Summary
The value of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack tier continues to grow with a new selection of M-rated titles released following the latest Nintendo Direct, and the recent addition ofthreeDensestu no Starfygames from the GBAon the service. These games never saw a release outside of Japan, so their worldwide release on Nintendo Switch Online is worth celebrating. These releases follow a trend of former Japan-only releases getting a global release on Nintendo Switch Online, andMother 3deserves to be a part of this endeavor.
The Starfy Trilogy Releasing on Nintendo Switch Online is a Good Sign for a Western Mother 3 Release
While the West saw the series' fifth entry,The Legendary Starfy,released on the Nintendo DS in 2008, this is the only game in the series to be released outside of Japan. There are four prior games in theStarfyseries that had previously never seen a Western release, but withDensestu no Starfy,Densestu no Starfy 2, andDensestu no Starfy 3now available on Nintendo Switch Online worldwide, audiences outside of Japan can finally experience these hidden gems. While these releases are exciting to be sure, they could shed some light on a potentialMother 3localization that fans have been clamoring for.
After these NSO additions,Densestu no Starfy 4is the only entry that has not seen a release outside of Japan.
Mother 3 May Still Face Some Hurdles with a Localized Release
One of the major reasons theStarfyseries never really took off in the West was due to Nintendo of America’s fear that the series wouldn’t resonate with non-Japanese audiences. A similar sentiment is shared when discussing apotentialMother 3release, with many fans believing the game’s themes and depictions of characters like the Magypsies wouldn’t go over well in the West. Now that Nintendo has overcome that hurdle with theStarfyseries, some of the roadblocks to aMother 3localization have been removed.
However, there is still a major hurdle the game would need to overcome in order to see a Western release: a full English localization. One of the drawbacks theStarfygames face on Nintendo Switch Online is that they are still only available in their original Japanese. This isn’t too much of an issue for non-Japanese audiences since the games are platformers that require little reading to enjoy, but aJRPG likeMother 3relies heavily on text for its gameplay and would need to be translated for an official Western release.
