The Rat Race is an EarthBound mod created by a modded by a fan known only as The Author.
This game, which some might think of as EarthBound for girls, is a project that took several years and a lot of work with JHack and Hex Workshop to complete.
Most of the changes are usually just character names and the text, although some changes in the graphics were also thrown in. There is no “adult” content in this game unless one counts a few items The Author de-censored from Mother 2 that might get a mention on an IMDB parental guide but wouldn’t earn any movie so much as a PG rating (i.e. references to dating, death, and drugs).
This game was originally a birthday gift for a young relative of The Author's who is about the same age as the protagonist and even looks a bit like her. While the game story will likely seem rather familiar from EarthBound, they've added several twists and put their own spin on things as that will be seen when you play it. While Shigesato Itoi’s affectionate parody of America ca. 1995 has aged remarkably well in the past 16 years, there’s always been room to augment and improve upon some of the story’s themes.
Note: Due to a lack of confirmation on what names for the Player Characters are canon, the following will be usednote : Jenny for the female protagonist (Ness stand-in), Jimmy for the first boy (Paula stand-in), Timmy for the geek (Jeff stand-in), Nagi for the princess (Poo stand-in), Smoke for the protagonist's dog (King stand-in), Pastry for her favorite dish, and Rock for her favorite music.
Has no relation to the film Rat Race.
As an EarthBound hack that follows most of the original's story beats, most tropes that apply to it can easily apply here. The following tropes here should only apply to the changes/differences:
- Adaptational Nice Guy: This Dr. Andonuts seems to have a better relationship with Timmy (compared to the canon one with Jeff) and had even tried to get him out of the school (even building the Phase Distorter to get him out, though it wasn't working) to no avail, even failing to deliver anything to him. He also does believe in Timmy's Mission from God.
- Action Girl: Jenny and Nagi.
- Ambiguously Jewish: Tony, given when Timmy tells him about the prayer he received, he exclaims that it came from Adonai himself. And after helping Timmy escape from the school, he says, "May El-Shaddai go with you."
- Banana Peel: One NPC in the hospital mentions slipping on one of these while visiting a friend. Now they're stuck in the hospital, too. Who leaves peels in the hospital, anyway?
- Broken Bridge:
- Lampshaded — the first time around, it's from the Department for Investigaging Meteorites, who don't get out too much. Also, the police department paid a lot of money for the roadblocks and feel proud for being able to use them.
- Catchphrase: Subverted with the Sanctuary Guardians, since they all have unique quotes this time.
- "Congratulations, little girl. You made it to the first Sanctuary. It's mine now, though. You got a problem with that?
- "So, you finally made it here. This is the second Sanctuary, and I lay claim to it. If you don't like it, come take it if you can!"
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: Onett police torture the punks they caught with Vanilla Ice.
- Cool Big Bro: Jimmy is this to the kids at the Polestar school. One of them even considers him cooler than his real big brother, who is a bully to him.
- Digital Piracy Is Evil: One NPC in the Chaos Theater asks if you have a Webcam, and reminds you that it's illegal in the theater.
- Dismantled MacGuffin: In musical form: in order to defeat Giygas, Jenny has to gather eight songs. They all came together when all the Morning Stars sang together as one. The songs now reside at eight places called Sanctuaries, and she must gather them and sing them anew. Like Ness, she's given a Sound Stone to store the melodies.
- Donut Mess with a Cop: After Jenny defeats Captain Strong, he calls up Officer Hooch at the barrier south to open up. As he does, Hooch asks Strong if he needs donuts.
- The Don: Whackda is this for Twoson.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Averted; when you take a nap at the hotel after clearing the first Sanctuary (and getting a dream message from someone [unlike Earthbound, it's not made explicit who it is, though it's likely Jimmy]), you get a free Onett Times newspaper with the headline "Shark Tamer Is Actually Little Girl".
- Getting Crap Past the Radar:
- A couple can be found in Onett's hotel after you reserve a room. When you talk to the woman, she tells you not to come peeking when you hear the bed creaking. The implications of what's going on there should be clear.
- Humans Are Bastards: Buzz Buzz explicitly states that there are humans who serve Giygas willingly. Not that they know his name, but their evil thoughts give him access to them.
- Human Sacrifice: After Jenny defeats Whackda (Everdred in 'Earthbound''), he claims not to have kidnapped Jimmy and that the Bluerists did it for a blood sacrifice to make gods. Some "big fat Hollywood punk of theirs" tried to hire one of his boys for the kidnap job, but he turned it down cold upon hearing what they wanted to do; they're mobsters, not madmen.
- Irony: The sign in the Brick Road instead reads No cameras allowed. And guess who comes in, camera in hand?
- Mission from God: One of the Runaway Five say Jimmy is on one of these.
