"Mother" was the sixth best-selling game of 1989 in Japan, where it sold about 400,000 copies and received a "Silver Hall of Fame" score from "Famitsu" magazine. "Mother" was noted for its similarities to the "Dragon Quest" series and its simultaneous parody of the genre's tropes; however, many considered its sequel "EarthBound" to be similar and a better overall implementation of "Mother" gameplay ideas, with critics disliking the game's high difficulty level and balance issues. Jeremy Parish of "1UP.com" wrote that "Mother" importantly generated interest in video game emulation and the historical preservation of unreleased games. The game was re-released in Japan on the single-cartridge compilation "Mother 1+2" for the Game Boy Advance in 2003.