Encyclopedia MOTHER: The Swamplands

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[1989: pp. 91–92]

[2003: pp. 95–96]

17. THE SWAMPLANDS

• Area: 44,100 m² (about 27.4 mi²)
• Pop.: 2
• Avg. Temp.: 10℃ (50℉)
• Avg. Humidity: 85%

[Photo: Wetlands. Caption below:]

▲A land with a climate exactly like that of Finland's marshes. There are a lot of precious animals here that, even in this country, are on the verge of extinction.

[Jump links coming soon.]

The Swamplands

Swamplands Map

Pippi's Vacation Home

The Road to Valentine

Thoughts from Kouichi Sugiyama

EVENT CHECK POINT

The Swamplands

These huge, Scandinavia-like wetlands

are an animal's paradise

The huge wetlands, surrounded by conifer forest on all sides, are what's called rare "glacial aftermath". This is because, during the Ice Age, large glaciers flowed down slowly from the surrounding mountains and piled up in this land, and ever so slowly scraped away at the ground, until they had formed huge wetlands at zero meters above sea level. The beautiful landscape calls Scandinavia to mind, but repels people owing to the high humidity at low temperatures. The only visitors are hunters at the start of the summer open season, turning it into hunting grounds for the scarce Buffalo and deer.

[Photo: Some real-life buffalo in a clearing.]

▲Even the gentle Buffalo will give you the stink horn.

SWAMPLANDS MAP

To Easter

Pippi's Vacation Home

Pippi's Vacation Home

An adventure life in the "Little House on the Scary"¹

A vacation home for Pippi's hunting-enthusiast father. The reason he chose a labyrinthine swampland, in which if you get lost just once you'll never come out again, is because it's the only place in the country where Buffalo hunting is allowed. It's a maze any first-time visitor will get lost in, but this family knows their way around it as if it were their own backyard. Her mother enjoys making necklaces and bracelets out of the amber dug up here, and Pippi never tires of making chitchat with the animals, above all else. For Pippi's family this is paradise on Earth.

[Photo: A small cabin on the edge of some woods.]

▲An adventure family's home.

The Road to Valentine

Heading north on a bad gut feeling

Even so, something has changed about this animal's paradise. The Buffalo, who normally never attack humans, will block your journey's road, and even seagulls from the ocean up north will swoop down on you with their sharp beaks. I imagine you're aware that the further north you head, the stronger this ominous shadow becomes. From here on, if you change your mind, remember that Lloyd's dad (who's been hiding in a plastic industrial bucket) and Pippi both came here thinking the shadow wouldn't get this far. You can't go back anymore. All there is to do is hurry along the road.

- Maji Kanto

真面完人

The Scary Hippie's Rock 'n' Roll Music Came Out Really Well

Kouichi Sugiyama

すぎやまこういち

Composer

Now that Dragon Quest IV is finally a wrap, I'm currently kicking back and enjoying MOTHER. Thank you, Mr. Itoi. There's so much inventiveness even in the sound design, it's just so fun. The scary Young Man's [read: Hippie's] rock 'n' roll music came out really well. I'm just out on a leisure stroll here, following the Breadcrumbs and the Itoi-ish dialogue. I feel like I want to hurry and see the ending. ... But I also feel like this is too good not to take my time through. ... What do I do?

EVENT CHECK POINT

Entering in your name isn't an absolutely necessary event, but it is something you'll want to do if you can. Be careful you don't get lost.

[Screenshot dialogue box:]

Ninten's dad asked for your

name earlier. Did you give

him the right name?

▶YES       NO

[Screenshot dialogue box and caption:]

I went out to play again.

That's why I'm here.

Don't tell my mom, though.

▲What a place to have a reunion with Pippi!

Area's Main Enemies:

Tough Alligator, Thieving Seagull, Mook, etc.

❏ When the phone call came in from Lloyd's dad², did you register your name?

¹ "Little House on the Scary": Forgive me for this. The literal translation is "Little House in the Great Wetlands", but this is a direct reference to Little House on the Prairie, and the pun is achieved by changing only one kanji character, so I wanted to convey that somehow. Plus, anyone who's played the game can agree this area can be pretty scary. Let me know if anyone has any better suggestions!

² This is an error. Lloyd's dad doesn't actually call you on the phone for the Player Name sequence. Ninten's dad brings it up in a phone call, and then when you meet Lloyd's father, you discuss it with him through the trash can he's hiding in... or the plastic industrial bucket, according to this book.

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