Sprites

This is a sub-page of Prerelease:EarthBound/Secrets of MOTHER 2.

Looking at all these sprites, it's clear that optimizing canvas sizes was a key priority during EarthBound's development. If a sprite had more empty space than necessary, its canvas would be reduced, sometimes even compressing the sprite itself to make it fit.

Battle Sprites#

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

One portion of the Abstract Art's frame was noticeably lighter in color compared to the rest.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Armored Frog appeared significantly taller, giving it a more imposing and exaggerated presence.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Bad Buffalo was first planned to be a Rhino, then a Hippo.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Cranky Lady originally had a wider body frame and wore brighter clothing, giving her a noticeably different appearance.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Only very subtle adjustments were made to the bear, primarily refining the claws and adding a shadow.

Secrets of MOTHER 2.	Final

Belch was originally designed with Slimy Little Piles attached to his body, but this detail was ultimately removed, possibly because it came across as a bit too unpleasant or grotesque.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Big Foot is a returning enemy from EarthBound Beginnings, but was later redesigned with a more caveman-like appearance, giving him a distinct new look compared to his original design.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

There are subtle differences with the Black Antoid, primarily in the shading, which has been slightly adjusted.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Captain Strong underwent a few refinements, including subtle touch-ups to his design and a reduction to a smaller canvas size for better optimization.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Care Free Bomb underwent subtle adjustments, including changes in shading and a reduction in outlines, giving it a slightly softer and more refined look.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

There were subtle changes made to the Conducting Spirit, so minor that they're barely noticeable.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

While the Crazed Sign itself remained unchanged, its shadow was altered.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

To save space, Dali's Clock was compressed horizontally by 1 pixel to fit within a 32×64 frame. This adjustment resulted in the top pointer's hand being cut off and left a missing outline at the bottom of the clock's melting feature.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Although it's unconfirmed what this enemy actually is, the sprite's palette in the final game seems inconsistent, and the enemy is named "Spook" rather than "Mook". This could suggest that the sprite was originally intended for this enemy.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Desert Wolf was originally designed as a leopard before being changed to its current form.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Fobby's original design was quite unappealing, featuring a large cyclops eye instead of the two small dot eyes of the final design.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The New Age Retro Hippie was initially planned for a complete redesign from EarthBound Beginnings, but this idea was later reverted.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Minor adjustments were made to part of the lips on the Kiss of Death, refining the details for a more polished appearance.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Mad Duck was originally much larger in size.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Mad Taxi underwent a few small touch-ups, and there were even plans for a returning variant of the Mad Car from EarthBound Beginnings, though this was ultimately not included.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The shadow of the Mobile Sprout was adjusted.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The palette for this Mook sprite remains in the game's data and is reused for other enemies. Similar to Dali's Clock, the sprite was compressed to fit into a smaller canvas size.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Enraged Fire Plug was originally taller before being resized to its current height.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Mr. Molecule was originally much larger in size.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

No Good Fly had its shadow adjusted.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Psychic Psycho was originally a bit taller.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Ranboob appears to have been an enemy planned early in EarthBound's development, with concept art showing a 3-headed variant that was ultimately not used in the final game.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Robo Pump had a few small differences in its design, with subtle adjustments made to refine its appearance.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Skelpion originally had a different design, appearing much larger and more intimidating.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Smilin' Sam later received refined details on its hands and hair, enhancing the overall design.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Smilin' Sphere originally lacked a shadow and was slightly larger in size.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Spinning Robo underwent several design changes throughout development.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Starman Junior was initially intended to resemble his appearance in EarthBound Beginnings, being smaller in size. This also explains the red dot in the Starman overworld sprite.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Thunder Mite was originally much larger and bore a striking resemblance to the Electro Swoosh.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Electro Swoosh was originally much larger in size.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Everdred was completely redone from scratch. His original sprite resembles his overworld sprite much more closely.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The lighting for the Hot Cup of Coffee was adjusted, and the sprite was edited to show coffee emerging from the cup, enhancing its appearance.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Heavily Armed Pokey had a completely different machine before his infamous spider mech. Him suddenly appearing and floating down before the battle begins to make a lot more sense.

