10ReasonsToDropEverythingAnd

PlayEarthbound
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/10-reasons-to-drop-everything-and-play-
earthbound
ItsbeenslightlyoverayearnowsinceEarthboundfinallyfounditswaytoEuropeanshores,albeit
asadownloadfortheWiiUsVirtualConsole,andthatsenoughtimeforthenoveltytohaveworn
away.Thenovelty,thatis,ofbeingabletolegitimatelysampleatitlethatAmericanswereableto
physically unwrap way back in 1995 thats a localisation delay of eighteen years, which is a
leisurelyambleevenbyNintendosstandards.Inretrospect,though,itshardtoblameNintendo
for its wariness someone had made the questionable decision to overexaggerate the cruder
aspectsofthegameshumouraspartofEarthboundsmarketingcampaign,leavingreviewersand
gamersalonebaffledbyNESqualityvisualsandvomitgagsinanRPGlandscapethathadjustseen
the release of beautiful, sophisticated Chrono Trigger. Earthbound stood out a mile from its
contemporaries, but for all of the wrong reasons, and sold poorly. Being stashed away in the
download store of the Wii U a console thats reached barely a fraction of its predecessors
audienceisntexactlyasecondleaseoflifeforEarthbound,butwithsalesfiguresslowlyonthe
uptakethankstoMarioKart,itsfinallypossibleforEuropeanstoseewhatallofthefussisabout.
WhyhasthegameamassedafanbasesodedicateandsovocalthatNintendothemselvescalledit
outatE3?Isitactuallyfunny?IsthatcharacterreallycalledPoo?Withthegamecurrentlyonsale,
therearelotsofreasonstotaketheplunge:
10.ItsASummerAdventureMovie
EarthboundtakesplaceinEagleland,producerShigesatoItoislovelettertoAmericaorrather,
tohowAmericapresentsitselfinternationally.Assuch,steppingoutofyourfrontdoorandteaming
up with an eclectic gang of misfits cant help but feel like a classic kids adventure movie The
Goonies,maybe,orFerrisBueller.Thegamehasabreezy,lazytonethatbringsbackmemoriesof
school holidays even the weapons used by the main characters are baseball bats, yoyos and
bottlerockets,thetoysofsummer.ThisoptimisticattitudehelpedEarthboundtellauniquestory;
mostRPGsofthetimeweredourswordsnsorceryepics,wheretheworldwasinterribledanger
andeveryonewaseitheraknightorashopkeeper.WhileNessdoeshaveaheroicquestheneeds
to complete, gathering eight melodies to unlock new abilities, these are often hidden off the
beaten track and almost feel like an afterthought. The actual journey will see you helping out
strugglingmusicians,exploringagraveyard,fendingoffthelocalbullyanduncoveringancientruins
proper Spielberg material. The following year would see the first Pokmon game released in
Japan,brimmingwiththatsamesenseofadventureanddiscoverystepoutofyourfrontdoora
child,andcomebackhomeahero.Itsadreamthatsinspiredmillionsofkidsandbuiltanempire
for Pikachu and his pals, but its worth remembering that Ness and his friends were saving the
worldbeforeAshhadevengothiscapon.
9.EverythingKidsBelieveInIsReal
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 preoccupied with thoughts of money, fame or power to really register that
anythingsoutoftheordinary.ThegrownupworldandNesssowninteractonlyoccasionally,and
neither really understand the motivations of the other. As the player, then, much of what you
encounterinEarthboundwillbestrangebutverylittleofitisoutofplace.
8.TheSoundtrack
TheresarumouramongEarthboundfansthatthegameslengthyabsencefromEurope,aswellas
adownloadorrereleasefurtherafield,wasduetonumeroussamplesandmotifsinthegames
soundtrackgettingalittletooclosetotheirinspirationforcomfort.Nintendoisntsaying,ofcourse,
butenthusiastshaveputtogetherlengthyvideoscomparingEarthboundsscoretofamousartists.
