The consists of three
Japanese role-playing video games: the 1989
Mother for the
Famicom, the 1994
Mother 2 for the
Super Famicom, and the 2006
Mother 3 for the
Game Boy Advance. Written by
Shigesato Itoi and published by
Nintendo, and featuring
game mechanics modeled on the
Dragon Quest series, the
Mother series is known for its sense of humor, originality, and parody. Set in a late 20th century United States, the player uses weapons and psychic powers to fight hostile, everyday objects. Signature elements of the series include the lighthearted plots, the battle sequences with psychedelic backgrounds, and the "rolling
HP meter": as player health ticks down like an
odometer, players can outrun the meter to heal before dying. While the franchise is popular in Japan, in the United States, it is best associated with the
cult following behind
EarthBound, the 1995 English
localization of
Mother 2. Itoi is not planning another sequel in the series.