3 ms·

It was good. The story and gameplay were good, and the art was excellent. But you know what game will really mess with your head? I mean, the art isn't as good

It was good. The story and gameplay were good, and the art was excellent. But you know what game will really mess with your head? I mean, the art isn't as good, but it doesn't matter: Earthbound. (Also its predecessor, Mother. You can find translated ROMs.)

swozey 3y ago
I loved SMRPG and I have tried to play Earthbound probably 50+ times in my 39 years of existence and I have never, ever found it fun or interesting. I don't think I've ever gotten past that opening where the village/city/whatever is under attack by aliens and you're running around trying to find people or something.
- djur 3y ago
  It's not surprising that you would find a game boring if you've only played the first 10 minutes of it 50+ times, but you might enjoy it more if you stick some of those 10 minute sessions together and try getting past the tutorial.
  - ninkendo 3y ago
    In their defense, I also tried it semi-recently and literally couldn’t get past the tutorial. I got to a point where I didn’t know what to do next, walked around for 20 minutes, then gave up. I could’ve searched the internet but I generally make it a policy not to do that with games. I’m probably just stupid, but games back then had this tendency to make everything into a maze, where the “challenge” was in figuring out what the hell to do next. SMRPG suffers from this too, there’s a few points near monstro town that if you don’t know exactly where they’re trying to get you to go, it’s really confusing. Childhood me couldn’t figure it out and I never made it past there (I have since revisited and completed the game.)
    - geraldwhen 3y ago
      Earthbound is a game where talking to everyone is a delight. There’s humor abound, and there’s no rush to get to an endpoint. You’re a kid out on an adventure. Relish it.
    - cdelsolar 3y ago
      If you guys get the chance please give earthbound a real try, get past the first town or two. I was also in the same boat, not making it past the opening several times as a kid and young adult. I gave it another try when it came out on the switch SNES app last year and the game is absolutely magnificent. I wish i had actually played it as a kid. I don’t even want to spoil it, but there is so much creativity and love that went into some of those areas. The final battle is one of my favorite moments I’ve ever experienced in a game. This is a great candidate for a new remake (or better yet sequel) but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
- debug-desperado 3y ago
  You're not alone, I also got stuck in that opening sequence as a child - thankfully the game was just a rental. Honestly at that stage in my life I didn't understand what was going on in the battle sequences since they were so text heavy. RPGs were too foreign of a concept at the time. Couple years later went on to enjoy the crap out of FF6, Chrono Trigger, and SMRPG, so I really should revisit Earthbound.
Slow_Hand 3y ago
I was just thinking of this the other day. I would love to see a semi-remake/port of Earthbound in which they updated the art style to mimic the clay figures that were used in the (amazing) player's guide that was included with each copy of the game. https://members.tripod.com/mr_saturn/pics2.html https://members.tripod.com/mr_saturn/pics2.html

swozey 3y ago

I loved SMRPG and I have tried to play Earthbound probably 50+ times in my 39 years of existence and I have never, ever found it fun or interesting. I don't think I've ever gotten past that opening where the village/city/whatever is under attack by aliens and you're running around trying to find people or something.

djur 3y ago
It's not surprising that you would find a game boring if you've only played the first 10 minutes of it 50+ times, but you might enjoy it more if you stick some of those 10 minute sessions together and try getting past the tutorial.
- ninkendo 3y ago
  In their defense, I also tried it semi-recently and literally couldn’t get past the tutorial. I got to a point where I didn’t know what to do next, walked around for 20 minutes, then gave up. I could’ve searched the internet but I generally make it a policy not to do that with games. I’m probably just stupid, but games back then had this tendency to make everything into a maze, where the “challenge” was in figuring out what the hell to do next. SMRPG suffers from this too, there’s a few points near monstro town that if you don’t know exactly where they’re trying to get you to go, it’s really confusing. Childhood me couldn’t figure it out and I never made it past there (I have since revisited and completed the game.)
  - geraldwhen 3y ago
    Earthbound is a game where talking to everyone is a delight. There’s humor abound, and there’s no rush to get to an endpoint. You’re a kid out on an adventure. Relish it.
  - cdelsolar 3y ago
    If you guys get the chance please give earthbound a real try, get past the first town or two. I was also in the same boat, not making it past the opening several times as a kid and young adult. I gave it another try when it came out on the switch SNES app last year and the game is absolutely magnificent. I wish i had actually played it as a kid. I don’t even want to spoil it, but there is so much creativity and love that went into some of those areas. The final battle is one of my favorite moments I’ve ever experienced in a game. This is a great candidate for a new remake (or better yet sequel) but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
debug-desperado 3y ago
You're not alone, I also got stuck in that opening sequence as a child - thankfully the game was just a rental. Honestly at that stage in my life I didn't understand what was going on in the battle sequences since they were so text heavy. RPGs were too foreign of a concept at the time. Couple years later went on to enjoy the crap out of FF6, Chrono Trigger, and SMRPG, so I really should revisit Earthbound.

Slow_Hand 3y ago

I was just thinking of this the other day. I would love to see a semi-remake/port of Earthbound in which they updated the art style to mimic the clay figures that were used in the (amazing) player's guide that was included with each copy of the game. https://members.tripod.com/mr_saturn/pics2.html https://members.tripod.com/mr_saturn/pics2.html