G: Earthbound

Earthbound is a name that has been familiar to me for most of my life. I recall seeing as the game with the biggest box back in the nineties. The size of the box and the golden image of the Starman on the front had always peaked my interest, but I was never able to play it. I think I was a bit afraid to ask to play it because I believe the game was also the most expensive in the store probably due to the game coming with a strategy guide. My interest was peaked a little more when Ness was put into Smash Bros. on the N64 and when my brother told me what game he was from and that he played it or at least some of it. Later, Lucas appeared in Brawl and brought Mother 3 to my attention.

This year I finally decided to give it a go. Playing this game has been one of the most unique experiences I ever had. The setting of the game is one not seen in most RPGs out there Japanese or Western. The game is set place in a fictional world that is set to a 50s/60s America period. A lot of the cities are in suburban areas and Ness lives in a house with a two parent house with a picket fence and dog akin to 50's shows like Leave It Beaver, not to mention his attire is taken from the child cliche from that era. The game also makes reference to The Beatles and the Topolla Theater is an homage to the Apollo Theater where popular Jazz musicians have performed during this time. There are a couple of others too that references these time periods, but I would rather not spoil them for those who have not played it.


To touch on the game's story, it is rather simplistic and typical of the genre. There's a prophecy about four young children defeating a great evil and you go on the journey to fulfill the prophecy and defeat the enemy. What makes it different from most others though is the game's writing. The game has a very weird charm about it. The writers are aware of these cliches and tropes and have fun making fun of them. The ending of the game's opening scene is a great example of this and later you quickly discover how weird and funny things get. You can pick up and eat food out of trash cans, NPCs are either rude, funny, look like celebrities, or break the fourth wall. The game has an overall upbeat tone, but gets pretty somber at the end.

The world is quite interesting to explore, from what you can and is pretty varied. My only disappointment is that it's a little too linear and I was expecting a world map when it was teased to me a little ways into the game. There's also practically next to no side quests either. As far as gameplay goes the game has a battle system similar to the Dragon Quest series. It's turn based and it takes a first person perspective where you can only see the enemies and you can't actually see the physical attacks you make, but special attacks and certain items are given animations. The game can be quite difficult in the beginning and the game has some of the most annoying status ailments I've encountered in the game. I won't ever forget the first time I was inflicted with the mushroomized status. The game's four playable characters are pretty unique from each other. Ness and Poo are the all around characters, Paula is an offensive magic user, and Jeff is a tech geek who can't use PSI, but is heavily reliant on physical attacks and items.

Speaking of items, due to the game's limited inventory the game also has a high emphasis on item usage. Each character can only carry a maximum of fourteen items at a time and to get rid of them for new room you can sell old equipment, which NPCs automatically offer once you equip a newly purchased piece of equipment, drop an item, or have Ness's little sister put it in storage with a phone call. Item usage is also reinforced through the sheer amount of items in this game. There are a bunch of items available to you throughout the game. You don't know what most items do prior to buying them to purchasing them is an element of mystery. The game also has seasonings in the game which are used on food items. When eaten they are automatically applied and can either increase the health boost or decrease it if the combination does not taste well.

Onett Night 1
The game's soundtrack is also just as atypical as its setting. The game has jazz, a little bit of funk, and the chiptune sounds that the media has created. Battle and boss music are often set to more somber or chill tones which is a nice contrast to the often pumped up or upbeat sounds that is often found in these games. Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka did a wonderful job with setting the music in line with the tone of the events of the game and as a package it made for a nice comforting atmosphere as I wrote this review.

Overall, I found this game to be excellent and it has definitely made its way onto my top ten games of all time. Earthbound also known as Mother 2 is a game I'd recommend to any fan of RPGs.

9/10