Game Debate #9: Earthbound

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

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[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

I'll be abstaining from voting or commenting on any Super Nintendo games

[TDIRunner | 2,742]

I'm not sure that I can vote on this one.  I attempted to start and play the game one time.  I only made it about an hour in and it wasn't enough to really draw me into it, plus I had a few other things going on at the time so I didn't get back to it.  While it didn't really draw me in, I still feel I didn't give it enough of a chance to say I didn't like it.  I want to play it someday, but I'm not sure that will ever happen.  

[Skorp | 383]

9/10 I put it near a masterpiece imo. Just an unbelievable game for its time with the creativity and all. It was one of those RPGs where I got hooked and just could not stop playing. The characters are just all so interesting and the story too. However, I know it is one of those games that you either love it or hate it as it isn't for everyone.

[Jeevan | 8,912]

I really want to play this, but have not.  I have been obsessed with this game since i was a kid.  Been looking forward to playing, but I just haven't.  Maybe I should just emulate it.  Should i emulate or wait till i get a copy......mind you it still could be years  aint no way i am gonna be able to get a cib cheap  

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,105]

RPGs aren't my thing, but I liked it.

[RH | 4,907]

I tried.  I really, really tried to like this one.  I just can't, even after putting a solid 10-12 hours into it.

Edited August 6, 2020 by RH

[Richardhead | 2,813]

About how many hours would you say this game takes to get through?

[Deadeye | 1,596]

2 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

About how many hours would you say this game takes to get through?

Not even an hour.  Turn it on play 5 mins, put it back on the shelf, and never look back.  Play Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana instead. 

[RH | 4,907]

1 minute ago, Deadeye said:

Not even an hour.  Turn it on play 5 mins, put it back on the shelf, and never look back.  Play Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana instead. 

I'm gonna get burned for saying this, but I even enjoyed the generic experience of Mystic Quest about as much as this one.  Maybe a little more, but I didn't play it a lot either.

[DarkTone | 985]

Thought it was good. Haven't played many RPGs, played better than this, but its ok. 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,544]

56 minutes ago, RH said:

I'm gonna get burned for saying this, but I even enjoyed the generic experience of Mystic Quest about as much as this one.  Maybe a little more, but I didn't play it a lot either.

Must...  Resist...

[Brickman | 3,989]

It seems I’m not alone in trying to get into this game and just couldn’t. 
I reached the boss in the cave and the game did nothing for me. So many better rpgs on the system that it felt like a waste of time trying to force myself to enjoy it.

I didn’t vote because I haven’t finished it but from the scale I would choose 4/10.

[fox | 1,667]

Quirky and charming game.  Very surreal and even meta at times.

I didn't play this till the SNES classic, I don't think I would have liked this as much back in the day, but in modern times it feels very fresh and unique among the other rpgs for the system.  I'm currently playing though Mother/Earthbound Zero and look forward to tackling Mother 3 at some point.

[AstralSoul | 502]

10/10. My favorite game of all time. I've written about Earthbound many times before and it's hard to put how I feel about the game in a short paragraph but her is the long version taken from a defunct blog I once had:

"In my 30+ years as a gamer, no game has ever come close to the magic that Earthbound has shown me. Never have I ever felt completely comfortable and understood in any given medium. Earthbound feels like a game that was tailor made just for me. Obviously, it wasn't, but it's a freaky coincidence. Earthbound is the game that I hold extremely near and dear to my heart, to the point that no other nonliving thing means more to me than Earthbound. Earthbound is more than just a video game to me - it's an experience. I played it at exactly the right time in my life - I was 13, the same age as the kids in the game, and for the first time in a video game, I didn't just play the main character, I was the main character.  Ness is me and I am Ness.

Earthbound is one of the silliest, trippiest games I ever played and I wouldn't have it any other way. The weird but memorable soundtrack only helps to make me feel lost in its wonderful world. When I play the game it's almost like I'm Alice in Wonderland, after falling down my own rabbit hole. The game is almost dream-like in presentation. It's different from any game I've ever played and perhaps that's partly why I love it so much. Earthbound is a game I've played countless times already and plan on playing it many more times from now. Every single time I play the game, any doubt I have that the game has lost some of its magic is immediately washed away. The game remains just as important, just as memorable, and just as special as it was the first time I played it.

I might not have ever even played this game without the help of Super Mario RPG. It was after I finished that fantastic game that I sought out other RPGs. For whatever reason, I remember so specifically standing in Blockbuster, holding the giant Earthbound box, thinking "This looks like an RPG." and so I took it home that day. Initially, I hated it because I found it excruciatingly difficult. I couldn't even get past the first boss. I kept at it though and eventually progressed to the second town, when I had to stop and return the game to Blockbuster. I rented it a second time a few weeks later and got a bit further despite having to start all over. Eventually, I found a used copy in a store called Microplay, some time in 1997, for $30, which was the biggest bargain I ever got for a game, considering the game sells for $200 with just the cartridge.

