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.
Plot
Links: Ness Meteor Pajamas Giygas Earth
Japanese release
The game was released in Japan on August 27, 1994. Known as Mother 2, the game is the sequel to Mother, released for the Famicom. This game became a phenomenal blockbuster.
The next game in the series, Mother 3, is still in development. It continues to be in the Famitsu Most Wanted list, only falling below No. 10 twice, to No. 11. Mother 3 was originally planned to be designed for the Nintendo 64. According to Nintendo of America, the game was scrapped due to a lack of time, and an eventual public lack of interest in the Nintendo 64. However, according to Shigesato Itoi, the reality was that they couldn't run the 3D graphics in the game very well at all due to the development team's complete inexperience at 3D graphics.
It has been reported that Mother 3 will be rewritten and released for the GameBoy Advance.
EarthBound follows the same basic plot as its predecessor, but Giygas (or Gyiyg) is the only returning character.
U.S. release
Releasing the game in the United States was considered somewhat of a gamble, as the game's graphics were very simple, especially compared to other role-playing games of the time, such as Final Fantasy VI. Additionally, the humor of the game is tied to its quirky portrayal of the West, which may not have translated to that region. The game was also extensively promoted within Nintendo Power, with various special offers, including a contest involving scratch-and-sniff stickers, as well as a Nintendo Power-published player's guide that was included as a pack-in with the initial American release to boost sales and assist players. Ultimately, EarthBound was not very commercially successful in the United States at the time of its release, although it has since spawned a large cult following among its loyal fans.
Re-release for Game Boy Advance
In Japan, Mother (EarthBound 0) and Mother 2 (EarthBound) were released on the Game Boy Advance on June 20, 2003 bundled together on one cartridge. Mother 2 remained mostly the same, but Mother was changed a lot to match the U.S. prototype.
According to commercials for Mother 1+2 in Japan and interviews with Shigesato Itoi, Mother 3 is currently in development for the Game Boy Advance. There has been no announcement regarding release of either Mother 1+2 or Mother 3 outside of Japan, but EarthBound fans are hoping.
Other appearances (cameos)
Ness also appears in the video games Super Smash Bros. for the Nintendo 64 and Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube. In addition, the Onett and Fourside cities are battle stages in SSBM, and there are several 3D renderings of EarthBound characters in the form of trophies in Super Smash Bros. Melee, and EarthBound's Mr. Saturn also appears as one of the items. Incidentally, three of Ness' attacks in Super Smash Bros. Melee are not learned by him in EarthBound. (PK Fire, Thunder, and Magnet.) In Super Smash Bros. Melee it is explained that Paula and Poo taught him how to use them.
Mr. Saturn appears in Kirby Super Star as a treasure in the game mode "The Great Cave Offensive", which was also developed in part by Hal Laboratory.
Playable characters
- See also: List of EarthBound characters
| Name | Weapons Used | Example PSI | Description | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ness | Bats, Yo-yo's, and Slingshots | Rockin*, Flash, Lifeup, Shield of Light, Teleport | The silent protagonist in EarthBound. Has good attack and decent defense, along with having the second strongest PSI attack (though the majority of his PSI powers heal or affect status), makes him a well-rounded fighter, but has low speed until after Magicant. Occasionally, he will develop homesickness, and will waste turns in battle daydreaming about his home. | Beginning |
| Paula | Frying Pans, Yo-yo's, and Slingshots | Fire, Freeze, Thunder, Magnet, Psychic Shield | The first character to join Ness' party. She is adept almost exclusively with PSI powers. Has low HP and Defense, but high speed and good skill with PSI, including a shield. Has a unique "pray" ability. Pray can cause one of several random effects in battle, that can assist or weaken one or both parties, and occasionally is vital for winning battles. | Found in the Cabin near Happy Happy Village, after beating Carpainter. |
| Jeff | Guns,Yo-yo's, Slingshots, Bottle Rockets, and various gadgets. | Jeff does not learn PSI and has no PP. | The second character to join Ness' party. Jeff is unable to use PSI powers, but he makes up for it with his mechanical skills and gadgets such as his Heavy Bazooka and Hungry HP Sucker. Has a unique "Spy" ability, which allows the player to view an enemy's various stats and weaknesses. | Winters, a country in the far north. He soon flies over to Threed in the Sky Runner to join Ness' party. |
| Poo | Skilled in martial arts but can equip the Sword of Kings and Yo-yo's (Yo-yo's lower attack) | Starstorm, Freeze, Thunder, Brainshock, Lifeup, Shield of Light, Teleport | The final character to join Ness' party. Having spent his entire life training on a small, isolated village on top of a mountain, Poo is unique in that foreign foods barely help him, in terms of HP recovery, and cannot use the same equipment as the rest of the party. The only equipment he can wear are the Sword of Kings, Diadem of Kings, Bracer of Kings, Cloak of Kings and any yo-yo. However, the yo-yos lower his attack power. Has a unique "Mirror" ability, which allows him to shapeshift into a monster during battle and use all the monster's attacks. | After completing his training in his homeland of Dalaam, he teleports to Ness and his friends in Summers. |
* Ness' PSI Rockin attacks take the name of "your favorite thing", defined at the game's beginning. "Rockin" is the default.
