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04-17-16 07:40 AM
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04-17-16 07:40 AM
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Earthbound: a strange, childish game

 
Game's Ratings
Overall
Graphics
Sound
Addictiveness
Depth
Story
Difficulty
Average User Score
9.6
8.6
9.1
9.2
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9.1
6
janus's Score
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04-17-16 07:40 AM
janus is Offline
| ID: 1262792 | 1930 Words

janus
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LVL EXP: 21405603
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Likes: 1  Dislikes: 1

In the heydays of the 16-bit consoles, RPGs were a dominant kind of game. There was Final Fantasy, Shining Force, Phantasy Star, Dragon Warrior… and Earthbound. I never played the NES version (Mother), so I can’t tell of any links between the two. But now that I have played that game nearly 20 years after its release I have to wonder why I like it so much…

Graphics: 6/10

The graphics are definitely subpar for the time (1995). There is absolutely no 3D effect in the game, and whatever cutscenes there are (flying Jeff’s Sky Runner, the bus rides) they get very tiring and they can’t be skipped. Hell, the Sky Runner does the EXACT SAME run both ways to and from Winter.

And yet, this is one of the very few 16-bit games where you can move your characters 360 degrees (rather than “in squares” like almost every other game). This is essential for the battle system; you can see the enemies coming at you, and if they catch you from behind they get the advantage. This is also essential if you want to walk “properly” as some cities like Foursides are at an angle. If you try to simply walk with the four traditional directions you will have a hard time.

Otherwise the graphics are respectable in themselves. Since the heroes are children (literally: like 8 years old) their sprites are small but clear. They are not over pixelated like the adults, whose heads are oversized compared to their bodies. You can see Ness’ baseball cap, Jeff’s glasses and Poo’s pony tail. Paula is probably the best-drawn female figure in this game. Most other females (except your mom) have oversized mouths like Princess Toadstool in Super Mario Bros. 1. It’s especially ugly when you see the “shopping ladies” in department stores, whose body barely show that they are women.

The environment you evolve in is also well-designed. Perspective is usually logical, although Foursides’ buildings are so tall that, I guess, it was hard to make it completely logical. No two cities are alike and they all have neat features: Onett’s city center is bustling with life, Twoson is a little smaller and quieter, Foursides looks like a Metropolis, Summer is by the beach, Winter is covered in snow… There is even a desert, sand dunes with pyramids, a huge swamp and a “Lost World” with dinosaurs. The dungeons are less varied, however, especially those of “Your Sanctuary.” They all look like regular caves, and other than slight changes in color they could all be the same.

Finally the battle screen is almost a setback to the NES era. You don’t see your character nor their physical attacks. You only see the enemies you hit flash, and they are completely still – they don’t even flash. I said almost because there is some variety in the fights. The background is ever-changing with mostly psychedelic forms that move. Also there was some attention given to magic. There stronger it is, the more complex the animation; the high-level star storm looks like it hurts a lot, freeze would kill anyone instantly while Ness’ special spell could cause seizing in sensitive people.

Music: 7/10

Music is a mixed bag. The soundtrack definitely gets higher points for its incredible variety. There is a different theme for each and every place you visit with very few repetitions. Some of the differences are very subtle (like the Your Sanctuary caves), but difference for villages and town is obvious. The music even matches some places very well; Winter has a Christmas-y theme, the Tenda theme makes them look even shier than they are, Scaraba has a very Arabic feel, Summer sounds like a quiet beach resort… There are also too many battle themes for me to count them. Seriously: there are like 10 of them! And sometimes boss battles are played as if it were a regular battle.

The realism of the arrangements, however, does not live up to what the SNES sound chip could do. Sure, there are some excellent tracks like the Runaway Five concert (that sounds very jazzy), Foursides’ bar (which sounds like a 1950s jazz bar) and Dalaam, which has a good “Eastern” feel. However the battle themes, for the most part, sound to synthesized and lack the epicness of battles themes even Sega did better with Shining Force II. Moonside’s loop is so short that it sounds merely like background noise.

It gets worse with the sound effects. The few good ones (the arcade in Onett, the healing butterfly) are no match for the NES-level sound effects from battles. Every single physical attack sounds the same – like folded metal – and your actions/the enemies’ sound so primitive I can’t even describe it. Also, some realistic sounds like Buzz Buzz, er, fly sounds and the slimes’ burping are annoying. Only magic really stands out; fire sounds like it’s burning, freeze sounds like you are breaking the enemy with ice and star storm sounds like it’s coming from another galaxy.

Addictiveness: 8/10

I first played the game when I was 12 and got hooked up to it instantly. In hindsight I can still see why people would find this game interesting.

