Earthbound review
by Bubble Man

To start off rather bluntly, this is not a game for everyone. Out of 100 people, less than half will get it, and maybe even less than that will find it fun. That is one of the great things about this game. It's random, it's funny, and (at least for me) it's very nostalgic. Earthound is one of those classic games you will never forget, and it's originality will last for years and years to come.

The first time I had heard about this game was in the early years of the SNES vs. Genesis era (The early 1990s, aka The Golden Age of Gaming). My best friend at the time had bought this game, and I remember playing it at his house. I was in an RPG frenzy at the time, and any game where you walk around a town in a top down perspective instantly got my seal of approval. However, this game was different than most. It was an RPG, but not in the normal sense of the word. Instead of Swords and Axes, you had Baseball Bats and Frying Pans. Instead of fighting demons and dragons, you fought Hippies and Skateboarders. And instead of wandering around through medeival towns and castles, you wandered through suburban towns and cities. It was a modern RPG, one that was radically different from everything else in the genre. It was the most fun and original RPG I had played in years, and to this day, it remains one of the most fun and original RPGs I have ever played. It's quirkiness is what sets it apart from other games. Earthbound has a very distinct sense of humor, that some people just won't get. Fortunately if you find that you do enjoy it, be prepared for a very fun and humerous RPG that will soon become one of you're favorites.

Earthbound throws you in the shoes of Ness, a small-town kid who leads a pretty normal life by most accounts. He lives in the small suburban town of Onett, he has a younger sister, two loving parents, and a pet dog; just like any other normal family. The game starts when a mysterious meteorite crash lands in the hills north of Onett, and like most other people in the town, Ness is awoken by the loud crash of the meteorite and, like any other kid would, he goes out to investigate. Similar to many other RPGs, Ness never speaks, not even an occasional Chrono "...", he becomes you as you play the game. Because he never talks, you become enveloped in the character, and you actually feel as though it is you on this adventure. This helps a great deal in the overall feel of the game. Well, anyway, when Ness approaches the metoeorite in town a mysterious Bee emerges from the burning ashes. This bee explains the story to Ness: Gygas, a universally evil being, is going to destroy the Earth in the future. The bee (well, his name is Buzz Buzz) explains that he came from the future where the world is destroyed and Gygas controls everything. In order to stop this from happening, Buzz Buzz sends Ness on an epic quest to avoid the destruction of the Earth. That's the basic plot, and it really takes off from there. As you travel through the game you'll meet three other characters who will join your team: Paula, a loving girl from the nearby town of Twoson; Jeff, a genius boy from the Winters boarding school for boys; and Poo, a prince from a land far, far away. All characters are well developed, with their own personalities and style, so it never gets boring.

Now let me get to the gameplay, which may be one of the problems one would have with this game. Like any RPG, you travel around collecting items and new weapons and armor to equip. You can see all enemies on the screen while you travel around a town or some cave or whatever. Once you touch an enemy the game goes to a traditional combat screen. But unlike games like Final Fantasy, you don't see your characters on the screen during the fight, just the enemies. From the battle screen you can then select your course of action, which is usual turn-based RPG fare. Fight, Magic, Item, Run Away, etc. You know the deal. It's no different from any other game, despite the fact that you don't see your party. Think of the original Dragon Warrior for NES and you'll get an idea of how the battles are. I'll admit, it's not the greatest battle system in the world, and the fight and magic animations are subpar, but it gets the job done, and because the game is so fun, it never feels detrimental.

The graphics in the game are pretty good for the time it was released, but not so good when you compare it to the graphics of a game like Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI. Like I said in other reviews, I'm never one to judge a game based on its graphics alone, but I'll admit they do improve the overall quality of the game. The graphics in this game are very well done however, all towns and cities are very colorful and animated, which fits the style of the game. All animations are pretty good, except for some of the fighting and spell animations during battles, which are a tad weak. But the framrate is top notch, although for a SNES game, that shouldn't be something to worry about.

The sound and music is superb all around. The music soundtrack is one of the most memorable you'll ever hear, and all sound effects are perfectly done. This is one of those games that has music that should be covered by every and all Video Game cover bands. From the simple techno battle themes, to the different town themes, everything is very well done, and the songs will stay with you forever.

So, does this game last? Well, it's an RPG, so it'll take you a while to beat. For some weird reason their isn't an in game clock, so it's difficult to say just how long the game will take to beat. My guess is somewhere in the 30 - 40 hour range, which is pretty good for a SNES RPG. And this is one of those games that you will want to play over and over again (I know I have). There aren't many sub-quests or bonus items to find in the game, besides a few ultimate weapons for your chracters, and there aren't any unlockables or stuff like that, so don't expect a lot of bonus features, cause there's nothing.

This is a game that everyone should play at least onc in their life. Try it out if you can, and see if it's your cup of tea. If you're a fan of RPGs, or even a fan of humerous games, definately give this one a shot as soon as you can. I won't promise that you'll like it, but I'll promise that if you do like it, it'll become one of you're favorite games of all time.

EarthBound, Right to Left: Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo Overall Score:

Presentation: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound/Music: 10/10
Replayability: 9/10

Overall: 8.8 (average)

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