Whether you spot the homages or not, Earthbounds soundtrack will do a lot to surprise you,
whetheritstheetherealalienweirdnessduringthemeteoritecrashthatstartsthegameoralilting
flutemelodyinasnowcoveredcity.Itstheactionsequencesandbattleswherethegamereally
letsloose,makinguseofsamplesandpitchbendeffectstosupplytheproceedingswithanything
from classic rocknroll to mid 90s electronica that sounds like someone trapped The Prodigy in
yourSNES.TheSNEShadafantasticsoundchip,designedbyPS3architectKenKutaragi,andwhile
Earthbounds soundtrack may not be as technically impressive as Donkey Kong Countrys nor as
sweepingasFinalFantasys,itsasmuchacelebrationofAmericancultureasanythingelseabout
thegame.Besides,eventhemoreexperimentalpiecesfitsurprisinglywellwhenyourefightinga
barfmonsterinabattletothedeath.
7.ItsOld-SchoolHard
By16bitRPGstandards,Earthboundisnotaparticularlytaxinggame.Itspuzzlesarelightweight,
mazesareusuallyfairlysimpleandthebestequipmentcanbeattainedwithouthavingtogrindfor
rareitems.Comparedtomoderngames,though,thereareawholebunchoflimitationsthatcan
trip you up if youre not careful. The first one youll notice when playing is that you have an
extremely limited inventory just twelve inventory spaces per player, and thats including any
weapons or armour youre not actively using, as well as key items. Since whatever you grab get
handedtothenextplayerwithafreeslot,theresalotofjugglingtobedone.Ifsomeonehappens
toleaveyourpartyandyoudgiventhemallofyourfoodtohold,youregoingtogohungry.And
probably dead. Thatll happen a lot, requiring a trip to the local hospital withthe spirits of your
friends in tow, ready to be reunited with their bodies. The enemies in each new area arent so
much a smooth difficulty curve as a series of gutpunches; youll be sent scurrying back to the
emergency room (which, in a preObama world, will require you topay for treatment) until you
levelupandfigureouthowtodealwiththeenemieseffectively.Oh,andsomeareaswillgiveyou
heatstrokeorpoisoneffectsjustbybeinginthem.Asaconsequence,itsactuallyslightlydaunting
to enter a new area,and all the more satisfying whenyou finally get strong enough to walk the
streetsofEaglelandwithoutbeingsavagedbygrannies.
6.YetSurprisinglyModern
Itsinventorymanagementsystemmaybeclunkyandthebattlesmaybebrutal,butEarthbound
wassurprisinglyforwardthinkinginotherways,makinguseofconceptsthatwouldlaterbecome
genrestaples.WheremostRPGswoulduseanoverworldmapfortraversal,snappingtheplayers
into random battles at any given moment, Earthbound melded its towns, fields and dungeons
togetherwithasingleunifiedengine.Withinthissingleperspective,enemiesandcharacterscould
be shown roaming the map, allowing players to more easily anticipate and even avoid a fight if
they needed to. That said, although the enemies were tough, death returned you to a previous
savepointbutunlikemostRPGsyoukepttheexperienceanditemsyoudaccrued.Theonly
penaltywasthathalfthemoneyyouhadonyouwouldbegone,butyoucoulddropyourcashback
into a bank account before heading into danger. Money, in fact, was key to Earthbounds
accessibility.ProvidedinabundancebyyourdistantDad(anunseenvoiceonthetelephone)every
time you defeated an enemy, money allowed players to stock up on items and go grinding with
littlepenanceforfailure.Skilledplayersmightbeabletobeatadungeonmoreswiftly,buteven
noviceplayerscouldgetthereintheend.YourDadevenadvisedyoutotakerestbreaksifyoud
beenplayingtoolonginasinglesitting,althoughthatsoneinnovationfewgamersappreciate.
5.ItHasIntermissions
WhenyourDadsnotsuggestingyouputtheSNESawayandgooutsideforabit,natureitselfgets
onintheactatahotspring,Nessisgivenachancetotakewhatthegamecallsacoffeebreak.
What follows is a slow text crawl thats half inner monologue and half directors commentary,
recappingeverythingyouvedoneintheadventureandpraisingyourspiritandbravery,alltothe
accompaniment of some soothing music and kaleidoscope visuals. Earthbound understands the
importanceofthejourney,andgoesoutofitswaytoreplacethetraditionaloverworldmapwith
extensivetravellingsequencesandmomentsofreflection.Itoiseffortstobringpacingtohisgame,
tohavetheplayeraswellasthecharacterstakestockandregroupafteraparticularlytrickyboss
battle,feelremarkablyrefreshinginagenrewherecutscenesgenerallyexistedtoshowcaseonly
gloomandfailure.Eventually,Nessandhischumswilllearntoteleportbacktopreviouslyvisited
areas,assumingtheresenoughspaceforarunup,andtheworldwillfeelsmallerasaresult.Until
thatpoint,homefeelsalongwayaway,withMumjustaneverpatientvoiceontheotherendofa
phoneline,andcoffeebeaksareverywelcomeindeed.