- And if God's (or Adonai as Tony knows him as) call to Timmy is any indication, Jenny is too as His warrior (and Jimmy as His prophet). Naturally, this puts Timmy on the same boat.
- Missing Mom: It's implied that Mrs. Andonuts has passed away between the time Timmy was taken away to the school and when he reunites with his father again.
- Non-Lethal K.O.: Like EarthBound, no one "dies" in this game. Instead, they:
- "get hurt and collapse" (player characters)
- "calm down" (animals, Sharks, Evil Eyes)
- "quit moving" or "are broken into pieces" (Animate Inanimate Object)
- "vanish into the ether" (gases/ghosts)
- "are totally scrapped" or "are destroyed" (war machines)
- "relaxes and mellows out" (angry/brainwashed people)
- "return to the dust of the earth" (zombies, mummies, etc)
- "are defeated" (everything else)
- No-Sell: Instead of reflecting lightning attacks like the Franklin Badge, the Faraday badge simply renders them ineffective.
- Picky Eater: Jenny's mother comments that Mikey is a finicky eater and doesn't Like Jenny's favorite dish.
- Police Are Useless: Onett's police station apparently only has one cell for one perpetrator at a time, which is why the punks roamed free until you defeat Frank.
- Prophecy: Two in fact.
- The first: "In the spring of her Childhood comes a Fall maiden. In Summer, she will slay the Winter. Then shall evil be fallen again, and good returned to our wicked world." Buzz Buzz believes Jenny is that maiden, given that she was born in autumn.
- The second: "None but the two and two, male and female, can defeat Giygas."
- Recurring Traveler: Roto Photo: pictures on the spot, any place at any time!"Look at the fourth wall and say "Dad's Money!""
- Scout-Out: At one building in Onett, a couple assumes Jenny to be a girl scout, and don't let her in for this reason.
- Shout-Out:
- There's the Vanilla Ice deal under Cool and Unusual Punishment.
- When you first talk to Jimmy's mother, she's singing a line from "Like the Deserts Miss The Rain" before turning her attention to you.
- The Smurfette Principle: Averted for this game's party (comprised of two gals and two guys), and defied by the prophecy.
- Stock Ness Monster: There's a Tessie at Lake Tesla south of the school. And it apparently answers to God as well.
- Wake Up, Go to School & Save the World: Averted; one NPC notes that since it's summer, Jenny doesn't have school for today.
- There are a little more religious undertones in the game; for starters, Jenny is Raised Catholic, PSI is replaced by Miracles, Shield creates a shield of doctrine rather than a barrier of psychic energy.
- It's made explicit in this game that Giygas was once Giegue and that he's come back for vengeance for his previous defeat.
- Jenny must build her life on three foundations: faith, hope, and love.
- Mr. Obesephalus accuses Jenny's family that the neighborhood is sick of her self-righteous little family, that they don't want a living wage for everyone, care only for themselves, and are greedy capitalists.
- Mrs. Obesephalus claims her husband's being tolerant of Jenny's family, and that that's what makes them good people.
- Jenny's dress is shown to be hand-made according to an NPC in the Chaos Theater, though whether it's by her mother or by Jenny herself isn't known for sure.
- The Chaos Theater manager is reinterpreted as a more sympathetic guy, lamenting on the debt both the Runaway Five and he owe, especially in account of the ticket price ceiling getting in the way. When you give the wad of bills to him, freeing them all of the debt, he says he's going to Broadway on vacation.
- In place of Paula using her PSI to call out to Jeff, Jimmy makes a prayer to the Lord, that He promised that one named Timmy would come for them and to send him to them. And so He does.
- Instead of the Snow Wood Boarding House, Timmy is in the Snow Woods Reform School, and apparently, it's a worse place to be in if the Lord's claim to it being a "prison for children" is believed. It's even implied that he had been forcibly taken here from his parents, and he wasn't even allowed any gifts from them.
- Apparently, Timmy has a curfew on him because of a "science experiment" he did and that he's been treated badly.
- The third boss explicitly calls Timmy an "irritating interloper" and that it's waiting for Jenny.
- Timmy's more comfortable with machines than people, though he manages to blow up a lot of machines, too, which was how he ended up in the Reform School in the first place. He's essentially become a fugitive
- Jenny's party is called a band when Jimmy joins, then a company when Timmy joins,
- Mikey Obesephalus, the game's stand-in for Porky/Pokey Minch. His little brother Micky, stand-in for Picky Minch. (mentions "Fall maiden")
- Liam de Ceive, Treasure Hunter, and billboard guy
- Rather than Gangbangers, the Sharks are a local band of anarchists, who apparently party too hard.
Threed to Threek (like in the original Japanese version)
