In "1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die", Christian Donlan wrote that the "Mother" series is a "massive RPG franchise" in Japan comparable to that of "Final Fantasy" and "Dragon Quest", though it does not enjoy the same popularity in the West. IGN described the series as neglected by Nintendo in North America, which only received one of the three "Mother" releases. Donlan added that the series' oddities did not lend towards Western popularity. RPGamer's Jordan Jackson noted that the series is "known for its wacky sense of humor, originality, and its very young protagonists", and "Kotaku" Luke Plunkett said that the games were distinct from all other video games in that they stirred "genuine emotion in players beyond ... 'excited' and 'afraid with a "charming", "touching", and "tragic" story, which he credited to its creators' pedigrees from outside the video game industry.