Shigesato Itoi first founded Ape Inc., the company that worked on EarthBound's predecessor Mother / EarthBound: Beginnings. Ape Inc. later reformed as Creatures Inc. with the help of Satoru Iwata. Ape Inc. worked on EarthBound, and later helped Game Freak develop the Pokémon series as the reformed Creatures Inc. Their influence can be seen in Pokémon. The main villain in Mother, Giygas, has a battle sprite that resembles Mewtwo. He also has a mental power called PSI. Additionally, there's an item in EarthBound called "Bag of Dragonite." There is also a Pokémon named Dragonite.
In Mother 2 (the Japanese version of EarthBound), the cultists of Happy Happyism appear with the letters HH on their forehead (for Happy Happyism). In EarthBound, a pom pom was added and the HH was removed, presumably to try to make the cultists look less like members of the Klu Klux Klan. Also, possibly because HH on an already Klan-like sprite could be construed to mean "Heil Hitler". The city "Threek" was renamed "Threed" in EarthBound. Like the cultists, this may also be to avoid any link to the Klan, as Threek could be seen as Three K's, or KKK.
Playing Ashley's music on the record turntable fast enough will speak the words "I have granted kids to hell!" However, in Nintendo Power issue 193, Nintendo stated that it was an accident, and the words come out like that due to the turntable skipping over parts of the song, and only playing certain pieces of the track.
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When Link sprinkles Magic Powder or uses a Mystery Seed on a Buzz Blob, it will transform into an enemy called a Cukeman who Link can talk to and hear several short phrases. Each localization of the game features completely unique Cukemen phrases, often making vague references to real-life people or things.
In the Japanese release, the Cukeman's dialogue string is a series of catchphrases that ends with "…That concludes this collection of R-Moto-isms. It has absolutely nothing to do with the game!" "R-Moto" is most likely a nickname for the game's character designer Masanao Arimoto, suggesting that the Cukeman's dialogue originally consisted of phrases he commonly used during development.
In the English release, this dialogue is changed, causing the Cukeman to say nonsensical phrases like the stereotypical Jamaican greeting "Hey Mon!", as well as "It can display millions of polygons!" immediately followed by "I definitely need it, as soon as possible!". These last two lines are most likely a reference to the Nintendo 64 which was in early development stages at the time of the game's release.
In the original German release, the Cukemen will say more suggestive or vulgar phrases courtesy of Nintendo of Europe localization translator Claude Moyse. Two of the phrases include "Gib Mir Deinen Saft, Ich Geb'Dir Meinen" which translated from German to English means "Give me your juice, I'll give you mine.", as well as "Nie Ohne Kondom!" which translates to "Not without a condom!" The "Gib Mir Deinen Saft, Ich Geb'Dir Meinen" line is most likely a direct reference to the 1992 song "Saft" by German hip-hop group Die Fantastischen Vier, of which that line is its hook, and peaked at #19 on the German singles chart the year prior to Link's Awakening's release. Because the song openly promotes the sexual exchange of bodily fluids, the "Nie Ohne Kondom!" line was presumably added by Moyse to jokingly riff off it while promoting safe sex to older players. The Link's Awakening DX release in Germany removed these references and phrases and instead changed them to in-game hints.
In the French release, the dialogue is changed once again to more nonsensical phrases before ending the dialogue string with "Lots of kisses from Kyoto! VERO". This last line features the name "VERO" and a unique heart sprite tacked on at the end as a signature, most likely from the localizer of this dialogue.
In the Hyrule Historia, it is revealed that there are three timelines sprouting off of Ocarina of Time. It's revealed near the start of Ocarina of Time that the great Deku tree dies, leaving a sprout to grow and one day replace him. The original Legend of Zelda takes place in the timeline in which Link is defeated in Ocarina of Time, and the first dungeon takes place inside a tree in a secluded area, likely to be the remains of the Great Deku Tree. In the timeline of Ganon being defeated and Adult Link remained, the Deku Sprout grew into a new Great Deku Tree which we see in Wind Waker. It makes sense that Ganon would have destroyed the sprout once he gains control of the land.
