EarthBound
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| EarthBound | |
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| Developer(s) | Ape, Inc. and HAL Laboratory, Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Shigesato Itoi |
| Release date(s) | JPN August 27, 1994 [1] NA June 1, 1995 [2] |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: K-A (Kids to Adults) |
| Platform(s) | SNES |
| Media | 24 megabit cartridge |
EarthBound, released in Japan as MOTHER 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushū (MOTHER2 ギーグの逆襲 Mazā Tsū Gīgu no Gyakushū?, lit. "Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back"), is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. While it is known as EarthBound in the United States, it is the second game in the Mother series. The game was never released in Europe.
EarthBound is a sequel to the original Mother, a Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System title released only in Japan. Mother and EarthBound are not directly connected. One of the only connections plotwise between the two is Giygas, the primary antagonist in both games, who was also significantly changed between the first and second games.
The soundtrack was composed by Keiichi Suzuki and was available on CD in Japan.
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[edit] Plot
EarthBound is set in the year "199X" in the small town of Onett, part of Eagleland. The main character, Ness, wakes up when a meteor falls close to his house in the middle of the night. He heads out to investigate the meteor, but not before his mother reminds him to change out of his pajamas. At the crash site, he meets an insect named Buzz Buzz from ten years in the future who sends him on a quest to destroy the intergalactic destroyer Giygas in this time, because he is too powerful in the time that Buzz Buzz came from. Ness must then journey through the world, seeking his eight "sanctuaries" where the Earth's power is strongest in order to unite his own powers with the Earth's and gain the strength needed to confront Giygas.
EarthBound breaks the escapist, fantasy-oriented tendencies and themes of most RPGs by placing the action in a modern day world. These changes to typical RPG stories are often taken to an absurd extreme in EarthBound, such as the inclusion of baseball bats and yo-yos as weapons instead of swords or magical staves.
[edit] Characters
- See also: List of EarthBound characters
The game has a cast of four permanent playable characters. Ness is the silent protagonist of the game. He wakes up when a meteor crashes behind his house, setting him off on his adventure. He comes into contact with Paula, Jeff, and Poo, who decide to join him.
[edit] Gameplay
Many of the RPG elements featured in EarthBound are very traditional. In towns, players can purchase items, recharge energy, or gather information from various non-player characters. Battles are not random because the enemies are visible in the navigation portion of the game (although some, such as ants, are only a few black pixels, and difficult to spot or avoid). When the characters encounter an enemy, a battle starts. The player can be at an advantage or disadvantage when the battle starts: If the enemy is approached from behind, the player get an extra turn at the beginning of the battle and vice versa. As Ness and his friends become stronger, battles with weaker enemies are eventually won immediately, skipping the entire battle sequence altogether.
The battle system is very similar to the Dragon Quest series, in the sense that the player's characters are not shown onscreen. Once all actions are input, the protagonists and the enemies perform their actions in an order depending on each character's speed. Once the battle is won, players receive experience points in order to level up their characters and improve attributes.
As the game progresses, it becomes necessary to increase levels in order to cope with stronger enemies. An interesting aspect is the HP and PP, represented by counters that resemble odometers. When the character takes damage, their HP meter "rolls" down to the new number over a short time rather than jumping directly to it. When a character takes a hit that deals more damage than their current HP (referred to as mortal damage), they do not actually die until their meter rolls down to zero. This means that if the battle ends before the counter reaches zero, the character survives. It also gives the player an opportunity to heal their character before they die. This creates some intense moments in gameplay as the player is forced to go through turns as fast as possible in order to heal, especially since there are enemies that can deplete any character's entire HP with one hit. This adds some depth to gameplay.
One traditional RPG element not present in EarthBound is an overworld. Instead, players follow a path through a seamless world, occasionally branching off in some areas. Later on in the game, teleporting spells help players return to previous areas quickly.
Another non-traditional element is the perspective used for the world. The game uses oblique projection, while most RPGs use a top down view on a grid or an isometric perspective.
[edit] Japanese release
The game was released in Japan on August 27, 1994. Known as Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back!, the game is the sequel to Mother, released for the Famicom.
EarthBound follows the same basic plot as its predecessor, but Giygas ("Gyiyg" in the Japanese version) is the only returning character.
[edit] U.S. release
Releasing the game in the United States was considered somewhat of a gamble, as the game's graphics were very simple, especially compared to other role-playing games of the time, such as Final Fantasy VI. Additionally, the humor of the game is tied to its quirky portrayal of the West, which may not have translated to that region. In an attempt to increase sales, the game was also extensively promoted within Nintendo Power, with various special offers, including a contest involving scratch-and-sniff stickers, as well as a Nintendo Power-published player's guide that was included as a pack-in with the initial American release to boost sales and assist players.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Starmen.net. Japanese release date. Retrieved May 15, 2006.
- ^ Nintendo.com. US release date. Retrieved May 15, 2006.
- ^ Player's Guide packaged with the game. [1]. Retrieved May 15, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Unofficial sites
- Starmen.Net
- Mother2.net
- Mother Party(Japanese)
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Mother / EarthBound video games
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Mother • EarthBound • Mother 1 + 2 • Mother 3 |
