I had tried Earthbound ages ago but didn't give it a proper try, until now that it got added to NSO, and this time I got mega hooked, finished the game in a single week. Let me tell you it doesn't just stand the test of time, but in fact if it came out today it would still be considered one of the best JRPGs ever made. That says it all. Take it from someone that really had no attachment to this IP.
I played it too, but it’s difficult to say it’ll be considered one of the best j-rpg. There’s a lot of things that didn’t stand the test of time. Like inventory, stutters and slow down, controls, and other things that would be hard for me to express correctly in english. But these things could be corrected. Loved the last couple of hours though.
no it wouldn't h=it has so many glaring flaws and horrible design choices, i=f it came out today it would laughed at and shat on. For good reasons too, its an incredibly amature game and Itoi didn't truly make the game he wanted until Mother 3 which would and should be praised today.
The rewind feature is amazing for games like this. At an earlier point in my life I’d have thought it was cheating, but now as a parent of three young kids who has very limited time to play games, it takes a lot of the tedium out of games like this.
Absolutely - I'm in the same boat. Great to be able to avoid retreading monotonous old ground due to poor checkpoints, or even having to re-watch unskippable cutscenes when I get some precious gaming time.
@@marioluigibros.8176 I was making a point about games in general. There are a few parts you can't skip in Earthbound but they are very few and far between. Plus they are really short too. 🙂
i just finished beginnings after they came to NSO. using save states and rewinding was a god send and made it a much better experience for sure. it's already my most played NES game now lol (32 hours)
You really, really don't want this. You think you do, but you don't. They would censor a lot, change a lot of the dialogue to be memes, and it probably wouldn't feel like the same game anymore. You're better off playing the fan translation.
I'm so tired of people thinking they want that, when they actually don't. It's like no one is aware that to get the game the most lucrative T for Teen rating or even a preferred E for Everyone, Nintendo would have to butcher, censor and bowdlerize the hell out of the game just to get it past certification, removing MANY of it's most iconic assets and details, and generally being so inferior to the Fan-Translation that it would just receive more backlash and complaints than praise. Everyone THINKS they want this, but actually doing so would not only be an undue financial burden for Nintendo to put this much effort into a localization just to get massive hate in the end for doing what they'd need to do to the game, making it not remotely worth either Nintendo's time and money, nor acceptable or worth it to the fans. People just need to accept this can't happen, it shouldn't happen, it will never happen and just go play the translated rom, already. There's a reason Nintendo hasn't bothered to take it down in the over a decade it's been up for the public.
@NightStarXPlays Dude. Thank you. You are one of the many people to go in depth with the lesson of "Be careful what you wish for." Because people had apparently hyped games like Pokemon Sword & Shield and Pokemon BDSP only to find how shit they were. 😊
First of all thank you Nintendo Life for this incredible overview of the series! I feel like Earthbound Beginnings/Mother 1 gets a lot of flak compared to it's successors, sure it's not as refined as the other two, it can be *really* frustrating at times, but it has a simplistic charm which I find to be quite delightful, it has a very feel-good 80's vibe if you know what I mean. Plus the whole Giygas backstory the game has going for it is really cool, and the melancholy behind Maria's character is something I'm quite fond of, I might go as far to say that it's setting is my favorite in the series. It is true that the game doesn't quite live up to it's predecessors, but I believe that's due to all the limitations it has going against it, being on NES hardware and all. It's a fun ride if you can get behind all the clunkiness it has. My dream is for this game to get a remake that fleshes out its characters and story more, with a more engaging combat system, so that can live up to the other installments in the series. Earthbound/Mother 2 is really awesome but you've probably heard enough about it's awesomeness by now, so go play these incredible games already!! (Or don't, I'm not your Mom)
Actually it's surprising how much stuff they got right straight from the very first game, Earthbound is very much a much more polished version of it, or if you prefer, Mother feels like a prototype for Earthbound, which to be fair, it kinda is. With some Quality of Life features like faster text skipping and such, it would still be fantastic, and actually from an atmosphere point of view, I think it might in fact be better than Earthbound, it's downright creepy at times (possibly also because of the much more limited color palette), while Earthbound is certainly more fun and upbeat overall.
