I've put it off for long enough! The time has come, friends, for me to write an Earthbound review!
Earthbound is a game I became interested in because of our capped hero's shenanigans in Super Smash Brothers. But I slowly grew into liking the game for what it is, and not because of Smash at all. I began seeing what all the fuss about the game was about, and why people grew so attached to this silly little game. So without farther adieu, et's begin!...Actually let's wait a minute. Mom says I need to change out of my PJ's first.


Graphics: 8/10

The graphics to this game are spectacular! The sprites are all well detailed. And while there's limited animation, and a lot of reuse that goes on. The charm to the characters are really solidified through the spritework. Yes Bootleg Mr. T and big eyed man, I'm looking at you two. There are even times when the dialogue box is used as a joke.
The battle screens are a league of their own. Each enemy has a unique psychedelic background when you fight them. And they have a slightly higher level of detail since there's not much else going on in battle. There is a lot of recolored tougher versions of enemies later in the game. But at least they keep that spectacular design in tact. Just...A little note of reduced effort on the graphical buffet.
The environments are all really cool too. They are all very distinct from each other. You'll have a hard time trying to confuse different places. Onett and Twoson look very different, Fourside is enormous, and Deep Darkness looks like it was lifted straight from Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy!
This game is a graphical delight, but it isn't without flaws. The reusing sprites and recoloring enemies can get really obnoxious at times.

Sound: 10/10

The sound in this game is phenomenal, especially by SNES standards. The sound effects are pretty cool. Each PSI Power has it's own sound effect. And they range from recognisable, to a sound that no human or properly working noise maker could possibly make. Maybe they used alien instruments to make the sound effects for them. Aside from the PSI powers; there's nothing to really talk about for sound effects.
The music is amazing! Its obvious right off the bat that a ton of time and effort went into each and every song. No two songs sound remotely alike. Although there are quite a few songs that are remixes of music from Mother 1 / Eathbound Zero / Earthbound Beginnings. But the fact some 8 bit chiptune turns into a 16 bit masterpiece that still sounds amazing to this day is fantastic. There is one specific instance where it sounds like real instruments are playing. And that track alone was enough for me to boost this rating to a ten!


Addictiveness: 8/10

This is one of the few games I've played multiple times in a row. Okay, twice. But that really says a lot when it's a full length RPG. Anyway, especially during your first playthrough, stopping is almost unthinkable! Although the least addictive this game gets is in the very beginning. But once you stop the required grinding for the first major area of the game, you're golden! And then the ball really starts rolling and the game gets more enjoyable. And replaying the game at least once still captures the addictiveness from your first playthrough. At least in my opinion it does. This is one of the more addicting games I've played actually.

Story: 6/10

The story is cool, but in Nintendo tradition, it's probably the weakest element of the game. Essentially, it's a young boy sent on a quest (by a talking bee from the future) to stop the evil Giygas, who destroys everything in ten years time. So with a bit of exposition, Ness is sent off to eight different locations to power himself up to fight Giygas, and to find any friends who may help them. Along the way you meat living piles of barf, aggressive cups of coffee, a few monkeys, and a cosmic terror beyond any physical description any language of man (except for Guamish) can describe.
The game's events unfold in a charming, albiet weird series of events. It was a kind of quirky that nobody really wanted in their games, much less in an RPG. But this sort of brought inspiration and some humor to games prior to this. It was a bigger story than Mother 1, but not quite as emotional as Mother 3. But this game is fantastic in it's own right. It's just one of those happier stories. The kind that seem to be a lost art nowadays.

Depth: 7/10

The depth is this game is a lot more than you'd expect in ways you wouldn't expect. First of all, the sheer amount of items is astounding. There are a ton of items that...Don't do much. And were probably added in as some inside joke among developers. Who seriously brushes their teeth in the middle of a battle anyway? And what fun is there in mentioning items people find helpful also?
There is a lot of dialogue in this game. And there are a few instances where almost everyone has something different to say. For example: Talking to some NPC's multiple times in a row gives you different responses. And Solving the major problem of an area results in change too. As well as returning to any location after finishing the game. So as you can tell...There is a lot of dialogue, and a lot of changes to that dialogue too. But almost all of it is entirely optional. So it's also a nice little secret too. But in the endgame almost every single NPC has new dialogue. Is that depth or what?!
The game lasts a good amount of time too. It's not exactly a 100+ hour undertaking like Xenoblade Chronicles. Nor is it a quick little RPG akin to Undertale. I'd say this is a decent length for an RPG. Needless to say, the RPG has very few sidequests or anything. It's pretty linear in that sense. But you'll still be playing for awhile.

Difficulty: 4/10

This is a pretty easy game to go through. Really the hardest part is the beginning. You'll need to do some grinding. But once you wrap up Onett and get halfway through Twoson the game picks up really quickly. But that's essentially it in terms of grinding. There are a few other areas I'd call challenging. But it's never impossibly hard. In fact, there is even multiple hint stations! They look like the Psychiatric Help stand from Charlie Brown. And like that stand, this will save you from insanity. Although I have never needed it before. I only used it once out of curiosity. You may get stuck once or twice. But this game is, for the most part, smooth sailing.
Battling is pretty easy. There's even an auto fight mode; in case hitting Attack is too hard to do. Well, attack or hitting PSI and picking which attack or unleash, or who to heal up, or various buffs. But you honestly don't need any of the buffing powers unless you're underlevel. But the chances of that happening are pretty low. There aren't many enemies I'd consider tough either. Well, they are a little tough when you're new to the area. But if you become strong enough enemies will actually run away from you! That feeling is one of the best you can have.

Earthbound is one of the few games I'd consider unforgettable. The charm, the spouts of humor, the music, the actual gameplay...It all really sticks with you. It feels like the kind of adventure you would make up as a kid. Only with rockin' music! This game is just great. Although it's not exactly perfect. For starters; the walk speed is awfully slow. So that can make travel a pain. Also you can run out of money if you don't know what you're doing. Then you just need to stall for time to get more.
Anyway, I highly recommend this game. It's one of my favorites. If RPG's are your thing, you just may love Earthbound.

Overall: 9/10

Although I disagree with your assessment of the game - I thought it was too childish and shallow - you did a good job reviewing the game. Your structure is clear and you gave a good, accurate description of the game. You even made comparisons with the NES games of the franchise, although it seems that you could have used more elements (what specific tracks are used?)

High 4!