8/11/2019 10 Reasons to Drop Everything and Play Earthbound - GameBasin.com
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10 Reasons To Drop Everything And
Play Earthbound
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/10-reasons-to-drop-everything-and-play-
earthbound
ItsbeenslightlyoverayearnowsinceEarthboundfinallyfounditswaytoEuropeanshores,albeit
asadownload
for
the
Wii
Us
Virtual
Console,
and
thats
enough
time
for
the
novelty
to
have
worn
away.Thenovelty,thatis,ofbeingabletolegitimatelysampleatitlethatAmericanswereableto
physicallyunwrapwayback in1995 thats a localisationdelayofeighteen years,which is a
leisurelyambleevenbyNintendosstandards.Inretrospect,though,itshardtoblameNintendo
for itswarinesssomeonehadmade thequestionabledecision tooverexaggerate thecruder
aspectsofthegameshumouraspartofEarthboundsmarketingcampaign,leavingreviewersand
gamersalonebaffledbyNESqualityvisualsandvomitgagsinanRPGlandscapethathadjustseen
the release of beautiful, sophisticated Chrono Trigger. Earthbound stood out amile from its
contemporaries,but for allof thewrong reasons, and sold poorly.Being stashed away in the
downloadstore
of
the
Wii
U
aconsole
thats
reached
barely
afraction
of
its
predecessors
audienceisntexactlyasecondleaseoflifeforEarthbound,butwithsalesfiguresslowlyonthe
uptakethankstoMarioKart,itsfinallypossibleforEuropeanstoseewhatallofthefussisabout.
WhyhasthegameamassedafanbasesodedicateandsovocalthatNintendothemselvescalledit
outatE3?Isitactuallyfunny?IsthatcharacterreallycalledPoo?Withthegamecurrentlyonsale,
therearelotsofreasonstotaketheplunge:
10. Its A Summer Adventure Movie
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EarthboundtakesplaceinEagleland,producerShigesatoItoislovelettertoAmericaorrather,
tohowAmericapresentsitselfinternationally. Assuch,steppingoutofyourfrontdoorandteaming
upwithaneclecticgangofmisfitscanthelpbutfeel likeaclassickidsadventuremovieThe
Goonies,maybe,orFerrisBueller.Thegamehasabreezy,lazytonethatbringsbackmemoriesof
schoolholidayseventheweaponsusedbythemaincharactersarebaseballbats,yoyosand
bottlerockets,thetoysofsummer.ThisoptimisticattitudehelpedEarthboundtellauniquestory;
mostRPGsofthetimeweredourswordsnsorceryepics,wheretheworldwasinterribledanger
andeveryonewaseitheraknightorashopkeeper.WhileNessdoeshaveaheroicquestheneeds
to complete, gathering eightmelodies to unlock new abilities, these are oftenhidden off the
beaten trackandalmost feel likeanafterthought.Theactualjourneywill see youhelpingout
strugglingmusicians,exploringagraveyard,fendingoffthelocalbullyanduncoveringancientruins
properSpielbergmaterial.The followingyearwouldsee the firstPokmongame released in
Japan,brimmingwiththatsamesenseofadventureanddiscoverystepoutofyourfrontdoora
child,andcomebackhomeahero.Itsadreamthatsinspiredmillionsofkidsandbuiltanempire
forPikachuandhispals,but itsworthrememberingthatNessandhis friendsweresavingthe
worldbeforeAshhadevengothiscapon.
9. Everything Kids Believe In Is Real
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TheresapointinEarthboundwhereyoureattackedbyaspeedlimitsign.Itspartofthebadguys
maligninfluencespreadingacrosstheplanet,butitsumsupEarthboundinanutshellitsallabout
howkidsthink.Whywouldntpsychicenergybringtaxicabsandcoffeeupstolife?Ithappensin
cartoonsallthetime,becausekidsarentyetboringenoughtoquestionthephysicsofahomicidal
sideboard(orburpingAutonwheeliebin).Alongsideawealthofalieninvaders,youllfindyourself
needingtocatcharidethroughatunnelsotheghoststhatliveinsidedontgetyouitsaroutine
roadblockthatanyRPGmightthrowinyourway,butwrappedupinapeculiarpieceofchildlogic
thatwouldmakeperfectsensetoakidcarscangofasterthanghosts.Onetownsgotazombie
problem,anothersbeentakenoverbyreligiouscultists.Ancientcivilisationsliveundergroundand
thelocalbarisaliteralgatewaytoaworldwhereeveryoneactsoddlyanditshardtowalkaround.