For starters it was one of the only (the only?) game of the era that was set “today,” i.e. the 20th century. Everything around you looks modern: there are cars in the street, roads are paved, you get money from an ATM, you get to use phones or payphones, you buy your food from fast-food outlets and medicine from drugstores, etc. You even get as close to cell phones as could be for 1995 with the receiver phone. It’s mostly your dad telling you to stop, but also an inventor who tells you about his new findings. Even Final Fantasy VII was still incorporating Medieval tones with Aerith’s proximity to the Earth (although the PHS was a most realistic cell phone). Hell, the librarian even tells you to bring back the map book in 2001.

I also found the links to pop culture interesting. In Moonside you get to fight Dali’s clocks, Winter hosts the Loch Ness monster (and also Stonehenge), you get to visit the Pyramids (with its hyperactive hieroglyphs) and the Sphinx, you get to travel in a “yellow submarine”, find truffles using a pig nose … Granted, only “old” gamers like myself are likely to get them.

Story: 4/10

One night while you were sleeping quietly, you are awaken by a loud boom. A meteorite just crashed near your house. Upon investigating it closer, a fly “from the future” appears and tells you that you are the chosen one to stop the devastation that’s imminent because of the Gigyas. You even narrowly escape one of them who also came from the future. So it is your mission to record eight sounds with your stone in order to grow strong enough to win, but also to recruit “two boys and a girl” to assist you.

Back when the game was released, a video game critic rated the game at like 68 percent because of the game’s childish tone. I now sympathize with his view and agree wholeheartedly. This game has, to quote a French expression, “No head nor tail.”

First of all, how many times has a game with a hero who is “destined” to save the world from doom? At least games like the Dragon Warrior on the NES had an “excuse” to make the scenario so: you were a descendant of a once great hero who conquered evil. But here? Your quest is bestowed to you out of the blue.

Second, elements of the story are also dropped out of the blue. Once you reach Twoson and go to sleep, you get telepathic communication from Paula, whom you never even met. And when you are stuck in Threed, you also communicate telepathically to Jeff, whom you still haven’t met (Paula even says it: “I’m your friend you’ve never met.”) Finally to fight Gygias you have to warp to the past… as a robot. Again, what the hell? I thought Gygias devastated the future; how were they able to warp in the past?

Depth: 5/10

These (seemingly) random elements affect the depth of the game. There is absolutely no character development whatsoever. Only Ness gets a little once you get your Sound Stone full and get into your mind, and even then… This therefore makes you wonder who the hell is Pokey and why is he traveling the world looking for powerful people to get acquainted with. At least in Final Fantasy IV Golbez’ story made sense in the end. But here, Pokey is just another annoying feature dropped out of the blue.

Despite these senseless elements dropped at random, the game has nevertheless a lot to offer. Your quest is still an epic journey where you will have much more to do than just collect the music with your Sound Stone. You first have to accomplish a thousand little things like free Threed from its zombies, Happy Valley from its cultish Mr. Carpainter, rescue Mr. Saturn from the evil Master Belch… These details helped in making the game more interesting.

Difficulty: 4/10

Considering the light-hearted mood of the game, the game is very easy to play.

First, gaining levels is done at lightning speed. By that I mean that you can stay in an area and increase your levels in less than 10 battles (my personal gauge for speed) for a long time. In particular, once you conquer a Your Sanctuary location all the enemies run away from you. This means that you not only will have the first strike, but you might also be able to kill them without even having to fight. This is especially useful in the Lumin Hall cave, where the Fubby monsters can give you nearly 5k experience each.

Also, even for people with poor dexterity like me can easily avoid being caught from behind by pressing the right arrow in order to face the enemy. Hell, you can profit from your after-battle “invincibility” (you are flashing for a few seconds) to catch enemies from behind and get the first strike. Be careful with that one though; you can be caught from behind too if you’re not careful.

In addition, you can buy teddy bears that will take physical damage on your behalf (and even status-inducing attacks). They are not invincible of course, and will eventually end up in “a pile of fluff.” Nevertheless they are very cheap and are easy to find.

Some of the difficulty, however, can make the game very frustrating. The worst of it all is being “mushroomized.” That mushroom on your head will change randomly how you walk, making it hard to walk to someone who can harvest it (and they are usually not in a hospital). Also, because the hero is so young he sometimes gets homesick and doesn’t want to fight. It can get frustrating when you can’t have access to a phone so he can talk to his mom (but I believe that talking to his dad can do). Finally your inventory is ridiculously limited. Being dressed from head to toe takes up four full spaces, leaving very little for something else, including vital accessories and food.

