Joe Norman
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Mar 15, 2013 · Earthbound: Directed by Alan Brennan. With Rafe Spall, Jenn Murray, Stephen Hogan, David Morrissey. Joe is an Alien on Earth. At least that is what his father told him before he died when Joe was eleven. He finds it difficult to adjust, and to find a compatible girl friend.
- (715)
- Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
- Alan Brennan
- 2013-03-15
EarthBound was later made available worldwide on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013, 3DS Virtual Console in 2016, the SNES Classic in 2017, and Nintendo Switch Online in February 2022.
- Bound for greatness.
- Verdict
By Scott Thompson
Posted: Jul 24, 2013 11:39 pm
During an introspective moment, EarthBound reminds us that, "There are many difficult times ahead, but you must keep your sense of humor." That quote represents this seminal role-playing game's tone and pacing – it skillfully juggles a noticeable juxtaposition between moments of almost punishingly difficult battle against a dark Lovecraftian apocalypse and silly lightheartedness, and never makes you wait too long between them. Main character Ness and his compatriots combat sentient piles of barf, help two monkeys fall in love, stumble upon a planning meeting for EarthBound 2 (such a tease!), and so much more. It all comes together incredibly well. The true definition of a classic, EarthBound is as amazing and challenging a role-playing game today as it was in 1995.
EarthBound entertainingly wraps traditional RPG tropes in its 1990s setting. The party wields children’s toys like yo-yos, baseball bats, and toy guns to do battle against stray dogs, hippies, skateboarders and plenty of other foes. Rather than using a sparkling point on the ground or a plume of mystical blue light to save your game, Ness finds the nearest payphone to call his dad and record his progress. Money must be withdrawn from the nearest ATM, rather than retrieved from a stash. A number of references to the Beatles, the Blues Brothers, the Who, and plenty of others are dropped throughout, making Earthbound feel like a love letter to 20th-century Americana.
The dichotomy between the serious and the irreverent also carries over to gameplay. While full of bright, cutesy sprites and charming music, EarthBound makes no apologies for being a very traditional (read: difficult) Japanese RPG. It might actually be at its most challenging in the beginning, when Ness is alone and under-equipped. It becomes less brutal as the party grows, but never easy. Inventory space remains incredibly limited, grinding XP is virtually a must, Ness and his friends have frustratingly low combat accuracy, and dying can invoke a pretty steep monetary penalty. While I found the challenge rewarding, it runs the risk of sending newcomers running for the hills.
It'd be nice to at least have some visual stimulation while we're getting beat up on, but there's not much action. All you see is a still image of each enemy and spell effects against pretty psychedelic backgrounds. It isn’t the most exciting thing to watch, but thankfully each character is unique enough to keep decision-making interesting. There are refreshing deviations from RPG tropes, such as Paula's combination of powerful offensive spells with almost no healing ability whatsoever, and Poo's ability to mirror enemies and adopt their attacks. Even if there isn’t much visual feedback, maximizing the group’s abilities is a rewarding experience.
EarthBound is one of the most bizarre and memorable RPGs I've ever played. It balances its dark undertones with a sharp wit that is still mostly unrivaled today, and is full of ingenious ideas that buck genre trends. Though its punishing difficulty in its early stages might be tough to get past, EarthBound still remains one of the best, most unique...
On March 20, 2013, EarthBound was rereleased on the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan, and then internationally on July 18, 2013, which notably marked the debut of the game and the overall series in PAL regions.
- Roleplaying video game
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- Nintendo
EARTHBOUND - IN IRISH CINEMAS MARCH 15TH 2013Sci-fi comedy starring Rafe Spall, Jenn Murray and David Morrissey.Facebook: EarthboundTheMovie Website: www.ear...
EarthBound was released on Nintendo's Virtual Console service for the first time on March 20, 2013 in Japan and July 18, 2013, in North America, and for the first time, Australia and Europe. It was released for the New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in March 2016.
Jul 23, 2013 · The Death of Buzz Buzz. A bee he is not. Buzz Buzz is an insect-like alien from the future. He arrives on the aforementioned meteor to warn Ness that the malevolent entity Giygas has cast...