Throughitall,adultsblunder.Notexactlyoblivioustothestrangenessallaroundthem,mostare
nevertheless too preoccupiedwith thoughts ofmoney, fame or power to really register that
anythingsoutoftheordinary.ThegrownupworldandNesssowninteractonlyoccasionally,and
neither reallyunderstand themotivationsof theother.As theplayer, then,muchofwhatyou
encounterinEarthboundwillbestrangebutverylittleofitisoutofplace.
8. The Soundtrack
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TheresarumouramongEarthboundfansthatthegameslengthyabsencefromEurope,aswellas
adownloadorrereleasefurtherafield,wasduetonumeroussamplesandmotifsinthegames
soundtrackgettingalittletooclosetotheirinspirationforcomfort.Nintendoisntsaying,ofcourse,
butenthusiastshaveputtogetherlengthyvideoscomparingEarthboundsscoretofamousartists.
Whether you spot thehomagesornot,Earthbounds soundtrackwilldoa lot to surprise you,
whetheritstheetherealalienweirdnessduringthemeteoritecrashthatstartsthegameoralilting
flutemelodyinasnowcoveredcity.Itstheactionsequencesandbattleswherethegamereally
letsloose,makinguseofsamplesandpitchbendeffectstosupplytheproceedingswithanything
fromclassicrocknrolltomid90selectronicathatsounds likesomeonetrappedTheProdigy in
yourSNES.TheSNEShadafantasticsoundchip,designedbyPS3architectKenKutaragi,andwhile
Earthboundssoundtrackmaynotbeastechnically impressiveasDonkeyKongCountrysnoras
sweepingasFinalFantasys,itsasmuchacelebrationofAmericancultureasanythingelseabout
thegame.Besides,eventhemoreexperimentalpiecesfitsurprisinglywellwhenyourefightinga
barfmonsterinabattletothedeath.
7. Its Old School Hard
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By16bitRPGstandards,Earthboundisnotaparticularlytaxinggame.Itspuzzlesarelightweight,
mazesareusuallyfairlysimpleandthebestequipmentcanbeattainedwithouthavingtogrindfor
rareitems.Comparedtomoderngames,though,thereareawholebunchoflimitationsthatcan
trip you up if youre not careful. The first one youllnoticewhenplaying is that you have an
extremely limited inventoryjust twelve inventory spacesperplayer,and thats includingany
weaponsorarmouryourenotactivelyusing,aswellaskey items.Sincewhateveryougrabget
handedtothenextplayerwithafreeslot,theresalotofjugglingtobedone.Ifsomeonehappens
toleaveyourpartyandyoudgiventhemallofyourfoodtohold,youregoingtogohungry.And
probablydead.Thatllhappenalot,requiringatriptothe localhospitalwiththespiritsofyour
friends intow,readytobereunitedwiththeirbodies.Theenemies ineachnewareaarentso
muchasmoothdifficultycurveasaseriesofgutpunches;youllbesentscurryingbacktothe
emergencyroom(which, inapreObamaworld,willrequireyoutopayfortreatment)untilyou
levelupandfigureouthowtodealwiththeenemieseffectively.Oh,andsomeareaswillgiveyou
heatstrokeorpoisoneffectsjustbybeinginthem.Asaconsequence,itsactuallyslightlydaunting
toenteranewarea,andallthemoresatisfyingwhenyoufinallygetstrongenoughtowalkthe
streetsofEaglelandwithoutbeingsavagedbygrannies.