Ever since I bought my own copy, played through it, and completed it, the game has been my #1 absolute favorite game of all time. Never has there been any threat whatsoever to dethrone it from this spot. It will forever be my absolute most cherished gaming experience for the rest of my life and beyond."

[RH | 4,907]

1 hour ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Must...  Resist...

Hahaha, well, I guess that means I'm never picking a game for us to rate and discuss!

[Richardhead | 2,813]

2 hours ago, Deadeye said:

Not even an hour.  Turn it on play 5 mins, put it back on the shelf, and never look back.  Play Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana instead. 

Thanks. I’ll just shelf the game and move on. 

[Koopa64 | 51]

I've beaten this game with my younger brother over 20 times by now, we play it regularly rotating with the other Mother games. It never seems to get old, it's such a great RPG with memorable music, great graphics and sound effects, a fun story and amusing characters. It's also fun seeing how low I can finish the game in terms of level, I think my lowest now is 71.

One of my most favorite aspects of EarthBound is the battle backgrounds. I remember seeing mention of an unused inventory item called Video Relaxant, so my and my younger brother just call the backgrounds Video Relaxant, it has a nice ring to it. Those backgrounds really pop on a component modded SNES console using an SD CRT. Absolutely lovely...

If anyone has a loose cart of EarthBound to sell, let me know. It would be nice to upgrade from the flash cart.

Edited August 7, 2020 by Koopa64

[zeppelin03 | 314]

I played through a good chunk of this years ago.  I remember reaching a desert and maybe getting a bit further.  Something about the experience wasnt memorable and I didn't bother finishing it.  Once I got passed the strangeness of the game I didn't feel like there was much special about it.  Japanese games have so much odd stuff that fighting a record hasn't stuck with me.  5/10.

My disinterest in Earthbound is probably why I don't care about undertale either.

I haven't bothered with the game since I was a teen. Perhaps I should sit down with it once more and see what I think. Until then my vote stands.

Edited August 7, 2020 by zeppelin03

[OptOut | 8,889]

Never played it, but I probably will one day. It's an RPG tho, which lowers the chances I'll ever actually get around to it.

[JamesRobot | 5,804]

Never played it. If I ever get bored of Nintendo games, I might bust out the super and give it a shot. 

[Fio | 8]

Earthbound is a really good video game but not a very good RPG, which kind of holds it back since it is, after all, an RPG.

The game has a really charming sense of humor and a really great localization, and aesthetically it's extremely unique and mostly well done.

But it's really straightforward as an RPG. There's really only one way to play through the game and no real decisions to be made with regards to equipment, (if it cost more at the store, it's stronger 95% of the time) party, (you never get more party members than you can use at once) or techniques. (There's only really magic and items. You learn new spells by leveling up and that's about it.) The only unique system is the rolling HP mechanic which frankly, very rarely matters.

Ultimately I think the game knows that it's not really anything special as an RPG and there's not much mandatory combat and very little of it is difficult. If you want to  play an offbeat adventure game and don't mind being interrupted by a lukewarm RPG throughout then you could love Earthbound. If you want Dragon Quest with a humorous modern setting, this game actually isn't that, even though it sorta looks like it.

If you haven't played Earthbound or Mother 3, just play Mother 3 first and come back to Earthbound if Mother 3 made you cry.

[OptOut | 8,889]

2 hours ago, Fio said:

Earthbound is a really good video game but not a very good RPG, which kind of holds it back since it is, after all, an RPG.

The game has a really charming sense of humor and a really great localization, and aesthetically it's extremely unique and mostly well done.

But it's really straightforward as an RPG. There's really only one way to play through the game and no real decisions to be made with regards to equipment, (if it cost more at the store, it's stronger 95% of the time) party, (you never get more party members than you can use at once) or techniques. (There's only really magic and items. You learn new spells by leveling up and that's about it.) The only unique system is the rolling HP mechanic which frankly, very rarely matters.

Ultimately I think the game knows that it's not really anything special as an RPG and there's not much mandatory combat and very little of it is difficult. If you want to  play an offbeat adventure game and don't mind being interrupted by a lukewarm RPG throughout then you could love Earthbound. If you want Dragon Quest with a humorous modern setting, this game actually isn't that, even though it sorta looks like it.

If you haven't played Earthbound or Mother 3, just play Mother 3 first and come back to Earthbound if Mother 3 made you cry.

This actually makes me want to try it out more, tbh. The less of an RPG it is, probably the more I'll like it!

[Gloves | 11,787]

Never played it. 

[DefaultGen | 5,407]

If I played it it wasn’t much. Maybe one day but RPGs aren’t much of a priority for me.