You may know the character Ness from Nintendo’s popular Super Smash Bros. fighting game series but you may be wondering what game Ness came from.
The character Ness originated from the role playing game Earthbound, published by Nintendo and developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory. Known as “Mother” in Japan, Earthbound followed the adventure of a young boy named Ness and his friends in a fictionalized world filled with quirky humor.
Ness might have originated in the game Earthbound but his game also had a prequel and sequel.
Find out more about Ness’ Earthbound series, each game in the series, and where you can play the games in this helpful article.
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Earthbound Beginnings/Mother
Earthbound Beginnings followed the adventure of a young boy named Ninten and his friends after paranormal events began occurring alongside an alien invasion.
Earthbound Beginnings originally released as a game titled “Mother” in Japan on the Nintendo Entertainment System during July 1989.
The game first released outside of Japan in North America and other regions as a digital download title on the Nintendo Wii U during June 2015.
The precursor to Ness’ Earthbound adventure can still be experienced today, as Earthbound Beginnings is available on Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch Online game catalog app.
Scroll to the next section of this article to learn how you can play Earthbound Beginnings or click here to navigate directly to that section.
| GAME | Earthbound Beginnings/Mother |
| SYSTEM | Nintendo Entertainment System |
| DATE | July 1989/June 2015 |
Earthbound/Mother 2
Earthbound is where the Nintendo character Ness originated.
A role playing game set in the modern world during the 1990s, Earthbound followed Ness and his young friends on a journey to stop evil aliens form spreading hatred.
Ness originated from the Super Nintendo game Earthbound
Earthbound released in North America on June 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES); the game originally released in Japan during August 1994 under its original title “Mother 2”.
Ness’ adventure in Earthbound can be experienced today, as Earthbound is available on Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch Online game catalog app.
Scroll to the next section of this article to learn how you can play Earthbound or click here to navigate directly to that section.
| GAME | Earthbound/Mother 2 |
| SYSTEM | Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
| DATE | August 1994/June 1995 |
Earthbound 3/Mother 3
Mother 3 (Earthbound 3) is the sequel to Earthbound but has never been released outside of Japan.
The game originally released on Game Boy Advance in Japan during April 2006 and has been added to the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack Game Boy Advance app in 2024 in Japan.
| GAME | Mother 3 |
| SYSTEM | Game Boy Advance |
| DATE | April 2006 |
How To Play Earthbound On Nintendo Switch Online App
Want to play Earthbound Beginnings and Earthbound plus many other Nintendo classics?
These classic titles (and dozens more) are free to play for Nintendo Switch Online members.
Steps To Playing Nintendo Switch Online App Games
- Become a Nintendo Switch Online Member by using my links below
- Download a Nintendo Switch Online App from the Nintendo Switch eShop store
- Load your Nintendo Switch Online app of choice
- Select the game you want to play
- Play a classic Nintendo game until satisfied
First step: you must become a Nintendo Switch Online member!
A Basic membership is all that is required to play as Ness in Earthbound along with the game’s prequel, Earthbound Beginnings.
Choose Your Nintendo Switch Online Membership
There are two types of Nintendo Switch Online memberships: individual and family.
Individual plans are great to get if only one person plans to play a Nintendo Switch game online.
Family plans are great for up to 8 people in a household to play Nintendo Switch games online.
Become a Nintendo Switch Online member and gain access to a catalog of Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy games by using my Amazon affiliate links below.
NOTE: These links are designed to provide a means for TendoSource to earn by linking affiliated sites at no extra cost to you. This allows us to continue creating quality guides while keeping the site running.
Nintendo Switch Online Membership Links
- View INDIVIDUAL 12-Month Nintendo Switch Online Membership on Amazon by clicking my affiliate link here.
- View FAMILY 12-Month Nintendo Switch Online Membership on Amazon by clicking my affiliate link here.
Get Access To Even More Nintendo Switch Online App Games
If you want access to a collection of Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy Advance games, you’ll have to instead get the Nintendo Switch Online membership that includes the Expansion Pack.
Nintendo Switch Expansion Online Membership + Expansion Pack Links
- View INDIVIDUAL 12-Month Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Amazon by clicking my affiliate link here.
- View FAMILY 12-Month Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack on Amazon by clicking my affiliate link here.
The Expansion Pack is an optional membership tier that provides dozens of games from Sega Genesis to Nintendo 64.
Use the following helpful table to see what game collections are available with the standard Nintendo Switch Online membership versus the Nintendo Switch Online membership + Expansion Pack.
Apps Available To Nintendo Switch Online Members
| App | Base Membership | Expansion Pack Membership |
|---|---|---|
| Nintendo | Yes | Yes |
| Super Nintendo | Yes | Yes |
| Game Boy | Yes | Yes |
| Sega Genesis | NO | Yes |
| Game Boy Advance | NO | Yes |
| Nintendo 64 | NO | Yes |
Earthbound is available on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Switch Online app while Earthbound Beginnings is part of the Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo Switch Online app.
A basic Nintendo Switch Online membership is all that is needed to play as Ness and the Earthbound series.
NOTE: The Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pass includes BOTH a 12-month Nintendo Switch Online membership and the Expansion Pass collection of games. You only have to purchase either the standard or Expansion Pack membership of either an individual or family plan (not both).
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Images credited. All others owned by Nintendo or respective owners. Screenshots taken by me.
