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Platform: SNES Release Date: 1995 Players: 1

Every once in a while a game comes by that makes you reconsider what can be done in the art form. Earthbound is one of those games, using visual, audio, and mental techniques to make the game really stick with you.

Ness was just your ordinary boy in the year 199X in the small town of Onett. Then one fateful night he heard a knock on the door and was asked by a neighbor to check out a meteor that had just fallen. When he gets there Ness is tasked by a bee from the future to find the "Your Sanctuary" spots around the world to defeat an incoming alien invasion by Giygas.

Ness will meet up with 3 other kids and travel the world solving the problems of the citizens they meet. The people and animals you meet all have a great sense of humor and will say subtle jokes about many cultural things. The country of Eagleland is like the Japanese view of 1950/60's America. Ness's father is always at work, his mom is at home taking care of the house, and dark things are happening despite everyone's cheerful outer appearance. You really see Ness and his friends grow up and mature by the end of the game. The story and characters in Earthbound are THE best in an RPG, or any game. This is a game that is going to make you remember the characters for many years with fond memories.

Earthbound plays very similar to a Dragon Warrior/Quest game. You control Ness and his friends follow him around. In order to do anything you have to open up a menu that lets you talk, check, use psi (magic), use item, or check your stats. Earthbound also was one of the first games to break away from random battles, allowing you to see enemies that are running around. If you touch one from behind you get a free turn but if the enemy sneaks up on you then it ambushes your party. A cool trick is that if you are facing a weak monster you will no doubt defeat, then the game goes on giving you the experience as if you won the battle without having to enter the battle screen. Once you get in a fight with some crazed animal Ness will wield yo-yo's, slingshots, and bats rather than the traditional sword. There also is a new rolling health bar that quickly spins when hit and is vey useful for saving yourself with a healing spell before it hits zero. Outside of the battles you will have to figure out the problems in each town such as how to get rid of a zombie infestation, pay off a band's huge debt, and un-brainwash some crazy cultists.

Earthbound talks about some pretty heavy subjects such as the corruption of men, sacrificing yourself for the things you love, and enslavement but it does so in a cheerful and subtle way. At first you may not notice the deeper meanings of what the characters say and do but play through a second time and it becomes very apparent. The writing is translated without a hitch and it has some genuine American humor, a tough thing to pull off for a text heavy rpg made in Japan. The most important thing about Earthbound is that it is fun from beginning to end and really leaves an impact on you. From Mr. Saturn, to the Bubble Monkey, and to Giygas himself the game is truly unique.

A screenshot can't really show how great Earthbound looks. Many people have avoided the game because they think it could be done on a NES. Earthbound is a game that takes some playing through to discover its true beauty. The simplistic style really compliments that nature of the game and it's hard to imagine the game in any other look. If the game had hyper-detailed sprites like seen in Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 3 then the charm would be lost and Earthbound would for sure be a worse game. The hundreds of characters and enemies all have a unique look and are rarely just recolored versions of the same sprite. Each town and locale visited in the game has a theme, whether it is the neon colored Moonside or the futuristic look of Belch's factory. When people see strange things in games their first reaction is usually "What were the developers on!? LOL!" but the places in Earthbound are too well thought out and are not just there to be random.

The battles have a hypnotic swirling effect going on in the background that fit the whole brainwashed masses theme going on with the enemies. While you can't see your characters and the enemies don't move around in battle it does make you feel like you are battling from a first person perspective. Each type of enemy has their own swirling background and the boss fights can get very interesting. The final boss fight in particular is very amazing and it makes it feel like an epic battle. Earthbound really isn't a "system pusher" and is hard to rate in the graphics category. It looks amazing with its simplistic art style and first person battles and proves that artistic vision can overcome realism if done well.

Unlike most RPGs, Earthbound has a jazzy upbeat soundtrack. Each town has a theme to it. Onett sounds like a carefree suburb, Threed has a slight sound of blues, and Winters has a Christmas tune for example. The caves and enemy bases sound like the inside of a space ship which gives a hint to what is going on. The battles have many different themes and there are literally a dozen different songs played in battle. There even is a band called the Runaway 5 which is heavily based on the Blues Brothers. Going to their concerts is one of Earthbound's many highlights. The music is very catchy in the game and at times moving. You can't help but think back to all you have done when listening to the music that plays in Ness's house. The composer deserves praise for the incredible flexibility of the music.

From the first knock on the door,  the ringing of the telephone, and to the crack of the bat, everything in Earthbound sounds very modern. Who would have thought that you would hear the chime of an ATM in an RPG? The sound effects are more subtle and less in your face than other games which is a semi-theme in Earthbound.

If you are the type of person who rushes through their games then you won't get as much out of Earthbound as others will. If you did rush it would probably take 20 hours to beat but if you take your time and explore every area and talk to everyone then expect to finish it in 30-40 hours. That is many hours of amazing gameplay but I can ensure you that Earthbound is not a one time experience. This is a game that will make you want to play it over and over several times. Every time you play through the game you will discover new things and even foreshadowing in the beginning to later events.

RPG fanatics will have a lot on their hands if they want to get all the best weapons and gear. Just like the Final Fantasy series, players will have to do a lot of work to get the strongest weapons. I was lucky enough to get Poo's only equipable item, the Sword of Kings, in one try but there is a 1/128 chance that a certain enemy will drop it. Each character has a weapon like this and it might drive some people crazy if they are unlucky.

I'm not going to spoil anything but Earthbound has possibly the best ending in a game. After you have defeated the final boss you get a chance to walk around Eagleland talking to everyone and hearing their new responses. They will talk about what happened, thanking you for your help, and some haven't even realized that the world was in danger! It is always fun to talk to everyone one last time before you say goodbye and watch the ending credits. Throughout the game a photographer will take photos of you during key events and you will get to see them all when the credits start rolling. This is the time when nostalgia kicks in and you relax and enjoy the memories.

Closing Comments

I have said many great things about Earthbound throughout this review and I mean each and every one of them. I have tried but I really can't find anything wrong with the game. It is fun the whole way through, is highly original, and has a great ending. It would be hard to call yourself an RPG or SNES fan without having played this game. Try Earthbound and you will see why it has such a huge fan base.

Gameplay: 10/10 Graphics: 8.5/10 Audio: 10/10 Replay Value: 10/10 Overall: 10/10

Pros: -Funny yet serious story -Simplistic 50's style graphics -Memorable soundtrack -Great characters

Cons: -Nintendo refuses to translate the sequel