EarthBound is, simply put, one of the greatest games ever made, and you'll be sure to laugh with every minute of it.
EarthBound
Released June 5, 1995
Only for the SNES
Chances are, if you've played any of the Super Smash Bros. games for a certain amount of time, you've heard of the character Ness and the title "EarthBound (Also known as "Mother 2" in Japan)" before but have never actually played the game yourself. There's a reason for that, with the main cause being Nintendo of America. NoA was reluctant from the start to release the first Mother title in America, and we were lucky enough as it was for Mother 2 to even see the light of day outside of Japan, even if the game's American commercial slogan was "This game stinks" and that Nintendo of America made sure that almost nobody in the country played this game at the time. But what exactly was everybody missing? They were missing a spectacular RPG experience that should've been enjoyed by everyone who owned an SNES at the time.
As soon as you turn the game on, you're greeted with an intense introduction showing what seems to be a town attacked by a number of UFOs. It truly doesn't represent the game at all, and could just as easily have been a screenshot from Contra III if you removed the "EarthBound: The War Against Giygas!" text, but as soon as you begin your adventure, you're treated to so much more than that.
Enter the world of Ness, a pre-teen boy from the town of Onett in the country of Eagleland. Ness is peacefully sleeping in his room when he is shaken awake by the crash of a meteorite nearby. Upon exiting the house (after first being told by his mom to change out of his pajamas) that night and eventually looking closely at the meteor, Ness is told by an insect named Buzz Buzz that he and 3 other children are destined to save the world from an evil alien known as Giygas. Ness then embarks on a journey with nothing other than a cracked baseball bat and an ATM card to find these other chosen ones and stop the imminent apocalypse.
Here's just a few of the odd things you'll encounter while playing EarthBound:
- A "gang" full of men wielding skateboards, pogo sticks, and hoola hoops
- A village turning into a religious cult that wants to paint everything in the world blue
- Enemies by the names of "Arachnid!!", "Evil Road Sign", and my personal favorite, "New Age Retro Hippie"
- Many references to rock music and pop culture
Yeah, EarthBound is a strange game, but in a good way. Unlike most other RPGs, this one will be sure to make you laugh through the many hours of gameplay that you go through.
Probably the most common topic of criticism for EarthBound is the game graphics. I'll admit it, EarthBound is not a visually outstanding game outside of the wacky flashing backgrounds during battles, and the game is especially weak in the graphics department when compared to other RPGs on the same system, such as Chrono Trigger or Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. But as any gamer with common sense (Okay, that's not saying much) could tell you, graphics don't make a game, and that message certainly makes itself clear in this game. But another area that EarthBound really shines in is music. This game has an excellent soundtrack of tunes that fit the mood of all the diverse locations in the game, and there's even a track that strongly resembles Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", which plays during encounters with New Age Retro Hippies. That's both hilarious and a perfect fit.
The combat system is relatively close to that of other 1990s JRPGs, but with a small twist here and there. I've already mentioned the wacky flashing effects in battle and the silly enemy names, and these are the things that make up most of the battle screen. Ness and his friends (whose default names are Paula, Jeff, and Poo) each have the same commands of "Bash" or "Shoot" (the basic physical attacks), "PSI" (the character's psychic powers, not any different from the magic spells of games like Final Fantasy), "Goods" (the inventory of items at your disposal, and each protagonist has their own individual space for items that you can manage outside of battle), and "Defend" (using a turn to do nothing but reduce damage to the selected characters). But each of the four heroes also has a command that is unique to them. Ness has the ability to run away from battle and has his own unique spell that you get to name at the start of the game (the default name is "PSI Rockin'") , Paula has the ability to "Pray", which causes something different to happen each time it is used (it can do damage to the enemy or yourselves, give the enemy or yourselves a status problem, you name it, it can be a good or bad outcome, and you just have to hope that it turns out well), Jeff can use special battle items that are only usable to him, and Poo can "Mirror" the enemy to gain their attacks and abilities.
Another unique twist to EarthBound's combat system is the scrolling HP meters. In most other JRPGs, the enemy attacks you and you instantly take the full extent of the attack and potentially die the second you are hit. In EarthBound, once you are hit, your HP meter gradually scrolls down in a real-time manner that adds an interesting change to the tides of battle. Even if your character takes "mortal damage" (a life-threatening blow), you can act quickly to heal them up and prevent what could've been a tragic death that could've only been undone by using rare items, advanced magic, or visiting a town hospital.
Speaking of town hospitals, there are many large towns in the game to explore that each have similar building functions but are unique in their own ways. Each town or city will have some sort of store or restaurant to purchase new equipment and healing items, a hospital to heal dead party members and heal status problems (which include colds, nonstop crying, "feeling strange", "being mushroomized" (I know what you're thinking, but all it means is that you have a mushroom balanced on top of your head that you can't get rid of), and many others), a hotel to recover HP and PP and a man that will give you hints on how to progress if you're in a tight spot. The stores and hotels will also include an ATM to withdraw and deposit your cash, and a telephone to call the people you are in contact with (Calling your dad will let you save the game, calling your mom everyone now and then will prevent or cure the "Homesickness" ailment, and calling the "Escargo Express" will let you store away items you don't need). Plus as you explore the various towns and landscapes of EarthBound, you're sure to make several encounters with the incredibly annoying photographer that appears out of nowhere to interrupt your adventure by taking a picture and flying away.
As you can probably tell by now, EarthBound is quite a long adventure full of many different tasks to deal with. Once you clear the final boss, there isn't really much to do anymore besides maybe travel through the towns to see how things have changed, and then you'll be forced (you can't save anymore upon clearing the boss, so you're pretty much forced to continue onward) to talk to your mom, view the credits, and end the game. So there isn't too much to do besides go through the main plot of the game, but it is up to 20 hours long, and you'll be sure to come back and enjoy those 20 hours time and time again.
Pros and Cons:
+ Hilarious writing and a great plot to boot
+ The game has a pretty awesome soundtrack
+ Fun battles with unique twists
+ It's a very long game that you'll be sure to replay every now and then
+ Many large areas to explore
- The graphics aren't too impressive
- Nintendo of America sucks at advertising such an amazing RPG, and thus not too many have gotten to play it
Breakdown by category:
Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 9/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Fun Level: 10/10
Overall Score: 9.8/10
Overall, EarthBound is an outstanding game, and it's a darn shame that legal issues prevent this title from probably ever reaching the Wii's Virtual Console service. But if you ever do happen to come across this game at a secondhand game store like I did, it really is worth bringing out the good ol' SNES to give it a try.