In 1995, there was a commercial about some new game so intense, so epic, and so inconceivably complex, that some copies were being put on the shelves with guide books packaged along with them, making the boxes coffee table book-sized.
The game was EarthBound, and the world had never seen anything as breathtaking, mind-blowing, and most of all: absolutely absurd.
Since 1995, I’ve never come across a game where you take it upon yourself to fight off a pile of intergalactic regurgitated matter in hi-tech lair to save a race of deformed midgets, so that they may help reveal the destiny of four kids on their way to save the universe from an ancient sinister force…and your next-door neighbor. If you don’t believe me, just ask the dung beetle from the meteor who tells you of the prophecy.
If you haven’t played the mid-90’s RPG, then you’re probably not following me yet.
In 1989, Ape Inc. developed a game for the NES called Mother. It was a good old RPG with weapons, turn-based battles, and psychic ten year-old kids battling space aliens. The role playing market in America wasn’t nearly as successful, and so it was never released stateside.
Then Mother 2 a.k.a. EarthBound was released in both Japan and the U.S. The game was basically an update on Mother, but it was also basically so much more.
The plot is four kids living on Earth (or a version based on our stereotypes) suddenly find themselves under the threat of Giygas, an intergalactic force determined to end existence. Before the children can face this threat, they must visit eight places on Earth to help increase their power.
One of the game’s greatest features, though, is its soundtrack. Not since Super Metroid, have I heard a melding of sounds so appropriate to every atmosphere or to multiply the mood of a situation.
Characters and the game’s system are what make this game so re-playable. If you’re familiar with Dragon Quest, then you will understand that the battle system is from a first-person perspective with some unique twists.
Most importantly, the characters are just like the game itself. Whether friends or foes, they won’t grow old.