In conclusion, I’m not sure I can recommend this game for people who are over age 15. It has a childish tone (and not in a good way), the story is completely random, has barely any development and it’s technically inferior to most games of the era.

In the heydays of the 16-bit consoles, RPGs were a dominant kind of game. There was Final Fantasy, Shining Force, Phantasy Star, Dragon Warrior… and Earthbound. I never played the NES version (Mother), so I can’t tell of any links between the two. But now that I have played that game nearly 20 years after its release I have to wonder why I like it so much…

Graphics: 6/10

The graphics are definitely subpar for the time (1995). There is absolutely no 3D effect in the game, and whatever cutscenes there are (flying Jeff’s Sky Runner, the bus rides) they get very tiring and they can’t be skipped. Hell, the Sky Runner does the EXACT SAME run both ways to and from Winter.

And yet, this is one of the very few 16-bit games where you can move your characters 360 degrees (rather than “in squares” like almost every other game). This is essential for the battle system; you can see the enemies coming at you, and if they catch you from behind they get the advantage. This is also essential if you want to walk “properly” as some cities like Foursides are at an angle. If you try to simply walk with the four traditional directions you will have a hard time.

Otherwise the graphics are respectable in themselves. Since the heroes are children (literally: like 8 years old) their sprites are small but clear. They are not over pixelated like the adults, whose heads are oversized compared to their bodies. You can see Ness’ baseball cap, Jeff’s glasses and Poo’s pony tail. Paula is probably the best-drawn female figure in this game. Most other females (except your mom) have oversized mouths like Princess Toadstool in Super Mario Bros. 1. It’s especially ugly when you see the “shopping ladies” in department stores, whose body barely show that they are women.

The environment you evolve in is also well-designed. Perspective is usually logical, although Foursides’ buildings are so tall that, I guess, it was hard to make it completely logical. No two cities are alike and they all have neat features: Onett’s city center is bustling with life, Twoson is a little smaller and quieter, Foursides looks like a Metropolis, Summer is by the beach, Winter is covered in snow… There is even a desert, sand dunes with pyramids, a huge swamp and a “Lost World” with dinosaurs. The dungeons are less varied, however, especially those of “Your Sanctuary.” They all look like regular caves, and other than slight changes in color they could all be the same.

Finally the battle screen is almost a setback to the NES era. You don’t see your character nor their physical attacks. You only see the enemies you hit flash, and they are completely still – they don’t even flash. I said almost because there is some variety in the fights. The background is ever-changing with mostly psychedelic forms that move. Also there was some attention given to magic. There stronger it is, the more complex the animation; the high-level star storm looks like it hurts a lot, freeze would kill anyone instantly while Ness’ special spell could cause seizing in sensitive people.

Music: 7/10

Music is a mixed bag. The soundtrack definitely gets higher points for its incredible variety. There is a different theme for each and every place you visit with very few repetitions. Some of the differences are very subtle (like the Your Sanctuary caves), but difference for villages and town is obvious. The music even matches some places very well; Winter has a Christmas-y theme, the Tenda theme makes them look even shier than they are, Scaraba has a very Arabic feel, Summer sounds like a quiet beach resort… There are also too many battle themes for me to count them. Seriously: there are like 10 of them! And sometimes boss battles are played as if it were a regular battle.

The realism of the arrangements, however, does not live up to what the SNES sound chip could do. Sure, there are some excellent tracks like the Runaway Five concert (that sounds very jazzy), Foursides’ bar (which sounds like a 1950s jazz bar) and Dalaam, which has a good “Eastern” feel. However the battle themes, for the most part, sound to synthesized and lack the epicness of battles themes even Sega did better with Shining Force II. Moonside’s loop is so short that it sounds merely like background noise.

It gets worse with the sound effects. The few good ones (the arcade in Onett, the healing butterfly) are no match for the NES-level sound effects from battles. Every single physical attack sounds the same – like folded metal – and your actions/the enemies’ sound so primitive I can’t even describe it. Also, some realistic sounds like Buzz Buzz, er, fly sounds and the slimes’ burping are annoying. Only magic really stands out; fire sounds like it’s burning, freeze sounds like you are breaking the enemy with ice and star storm sounds like it’s coming from another galaxy.

Addictiveness: 8/10

I first played the game when I was 12 and got hooked up to it instantly. In hindsight I can still see why people would find this game interesting.