6. Yet Surprisingly Modern
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Itsinventorymanagementsystemmaybeclunkyandthebattlesmaybebrutal,butEarthbound
wassurprisinglyforwardthinkinginotherways,makinguseofconceptsthatwouldlaterbecome
genrestaples.WheremostRPGswoulduseanoverworldmapfortraversal,snappingtheplayers
into randombattlesatanygivenmoment,Earthboundmelded its towns, fieldsanddungeons
togetherwithasingleunifiedengine.Withinthissingleperspective,enemiesandcharacterscould
beshownroamingthemap,allowingplayerstomoreeasilyanticipateandevenavoidafight if
theyneededto.Thatsaid,althoughtheenemiesweretough,deathreturnedyoutoaprevious
savepointbutunlikemostRPGsyoukepttheexperienceand itemsyoudaccrued.Theonly
penaltywasthathalfthemoneyyouhadonyouwouldbegone,butyoucoulddropyourcashback
into a bank account before heading into danger. Money, in fact, was key to Earthbounds
accessibility.ProvidedinabundancebyyourdistantDad(anunseenvoiceonthetelephone)every
timeyoudefeatedanenemy,moneyallowedplayerstostockupon itemsandgogrindingwith
littlepenanceforfailure.Skilledplayersmightbeabletobeatadungeonmoreswiftly,buteven
noviceplayerscouldgetthereintheend.YourDadevenadvisedyoutotakerestbreaksifyoud
beenplayingtoolonginasinglesitting,althoughthatsoneinnovationfewgamersappreciate.
5. It Has Intermissions
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WhenyourDadsnotsuggestingyouputtheSNESawayandgooutsideforabit,natureitselfgets
onintheactatahotspring,Nessisgivenachancetotakewhatthegamecallsacoffeebreak.
What follows isa slow text crawl thatshalf innermonologueandhalfdirectorscommentary,
recappingeverythingyouvedoneintheadventureandpraisingyourspiritandbravery,alltothe
accompanimentofsomesoothingmusicandkaleidoscopevisuals.Earthboundunderstandsthe
importanceofthejourney,andgoesoutofitswaytoreplacethetraditionaloverworldmapwith
extensivetravellingsequencesandmomentsofreflection.Itoiseffortstobringpacingtohisgame,
tohavetheplayeraswellasthecharacterstakestockandregroupafteraparticularlytrickyboss
battle,feelremarkablyrefreshinginagenrewherecutscenesgenerallyexistedtoshowcaseonly
gloomandfailure.Eventually,Nessandhischumswilllearntoteleportbacktopreviouslyvisited
areas,assumingtheresenoughspaceforarunup,andtheworldwillfeelsmallerasaresult.Until
thatpoint,homefeelsalongwayaway,withMumjustaneverpatientvoiceontheotherendofa
phoneline,andcoffeebeaksareverywelcomeindeed.
4. Its Sense Of Humour
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Unlessyoureparticularlyintofartjokes,Earthboundisrarelylaughoutloudfunny.Itdoesmanage
tobeconsistentlyamusing,thoughItoiwasoneofJapansmostfamousandprolificcopywriters
priortohisworkingamedesign,andthetranslatorsworkedlonghourstotryandcapturethespirit
ofhisdialogueandkinksofthecharacters.Ithrewmyslippersatthebeast,onesailorconfessed
afteranauticalbattleagainstakraken,admittingMaybeyoudidntnotice.Unfortunately,much
likeSouthParksearlyseasons,itsthepooandpukegagsthatpeopletendtofocuson,missingthe
gamesculturalsatireandloveofthesurrealironically,TreyParkercitesEarthboundasbeingone
ofthe inspirationsbehindmoderndayRPGSouthPark:TheStickofTruth.Thecensorswentto
work,too,cuttingoutcorporatelogosthathittoclosetohomeandtweakingspritestoremovea
fewoftheraunchierreferences.Evenso,theresadecentamountofcheekinesstobehadinan
adventure described by the localisation team as glass half full in tone;Nintendos patrician
approachhadonlyjuststartedtoshiftunderincreasedpressurefromSega,sowhilehostiledrunks
becomeAnnoyingPartyGuysandpharmaciesdontsayDRUGabovethedoor,theresenough
hiddenawaythatsquirkyandsubversivetokeepevenmodernplayersentertained.
