EarthBound
27 Aug 1994
All releases
27 Aug 1994 - Super Famicom
05 Jun 1995 - Super Nintendo Entertainment System
18 Jul 2013 - Wii U
20 Mar 2013 - Wii U
17 Jul 2013 - Wii U
23 Mar 2016 - New Nintendo 3DS
03 Mar 2016 - New Nintendo 3DS
04 Mar 2016 - New Nintendo 3DS
Tags
Time to beat
Main story
Main story + extras
100% completion
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.
The story begins when Ness is awakened by a meteor that has plummeted to the earth near his home, whereupon he proceeds to investigate the crash site. When Ness gets to the crash site he discovers a police roadblock and Pokey Minch, his friend and neighbor, who tells him to go home. Later, Ness is woken up again by Pokey knocking at his door, demanding help to find his brother Picky. They find him near the meteor sleeping behind a tree and wake him up. Then the three encounter an insect from the meteor named Buzz Buzz who informs Ness that he is from the future where the "universal cosmic destroyer", Giygas, dominates the planet. Buzz Buzz senses great potential in Ness and instructs him to embark on a journey to seek out and record the melodies of eight "sanctuaries," unite his own powers with the Earth's and gain the strength required to confront Giygas.
| Audio | Subtitles | Interface | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ✓ | ||
| English | ✓ |
I could talk about this game forever but here’s the small things I like.
The ending is really good.
I love the roadtrip style adventure.
Fun writing with good jokes.
Mr. Saturn.
10/10 soundtrack.
Looks amazing.
Trippy battle backgrounds
Cebro
1
You cannot grasp the true form of Giygas's attack! 🌀
Earthbound is essentialy a reimagining/remake of Earthbound Beginnings written as a sequel. It's got all the same beats as the first game, however this time everything is done right.
The story is more fleshed out, and most of the supporting characters have some sort of an arc. The world is massive and makes you feel like you're going on an international road trip with your friends. The humor is weird as ever, and the artstyle and colours are always charming.
Gameplay wise it plays like a solid SNES turned based jprg with all it's quirks, but also with all the outdated things that come with a game this old. While there is less grinding, there is still some grinding needed. The menus are also still unintuitive. There's a lot of quality of life improvements still needed here.
Other than that, this game is definitely of the Legendary status and I believe should be experienced by anyone who loves JRPGs.