MOTHER 3 Recomp

Name: MOTHER 3 Recomp
Author: josiahg2502-glitch

MOTHER 3 Recomp is a native port of MOTHER 3 for Windows, Linux, and Android with high-quality 16-bit sound and clean fullscreen mode.

Type: PC port
Game: MOTHER 3
Runs on Windows, Linux and Android
By josiahg2502-glitch
Latest release v1.0.6, 2026-10-16
Source: https://github.com/josiahg2502-glitch/Mother3Recomp

README

MOTHER 3 Native Port (Recompilation) v1.0.3

A native multi-platform port of MOTHER 3 featuring the official MOTHER 3 Fan Translation v1.3 (English) with native support for the High-Quality 16-Bit Sound Mixing Mod, clean fullscreen mode, in-game controller layout switching, and dedicated packages for Windows, Linux, and Android.

Unlike conventional emulation, this project statically recompiles the original Game Boy Advance ARM/Thumb machine code into native C++ instructions. The resulting binary executes natively on modern hardware with ultra-low latency, full analog movement, optional decorative bezel framing, integer scaling, and instant save state controls.

MOTHER 3 Title Screen

MOTHER 3 Gameplay with Sunset & Party Bezel

[!IMPORTANT] ENGLISH-PATCHED ROM REQUIRED: This software does NOT contain, distribute, or bundle any copyrighted Nintendo game data, ROM files, or BIOS dumps. On first launch, the program boots into the built-in launcher where you must provide your legally dumped MOTHER 3 ROM (patched with the v1.3 English translation) and your GBA BIOS dump.

1. What's New in v1.0.3

Controller Remapping & In-Game Layout Switcher:
- Cycle mid-game between 4 controller layouts (Xbox Standard, Nintendo Switch, Trigger Dash, Classic 1:1) via F9, Xbox Guide, or Back + Start with an on-screen notification banner.
- One-click configuration via Remap Controller.bat with dynamic live hot-reloading (persisted to keybinds.ini).
- (Note: Upstream recomp-ui only supports keyboard mapping inside the launcher GUI for GBA targets; gamepad layouts are managed via the in-game switcher and keybinds.ini).
Native 16-Bit High-Quality Audio Engine (run_hq_mixer_native):
- Replaced GBA self-modifying IWRAM assembly (0x03001C00) with a native C++ HLE 16-bit mixing pipeline, eliminating frame drops and audio crackling on hot audio routines.
- Native recognition for the High-Quality Sound Mixing Mod ROM SHA-1 (4ffe71ce...) directly in the launcher and runtime without patch steps or bypasses.
100% Native Linux & Steam Deck Build Overhaul:
- Resolved ROM verification errors on Linux by bundling recompiled sources and applying translation/UPS patches during the native build.
- Added Mother3Recomp.desktop launcher for 1-click launch on SteamOS Desktop.
64-Bit Interposer Stability:
- Fixed pattern scanner prologue in mother3_bezel.dll for SDL_DYNAPI_entry, ensuring crash-free hook attachment across modern 64-bit systems.
Clean Fullscreen / No Borders Mode (F10 Toggle):
- Toggle between the 1080p Sunset & Party Bezel and Clean Fullscreen Mode (No Borders) at any time during gameplay with F10!

Separate Multi-Platform Packages & Forks:

Dedicated releases are now downloadable individually:

Platform	Package Archive	Release Asset
Windows (x64)	`Mother3Recomp-v1.0.3-windows-x64.zip`	Download v1.0.3
Linux (x86_64 / Steam Deck)	`Mother3Recomp-v1.0.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz`	Download v1.0.3
Android (ARM64)	`Mother3Recomp-v1.0.3-android-arm64.apk`	Download v1.0.3

Dedicated repository forks:
- Android Port Repository: josiahg2502-glitch/Mother3Recomp-Android
- Linux Port Repository: josiahg2502-glitch/Mother3Recomp-Linux

2. Requirements

Game & Asset Requirements

To play, you must provide your own legitimate dumps of:

MOTHER 3 ROM (English Patched v1.3):
- Standard English v1.3: SHA-1: 306fb8874533b0fd0796208faa8bed2db4ae77fb
- English v1.3 + High-Quality Sound Mixing: SHA-1: 4ffe71ce5c5e1e8d9be5fbd09968b60787169b21
- OR Clean Japanese ROM (A3UJ / SHA-1: 4f0f493e12c2a8c61b2d809af03f7abf87a85776) + the official mother3.ups patch file from the MOTHER 3 Fan Translation website. The built-in launcher includes an automatic UPS patcher that verifies and applies the patch on the fly without modifying your original file.
Game Boy Advance BIOS Dump:
- gba_bios.bin (16 KB retail dump / SHA-1: 300c20df6731a33952ded8c436f7f186d25d3492).

System Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
Operating System	Windows 10/11 (64-bit), Linux (glibc 2.35+ / SteamOS), Android 8.0+	Windows 11 (64-bit) / SteamOS
Processor	x86-64 Dual-Core CPU with SSE2 / ARM64 v8a	x86-64 Quad-Core CPU with AVX2
Memory (RAM)	512 MB RAM	2 GB RAM
Graphics	Direct3D 11, OpenGL 3.2+, or Vulkan compatible GPU	Direct3D 11 / Vulkan
Storage	100 MB available space	500 MB available space
Input Devices	Keyboard / Touchscreen	Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, or XInput/DirectInput gamepad

3. First-Time Setup & Quick Start

Windows (PC)

Download Mother3Recomp-v1.0.3-windows-x64.zip and extract it anywhere on your PC.
Run Play Mother 3.cmd or Mother3Recomp.exe.
In the Launcher:
- Click Select GBA BIOS dump and choose your gba_bios.bin.
- Click Select game ROM (.gba) and choose your English-patched MOTHER 3 (English v1.3).gba.
- (Optional) If using a clean Japanese ROM, tick ROM patch and select mother3.ups.
Configure display and controller settings if desired, then click Play.

Linux (x86_64) & Steam Deck (Native)

Mother 3 Recomp runs as a 100% native Linux application (native x86_64 ELF binary with native SDL2, OpenGL/Vulkan, and ALSA/PulseAudio/PipeWire audio).

Native Release Archive: Download Mother3Recomp-v1.0.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz and extract it:
```
tar -xzf Mother3Recomp-v1.0.3-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
cd Mother3Recomp-Linux
```
Place gba_bios.bin in bios/ and your ROM in roms/.
- English Fan Translation v1.3: SHA-1 306fb8874533b0fd0796208faa8bed2db4ae77fb (recognized natively)
- High-Quality 16-Bit Audio Mod: SHA-1 4ffe71ce5c5e1e8d9be5fbd09968b60787169b21 (recognized natively)
- Clean Japanese ROM: SHA-1 4f0f493e12c2a8c61b2d809af03f7abf87a85776 (enable ROM patch with mother3.ups)

Launch natively:

chmod +x Mother3Recomp run_mother3.sh
./run_mother3.sh

Steam Deck (Game Mode): Add run_mother3.sh (or Mother3Recomp) as a Non-Steam Game in desktop Steam. In Steam Deck Game Mode, launch directly without any Proton compatibility layer needed—it executes as a native Linux process with full gamepad controls, 16:9 widescreen, and custom bezel.

Building Natively from Source (Linux / SteamOS)

To compile directly on Linux:

# 1. Install dependencies (Ubuntu/Debian/SteamOS developer mode)
sudo apt-get install -y cmake ninja-build build-essential libsdl2-dev libpng-dev

# 2. Build and launch
chmod +x tools/setup_deps.sh tools/build_linux.sh tools/run_mother3.sh
./tools/build_linux.sh
./tools/run_mother3.sh

The build script automatically checks out the pinned gbarecomp and recomp-ui commits, applies the translation, UPS, and HQ audio patches, and compiles Mother3Recomp.

Android

Download Mother3Recomp-v1.0.2-android-arm64.apk and install it on your device.
Open the app; the Mother3SetupActivity will prompt you to select your mother3_en.gba and gba_bios.bin files.
Once verified, the game launches natively with full touch and Bluetooth gamepad support!

4. Controls & Hotkeys

Gameplay Controls

Action	Keyboard	Controller (Xbox / PC)	DualShock / DualSense	Switch Pro
Movement	Arrow Keys	Left Analog Stick / D-Pad	Left Analog Stick / D-Pad	Left Analog Stick / D-Pad
A (Confirm / Talk)	`X`	`A` (or `Y`)	`Cross` (or `Triangle`)	`A` (or `X` in Nintendo mode)
B (Cancel / Dash)	`Z`	`B` (or `X`)	`Circle` (or `Square`)	`B` (or `Y` in Nintendo mode)
Dash (Alternate)	`Z`	`X` (Thumb Dash)	`Square`	`Y`
L (Quick text / Info)	`C`	`LB` / `LT`	`L1` / `L2`	`L` / `ZL`
R (Map)	`V`	`RB` / `RT`	`R1` / `R2`	`R` / `ZR`
Start (In-Game Menu)	`Enter`	`Start`	`Options`	`+` (Plus)
Select (Wake Sleep)	`Right Shift`	`Back` / `View`	`Share` / `Touchpad`	`-` (Minus)

[!TIP] Sleep Mode Wake: If the game enters sleep mode (screen goes dark), press L + R + Select (C + V + Right Shift or LB + RB + Back) to wake it, matching authentic GBA hardware behavior.

Controller Remapping & Layout Presets

Mother 3 Recomp includes a native zero-latency gamepad remapping engine inside mother3_bezel.dll configured through keybinds.ini.

[!NOTE] Why Remap Controller.bat?: In the upstream recomp-ui launcher GUI, clicking a button under Settings $\rightarrow$ Controls opens a prompt that only listens for keyboard inputs, ignoring controller button presses. Our native DLL interposer bypasses this limitation completely at the SDL2 event layer.

