If puzzles aren’t your thing, Nintendo has the entire guide online for free, but as a sucker for puzzles, I reveled in my own confusion. In fact, Nintendo sold every copy of the original game with a player’s guide filled with hints and vague instructions. There’s also a heavy dose of puzzle-solving to get from area to area, and the game never tells you exactly what to do. Countless games were inspired by these details and systems, from “Undertale” to “Eastward.” This is not to mention the tiny, quirky details like “oh, baby” coming up every time a character levels up or the Blues Brothers-inspired musical sequence. That prophecy at the game’s opening? Yeah, that was spoken by a talking bee named Buzz Buzz that traveled from the future. Rather than battling a powerful king or a vengeful wizard, I found myself beating sentient garbage into submission with a baseball bat. In the pre-“EarthBound” world, RPGs rarely took place in a modern time or setting, opting for fantasy tropes instead. “EarthBound” has been called one of the most influential games of all time due to its willingness to reinvent the genre. If any of this sounds familiar, that’s because it absolutely is. The health aspect of battles is unique as well, as your hit points gradually roll down, making death avoidable if you’re quick enough. You also have the option to defend or run from a fight, making combat more strategic than simply bashing an enemy to bits.
Unlike other games in the genre like “Pokémon,” the game never forces you into a fight with enemies that are so low-level they’re a waste of time.
Yes, the game requires the player to get out there and face random encounters before moving forward, but there are key aspects to this loop that make this less cumbersome than the vast majority of modern turn-based role playing games (or RPGs). The variety of enemies keeps the already amazing combat refreshing, even in the midst of grinding. Each non-player character (NPC) is unique in their appearance and speech, adding depth to a deceptively simplistic world. Some enemy sprites are highly detailed, showcasing the gears on a human-tank hybrid, and others are simply a plant with two leaves and legs. The pixel art emphasizes the goofiest parts of the game but also creates surreal, disconcerting backdrops for enemy encounters.
In order to defeat Giygas, there are melodies Ness must record but to get them, he must confront endless obstacles - including his own mind.Įverything about the game is stylish, from its surprisingly complex 1960s inspired soundtrack to its clever puns and nostalgic evocation. Along the way, Ness faces many random encounters, wacky side characters and strange areas to explore with plenty of hidden nooks and crannies. The game revolves around Ness traveling to new towns, occasionally finding new party members, beating up the local baddies and leveling up. After hearing of a prophecy that states a boy and his friends will save the world from a mysterious villain named Giygas, Ness sets off on an epic quest to fulfill it. “EarthBound” stars Ness, an average 13-year-old kid curious about a meteorite that landed near his house. However, the surreal, chaotic satire of Western culture has stood the test of time and remains as bizarre and hilarious as it was nearly 20 years ago.
The original marketing campaign was no help to the game’s success either, boldly claiming “ this game stinks” and including scratch and sniffs on advertisements. To the unfamiliar, “EarthBound” might look like a kids’ game or any other old RPG. “EarthBound” was originally released on the Super Nintendo in 1994 to lukewarm reception, but it has gone on to influence countless games and earn its title as a cult classic. 9 was fairly divisive, there was one game that stood out to me above all others - and it’s nearly two decades old. Although the most recent Nintendo Direct on Feb.