EarthBound scores 7/10 in the verdict of The Games Market editorial team.
Once Upon a Time
Earthbound: a gem for collectors and a great game for gamers
by Simon Larocca·January 17, 2024
Talking about Earthbound, also known by most as Mother, means opening a small but very interesting Pandora’s box of video games!
L'I called it that because the game's gestation and its life in the global market were largely influenced by a whole series of misfortunes that put obstacles in its way, yet to this day it remains not only a highly sought-after title of recognized value, but also an example for future generations of developers.
Earthbound is one of the many gems from Mother Nintendo, of course: the Kyoto house desperately wanted a classic role-playing video game that could provide a lighter alternative to the epic Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, so as to swell the ranks of the already vast armies of RPGs it could boast.
Taking on this task, which was not as simple as it might have seemed at first, was Shigesato Itoi, a multifaceted Japanese developer with great creative ingenuity who had already brought the first chapter of the series to life, released only in the Land of the Rising Sun.
Itoi crafted a Goonies-style plot, inserting fantastical elements into the modern game world in which a group of kids, led by the protagonist whom we will control from the very beginning, will have to save the world following a sort of prophecy announced by a creature that came from space and the future.
The game saw the light of day in 1994 in the golden age of the SuperNintendo, and with a plot so intricate and deep mixed with the powerful irony that oozed from every pore, thanks to absurd yet well-crafted dialogues and situations, one expected a sales and critical success of epic proportions, just like the game's story.
It didn’t quite go that way.
Earthbound did not break through outside of Japan; perhaps the advertising campaign was not convincing enough for an audience of gamers that was moving toward 3D and more advanced titles. However, despite its commercial failure abroad, Earthbound remained, and still is, an institution, as well as a title highly sought after by collectors and role-playing game enthusiasts.
Il gioco, in fact, is objectively very ahead of its time, the writer is still replaying it to this day and is having a great time exploring the game's cities and dungeons, beautifully realized with comic-style graphics and brought to life thanks to a game engine that does its job admirably.
Some of the ideas are truly amusing, and perhaps it was precisely the realism they implement in the game economy that made those players who expected to find fantasy-style creatures and winged dragons as enemies, rather than thugs who seem to have stepped out of a Japanese noir novel and animals whose minds have been brainwashed by the final boss, wrinkle their noses: being able to call your father and have him send money to the bank, only to withdraw it from the ATMs scattered throughout the cities, for example, goes far beyond the classic conventions of “Japanese-style” RPGs.
Earthbound is one of those titles that you must play at least once in your life and should be on the shelves of every collector who respects themselves: since it was never released in Europe, we can already imagine the level of rarity it has reached.
At the moment, its value, in the case of a complete copy with case and manual, is very close to two thousand euros: not bad for a commercial flop that's so much fun to play, don't you think?
7
Pro
A retro-flavored story that will draw you in from the very first minute of gameplay
Complex gameplay despite being, in essence, a turn-based RPG combat game
Brilliant and a very “semi open world” proposal ahead of its time
Contro
With its depth masked as a game starring kids, Earthbound takes a long time to really get going
Random battles, despite the ability to see enemies on the map, are still frustrating
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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