Gameplay-wise the game is just entertaining enough to hold your attention, it's not very deep mechanically but I was still surpised to find uses for all the abilities that seemed useless initially. Story-wise, it's a very interesting game, though it's hard to justify all the content you have to replay just to get to the new stuff on subsequent playthroughs. That being said, this is the kind of game you play if you like games by eccentric developers like Kojima, games that have stuff you wouldn't find elsewhere. If that appeals to you, give this game a shot.

When I first started OT I had to drop it because I couldn't stand the random encounters. Even after deciding months later to continue I still believe this is its biggest flaw. There's also the problem of having a big party that barely interact with each other. I don't mind the individual stories, in fact I feel it's a nice change for a jrpg to have a more down to earth story. But it feels like 8 characters that simply share the main path instead of an actual party.
The battle system is fantastic, one of the best when it comes to turn based. The break system is simple in theory, but adds a lot of depth in the combat system.
The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. The 2D-HD design perfectly marries the old school feeling with the modern approach. Not a mystery why SE adopted it in many other games. The music is legit one of the best in history. It's jaw dropping good.
Overall it's a very good jrpg that I would definitely recommend.

I firmly believe that MOTHER 3 has, without a doubt, the best narrative out of any game that Nintendo has ever published. It is a deeply moving and meaningful experience. Considering Nintendo's preference towards a complete absence of narrative themes in games that they oversee, it's shocking to think that they had anything to do with this game at all. Whatever the case, Itoi and the development team were given a great deal of narrative freedom, and through the fires of hell that were this game's development, they created something truly unforgettable.
In terms of gameplay, I have no complaints. The battle system improves on Earthbound's mechanics in a great many ways: it's snappier, smoother, and much more balanced in terms of game progression. Although simple, the rhythm mechanic takes the typical bore out of watching your character's actions being executed. At the end of the day, though, the gameplay really is just complementary to the game's narrative, at least to me.
However, I can't give this game a perfect score for one particular reason: there is a lot of filler.
The game has a good few plot points that simply go nowhere in the scope of the entire story. In particular, chapter 2 gives pretty much nothing to the plot minus introducing Duster and Kumatora as characters, and chapter 7 is infamously drawn out. And while Itoi's creative direction gives us plenty of interesting experiences and wacky happenings during these sections, it still feels slightly disappointing and mildly boring to play through them.

All in all, it's a spectacular game. I don't know if I'd call it an absolute masterpiece, but as far as games from Nintendo go, it's easily one of the best.