During day 3 at the Romani Ranch, you can trigger a conversation where Romani tells you that that night is finally the night when she gets to drink Chateau Romani. According to the sisters, the properties of Chateau Romani are so potent that children aren't allowed to drink it under normal circumstances, drawing parallels with alcohol in the real world. It's also only served in the Milk Bar, where children aren't allowed, and is only open at night. The scene at the ranch unfolds with Cremia stating that she acknowledges Romani's adulthood, and asks her little sister to sleep in her bed tonight. Cremia dishearteningly utters "See you... Tomorrow... OK?" while Romani cheerfully adds "See you tomorrow!"
It seems as though Cremia knows that they're about to die, and is giving Romani the drink to dull her senses, so that she remains blissfully unaware of their destruction.
At the beginning of the game, you come across a warped dead Deku like figure. We can presume that this Deku scrub died in a horrible way. Additionally, later in the game, the Deku butler directly states that Link reminds him of his son, and he is seen weeping over the figure in the end credits. It's likely that this figure is the butler's son, and his spirit has been with you throughout the whole game.
It is widely considered that the lead hero is a reference to Marty McFly from the Back to the Future series. Both characters travel through time, use the term "heavy" and wear an orange life preserver. The lead hero also has a strong interest in movies, so this is possibly a development of that characteristic.
Many people believed that due to Square releasing Secret of Evermore, they never localized Seiken Densetsu 3 to the US. However, Secret of Evermore was actually developed by a new team hired in the US, many of whom had never worked in the industry before, and had nothing to do with the development of Seiken Densetsu 3.
At the very end of the game's ROM is a secret message from the game's director, Axel Brown;
Dear Hacker, yes there are some cheats and other hidden stuff in Metal Morph. Some are on the title page and some are not!! All standard cheats are possible, you're just gonna have to find them, b-u-u-u-d-d-d-d-y-y-y-y-y!!! ---- axel@origin.ea.com
The spelling of "buddy" in this message may be hinting at a potential cheat code in the form of B, Up, Up, Up, Down, Down, Down, Down, Y, Y, Y, Y, Y, although the effects of the code and how to activate it (if it exists at all) have yet to be discovered.
It's speculated that the forest and water temples in Ocarina of Time were originally wind and ice temples. The symbol on the Water Medallion from the Water Temple appears to have a snowflake on it, and the Forest Medallion design resembles a fan. This connection is further supported by the interior of Ganon's Tower, which is based on different temples. The Forest Temple portion of the tower has a wind puzzle based around fans, and the Water Temple portion of the tower is based on ice.
There's evidence suggesting that the psychic type in Pokemon is weak to bug, ghost, and dark types because they are basic fears, and fear can manipulate the mind. This is further implied by the ability "Rattled" (or "Jitter" in Japanese) where the user's speed stat is raised one stage when hit by bug, dark, or ghost-type moves, implying they have been shook up, or scared.
The 7th dungeon of Twilight Princess, "City in the Sky", is speculated to be based on a painting called "Another World" by M.C. Escher. The creatures, seen on the walls in the painting resemble the Oocca from the game. In the Twilight Princess dungeon, the Oocca are found running on the walls and floor.
There's an old Japanese idiom that says, "A duck comes along carrying a leek". It means a happy convenience, as duck with leek is a popular meal. The Pokemon Farfetch'd is based on this saying. The anime also states they are rare due to them being delicious. It seems that Farfetch'd were designed to be eaten from the very beginning. Any notion of them being used as food was later toned down or dropped. Along with the word "leek", which is now called a stick or a stalk.
It's rumored that the Pokemon Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf represent the Triforce from The Legend of Zelda, as they are the Knowledge (Wisdom), Emotion (Courage) and Will-Power (Power) Pokemon. They were also created by the God Pokemon Arceus, and the Triforce was created by the Goddesses Din, Nayru and Farore.
There's a curious connection between Super Mario Bros. 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Two characters in the games are actually the same; Mamu in Link's Awakening and Wart in Mario 2. It should be noted that Wart's Japanese name in Mario 2 is Mamu. Both games are revealed to be dream worlds at the end, with Mario 2 taking place in Subcon (short for subconscious) and Link's Awakening taking place on an island created by the Wind Fish's dreaming.
