Amiibo
Amiibo is a toys-to-life product created byNintendo for use on their various different gaming titles. Amiibos were first sold in November 2014 in the form of theSuper Smash Bros. collection and continue to be sold on the Nintendo website to this day. The figures act as wireless communication and storage platform which interacts with the console and game being played to achieve various effects. This is possible via the figure's near field communication (NFC) technology which allows it to communicate with certain hardware. Currently the only supported platforms are theNintendo Wii U,Nintendo 3DS and theNintendo Switch with the Nintendo 3DS requiring an NFC adapted bought separately in order for the amiibos to be read, (with the exception of the New Nintendo 3DS which contains a built in NFC scanner). Scanning the Amiibo figure onto an NFC reader acts as method of allowing data to be read from its internal storage as well as being able to have data downloaded onto it. This often acts as a "key" for a vast selection of compatible titles and can grant the user various rewards or access to content that may have previously hidden. The figures can also be scanned onto the consoles themselves and allow the user to view data that was added by previous users or may allow the current user to upload their own information onto the figure.
Connection to the Mother Series
There exists two representations of theEarthBound/Mother franchise in the form of Amiibo figures of the main characters ofEarthBound andMother 3:Ness andLucas.
The Ness Amiibo was released as Amiibo number 34 and was revealed alongside the 4th wave of Super Smash Bros. Amiibos. The Ness Amiibo first went on sale on the 24/04/2015 in Europe, 29/04/2025 in Japan and 29/05/2015 in North America and was sold as GameStop exclusive in the USA and an EB games exclusive in Canada. Due to being part of the Super Smash Bros. line of Amiibos, Ness is in his pose seen often throughout the Super Smash Bros. franchise, in which he holds out his right hand with his index and middle finger pointed out as if to channel hisPSI.
Below is a list of games which grant the player a unique reward once the Ness Amiibo is scanned in by the player[1]:
- Miitopia (Both Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch versions) - Gifts the player a Ness-themed costume
- Kirby: Planet Robobot - Grants the player aspecial copy ability based on Ness alongside some health items
- Yoshi's Woolly World - Unlocks a Ness-themed yarn pattern
- Chibi-Robo! Zip-lash - Unlocks a figure in the pose of Ness (the player must also have the Chibi-Robo Amiibo to receive this)
- Super Mario Maker - Grants the player the ability to place down a Ness Mystery Mushroom costume within their levels
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS - Allows the player to fight against and train their own custom AI Ness which learns from your playstyle. This can then be scanned in on other consoles and the fighter will remember its previous training.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Allows the player to fight against and train their own custom AI Ness which learns from your playstyle. This can then be scanned in on other consoles and the fighter will remember its previous training.
The Lucas Amiibo was released as Amiibo number 53 and was revealed alongside the 7th wave of Super Smash Bros. Amiibos. The Lucas Amiibo first went on sale on the 17/12/2015 in Japan, 22/01/2016 in North America and 29/01/2016 in Europe. Due to being part of the Super Smash Bros. line of Amiibos, Lucas is in his pose seen often throughout the Super Smash Bros. franchise, in which he holds out the palm of his right hand with all of his fingers fully extended as if to channel hisPSI. He is also pictured with his mouth open with his left hand clenched into a fist.
Below is a list of games which grant the player a unique reward once the Lucas Amiibo is scanned in by the player[2]:
- Kirby: Planet Robobot - Grants the player a special copy ability based on Lucas alongside some health items
- Yoshi's Woolly World - Unlocks a Lucas-themed yarn pattern
- Super Mario Maker - Grants the player the ability to place down a Lucas Mystery Mushroom costume within their levels
- Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS - Allows the player to fight against and train their own custom AI Lucas which learns from your playstyle. This can then be scanned in on other consoles and the fighter will remember its previous training.
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - Allows the player to fight against and train their own custom AI Lucas which learns from your playstyle. This can then be scanned in on other consoles and the fighter will remember its previous training.
There are noEarthBound series games that are compatible with Amiibo.
Gallery
- A Ness Amiibo from Smash Bros.
- A Lucas Amiibo from Smash Bros.