One-Click Presets (Remap Controller.bat): Double-click Remap Controller.bat in the game folder to switch between layout presets with 1 click:

[1] Xbox / PC Standard (Default): Physical A = Confirm, B = Cancel/Dash, X = Dash (ergonomic thumb run!), Y = Confirm, LT/LB = L, RT/RB = R.
[2] Nintendo / Switch: Physical B = Confirm, A = Cancel/Dash, Y = Dash, X = Confirm (matches authentic GBA / SNES physical button placement!).
[3] Modern Trigger Dash: Holding Right Trigger (RT) dashes! Perfect for modern controller ergonomics.
[4] Classic 1:1 Hardware: Direct 1:1 hardware pass-through (A=A, B=B, X=X, Y=Y).
[5] Custom Setup: Interactively assign any physical button or analog trigger.

[!TIP] Live Hot-Reloading: Changes to keybinds.ini are monitored dynamically in memory. When you select a preset or save keybinds.ini, your new controls take effect immediately in real time without having to restart the game!

System Hotkeys

Hotkey	Action	Behavior
`F10`	Toggle Bezel / Borders	Toggles dynamically between the custom Sunset & Party Bezel and Clean Fullscreen (No Borders) mode.
`F11`	In-Game Overlay Menu	Opens/closes the recomp overlay menu for settings, audio, and display adjustments without closing the game.
`Esc`	Instant Clean Exit	Cleanly saves battery save data (SRAM/Flash) to disk and shuts down the game process immediately.
`F1`	Quick Save State	Saves state to Slot 1 instantly without pausing gameplay.
`F2`	Quick Load State	Loads state from Slot 1 instantly.
`1` (Hold) / `LT`	Rewind	Rewinds gameplay by up to 30 seconds.
`2` (Hold) / `RT`	Fast-Forward	Accelerates game speed (4x multiplier by default).

5. Visuals & Presentation

Clean Fullscreen & Border Options: Press F10 at any time to toggle borders off/on. In config.ini, set bezel = 0 for borderless clean fullscreen by default or bezel = 1 for the decorative border.
1080p Sunset & Party Bezel: Integrates official full-HD decorative border artwork featuring Lucas, Kumatora, Duster, Boney, sunflowers, and the Nowhere Islands sunset.
3:2 Integer Scaling: Maps the active GBA screen into a pixel-accurate 3:2 frame with hardware alpha blending and zero clipping of HUD elements or warning text.
8-Way Analog Movement: Full 360-degree analog stick translation mapped to GBA 8-directional movement with custom deadzone calibration.

6. High-Quality Sound Mixing Mod

Mother3Recomp natively supports and bundles the celebrated High-Quality Sound Mixing Mod for Mother 3 (Fan Translations) by Summer Dragonfly & ipatix.

How it works: The original GBA hardware mixer mixes audio channels at 8-bit depth, producing the well-known "GBA hiss" and quantization noise. This hack replaces the mixer with 16-bit channel mixing before downsampling, giving Shogo Sakai's soundtrack crystal-clear audio clarity and fidelity.
Included in mods/High-Quality Sound Mixing/:
- apply_hq_sound_mod.bat: An automated one-click patcher that detects your English v1.3 ROM, generates the High-Quality Audio ROM, and automatically configures the game to boot it.
- mother3_hq_sound_mixing.ups: Official UPS patch file for use with external tools like Tsukuyomi or Flips.
Easy Play: Simply run apply_hq_sound_mod.bat and click Play Mother 3.cmd! (Note: The built-in launcher's "ROM Patch" checkbox is reserved for the fan translation patch on a clean Japanese cartridge; use the automated patcher script for the audio mod).

7. Credits & Disclaimers

A full, detailed breakdown of all contributors, authors, libraries, and tools is available in CREDITS.md.

English Fan Translation: The MOTHER 3 Fan Translation Team (mother3.fobby.net) — Clyde "Tomato" Mandelin, Jeffman, Reid Young, and contributors.
High-Quality Sound Mixing Mod: Summer Dragonfly (@MusicTheorist) and ipatix (Romhacking.net #6951 / MusicTheorist/MOTHER-3-HQ-Audio), with foundational mixing code by Haruki "Bon" Kodera (Camelot) and decompilation support from Kurausukun & theo3.
Recompilation Technology: Powered by gbarecomp and recomp-ui by Matthew Stanley (@mstan), licensed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0.
Android Port Lead: YlPorts (github.com/YlPorts/Mother3Recomp-Android).
Third-Party Libraries & Runtimes:
- SDL2: Sam Lantinga & the SDL Team (zlib license)
- Dear ImGui: Omar Cornut (MIT license)
- TinyCC: Fabrice Bellard (LGPL 2.1 license)
- MinGW-w64 / GCC: The MinGW-w64 Project Team

This repository is a non-commercial, open-source educational preservation project. No commercial ROMs, BIOS files, copyrighted game audio, or Nintendo proprietary code are distributed.