Video games - EarthBound

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	Video games - EarthBound

EarthBound (known as Mother 2 in Japan) is a computer role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the second title in the Mother
series. It is known for its characteristic cartoon-like graphics, soundtrack (that, uniquely for its time, incorporates sampling), irreverent humor, portrayal of the Western world as seen by Japan, and quirky, almost caricatured characters.

The game is often dubbed a "sequel" to the original Mother
, an NES title released only in Japan. In practice, however, the games largely exist as "stand alone" titles, with similar themes and storylines, but no direct plot or character continuity.

Plot

EarthBound is set in the year "199X" in the small town of Onett, part of Eagleland. The main character, Ness, wakes up when a meteor falls close to his house in the middle of the night. He heads out to investigate the meteor, but not before his mother reminds him to change out of his pajamas. At the crash site he meets an insect named Buzz Buzz from ten years in the future who sends him on a quest to destroy the intergalactic destroyer Giygas in this time, because he is too powerful in the time period that Buzz Buzz came from. Ness must then journey through the world, seeking his eight "sanctuaries" where the Earth's power is strongest in order to unite his own powers with the Earth's and gain the strength needed to confront Giygas. This somewhat clichéd plot is intentionally so; the unremarkable story only augments the game's humor. This is evident in the campy dialogue (such as when Ness' mother tells him to be careful while he's out saving the world) and some of the plot elements. One noteworthy moment is Buzz Buzz's demise, a rather unspectacular end for a sturdy creature who travelled ten years in the past and can block powerful psychic attacks.

The plot of EarthBound is hardly complex or unique, particularly when compared to other Japanese console RPGs such as the Final Fantasy series. However, in general EarthBound is not a heavily plot-driven game; the story of Giygas merely serves as a vehicle for a series of wacky misadventures that allow for an unconventional take on the conventions of RPGs. Indeed, perhaps the greatest difference between EarthBound and other console RPGs (except, perhaps, the English-language version of the Lunar series) is the remarkable silliness of the game, which often seems less interested in a gripping story than making jokes and puns, constructing absurd subplots and goals (for instance, traveling through a cave full of monkeys in search of a "trout-flavored" yogurt machine), and poking fun at Western culture.

EarthBound breaks the escapist, fantasy-oriented tendencies and themes of most RPGs by placing the action in a modern day world, much like Shin Megami Tensei but without the dark overtones of that series. These changes to typical RPG stories are often taken to an absurd extreme in EarthBound, such as the inclusion of baseball bats and yo-yos as weapons instead of swords or magical staves.

One of the most unusual elements of EarthBound may be the fourth-wall-breaking inclusion of the player as an active participant within the story itself, which is in great contrast to the plots of other console RPGs that usually never reference the player behind the controller, let alone incorporate him or her into the story.

Gameplay

Many of the RPG elements featured in EarthBound are very traditional. In towns, players can purchase items, recharge energy, or gather information from various NPCs. Battles are not random because the enemies are visible in the navigation portion of the game. When the characters come in contact with an enemy, a battle starts. Depending on from which angle in which the characters make contact with the enemy, the player can be at an advantage or disadvantage when the battle starts. If the enemy is approached from behind, the player get an extra turn at the beginning of the battle and vice versa. As Ness and his friends become stronger, battles with weaker enemies are eventually won immediately, skipping the entire battle sequence altogether.

The battle system is very similar to the Dragon Quest series, in the sense that the characters are not shown onscreen. Once all actions are inputted, the protagonists and the enemies perform the actions depending on character speed. Once the battle is won, players receive experience points in order to level up their characters and improve attributes. Naturally, as the game progresses, it becomes necessary to increase levels in order to cope with stronger enemies.

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Video games - EarthBound

Plot

Gameplay

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