History Videogame / EarthBound

->"''[=EarthBound=]'' is not just one of the greatest [=RPGs=] of all time. And ''[=EarthBound=]'' is not just one of the greatest games on the Super Nintendo. ''[=EarthBound=]'' is, quite simply, '''one of the greatest games ever made.'''"
->-- '''TheHappyVideoGameNerd''', kicking off [[http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-earthbound/ his review of the game]]

There are games that are [[SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove underappreciated]]. There are games that are {{cult classic}}s. There are games with fanbases so devoted that they will go to any lengths necessary to spread the word for anyone with an ear to listen...

[[UpToEleven ...and then there's]] '''''EarthBound'''''.

The North American release of ''[=EarthBound=]'' is notable for including an official StrategyGuide with every copy despite costing as much as other games of its day (a sign of how much faith Nintendo had in the game's ability to sell). Due to an odd -- and failed -- [[http://earthboundcentral.com/2009/01/earthbounds-marketing-campaign/ advertising campaign]], a simplistic visual style (considering this is when everyone was fawning over ''DonkeyKongCountry's'' advanced graphics), and a general lack of interest in [=RPG=]s (at the time), ''[=EarthBound=]'' didn't sell anywhere near enough copies to pay back Nintendo's significant advertising investment.

Ness and Lucas (the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'') are probably best known to Western audiences via their appearances in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.

There are games that are [[SugarWiki/NeedsMoreLove underappreciated]]. There are games that are {{cult classic}}s. And there are games with fanbases so devoted that they will go to any lengths necessary to spread the word for anyone with an ear to listen...

[[UpToEleven ...and then there's]] ''EarthBound''.

''[=EarthBound=]'' is a {{SNES}} game about Ness, a seemingly normal boy in {{Eagleland}} who is suddenly awakened by a meteorite in the dead of night. The meteorite brings a bee ([[IAmNotWeasel or not]]) from the future, who tells of [[ApocalypseHow its devastation]] at the hands of an indestructible being, [[EldritchAbomination Giygas]], that Ness is destined to defeat. Thus begins Ness' journey through time and space to meet the rest of the [[TheChosenMany Chosen Four]] (Paula, Jeff and Poo) and collect the Eight Melodies for his SoundStone to unite the power of the Earth as his own.

The second of a series of Japanese role playing games known as ''{{MOTHER}}'', an experiment in storytelling in a different medium by Japanese essayist ShigesatoItoi, the setting of the first two are essentially the same - [[EagleLand an affectionate homage]] to 1950s America. ''[=EarthBound=]'' (''MOTHER 2'' in Japan) was the only game in the series that was released in North America; while ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'' was released in Japan, [[NoExportForYou there are no plans for a North American release]].

[[EarthboundZero The first game in the series]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen was originally planned for North American release]] and originally had the name ''Earth Bound''; Nintendo of America scrapped release plans after the translation was complete, however, as the SuperNintendo had already launched and the company wished to focus on that. A prototype of the game surfaced years later in the hands of a collector; the ROM was dumped and released to the {{Emulation}} community as ''EarthboundZero''.

''[=EarthBound=]'' was best known for its unusual gameplay -- fantasy goblin-slaying gave way to the realities of urban life, with slingshots, frying pans, and baseball bats taking the place of swords and axes; rather than goblins, the party battled drunks, hippies, angry taxicabs, a cult dedicated to worshiping the color blue, and even a giant circus tent. The vast majority of the game's non-plot related humor is focused on the way the West is viewed by other countries (in particular, Asia/Japan), with references to TheBeatles and the BluesBrothers found throughout. The game's level of NightmareFuel is possibly even more famous than its quirky humor, including a ''profoundly'' disturbing final dungeon, and a final boss whose [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel genuinely chilling]] MindScrew horror has led to tons and tons of MemeticMutation.

In its American release, it's notable for including the official StrategyGuide with every copy of the game yet costing no more than other games. Shows you how much faith Nintendo had in the game's ability to sell. But due to a very strange and failed [[http://earthboundcentral.com/2009/01/earthbounds-marketing-campaign/ advertising campaign]], its simplistic visual style (considering these were the days where everyone was still fawning over the advanced graphics of ''DonkeyKongCountry''), and the general lack of interest in [=RPG=]s at the time, the game sold horribly in the States - or rather, it would be more accurate to say it sold well, but nowhere near enough to pay back the significant sums of money invested in advertisement.

Ness and Lucas (the protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{MOTHER 3}}'') are probably best-known to Western audiences for their appearances in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.

Known as ''MOTHER 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg Strikes Back]]'' in Japan, a loose sequel to ''[[EarthboundZero MOTHER]]'', and before ''VideoGame/MOTHER3''.

