tools have come. One of the most important of these tools is CoilSnake, a modernized editing suite for EarthBound. It allows hackers to deconstruct the ROM into editable resources such as scripts, maps, graphics, and music and then recompile them cleanly. This is what gives a large team the ability to collaborate without constantly breaking the build. CoilSnake essentially turns EarthBound into a moddable platform. Then there is EBME, the EarthBound Map Editor, created by SupremeKirb. This tool changed everything. With EBME, maps can be designed visually, objects can be placed intuitively, and tilesets can be imported directly from PNGs. It opened the door for artists to contribute without needing deep technical skills, accelerating the project massively. Combined with png2fts conversion utilities and dedicated music editors, the community now has a toolkit powerful enough to rival commercial game development environments. What makes this impressive is that every contributor is working for free, out of passion, often in their spare time. The sum of these tools and the people who wield them has allowed Mother’s world to be rebuilt from scratch, one tile and one note at a time. Faithful but Fresh Perhaps the most striking aspect of the project is its design philosophy. The team has been adamant that this is not a modern reinterpretation with flashy add ons, it is a deliberate attempt to make the game look and feel like a genuine Nintendo product of the 1990s. The art direction avoids fan embellishments, sticking closely to official concept art and in game references. Even small details like Ninten’s outfit follow the original guidebook materials rather than popular fan redesigns. The script has been handled with equal care. Based on Phil Sandhop’s official English localization for Mother, it has been lightly polished for clarity but not rewritten wholesale. The aim is to retain the charm of the original dialogue while smoothing over awkward phrasings and errors. Fans familiar with Tomato’s Mother 1+2 research will recognize some of the improvements, but the tone remains unmistakably vintage Nintendo. The music, as mentioned earlier, is adapted into SNES quality without turning it into something unrecognizable. Familiar tracks like “Pollyanna” or “Bein’ Friends” sound richer and warmer, but they are still instantly recognizable. It is a philosophy of authenticity over novelty. Players should feel like they are uncovering a lost official release, not just a clever fan patch. Community, Collaboration, and Legacy Projects like this do not just happen in a vacuum, they require an active, supportive community. The Starmen.net thread has served as a central hub for discussion, sharing progress, and keeping morale high. Old posts from the early 2010s still stand as historical documents of the project’s winding journey, filled with both optimism and setbacks. The current effort has also spread across Discord servers, YouTube updates, and even festival showcases like the Free Fangame Festival. One of the most touching parts of the credits is the dedication to H.S., the original lead who poured a decade of his life into this dream. Even though he vanished from the scene, his vision laid the foundation for everything that came after. The current team openly acknowledges his contributions, and in many ways, the remake stands as a tribute to the persistence and passion of everyone who came before. That sense of continuity is what makes this project special. It is not just a technical feat, it is a cultural one. Fan communities have kept Mother alive for decades through translations, fan art, and even live concerts. This remake is another chapter in that ongoing story, proof that dedication and creativity can keep a franchise alive even when the official publisher has long since moved on. For those curious about the details behind the philosophy, challenges, and future of the project, the FAQ page is a great place to start. Looking Ahead The project has a tentative public release window of June 14, 2026. When it launches, it will come as a patch file to apply to a legally obtained EarthBound ROM. That means it will be playable on emulators, on modded handhelds, and even on original SNES hardware through flashcarts. In keeping with fan ethics, the team stresses that they are not distributing copyrighted material and encourages fans to support the official creators of the series. Of course, there are always risks with projects like this. Nintendo has historically been quick to issue takedowns for high profile fan games. Yet the developers are hopeful that by releasing only a patch file and making no money from the project, it may fly under the radar. Regardless, the community is bracing itself, ready to archive and preserve the work if necessary. No matter what happens, the significance of the project cannot be overstated. It represents more than just a game, it is the culmination of years of dedication from a passionate fanbase. For those who grew up with EarthBound or discovered Mother later through fan translations, this is the version of the game we always imagined but never thought we would see. Conclusion: A Fan Legacy Etched in Pixel Art When you step back and look at the big picture, this remake is a remarkable achievement. It has survived more than a decade of starts and stops, the disappearance of its original leader, and countless technical challenges. It has grown into a collaborative art piece that merges nostalgia, creativity, and technical mastery into one massive love letter to the Mother series. The final release will be more than just a patch. It will be a historical event within the fan community, a proof of concept for what dedicated fans can accomplish. Whether you are a die hard Mother fan or simply curious about the culture of ROM hacking, this project is something you will not want to miss. When the curtain finally lifts, players around the world will step into a version of Mother that feels both familiar and brand new. It will not just be a fan remake, it will be a testament to the power of community, perseverance, and the enduring magic of Shigesato Itoi’s storytelling! At any rate, go check out their discord and tell them how good they are doing!

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