Released in the US on June 5th, 1995, Earthbound was set in the uncertain ominous future of 199X, where a mysterious meteorite crashes down onto the sleepy little town of Onett and sets the stage for one of gaming's most unusual adventures ever. An intergalactic time-traveling bug sends word of warning that a cosmic destroyer known as Giygas will corrupt all of Earth with his evil energy unless three boys and a girl unite and stop him. Equipped with little but a baseball bat, a pocket full of cookies, and a surprisingly lenient and encouraging mother, players take control of a young boy named Ness as he sets on a quest to seek out the eight spiritual Sanctuaries and these three other unknown friends to save the whole world.
As you can tell from this abbreviated summary of Earthbound's starting minutes of the game, this is a game that is bursting with confidence and isn't afraid to be weird and different. Every character, shopkeeper, even animal (thanks to psychic abilities) is full of such colorful, entertaining, and witty dialog. Even the battles are delightfully engaging with loads of strange and descriptive text describing every action that occurs. The odd and charming writing of Earthbound stands as a shining achievement in games and still inspires the likes of many other games to this day, such as the indie hit Undertale. It was also a game ahead of its time in regards to new and innovative RPG mechanics, featuring interesting ideas such as auto-winning against weak enemies for quick experience and less tedium, or rolling life-bars in which you can cheat death if you could recover before your life-bar hit zero. It helped turn what could have been a very cut-and-dry RPG battle system into a much more engaging experience.
We also cannot ignore what an incredibly rich and diverse soundtrack this game contains, of which is perhaps one of the best soundtracks of the entire SNES era. With influences from all sorts of artists and genres of the musical world, Earthbound is a wonderful mix of cultures and sounds that is perfectly suited for a game that emphasizes unity and friendship on a global scale. There is just so much thought and and affection poured into every aspect of this game. And it has one of the most strikingly emotional and poignant endings in most any form of media, which is made exceptionally more powerful through the direct involvement of player interaction. Without going into too much detail so as to spoil this memorable conclusion, it just beautifully illustrates the themes of faith and friendship to overcome struggles that otherwise feel all too desperate and hopeless.
Unfortunately, due to a poor marketing campaign and the high costs of this game bundled with the player's guide, the game failed to meet much success with Western audiences upon initial release. With time however, appreciation and acclaim for this game's many innovations and off-beat humor has grown a passionate following. Thanks to the inclusion of Ness as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros series, more and more players have come to learn of and discover the brilliant quirkiness of this now cult classic adventure. Now the Western world must patiently wait and hope that Nintendo should someday grace our shores to release Mother 3, the only pseudo-sequel to Earthbound that was released for the GBA in Japan-only. If the below fan animation is any indication though, players have turned over a new leaf from Earthbound's initial launch and recognize this game for the masterful piece of gaming that it is.
Fun Fact: The alien species known as Mr. Saturn in the game all speak in a very quirky dialect, represented by an unusual font style. This font was created by lead game designer himself, Shigesato Itoi, to which he attributes being based off his daughter's handwriting at the time.
As you can tell from this abbreviated summary of Earthbound's starting minutes of the game, this is a game that is bursting with confidence and isn't afraid to be weird and different. Every character, shopkeeper, even animal (thanks to psychic abilities) is full of such colorful, entertaining, and witty dialog. Even the battles are delightfully engaging with loads of strange and descriptive text describing every action that occurs. The odd and charming writing of Earthbound stands as a shining achievement in games and still inspires the likes of many other games to this day, such as the indie hit Undertale. It was also a game ahead of its time in regards to new and innovative RPG mechanics, featuring interesting ideas such as auto-winning against weak enemies for quick experience and less tedium, or rolling life-bars in which you can cheat death if you could recover before your life-bar hit zero. It helped turn what could have been a very cut-and-dry RPG battle system into a much more engaging experience.
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| The cheeky bird has some nerve to steal your cookies and then grin in your face. |
We also cannot ignore what an incredibly rich and diverse soundtrack this game contains, of which is perhaps one of the best soundtracks of the entire SNES era. With influences from all sorts of artists and genres of the musical world, Earthbound is a wonderful mix of cultures and sounds that is perfectly suited for a game that emphasizes unity and friendship on a global scale. There is just so much thought and and affection poured into every aspect of this game. And it has one of the most strikingly emotional and poignant endings in most any form of media, which is made exceptionally more powerful through the direct involvement of player interaction. Without going into too much detail so as to spoil this memorable conclusion, it just beautifully illustrates the themes of faith and friendship to overcome struggles that otherwise feel all too desperate and hopeless.
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| Clay concept designs of the main characters of Earthbound - Poo, Jeff, Ness, and Paula. |
Unfortunately, due to a poor marketing campaign and the high costs of this game bundled with the player's guide, the game failed to meet much success with Western audiences upon initial release. With time however, appreciation and acclaim for this game's many innovations and off-beat humor has grown a passionate following. Thanks to the inclusion of Ness as a fighter in the Super Smash Bros series, more and more players have come to learn of and discover the brilliant quirkiness of this now cult classic adventure. Now the Western world must patiently wait and hope that Nintendo should someday grace our shores to release Mother 3, the only pseudo-sequel to Earthbound that was released for the GBA in Japan-only. If the below fan animation is any indication though, players have turned over a new leaf from Earthbound's initial launch and recognize this game for the masterful piece of gaming that it is.
Fun Fact: The alien species known as Mr. Saturn in the game all speak in a very quirky dialect, represented by an unusual font style. This font was created by lead game designer himself, Shigesato Itoi, to which he attributes being based off his daughter's handwriting at the time.
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