Earthbound beginnings was a pleasant surprise to play. I’m almost done as well. Tip: use Repel rings and buy lots of bread I’ll be playing Earthbound again once I’m done too! Never beat It but I shall on the switch
Yeah, l see a lot of people complain about EBB’s encounter rate but don’t seem to know about Repel Rings or Bread Crumbs. I don’t really blame them - the game doesn’t ever really bring them to your attention. However, complaining about these design problems without bringing up the options the game provides to mitigate them makes a review feel incomplete. I definitely agree that EBB has waaaaay too high an encounter rate, but Repel Rings really do help a lot with it.
EarthBound is a really great game! So quirky, but still fairly relatable! My only issue is the speed. The game is too slow at times and that’s too bad. That doesn’t mean the game is bad though! I loved the game so much that I bought it both on New 3DS and Wii U!
just keep eating skip sandwiches, haha. Nah forreal tough, some of the slowdown is funny, like the Scaraba market place or if you confront a group of Fobby/foppys
"EarthBound is a really great game! So quirky" That's it, the only real reason people pretend this game isn't garbage. Its sooo quirky, well guess what quirky doesn't excuse shitty game design.
I'm one of the dozen or so people who actually bought Earthbound when it released in the US. It's been stuck with me ever since that summer; the music, the atmosphere, the overall incredible tone of real life seen from a off center perspective.
EarthBound Beginnings aka Mother is a very impressive NES game. I played it on my Wii U last summer. Loved it a bunch would recommend using a guide though, It has some oldfashioned aspects like one will quickly see with the backpack inventory for that you need to often leave things with Ninten's sister. Plus some of the 'dungeons' in this one can be quite confusing without drawing/having a map. The music is an absolute treat. I absolutely loved the whymsical nature of following a boy and the friends he makes on their adventures as well as the stories regarding the kids' sudden appearing psychic powers and how beginning from a puppet various people, Anmials and other things start to act oddly caused by some Alien lifeform that seems to be related to Ninten's grandparents and get only more interesting as you find out more. Give that one a chance if you didn't before! I honestly admit, I had a great time with each game but would actually say that I prefer Mother over Mother 2 slightly. Could be because I didn't play that many other NES RPGs taht left me with that kinda impact as this one yet and when going into the SNES game afterwards, some aspects didn't grab me the same way even though it's definitely really good (thinking about it, I feel like the whole part of having savestates is very much contributing against most RPG frustration parts anyways and the way you approach things in the games might also leave you with different impressions). Hope to play "Mother 3" as well at some point anyways.
@@sfkapacheoutlaw5348 No, No, NO, NOOOOO The medium is not art. Just like books, movies etc. are not art in of itself. It has to simultaneously use the medium well and go beyond it to be art.
I'm playing Earthbound for the first time and having a lot of fun. I agree that it's grindy, but the characters are just so good, the game is beautiful and the dialogue is so funny. It's a very charming game and i'm definitely playing until the end, and going to play Earthbound Beginnings right afterwards.
I love Earthbound Beginnings, but for someone looking to try it, I'd recommend the GBA version instead. Its localization is much improved over the Beginnings one, and it adds an item to help rebalance the amount of grinding needed. It may still feel like a chore at times, but is a much nicer experience for the average player these days.
Would the GBA version be a fan translation? Since as far as I know, the GBA version of both Beginnings and Earthbound (called Mother 1+2 in Japan) never ended up being localized.
@@amirgarcia547 Technically yeah it's a fan translation, but it's actually done by the guy who translated Mother 3, and is an actual professional. I was a fan of his work even before playing a translation of his, so really it's many steps above what people would think of a fan translation as being.
I remember buying Earthbound when it was rereleased on Wii U and never even made it past Onett, and when I heard it was coming to Switch Online I audibly said "Alright, this time its for real." I just made it to Threed and loved every minute of the game so far.
