Despite flopping upon its release in 1995, over the decades EarthBound has acquired a great reputation. It's easy to see why it wasn't popular: the cartoon-art styled—inspired by Charles Schultz's beloved Peanuts comic strip—doesn't compare well to the cutting-edge graphics seen in the two blockbuster RPGs released that same year: Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger. Also, the contemporary American suburbia setting may have been unappealing.
Like many other Super Nintendo games, EarthBound is essentially a remake of its 8-bit predecessor. Titled "Mother" (apparently in reference to the Beatles song, "Let It Be") came out in Japan in 1989. A fully translated NES prototype was created—under the title "Earth Bound"—but never released (like Final Fantasy II). In both EarthBounds, some kids (you choose their names, as always) must save the world from the alien Giygas.
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| This guy keeps appearing to have everyone pose for a photograph. |
EarthBound's unusual aesthetic matches its atypical setting and plot: a meteorite carrying an alien crashes in 90's America. The game's tone is irreverent, as evidenced in NPC dialogue and the sort of wandering "monsters" encountered: stray dogs, skateboard punks, cops, hippies, cultists, crazy old ladies, as well as mushrooms, aliens, robots, and other strange creatures. Instead of being killed, most defeated enemy "become tame" or "return to normal." Take that, hippies and punks! These kids are going to beat you into following bourgeois mores. To achieve this conformity, they use weapons like baseball bats and slingshots, as well as hats, bracelets, and coins (?) as armor.
Instead of spells, characters learn psychic abilities called PSI. Each has different levels, marked by Greek letters: alpha, beta, gamma, and omega. When you use an attack PSI in combat, strange, almost psychedelic patterns of color appear, with sound effects. One character, a blond boy, can't use PSI. Instead, he fixes broken items whenever the party rests at a hotel. For example, there's a rare enemy-drop, the broken antenna, which he can make into his most powerful weapon, the Gaia beam.
EarthBound doesn't use a world map: each area is connected (like in Secret of Mana). A PSI ability, teleport, lets you warp to old locations. In towns, in addition to a motley assortment of funny NCPs, you find buildings like stores, bakeries, hotels, and hospitals. Stores sell equipment and offensive and defensive items, such as cold remedies, insecticide, and herbs. At the hospital, you can pick up KOed characters—if you pay their medical bill! A fellow there can also remove mushrooms stuck to your head, which mess up the d-pad directions. Strangely, the ghosts of KOed characters follow the party (like in Dragon Warrior), despite being alive and well at the hospital!
In hotels and other locations there are free telephones. The main character (conventionally called Ness) can call his dear old dad to save your game. Dad will also deposit money, based on the enemies defeated since his last call, into Ness's bank account, which he can access from any ATM. Ness can call his mom, too, which you should make him do from time to time, so he doesn't fall victim to the "homesick" condition! He can also call his sister, who runs an item storage-and-delivery system. Lastly, he can order pizza to be delivered. It's all part of the charm! The developers (Shigesato Itoi et al.) took the elements of a JRPG and translated them into modern American culture.
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| Skybeam! |
The plot centers around gathering eight melodies (similar to Link's Awakening). These are recorded in some sort of stone, which I assume helps defeat Giygas. Every individual event is zany. For example, in the town of Twoson the kids have to pay a massive bill to get a jazz band out of a bad contract. The only way to pay it is to obtain a wad of cash from a thief named Everdred. The kids then destroy a weird cult in Happy Happy Village. They trap a zombie infestation in Threed using sticky fly paper. They defeat a sprouting, sentient plant in a cave. The whole game is like this, as you move from location to location, talking to weird people, beating weird enemies, and getting stronger.
EarthBound is the first RPG I know of with an optional auto-battle system. Auto-battle doesn't increase speed, unfortunately, the way it does in modern games. The computer don't always make the best choices. For example, the girl's prayer ability is useful for its random healing effects, especially early in the game, but she never uses it in auto-battle.
One cool feature is that, instead of random encounters, enemies appear on the screen. When they are stronger than you, they rush toward you. If you try to escape, they may engage you from behind, giving them a free attack. However, weaker enemies will try to evade. If you chase them, you may get a free attack. In fact, if your party is really overpowered, you automatically beat the enemies.
The game uses a peculiar "rolling" hit-point system: when a character is hit, damage is counted down one point at a time, like a meter. When a character receives lethal damage, as long as you heal them before their life counter hits 0, they are not defeated. This is especially handy when using auto-battle.
I have a few complaints about the game, though they are admittedly typical of the JRPG genre. First, there is too much combat, and it is often slow and tedious. Second, the equipment selection is limited. New towns offer new weapons, but there aren't options or interesting abilities. Third, most items are not worthwhile, especially with such limited inventory space. Ness's healing PSI, Lifeup, is so strong, the food (e.g., cookies) is unnecessary. Likewise, the offensive PSI, such as Fire and Freeze, are stronger than most offensive items, like bottle rockets and insecticide. One exception is the big bottle rocket, which I used to one-shot Master Belch.
A notable limitation that is unique to EarthBound is that you can't customize your party at all. The game features four characters, and you can't modify or customize their abilities. This surprised me. You begin with just Ness, but he gradually gains three companions.
EarthBound has a good soundtrack that fits the game's offbeat yet quotidian vibe. I'm halfway through the game, but I don't expect to finish it (mostly because of the combat). I want to move on to other RPGs, like The Final Fantasy Legend games and Dragon Quest VII (which is celebrating its 25th anniversary). I recommend EarthBound to people who like quirky stories and characters.
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| Grade: B+ |
Linked Review
"There was always the chance that EarthBound was over-hyped bobbins, a game that couldn't possibly live up to its reputation as a quirky, 16-bit masterpiece. However [... it] is still a touching, engaging, genuinely brilliant adventure."
— Dave Frear, Nintendo Life, 10/10
"As an RPG, this game is good, but its humor, surprises, and unconventionality make it great. [...] Like any work of art, it won't resonate with everyone, but if it does, you'll never forget it."
— Karen Niemla, Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the SNES Library (2019), 5/5
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