Fan tributes come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s a simple piece of fanart, a complex re-imagining featuring multiple animators, or anything in between, passion can bleed through the proverbial canvas to reconnect us with the art we love. And there may be no better example of that than this Mother 2 tribute by Japanese CG artist and musician @revirytic, who used 3D modeling tool Blender to craft a truly eloquent device that plays “Eight Melodies” on loop, traversing the entirety of EarthBound in the process.
無限「エイトメロディーズ」演奏装置を作りました。#blender3d #MOTHER2 #Earthbound pic.twitter.com/K18U8C2S6n
— いちかわ (@revirytic) October 12, 2022
The ~30 minute animation is stuffed to the gills with detail, from the colors of the balls representing the characters to the octopus statue (the Mother 2 version of EarthBound’s pencil statues) being the only object to disappear instead of fall over to countless location references in the background. It all ends where it begins, leading to an infinite rightward loop that wouldn’t be possible in real life, but the texturing and lighting is so impressive that you’ll forget that. It’s a truly beautiful and harmonious expression of love for such a beautiful and harmonious game. Even the man himself, creator Shigesato Itoi, took notice:
無限「エイトメロディーズ」演奏装置を作りました。#blender3d #MOTHER2 #Earthbound pic.twitter.com/K18U8C2S6n
— いちかわ (@revirytic) October 12, 2022
As someone who’s been a Mother fan since before she was a teenager, I know this won’t be the last fan tribute to the series I’ll ever see (our collective devotion is simply too high), but it’s definitely one of the most impressive. If you haven’t tried it for yourself, you can play EarthBound and EarthBound Beginnings on Nintendo Switch Online right now.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
