10 reasons to drop everything and play earthbound - gamebasin.com

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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10 reasons to drop everything and play earthbound - gamebasin.com

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