Retro fans around the world still don’t quite believe that Nintendo will make good on its promise to bring Earthbound to the Wii U Virtual Console this year, but more and more signs are suggesting it’s really happening. The latest? The Australian Classification Board posting a simple update, rating the game for local release.

The original Earthbound

Curious? Earthbound has been given an Australian M rating – the non-age restricted bracket for “Mature” audiences, citing “Crude humour and sexual references”.

This will actually be the first Australian outing for Ness and the Earthbound crew – the game (known as Mother 2 in Japan) hit shelves in the mid-90s but never saw a release Down Under. Those hoping for an appearance on the original Wii Virtual Console were sadly disappointed, despite Nintendo promising a downloadable release for that, too.

You can understand why fans are a little cautious – we still don’t have a date for this momentous occasion – but at this point, at least, all systems are go: After 18 years, Earthbound will have another day in the (virtual) sun.