I don't know if it was worth it, but I'm glad I took it.
It's taken a number of tries across a number of reasons over nearly thirty years. But I have finally finished an early gateway game for me. Earthbound is an experience that enthralled me when I was learning to read. Despite playing it on a muted, black-and-white TV, I wanted to see where it went. It became something that would always be there, sitting in the back of my mind. And now the ghost from my past can rest.
Earthbound is gonna be a hard game to review. Some of its negatives give the game its charm and, thirty years on, totally unique features. I may have disliked them, but what would the game be without them?
And so, since we're here, what sucks?
Inventory limits are garbage! Each character gets fourteen spaces, but four of them will be equipment. Many more will be key items or stuff you shouldn't (or can't) drop. You'll need the ATM Card, map, and phone for the whole game. Ness instantly loses eight of his slots. Jeff's assortment of broken parts and rockets take up a similar, if not more, amount of space. Food, Poo's special food, and items of unknown value will take up more space. I had the Pencil Eraser for far too long because I didn't know if I'd need it. The seemingly random nature of Earthbound always kept me wondering. There is no devil's advocate role for this.
The way we have to take out money from the ATM is a bit tedious. Early on, it's not a big deal since ATMs are always near a shop. But this stops being the case later on, and some ATMs even have insane fees. It's an extra trip. On the flip side, it's a way for our dad to be in our life. I don't know why, but I really liked being told that he's deposited money into our account. I don't know if it's the act of seeing the amount of money I've made or the interactions with my dad.
And that's kinda it. Spoiler for my final thoughts, but none of my categories got a perfect score. But none of them are duds that tanked them. So let's get down to the good stuff!
It took a while, and it still wasn't perfect, but the story is charming. It's mildly nonsensical with its sense of randomness and "and then" series of storytelling, but when there's something to dig your teeth into, it's crazy. A part of me wants to play Mother 1 to get a better understanding of Giygas and who he is. Ness is a boy of few words, but when his thoughts are shown to us, he's a rather deep kid. He'll somehow get a perfect score. The others are fun, and even the side characters have personalities and growth.
I don't like the kaleidoscope backgrounds of fights, but the amount of sprites is wonderful. Spell animations work well enough, even if they're a bit derivative. And the detail on them and everything else. There's nothing graphicly exciting here, but it's so unique to Earthbound. And it's so cozy.
The same can be said for the music. Nothing stuck out to me, but the game, just like the art, has a feel to it that nothing else has. I can't even think of anything that's tried to imitate it. With only a few notes, you'll instantly know if a song is from Earthbound.
More unique aspects are the HP/PP odometer. Nothing happens instantly in Earthbound, and it gives a sense of strategy you don't see. Ever. Not in Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Persona. And, seriously, why aren't there more instant win conditions in the genre? Honestly, these are so cool that they might counteract the negatives.
---
Plot: nonsensical fun. It's filled with random goofiness that confuses me in ways I somehow think are good. But there's the occasional dark thought that creeps in to tell you life isn't sunshine and rainbows. More on that later, but I wish plot transitions made more sense. The characters are also great! 7/10
Gameplay: nothing else like it. It's been thirty years. Why hasn't anyone stolen ideas from Earthbound? I do wish there were some side stuff to do. Not a single minigame... 8/10
Sound: wonderfully confusing. There's something Ne Obliviscarus and Earthbound have in common: I don't understand how anyone can come up with this stuff. It's so wild and out there that it's worth experiencing just for that. There are no earworms, but every song just screams "Earthbound." 9/10
Art: see above. A hundred sprites, dozens of assets, and so many things to see. I feel like I missed a lot? 8/10
Charm: cozy. The interconnection of the world, the amazing NPCs, and the cute nonsense are golden standards in the genre. It's been thirty years! Why hasn't anyone stolen ideas from here!? 8/10
Earthbound is a game that makes me feel things I didn't know I still could. I suspect most people will experience the game as a mostly traditional, Dragon Quest inspired, coming-of-age story. But I'll remember Earthbound as a game filled with the power of friendship and family. The way Ness' parents support their son is my favorite thing. Ness can get homesick, but a simple phone call home can treat him. I've never been homesick, but I have been sick of home. It's a story of family. There are also some deep and personal experiences that can get really dark. Poo's ancestors breaking his body during his training, Brick Road, and Giygas' words to Ness are all kinda disturbing. What would seven-year-old me think about these things? He was pretty dumb, so maybe he'd just blow it off? Either way, if you take away the negatives and add the positives (not in that order), then Earthbound is a great 36/50.
I understand why I was fascinated with this. I get the cult following this franchise has. But I don't know if it's for me. Despite that, I think it's a must play. It's just such a unique and cozy thing that's impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't gone through it.
Assuming the old cheese I ate won't kill me, let's go to Celceta on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment