EarthBound
EarthBound is an RPG for the Super Famicom/Super Nintendo video game system. The game is known as Mother 2 in Japan. It is known for its unique graphics, irreverent humor, evocative portrayal of the Western world as seen by Japan, and quirky characters.
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
Unlike most RPGs, this game takes place in the present, EarthBound is set in the year "199x" in a United States-like country called Eagleland. The main character, Ness, wakes up in the middle of night, in his pyjamas, when a meteor falls close to his house, and decides to investigate. At the crash site he meets a fly, named Buzz Buzz, from ten years in the future who sends him on a quest to destroy the Evil Alien Giygas in this time, because he is too powerful in the time Buzz Buzz comes from. Ness must then journey through the world, seeking eight "sanctuaries" where the Earth's power is strongest in order to gain the strength needed to confront Giygas. Unlike many other RPGs, EarthBound is not heavily plot or character driven, and is instead essentially a long sequence of various quirky and irreverent quests, most of which are only vaugely tied to a central goal.
US release
Releasing the game in the United States was considered somewhat of a gamble, as the game's graphics were very simple, especially compared to other RPGs of the time, such as Final Fantasy VI. Additionally, the humor of the game is tied to its quirky portrayal of the West, which may not have translated to that region. In an attempt to boost sales, the game was packaged with a complete strategy guide to assist gamers. Ultimately, EarthBound was not very commercially successful in the United States, although it has since spawned a large cult following amongst loyal fans. The game which it was a sequel to, EarthBound 0 (or Mother), for the NES was never released in the United States, though it was fully translated into English. (Nintendo is alleged to have not found the game commercially viable). Mother 3, the proposed sequel to EarthBound, was cancelled after 3 years of work on the Nintendo 64 system.
In Japan, Mother (EarthBound 0) and Mother 2 (EarthBound) were released on the Game Boy Advance on June 20, 2003 bundled together on one cartridge. Mother 2 remained mostly the same, but Mother was changed a lot to match the U.S. prototype.
According to commercials for Mother 1+2 in Japan and interviews with Shigesato Itoi, Mother 3 is currently in development for the Game Boy Advance. Nintendo does not appear to be certain whether or not they want to release Mother 1+2 in the US or released along with Mother 3 in the US.
Ness also appears in the video games Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 and Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube. In addition, there are several 3D renderings of EarthBound characters in the form of trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and EarthBound's Mr. Saturn also appears as one of the weapons.
Mr. Saturn appears in Kirby Super Star, which was also developed in part by HAL Laboratories.
Notable characters
- Ness - The silent protagonist in EarthBound. You play as him and his crew for the entirety of the game.
- Paula - The first secondary character to join Ness' party. She is adept with PSI powers, and acts as the party's prime healer.
- Jeff - The second secondary character to join Ness' party. Jeff is unable to use PSI powers, but he makes up for it with his mechanical skills and gadgets such as his Heavy Bazooka and Hungry HP Sucker.
- Poo - The third secondary character to join Ness' party. Poo is unique in that he doesn't enjoy the same food, or is able to use the same equipment as the rest of the party. It's no doubt due to his strict eastern training.
- Pokey - Ness' neighbor. Pokey is swayed (but not controlled) by Giygas' power and does his bidding in hopes to gain such power for himself. He makes many appearances throughout the game, and is the bumbling middleman for Giygas' corruption.
- Picky - The younger brother of Pokey. He plays a small roll during the beginning of the game when he is lost on the mountain behind Onett. He temporarily joins Ness' party after you find him on the mountain, and bring him home.
- Dad - Ness' unseen workaholic father, who only appears as a voice on the telephone.
- Tracy - Ness' sister, who started working for Escargo Express when his adventure began. Ness calls her to store and retrieve items when he's far from home.
- Frank - The leader (later ex-leader) of the street gang called The Sharks. A misguided youth, Frank is adept with a switchblade, and only after being bested by Ness, changes his ways and starts working at the local fast-food shop.
- Captain Strong - The police chief in Onett, he catches Ness after he had trespassed into the sealed-off Onett caves to reach Giant Step. In the game, Strong and his crew of policemen attack Ness for not following instructions on a sign.
- Tessie - A friendly, long-necked monster which lets Jeff ride on its back to cross the lake in Winters. No doubt inspired by Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. Not to be confused with Ness.
- Dr. Andonuts - Jeff's estranged father, who Jeff rarely sees due to the Winters boarding school he attends and his father's secluded nature. During the course of the game Dr. Andonuts builds many useful inventions, such as the Sky Runner and the Phase Distorter.
- Mr. Saturn - What all odd looking residents of Saturn Valley are named. They all speak broken English, and at one point are enslaved by the blob king Master Belch and forced to make Fly Honey.
Quirks of the game
- The Runaway Five are thought to be a parody of the Blues Brothers (especially the two lead singers). This argument is strengthened when one considered that in the original Japanese version, the band wore black suits instead of the colored clothes of the American release.
- One of the non-player characters in the game looks almost exactly like Mr. T (though he is never referred to as such or says anything Mr. T might be thought to say). Fans of the game refer to him almost exclusively as such.
Special technology that the game employs
- Some of the background music of EarthBound utilizes real-time frequency modulation synthesis rendering quite extensively.
- Many of the animated backgrounds of the fight sequences in EarthBound are actually mathmatical graphs that employ dynamic variables.
See also