For starters it was one of the only (the only?) game of the era that was set “today,” i.e. the 20th century. Everything around you looks modern: there are cars in the street, roads are paved, you get money from an ATM, you get to use phones or payphones, you buy your food from fast-food outlets and medicine from drugstores, etc. You even get as close to cell phones as could be for 1995 with the receiver phone. It’s mostly your dad telling you to stop, but also an inventor who tells you about his new findings. Even Final Fantasy VII was still incorporating Medieval tones with Aerith’s proximity to the Earth (although the PHS was a most realistic cell phone). Hell, the librarian even tells you to bring back the map book in 2001.

I also found the links to pop culture interesting. In Moonside you get to fight Dali’s clocks, Winter hosts the Loch Ness monster (and also Stonehenge), you get to visit the Pyramids (with its hyperactive hieroglyphs) and the Sphinx, you get to travel in a “yellow submarine”, find truffles using a pig nose … Granted, only “old” gamers like myself are likely to get them.

Story: 4/10

One night while you were sleeping quietly, you are awaken by a loud boom. A meteorite just crashed near your house. Upon investigating it closer, a fly “from the future” appears and tells you that you are the chosen one to stop the devastation that’s imminent because of the Gigyas. You even narrowly escape one of them who also came from the future. So it is your mission to record eight sounds with your stone in order to grow strong enough to win, but also to recruit “two boys and a girl” to assist you.

Back when the game was released, a video game critic rated the game at like 68 percent because of the game’s childish tone. I now sympathize with his view and agree wholeheartedly. This game has, to quote a French expression, “No head nor tail.”

First of all, how many times has a game with a hero who is “destined” to save the world from doom? At least games like the Dragon Warrior on the NES had an “excuse” to make the scenario so: you were a descendant of a once great hero who conquered evil. But here? Your quest is bestowed to you out of the blue.

Second, elements of the story are also dropped out of the blue. Once you reach Twoson and go to sleep, you get telepathic communication from Paula, whom you never even met. And when you are stuck in Threed, you also communicate telepathically to Jeff, whom you still haven’t met (Paula even says it: “I’m your friend you’ve never met.”) Finally to fight Gygias you have to warp to the past… as a robot. Again, what the hell? I thought Gygias devastated the future; how were they able to warp in the past?

Depth: 5/10

These (seemingly) random elements affect the depth of the game. There is absolutely no character development whatsoever. Only Ness gets a little once you get your Sound Stone full and get into your mind, and even then… This therefore makes you wonder who the hell is Pokey and why is he traveling the world looking for powerful people to get acquainted with. At least in Final Fantasy IV Golbez’ story made sense in the end. But here, Pokey is just another annoying feature dropped out of the blue.

Despite these senseless elements dropped at random, the game has nevertheless a lot to offer. Your quest is still an epic journey where you will have much more to do than just collect the music with your Sound Stone. You first have to accomplish a thousand little things like free Threed from its zombies, Happy Valley from its cultish Mr. Carpainter, rescue Mr. Saturn from the evil Master Belch… These details helped in making the game more interesting.

Difficulty: 4/10

Considering the light-hearted mood of the game, the game is very easy to play.

First, gaining levels is done at lightning speed. By that I mean that you can stay in an area and increase your levels in less than 10 battles (my personal gauge for speed) for a long time. In particular, once you conquer a Your Sanctuary location all the enemies run away from you. This means that you not only will have the first strike, but you might also be able to kill them without even having to fight. This is especially useful in the Lumin Hall cave, where the Fubby monsters can give you nearly 5k experience each.

Also, even for people with poor dexterity like me can easily avoid being caught from behind by pressing the right arrow in order to face the enemy. Hell, you can profit from your after-battle “invincibility” (you are flashing for a few seconds) to catch enemies from behind and get the first strike. Be careful with that one though; you can be caught from behind too if you’re not careful.

In addition, you can buy teddy bears that will take physical damage on your behalf (and even status-inducing attacks). They are not invincible of course, and will eventually end up in “a pile of fluff.” Nevertheless they are very cheap and are easy to find.

Some of the difficulty, however, can make the game very frustrating. The worst of it all is being “mushroomized.” That mushroom on your head will change randomly how you walk, making it hard to walk to someone who can harvest it (and they are usually not in a hospital). Also, because the hero is so young he sometimes gets homesick and doesn’t want to fight. It can get frustrating when you can’t have access to a phone so he can talk to his mom (but I believe that talking to his dad can do). Finally your inventory is ridiculously limited. Being dressed from head to toe takes up four full spaces, leaving very little for something else, including vital accessories and food.

In conclusion, I’m not sure I can recommend this game for people who are over age 15. It has a childish tone (and not in a good way), the story is completely random, has barely any development and it’s technically inferior to most games of the era.
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