Overworld Sprites#

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Empty versions of the red sports car.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The overworld sprites used by the Gigantic Ant and a few other enemies was originally gray instead of yellow.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Smilin' Sphere's overworld sprite was originally chrome and had a less defined grin without the visible lips.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Venus's mother had a longer, less poofy dress , and her half-lidded eyes lacked the eyeshadow.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The junked robot sprites are much rougher, and possibly reflect an earlier design.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

A more realistic puke-brown version of Master Belch/Barf/Puke.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Diamondized party members were originally turned into literal giant diamonds instead of just having their bodies crystalized.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Was used as a particle effect for Pokey knocking on the door, and then for the traffic light when attempting to cross the road before getting removed entirely. The lines were changed from black to white and made a little less even.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The water droplets lost their outlines.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Some minor touch-ups to this puff of smoke.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Tendas had a much more eerie appearance, almost resembling "living shadows" with no visible features except their glowing eyes. They were redesigned into the short, green, gummi-looking fellas we all know and love for the final game. The regular tribesmen carry spears in the early sprites that they lost for the final game, while the elder gained some directional sprites. (Still rocking the mustache, though.) The early sheet also lacks the special sprite of the strong Tenda moving the rock.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

This little bird is much larger in the early sprites, which appear to have been based on the canaries from Canary Village in EarthBound Beginnings.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The friendly moles were given little hard hats in the final game.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

As mentioned earlier with the battle sprites, the Bad Buffalo replaced the Hippo.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The mynah bird shrunk, but it also gained a longer tail and a perch. You win some, you lose some.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

This friendly Magicant resident originally had a completely different, redder, spottier design with a long, beak-like white nose. Look at him prance!

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Either the bunnies had no eyes, or they were permanently closed.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The meteorite that crashes into Onett had no cracks, and was a static image lacking the final version's glowing animation.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Ness's lying-down sprites were mostly redrawn. He was made to fold his arms across his chest.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Ness posing for a picture. The early sprite is fairly rough and chubby-looking, and was polished up a bit for the final game. His closed-mouth smile also became an open-mouthed one.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Unused though it may be, the sprite's Lost Underworld equivalent was also touched up to remove the shadow.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Two early drafts of the Abstract Art's overworld sprite, one that only has the moon-headed figure and one that's considerably smaller than the final.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Early drafts of the present sprite with a more defined rim.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Speak Stone had a far rougher design. That thing barely looks like a rock.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The messenger that interrupts Poo's Mu training was originally a man.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

There used to be a unique sprite for the broken Sky Runner. The final version uses a vaguer sprite to represent both the Sky Runner and Phase Distorter.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Basically the same changes as the above-mentioned "door knocking" particles.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Starmen were originally going to be bigger in the overworld, but were changed to use Starman Junior's sprites for an unknown reason.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Tessie was flipped horizontally.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Lost Underworld versions of the Teddy Bear sprites lost their shadows.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Pay phones originally came in their own little booths (with some illegible writing on the awning).

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

The Tessie Watchers were originally stereotypical "Dr. Livingstone"-style explorers. They were redesigned into younger men with binoculars.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

This blue-shirted fella cleaned up his hair a little, straightened his posture, and gained a more symmetrical smirk. His nose is also lower on his face in his early side-view sprites.

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Final

Ness's front door originally opened the other way around, which would have obscured Porky/Picky on entrance. The "knocking" sprite isn't implemented on the early sheet.

Removed#

1991	Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2	Recreation

The snowman from the Abstract Art enemy was, through most of EarthBound's development, its own enemy. There exists a version of the Abstract Art's overworld sprite that has no snowman in it. The overworld sprite featured in the scan is missing a lot of its features due to the red tint over it (which was applied to almost all other scrapped overworld sprites). Similar to how the Hippo made it late and managed to get an overworld sprite, but was replaced, the Snowman was later resized to fit into a smaller canvas, but got removed anyway.

Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2

This character's name is "Onigiri", which is a Japanese rice ball dish. His head has a similar shape to one.

Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2

Secrets of MOTHER 2