Special technology that the game employs
- Many of the animated backgrounds of the fight sequences in EarthBound are actually mathematical graphs that employ dynamic variables.
- Because of the unusually orderly structure of the game's memory, it is rather easy to modify in ROM format.
- Used the Super Nintendo's special "Mode 7" graphics.
EarthBound debug menu
ROM hackers of EarthBound discovered a debug menu. The cursor is a sprite of Kirby, and the menu even has a hidden BGM track that is not present in the game itself. The debug mode can only be accessed through a Game Genie (or equivalent), or by modifying the ROM.
Hidden references
The Beatles
It's interesting to note that the team that designed EarthBound are also open fans of the British pop and rock band, The Beatles. Throughout the game, there are countless examples of this:
- In the Japanese version of EarthBound, Mother 2, many of the extra alternate names for characters and such are that of Beatles band members. Among them are John (Ness), Yoko (Paula), Paul (Jeff), George (Poo), and Ringo (King). In this particular set, the main character's favorite food is "Honey Pie", and his favorite thing is "Love".
- A question is asked by a townsperson that relates to the band's song "Yesterday".
- There are two notable instances that actual Beatles songs were sampled for background music. The music used when inside the Brickroad dungeon is a sample of the beginning of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)". The music used in the Cave of the Past is a sample from the first few notes of "All You Need Is Love".
- The yellow submarine in the game is obviously a nod to their song and animated movie, Yellow Submarine.
- The tune played when Ness and his friends wake up after resting is called "Good Morning". It is a slower version of the chorus of the Sgt. Pepper's song "Good Morning Good Morning".
- A member of a band in the game called the Runaway Five references a song which The Beatles covered called "Money (That's What I Want)", originally by Barrett Strong.
- The music playing when Ness steps outside after the meteor crashes resembles the drums in the ending of "Strawberry Fields Forever".
- The music heard in the Saturn Valley area sounds a lot like "Wild Honey Pie," from the Beatles' White Album.
Other references
- The music played when starting a new game and naming the characters contains a short musical sample from the theme song for the show, Monty Python's Flying Circus.
- In Jackie's Cafe, the music contains a sample from the theme song for the Our Gang film series. Also heard is a sample of America's National Anthem.
- The background music for Moonside has a sample from the Ric Ocasek song, "Keep On Laughin".
- One battle music track features music similar to the intro from "Johnny B. Goode" and several other Chuck Berry songs.
- The Runaway Five sharply resemble the Blues Brothers (especially the two lead singers). The original Japanese version had the band wearing black suits instead of the colored clothes of the American release, and were called the "Tonzura Brothers".
- A NPC in the Onett arcade calls Ness "a real Rambo type".
- Giant Step and Lilliput Steps are references to Gulliver's Travels.
- One of the non-player characters in the game looks almost exactly like Mr. T (though he is never referred to as such or says anything Mr. T might be thought to say). Fans of the game refer to him almost exclusively as such.
- Two enemies in the game share the names of famous David Bowie songs: "Starman" (the trademark Starmen enemies appear throughout the game) and "Diamond Dogs" (Diamond Dog is one of the major bosses in the game). The veiny machine from his "Ashes to Ashes" video also resembles the final boss of the game, Giygas.
- The Starmen characters appear to be based on the alien from the classic sci-fi film the Day the Earth Stood Still.
- During the battle with the Slimy Little Pile (one of Master Belch's minions) one can hear a sample of the Super Mario Bros. theme.
- Aloysius Minch, Pokey's father, is a clever opposite to Atticus Finch from the book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
- In the Japanese release of EarthBound (Mother 2), there is a set of default names for the characters and items related to the super Mario series. Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo become Mario, Peach, Luigi, and Toad respectivly. The dog (King) becomes Yoshi, the player's favorite food becomes "mushroom", and the player's favorite thing becomes "goal".
- The arcade in Onett contains a couple of Donkey Kong arcade machines. There are no real titles on the machines, but the tell-tale red girder pattern of the first level shows on the first machine in front row, and on the second-to-last machine in the back row. Also, the main stage theme for Xevious can be heard in the background noise.
- One of the battle themes resembles the song Tequila by The Champs.
- A character in Onett will play a melody from Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, movement 2 on trumpet upon being spoken to.
- Shigesato Itoi has revealed in interviews that Giygas' dialogue was inspired by a traumatic childhood experience wherein he mistakenly walked into an adult movie theatre playing a rape scene.
- The Mr. Saturn's font is inspired by Shigesato Itoi's daughter's handwriting.
In the Player's Guide
- On page 17, Killer Instinct is mentioned as being one of the games available in Onett's Arcade.
- On page 111, there is an image of Ness in the nude on the bottom left of the page. This is an oversight on the part of NoA, as Ness was nude in Magicant in Mother 2.
See also
External links
- Template:Nintendo.com
- Starmen.Net
- Mother Party (Japanese)
- EarthBound IPM
- The game at the gameinfo wiki
- Bound Together - An EarthBound Remix Project
- Mother2.Net
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