Where do I start with this game. It was the first game I ever played that was set in present day and I just feel so much love and nostalgia for this game. It was colourful and did a lot for its time. Marketed as Mother in Japan, it has developed a cult following over the years and I can see why. Lezzgo!
Plot and Setting: It's present day America (or a place resembling America) and our young unnamed protagonist (we'll call him by his unofficial name 'Ness') is woken up by a space saucer that crashes in the hill near his house. Upon investigating it he discovers a sinister plan by aliens to take over the world. With his faithful dog by his side and 3 friends he meet along the way. He has to battle evil hippies, politicians and of course aliens to save the world!
With beautiful aesthetics and graphics, Earthbound has a refreshing take on urban city life,through the eyes of a little kid. It even has the dungeon and maps to match.
Opinion: Earthbound is an insanely cute and realistic take on old school turn based rpgs. You stay in hotels instead of inns. Instead of medieval villages, you visit cities and urban towns. Instead of looting beast...carrying money for some reason, your dad deposits the money into your account after giving him a phone call (like real life!). It gave me a sense of familiarity I had not experienced in a game before and won't again until Persona 3 came out. I give the plot a 3/5 Soul and the Setting gets a 5/5 Soul.
Characters: It's very hard to talk about characters from rpgs of the yesteryears. They generally lacked the depth found in modern day rpgs, but i'll try and give it a go.
Ness: This is an example of a protagonist found in the rpgs of the past. They are generally mute and don't speak a single word throughout the entire game to try and instill a sense of immersion.
You were Ness and supposed to be Ness all the way, and while modern rpgs have abandoned this old school silent protagonist, it's being kept alive by the Dragon Quest (about to enter their 11th installment). Also the Persona series is revitalizing it by having the main character completely silent except for an occasional battle grunt and (unvoiced) player based conversation choices.
Paula: Paula was also your typical sole female representative from late 80s early 90s rpg games. She was the the strongest in magic and fairly weak in actual combat having the least amount of hp meant dying multiple times and had to be protected.
Jeff: Nothing much about Jeff's personality outside of being an eccentric inventor, creating gadgets to help pass an obstacle in the story or in battle.
Poo: The unfortunately named Poo is a martial artist the group meets half way through the game and unlike the rest has no psychic abilities but was very strong in combat.
Overall I give the characters 3/5 Soul Giving leeway for the fact that they were products of their time but still provided a sense of attachment to them. I cared for them and their cause.
Gameplay: Alright, I'm not going to lie and say the gameplay in Earthbound is not dated...because it is. You go from city to town to town solving problems along the way.
Random encounters (like every other jrpg at the time) are almost non stop, even in towns.
The battle is old school Dragon Quest turn based combat and honestly without the nostalgia, I don't think I can play through it again, Everything that happens in the battle is explained in a text bar and your characters are not shown in battle or when attacking. Overall I give the actual gameplay 2/5 Soul
Overall: I give the game 3/5 Soul, honestly I'm tempted to give it a 4 but I can't help but feel like it would be out of nostalgia mostly. It has plenty of soul but the gameplay is dated. This game is not for everyone but if you're into classic Super Nintendo games, please do check this out.
Keep an eye out for my next review Dragon Quest IX for the NintendoDS
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