This game is tough as nails, and not necessarily in an interesting way. Having a guide is practically required in order not to pull your hair out navigating these maps, the encounter rate is absolutely ridiculous, and this is one of the first RPGs I've played in ages where I just had to do some honest to god grinding at times. While all that is perhaps rightfully considered outdated design by modern standards, I think enough distance has been put between me and this era of games that I can view it simultaneously as frustrating and charming. For a game that prioritizes being charming, that's a plus!

Though I will say that in comparison to its successor, Earthbound Beginnings doesn't quite reach that same level of charm and emotional impact for me. I think a lot of this is just due to the game being a bit more sparse dialogue wise in general than Earthbound, but even the NPCs that do have something to say don't manage to be quite as entertaining. Curious to know how much of that is due to translation work as well.

So yeah, it's very much Proto-Earthbound as many claim, but as a huge Earthbound fan, seeing where a lot of those ideas first gestated was a great experience for me. Also, the soundtrack is just wonderful, and this game's version of Eight Melodies is one of the few NES songs to give me goosebumps. Would recommend first playing Earthbound and seeing if you enjoy it before going back to this, and it's not for the impatient, but I walked away with a lot of respect for this project.