I would pay any amount of money to see a kid in the 90’s experience Giygas for the first time

Earthbound is a game I’ve tried and failed to play for almost a decade at this point, but I finally sat my ass down and really enjoyed myself. It’s insane that this game came out when it did, because so much of its identity translates perfectly to the gaming scene of today. After playing so many games inspired by what Earthbound does, it’s really endearing to go back to the source and see why it’s such a cultural touchstone for the indie community. The world and characters are really charming, and despite the sometimes clunky and old nature of the combat, I think it holds up really well.

I was actually kind of surprised by the combat, as I always thought it was pretty basic JRPG fare. While that’s true near the start, the game quickly evolves little by little and becomes a fun combat loop. Each character has a unique role, and minor conveniences like auto battle and instant killing weaker enemies makes fights much less tedious, something JRPGs still struggle with today.

In terms of criticisms, I still don’t like how limited the inventory is, even though that becomes much less of a problem in the later game. I wish Escargot express was more accessible and less tedious to use, but it is what it is. Also, it feels easy to get lost in some parts of the game where directions are ambiguous and solutions to puzzles aren’t implemented as well as they should be, but it’s not terrible at all.

Really happy I finally saw this one through, looking forward to playing Mother 3

Completion Criteria: Credits Hit

The old meme "Earthound fan playing the game for the first time" really hits because the aesthetic of the game have still hold up very well. But mechanically this feels like its aged quite poorly mainly just due to the anti-quality of life.

Lets start with good. Aesthetically, I think still holds up as a retro game. It's easy to understand why people still copy it's style to this day. It's vibrant and clear. In terms of music, a lot of it is extremely unique and recognizable, just good stuff. In terms of the setting. I think this is something that may be a bit underrated honestly. The games atmostphere only works so well because it's not entirely modern, its pseudo-modern but alien enough to add aliens. The rolldown is great in concept and even though there are issues with it, it's way better then some alternatives like ATB. Instakill, and advantage/disadvantage systems are also good game systems so I can't complain about that

Ok, postive is done. So what are the issues? The game wastes a lot of time for the sake of form. Inventory management is always tedious and never really gets better. and is made worse by the multiple steps that need to be made to store and withdraw items. Whilst some key items disappear after use, some don't and this leads to more annoyances. You can't even save without money so you have to go to the atm to do even that. I can understand why you might think these things are minor especially in this day you can rewind and use save states but purely from an authentic point of view it's not good. In terms of combat, it feels pretty basic. as a lot of older JRPGs tend to. Use basic attack until the boss and then spam your best stuff until you win. I think by the end the rolldown health also feels against the grain. As if you have a KO incoming you will just attempt to mash through everything. If you get hit first, and you can't mash through it in time it makes you contemplate your luck. A simple fix for that would be being able to interrupt turns to immediately swap to defense.

I think dungeons are probably my biggest let down for the game. I think only three maybe stand out as enjoyable but most feel quite tedious or just bad. Monkey Cave stands out as a great example of what I'm talking about here. Personal preference but when you have bad dungeon designs, visible enemies also feel worse. They feel more frustrating when they get in the way of progress or if you think you get a backhit and it doesn't register, even worse when you lose advantage. Personally, I found some areas to feel like moonlogic, or just not fully fleshed out.

Also, if you have a map function, don't lock it behind an item especially when it comes down to such a limited inventory

Realistically. A lot of problems could easily be fixed by a remaster that fixed inventory and phone calls. It's the old "X will break your immersion in this game about aliens?"
Give them a more modern phone that can save and call escargo express. Give a card that can pay for things on the fly. Seperate Key Items from main inventory. Not necessary but let me sort the inventory, and swap items with others to avoid the rigmarole of dropping something just so I can swap in such a way to pass equipment or Jeff items.

I think there seems to be an overrating of the themes of the game also. It's very easy to suggest that this is a representation of puberty or manhood or enlightenment but I think I could fit that narrative into other games as accurately

I knew I wasn't gonna love this game because I had played it before and didn't enjoy it then. I think the game definitely picks up later on but unfortunately the most enjoyable areas may be early with the exception of some of the dungeons. Luckily this gives me another urge to jump back into Mother 3 which I do think precedes it's reputation and I can finally close the missing hole it my JRPG reputoire

Honestly, I had heard a lot about Earthbound but somehow I managed not to spoil anything about the game and what a ride it was!

I can understand why this saga is so beloved: it has a unique charm. I don't know if it's because of the charismatic world it has, the story that grabs you from minute one, the incredible screen effects during combat or the humor that revolves around the entire game.

Also, one of the things that fascinates me the most is the rabbit hole that gets you as you progress through the story. How it gets weirder and weirder, more paranormal and more intricate. The feeling of experiencing a weird, unique and fun summer night is a constant throughout the game, and it's a concept that I really enjoyed.

Coming from games that drink from this one (like Undertale) have made me understand much better where the charisma of those games comes from. Yes, they bring something unique, but understanding the base I think adds points to the rest of the games that are inspired in one way or another by Earthbound.

Of course, I keep praying for Mother 3 to come out on NSO Europe even with a fantranslation. But one kid can only dream of it.