3. The Combat System
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Nomatterhowcompellingthestory,RPGsliveanddiebytheircombatsystemsitswhatyoure
goingtobespending80hoursdoing,afterall.Itoiwaskeenthatpeoplewhodidntnormallyplay
gamesshouldlikeEarthbound,sohisteamoverhauledthewaythatcombathadworkedinMother
Earthbounds predecessor on the NES. The biggest innovation, and one thats still largely
uncopiedtoday,isthatthecharactershitpointsrolldowngraduallywhentheyreattacked,giving
youcrucialsecondstoactdoyouquicklysacrificesomeonesturntohealthemortryandblitz
throughtotheendofthebattle,thusstoppingtheclock?Outsideofcombat,monstersroamvisibly
around theworldwhen theyencounterNess and the gang,othernearbyenemieswill rush
forwardtohelp,butiftheycantgettoyouintime,theywontbeinthefight.Assuch,itspossible
todivideandconqueraroomofbaddies,sneakinguponthemforafreehitbeforebattlebegins.
Byfarthemostrefreshingchange,though,isthatenemieswillstarttoavoidyouifyourstatsare
highenough,and ifyoudocollidewiththemyoullgettheEXPwithouthavingtobattle. Itsa
stunninglyeffectiveideathatmakesexploringoldareasacakewalk,andisonemechanictodays
RPGswoulddowelltotakenoteof.
2. Faith In Family And Friends
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Beneathitsgaudyvisualsandwackyencounters,Earthboundhassomefairlyseriousthingstosay
abouthavingtrustinthosearoundyou.WhileyouneverseeyourDadinperson,hesaconstant
companionasheactsasyourstattracker,bankaccountandgamesaverthankstothegamesmany
telephones.AndwhileMumseems likeshesbeenconsignedtothestayathomeroleofvideo
gamingmotherseverywhere, itwontbe longbeforeNessstartsfeelinghomesick. Ifyoudont
makeapointofphoningyourMumregularly,soonerorlater,lonelinessisgoingtostrikepossibly
inthemiddleofbattle.Yourfriends,too,eachhavetheirownuniqueroleintheparty.Paulasthe
onlycharactercapableofmagicforattacksorhealing,atleastatfirst,whileJeffwillneverlearn
anymagicbutisabletocraftweaponsoutofinventoryjunk.WarriorPrincePooisthefirsttolearn
teleport, but hewont get healed by any of thewestern food items in your inventory. Party
members with particular abilities are nothing new, of course, but Earthbounds main cast is
introduced so slowly that each new friend feels like a reinvigoration. The games ultimate
expressionoffaithcomesnearthegamesclimax,inatouchingscenethatsfartooimpactfulto
talk about here suffice to say that it uses a very simple trick to great effect. There are no
ShakespearianbetraysinEarthbound,noenemiesmasqueradingasalliesgoodisgood,evilisevil
andfaithinthepeopleyoulovecanbeabsolute.
1. The Final Boss
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Totalkat lengthaboutGiygaswouldbethesortofspoilertheBBCs likelytouploadtoanFTP
somewhere;sufficetosayEarthboundplayerswhothoughttheyknewwhattoexpectafterhis
debutinMotherwereinforabitofshock.WhilemuchofEarthboundsfinalbattlestillinspires
debate, theemotions and traumadepicted comedirectly from Itois childhood asaboy,he
walkedintothewrongtheatreandwitnessedwhathebelievedtobearapesceneduringanadult
film. Itoiwashauntedbywhathebelievedhedwitnessed,andsoughttoevokethatfeelingof
witnessingsomethingindescribableinthefinalbossencounter.Earthboundisadeeplypersonal
game,withthehopesandfearsofitsteaminterwoventhroughout.Whilethefinalbossfightsticks
inthemindsofthosewhoveplayedtotheendandatfirstseemstoprovideadeeplygrimfinale,
itsmessageistheculmination,notasubversion,ofwhatItoisbeentryingtosay.Hereachesinto
hisownpastandrecaptureswhat,tohim,isanexpressionoftrueevilthatyouandyourfriends
mustovercometogether.Atturnsfunny,scary,juvenile,witty,cleverandcunning,theresnothing
remotelylikeEarthboundanditscurrentlyonsaleattheWiiUseShop.Whileitwontdeliver
thepolishedadventuringofSkyrimorMassEffect,Earthboundscraftsmanshiphelpsthegame
standtallagainstmoderndayofferingsanditdoesntneednoveltyadvertisingtowinyourheart.
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