----

----
<<|EasternRPG|>>

** {{Eagleland}}: TropeNamer

* FightWoosh: There're [[RuleOfThree three different kinds.]] 1) The gray woosh means that the battle will go on as normal, 2) Sneak up behind an enemy to get a [[color:green:green woosh]] and a surprise attack 3) Don't let the enemy sneak up behind you or you'll get a [[color:red:red woosh]] and ''they'll'' get a surprise attack on ''you!''
** The fourth kind is the spiky one used for bosses.

* StillTheEighties: Although it takes place in [[TheNineties "199X"]], pay phones are still widely used, there are no household computers (but they do appear to have [[EasterEgg Nintendo games]]), and a lot of the slang is TotallyRadical.

Known as ''MOTHER 2: [[RevengeOfTheSequel Gyiyg Strikes Back]]'' in Japan, a loose sequel to ''[[EarthboundZero MOTHER]]'', and before ''MOTHER3''.

The second of a series of Japanese role playing games known as ''{{MOTHER}}'', an experiment in storytelling in a different medium by Japanese essayist ShigesatoItoi, the setting of the first two are essentially the same - [[EagleLand an affectionate homage]] to 1950s America. ''[=EarthBound=]'' (''MOTHER 2'' in Japan) was the only game in the series that was released in North America; while ''{{MOTHER 3}}'' was released in Japan, [[NoExportForYou there are no plans for a North American release]].

Ness and Lucas (the protagonist of ''{{MOTHER 3}}'') are probably best-known to Western audiences for their appearances in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.

** There's also a [[DevelopmentHell planning meeting]] for [[{{Mother 3}} [=EarthBound=] 2]] in Fourside.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: "Ness! Now, I...well... It's going to seem like I'm running away, but perhaps I'll just [[{{Mother 3}} sneak away to another era]] to think about my next plan."

** [[spoiler:You, the player, enter your name multiple times throughout the game, under the guise of Jeff's gay friend Tony contacting you via phone.]]

* NeverTrustATrailer: Probably one of the most severe cases; the ads tried to make it look like a [[GrossoutShow Grossout Game]] from beginning to end. There's maybe ''two'' parts of the game that revolve around any kind of ToiletHumor.

**** "snap back to their senses" (angry/brainwashed peolpe)

''[=EarthBound=]'' was best known for its unusual gameplay -- fantasy goblin-slaying gave way to the realities of urban life, with slingshots, frying pans, and baseball bats taking the place of swords and axes; rather than goblins, the party battled drunks, hippies, angry taxicabs, a cult dedicated to worshiping the color blue, and even a giant circus tent. The vast majority of the game's non-plot related humor is focused on the way the West is viewed by other countries (in particular, Asia/Japan), with references to TheBeatles and the BluesBrothers found throughout. The game's level of Nightmare Fuel is possibly even more famous than its quirky humor, including a ''profoundly'' disturbing final dungeon, and a final boss whose [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel genuinely chilling]] MindScrew horror has led to tons and tons of MemeticMutation.

!! TropeNamer for:

!!Tropes:

* SpiritBomb: The way to defeat Giygas.

* GuideDangIt: Figuring out that you're supposed to [[spoiler:pray]] in the final battle can be tough without checking a guide, as the game only drops a few subtle hints

** Possibly making it even tougher is when, the eighth time you pray, you get a message saying "Paula's prayer was absorbed by the darkness." This can make players think that prayer no longer works and you're supposed to return to simply beating Giygas up again. Actually, you're supposed to pray AGAIN, one last time, to finish the battle.

* GuideDangIt: How anyone was supposed to have figured out [[spoiler:to pray]] on their own (without the Player's Guide) is anyone's guess.

** Yes, but the eighth time you pray, you get a message saying "Paula's prayer was absorbed by the darkness." To most players, this would indicate prayer no longer works and you're supposed to return to simply beating Giygas up again. But no, you're supposed to pray AGAIN, one last time, to finish the battle.
** Also that damn waterfall that you have to [[spoiler: sit under for three, actual, real-life minutes]] before being let in.
*** Well, Mr. Saturn DID tell you that.

* {{Retraux}}: Giygas and [[spoiler:Heavily Armed Porky]]'s battle theme starts out with some [[NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]] {{chiptune}}-sounding music before spontaneously jumping into [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic a rock version of the same tune]].

''[=EarthBound=]'' was best known for its unusual gameplay -- fantasy goblin-slaying gave way to the realities of urban life, with slingshots, frying pans, and baseball bats taking the place of swords and axes; rather than goblins, the party battled drunks, hippies, angry taxicabs, a cult dedicated to worshiping the color blue, and even a giant circus tent. The vast majority of the game's non-plot related humor is focused on the way the West is viewed by other countries (in particular, Asia/Japan), with references to TheBeatles and the BluesBrothers found throughout. The game's level of NightmareFuel is possibly even more famous than its quirky humor, including a ''profoundly'' disturbing final dungeon, and a final boss whose [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel genuinely chilling]] MindScrew horror has led to tons and tons of MemeticMutation.