A compelling, hysterical game from star to finish.
Earthbound, released in 1995 to the Super NES, is arguably one of the more inventive RPGs to date. Rather than a fantasy epic, involving Princesses and dragons, Earthbound is set in a more modernized world with skyscrapers, telephones, and ATM machines abroad.
Set in the year 199x in the world of Eagleland, your character, Ness, awakens one morning to the crash of a meteorite. Upon investigation, Ness discovers that the meteorite actually contains a bug sent from the bleak near-future. According to this bug, only with the help from three friends he's never actually met and power gathered from key locations across the world, can Ness defeat Giygas and save Eagleland from impending disaster.
Though the graphics aren't technically impressive, they certainly fit the mood of the game. The interaction between NPC characters will often leave you laughing, and Earthbound consistently provides goofy situations that would mostly be taboo in other RPG games. One of my favorites is the psychedelic town of Moonside, where you're attacked by electric guitars and saying yes actually means no. With a healthy sense of humor, it's hard not to fall in love with Earthbound's quirks.
The game mechanics are very similar to Dragon Quest. In battle screen, you face your opponent in a first person view, where you you can simply choose to Attack, use Psychic powers (PP) to heal or attack, use goods in your inventory, or defend. With a click of the button, your means of attack is easily registered. However, if you're attacked by an enemy, depending on your characters' vitality, you can prolong your death. For instance, if your character is "mortally wounded", your health will steadily trickle to zero. If you're fast and able enough, you can either heal before your HP hits zero, or you can frantically try to defeat your opponent before your own HP is depleted. This adds a nice twist to otherwise tedious battle moments. Enemies are often of the wacky variety, such as the Unassuming Local guy, an evil circus tent, or the New Age Retro Hippy.
There's no character customization in Earthbound, which may be classified as a detriment to the game. From the get-go, Ness has a limited range of psychic powers, but as you encounter enemies and level-up, your arsenal of abilities steadily increases. Ness mostly has healing and status-affecting abilities, and is loaded with HP. Your first ally, Paula, may be limited in health points, but she has a lot of psychic points (PP) to disperse attacks such as Fire or Freeze. Your third ally, Jeff, doesn't have any psychic points. However, Jeff can repair broken items to be used in battle, and can also fire heavy-hitting bottle-rockets with ease. Your fourth ally, Poo, is merely average in all departments. He doesn't have a lot of HP or PP, though he can "mirror" enemy's abilities and does have one of the stronger psychic attacks in the game. Each character can hold a total of 14 items, which seems somewhat limiting, especially in the early on, when you only control Ness.
Earthbound never truely takes itself too seriously, which is definitely refreshing for the RPG genre. Despite this, due to some excellent pacing and a strange, if enduring storyline, it's hard to put the controller down. The soundtrack complements the game superbly, with music that perfectly fits the wonders and humor of the setting. If you can admire all of Earthbound's quirks, you will fall in love the characters and the world you travel in.
