(Used a hack to double my EXP and Gold gains)
I've seen people out there think that EarthBound is a remake of the first MOTHER, so there's no point in playing the first game. I think that's wrong. Yes, they share familiar elements, but that's like saying you shouldn't play any Mario except Odyssey, because Bowser is in that one too.
I think in part, MOTHER 1 stands out due to the era it was released in. Back when every RPG had a fantasy medieval setting, MOTHER positioned itself in a modern town, with credit cards, ATM machines, convenience stores, phones and cars and trains... EarthBound plays this much more straight because it's done it before, but in the context of MOTHER 1, it's much more blatant about using these elements to create a parody RPG that constantly fucks with you, and tricks you into doing things you don't want. But when it does that, I can't even get mad, all I can do is laugh.
There's charming moments too! There's a particular scene towards the end of the game that involves the characters interacting in a way that is unlike anything you see in EarthBound. It caught me off-guard, to think something like that was included in a 1989 NES game. And albeit I can see why it wasn't done again, it's things like that that make MOTHER 1 unique.
The combat is simple, very Dragon Quest-esque, and with a decent amount of strategy introduced as you obtain further party members. There's unfortunately nothing that sets it apart like how EarthBound with the rolling HP mechanic, but this is perfectly servicable anyway.
I think the charm of the game outweighs the negatives, but I'll list them anyway. Areas are too spacious, to a point where I didn't know I missed an important area until 70% through the game. I used online maps to figure out what led to where. Having to constantly backtrack to Magicant to equip my new party members proved to get tiresome after a while, and I wish there were more convenient ways to enter and exit that place.
Oh, and I would probably add Mt. Itoi as one of the problems with the game due to its difficulty spike, but once you realize you can just run away from everything and head right to the final boss, it's really not that bad.
Worth playing once, especially if you liked the other MOTHER games. It's not the most modern-feeling RPG out there, but it's not as bad as age and it being on the NES makes it out to be.
I've seen people out there think that EarthBound is a remake of the first MOTHER, so there's no point in playing the first game. I think that's wrong. Yes, they share familiar elements, but that's like saying you shouldn't play any Mario except Odyssey, because Bowser is in that one too.
I think in part, MOTHER 1 stands out due to the era it was released in. Back when every RPG had a fantasy medieval setting, MOTHER positioned itself in a modern town, with credit cards, ATM machines, convenience stores, phones and cars and trains... EarthBound plays this much more straight because it's done it before, but in the context of MOTHER 1, it's much more blatant about using these elements to create a parody RPG that constantly fucks with you, and tricks you into doing things you don't want. But when it does that, I can't even get mad, all I can do is laugh.
There's charming moments too! There's a particular scene towards the end of the game that involves the characters interacting in a way that is unlike anything you see in EarthBound. It caught me off-guard, to think something like that was included in a 1989 NES game. And albeit I can see why it wasn't done again, it's things like that that make MOTHER 1 unique.
The combat is simple, very Dragon Quest-esque, and with a decent amount of strategy introduced as you obtain further party members. There's unfortunately nothing that sets it apart like how EarthBound with the rolling HP mechanic, but this is perfectly servicable anyway.
I think the charm of the game outweighs the negatives, but I'll list them anyway. Areas are too spacious, to a point where I didn't know I missed an important area until 70% through the game. I used online maps to figure out what led to where. Having to constantly backtrack to Magicant to equip my new party members proved to get tiresome after a while, and I wish there were more convenient ways to enter and exit that place.
Oh, and I would probably add Mt. Itoi as one of the problems with the game due to its difficulty spike, but once you realize you can just run away from everything and head right to the final boss, it's really not that bad.
Worth playing once, especially if you liked the other MOTHER games. It's not the most modern-feeling RPG out there, but it's not as bad as age and it being on the NES makes it out to be.