4.ItsSenseOfHumour

Unlessyoureparticularlyintofartjokes,Earthboundisrarelylaughoutloudfunny.Itdoesmanage
tobeconsistentlyamusing,thoughItoiwasoneofJapansmostfamousandprolificcopywriters
priortohisworkingamedesign,andthetranslatorsworkedlonghourstotryandcapturethespirit
ofhisdialogueandkinksofthecharacters.Ithrewmyslippersatthebeast,onesailorconfessed
afteranauticalbattleagainstakraken,admittingMaybeyoudidntnotice.Unfortunately,much
likeSouthParksearlyseasons,itsthepooandpukegagsthatpeopletendtofocuson,missingthe
gamesculturalsatireandloveofthesurrealironically,TreyParkercitesEarthboundasbeingone
of the inspirations behind modernday RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth. The censors went to
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.TheCombatSystem
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 the world when they encounter Ness and the gang, other nearby enemies will rush
forwardtohelp,butiftheycantgettoyouintime,theywontbeinthefight.Assuch,itspossible
todivideandconqueraroomofbaddies,sneakinguponthemforafreehitbeforebattlebegins.
Byfarthemostrefreshingchange,though,isthatenemieswillstarttoavoidyouifyourstatsare
high enough, and if you do collide with them youll get the EXP without having to battle. Its a
stunninglyeffectiveideathatmakesexploringoldareasacakewalk,andisonemechanictodays
RPGswoulddowelltotakenoteof.
2.FaithInFamilyAndFriends
Beneathitsgaudyvisualsandwackyencounters,Earthboundhassomefairlyseriousthingstosay
abouthavingtrustinthosearoundyou.WhileyouneverseeyourDadinperson,hesaconstant
companionasheactsasyourstattracker,bankaccountandgamesaverthankstothegamesmany
telephones. And while Mum seems like shes been consigned to the stayathome role of video
gaming mothers everywhere, it wont be long before Ness starts feeling homesick. If you dont
makeapointofphoningyourMumregularly,soonerorlater,lonelinessisgoingtostrikepossibly
inthemiddleofbattle.Yourfriends,too,eachhavetheirownuniqueroleintheparty.Paulasthe
onlycharactercapableofmagicforattacksorhealing,atleastatfirst,whileJeffwillneverlearn
anymagicbutisabletocraftweaponsoutofinventoryjunk.WarriorPrincePooisthefirsttolearn
teleport, but he wont get healed by any of the western 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.TheFinalBoss
To talk at length about Giygas would be the sort of spoiler the BBCs likely to upload to an FTP
somewhere; suffice to say Earthbound players who thought they knew what to expect after his
debutinMotherwereinforabitofshock.WhilemuchofEarthboundsfinalbattlestillinspires
debate, the emotions and trauma depicted come directly from Itois childhood as a boy, he
walkedintothewrongtheatreandwitnessedwhathebelievedtobearapesceneduringanadult
film. Itoi was haunted by what he believed hed witnessed, and sought to evoke that feeling of
witnessingsomethingindescribableinthefinalbossencounter.Earthboundisadeeplypersonal
game,withthehopesandfearsofitsteaminterwoventhroughout.Whilethefinalbossfightsticks
inthemindsofthosewhoveplayedtotheendandatfirstseemstoprovideadeeplygrimfinale,
itsmessageistheculmination,notasubversion,ofwhatItoisbeentryingtosay.Hereachesinto
hisownpastandrecaptureswhat,tohim,isanexpressionoftrueevilthatyouandyourfriends
mustovercometogether.Atturnsfunny,scary,juvenile,witty,cleverandcunning,theresnothing
remotelylikeEarthboundanditscurrentlyonsaleattheWiiUseShop.Whileitwontdeliver
the polished adventuring of Skyrim or Mass Effect, Earthbounds craftsmanship helps the game
standtallagainstmoderndayofferingsanditdoesntneednoveltyadvertisingtowinyourheart.
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