The Gyroids bear a strong resemblance to Haniwa; clay figures made for ritual use and buried with the dead. This explains why Gyroids can only be obtained by digging, and also implies that you have just dug up someone's grave. This likeness is referenced in the Japanese version of Animal Crossing: City Folk, where the auction house owner Lloid is named "Haniwa-Kun".
It was originally planned for the player to have sex with NPCs in the game, and there is plenty of unused text in the game's code to reflect this. In addition to this, there's text suggesting you were originally able to join the prostitutes guild and turn your character into a prostitute.
"Looker", a character who hides his real name, says that he is working to stop Team Galactic from ripping reality into pieces and creating a new world to replace our own. He wears a brown coat and a suit, and has very pointy hair. He seems very similar to "The Doctor" from "Doctor Who", who also goes around stopping galactic cataclysmic events, and never reveals his actual name. In addition, "Looker" physically resembles the tenth Doctor portrayed by David Tennant.
There is evidence to suggest that Ditto is a failed clone of Mew. Both Pokemon are genderless, weigh the same, their base stats are exactly the same in every respect, they share almost identical colors, and they're the only two Pokemon who learn Transform naturally.
Ditto can also be found commonly in the same cave as Mewtwo, as well as the mansion on Cinnabar Island, where experiments on Mew were said to take place.
Shigesato Itoi first founded Ape Inc., the company that worked on EarthBound's predecessor Mother / EarthBound: Beginnings. Ape Inc. later reformed as Creatures Inc. with the help of Satoru Iwata. Ape Inc. worked on EarthBound, and later helped Game Freak develop the Pokémon series as the reformed Creatures Inc. Their influence can be seen in Pokémon. The main villain in Mother, Giygas, has a battle sprite that resembles Mewtwo. He also has a mental power called PSI. Additionally, there's an item in EarthBound called "Bag of Dragonite." There is also a Pokémon named Dragonite.
In Mother 2 (the Japanese version of EarthBound), the cultists of Happy Happyism appear with the letters HH on their forehead (for Happy Happyism). In EarthBound, a pom pom was added and the HH was removed, presumably to try to make the cultists look less like members of the Klu Klux Klan. Also, possibly because HH on an already Klan-like sprite could be construed to mean "Heil Hitler". The city "Threek" was renamed "Threed" in EarthBound. Like the cultists, this may also be to avoid any link to the Klan, as Threek could be seen as Three K's, or KKK.
It is widely considered that the lead hero is a reference to Marty McFly from the Back to the Future series. Both characters travel through time, use the term "heavy" and wear an orange life preserver. The lead hero also has a strong interest in movies, so this is possibly a development of that characteristic.
It's speculated that the forest and water temples in Ocarina of Time were originally wind and ice temples. The symbol on the Water Medallion from the Water Temple appears to have a snowflake on it, and the Forest Medallion design resembles a fan. This connection is further supported by the interior of Ganon's Tower, which is based on different temples. The Forest Temple portion of the tower has a wind puzzle based around fans, and the Water Temple portion of the tower is based on ice.
The 7th dungeon of Twilight Princess, "City in the Sky", is speculated to be based on a painting called "Another World" by M.C. Escher. The creatures, seen on the walls in the painting resemble the Oocca from the game. In the Twilight Princess dungeon, the Oocca are found running on the walls and floor.
There's a curious connection between Super Mario Bros. 2 and The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. Two characters in the games are actually the same; Mamu in Link's Awakening and Wart in Mario 2. It should be noted that Wart's Japanese name in Mario 2 is Mamu. Both games are revealed to be dream worlds at the end, with Mario 2 taking place in Subcon (short for subconscious) and Link's Awakening taking place on an island created by the Wind Fish's dreaming.
"Looker", a character who hides his real name, says that he is working to stop Team Galactic from ripping reality into pieces and creating a new world to replace our own. He wears a brown coat and a suit, and has very pointy hair. He seems very similar to "The Doctor" from "Doctor Who", who also goes around stopping galactic cataclysmic events, and never reveals his actual name. In addition, "Looker" physically resembles the tenth Doctor portrayed by David Tennant.
