I’m curious to give it a shot. But… and I say this as a personal opinion that’s not intended to dismiss what I’m sure is their genuine love for Mother: I think it’s really in bad taste that they’ve called the game Mother 4.

They can, of course, call the game whatever they want. It’s a fan project and can thus be disavowed by anyone. However, they’ve clearly put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this and are successfully making a big splash with it even before its release. Therefore, they’re cornering the market on the idea of “Mother 4”. They’re effectively diluting or stonewalling any other fans’ capabilities to make a Mother 4 of their own (and have it achieve any clout). Call it Mother: [cool name here] or Earthbound: [cool name here], but conceptually they’re now making it much harder for anyone else interested in creating their own exploration of Itoi’s world to make a splash. I find it hard to believe that a group capable of that degree of egoism can convey the humility and thoughtfulness that courses through the series.

This is all at face value. I’ve never met with or spoke to anyone involved in this project. But even if they’ve got the purest of intentions, using that name does a great disservice to the rest of the fan community.