I completed Mother 3 years ago and it was one of the most emotional and loving games I’ve ever played. I then went and played Earthbound on 3ds and loved it, with spurts of fantastic storytelling. I’m currently playing Beginnings and I’m honestly loving it as a combo of Earthbound and early JRPSs like Dragon Quest 1 and Final Fantasy 1.
Me and my best friend used to "speedrun" Earthbound back in the 90's as kids. Not because we were attempting to pioneer jrpg speed running, but because we would rent this game (or Mario RPG) and try to finally beat it before returning it to the store and praying we can get our save file back next weekend. Last time I played Earthbound as an adult, it felt like I was possessed; the muscle memory was deep and intense.
You don't know how much I agree with this review especially with the narrative and the storytelling. As weird and quirky the story is, playing it as an adult gives you a different perspective. I never got to play this as a kid and I grew up with turn based RPGs but eventually outgrew the turn based system and eventually bored out by it and embraced a more fast paced and action oriented RPGs and other genres as I grew up. I gave Earthbound a try after it got announced and released on NSO. I never turned off the SNES app on the switch ever since I played it until I finished it. I eventually get bored even with the new games that I play and even sometimes leads me to rushing it just for the sake of finishing it to get my money's worth, but, Earthbound just does the opposite and this is a 2 decade old game. It got me hooked and kept me hanging on what's about to happen next whenever I put my switch down that I'm eager to finish my work and meal to play Earthbound. It's a beautifully written game and it has got a certain charm that most of the modern games fail to do nowadays. Only a few does. I love it from start to finish and I'm thankful to myself I gave it a chance.
My first experience with Earthbound was when I borrowed my cousin's SNES Classic and spent hours on it. He took it back before I finished it, but I'm glad I can now beat it.
Earthbound is definitely worth playing if you haven’t already, since it’s a gem of a game that’s clearly inspired some of the most beloved and influential RPGs in recent years, including Undertale and Omori. Earthbound Beginnings though…even if it’s aged like milk due to being an NES RPG, it’s still worth checking out if you’re curious enough to see where the series started, and still has plenty of its much-improved successor’s charm.
I have never played Earthbound before, and only knew about it through Smash. One thing that always captivated me though was the Earthbound Music. Smash Bros has given us so many great music tracks from the Earthbound/Mother Series, and whenever I hear the original versions of some of those songs (in videos like this) it always makes me really happy!
Earthbound Begginings was the first Mother game i played because I'm stubborn and like playing things in order, it's very frustrating, sure, but the story and characters are so charming and the ending twists are genuinely heart wrenching and pulled a tear out of my eye, i understand it's a very difficult and frustrating game but i wish it could receive more love somehow, maybe a remake or something, i genuinely love that game and while Earthbound is leagues better i still feel people should experience Begginings at least once in their lives
I'm (was) part of that community that was active around what demi did over 20 years ago getting the old FC(NES) game out to the market to play. I remember the struggles, Nintendo had put some sneaky game kills within for a copy protection routine that had to be defeated. There were such gems as a one hit progression stopper within an area with tomb stones, also having the difficulty cranked up to suicidal levels too on things from the get go. I tried to get into the game then and never really tried much since because one thing always confused me. I never could find a way to restore health much and definitely never your PSI power which just turned the game into a club fest with the bat and grew tiresome being unable to continue much into the game. I'm really curious how people are playing this now without an ability to restore your PSI power or heal much because the difficulty as said is utterly nasty from the get go especially compared to its SNES sequel.
My Nintendo Online subscription expired right before the EarthBound announcement. I didn't plan on renewing since I only play single-player games but now I'm really tempted because EarthBound is tied with Super Mario RPG for my favorite game. (Still waiting for you to add that one too, Nintendo!)
I only just started playing Eathbound and the world and charachters are interesting but so far the combat sends me to sleep, I just kind of glaze over during battles. I'm on to the second town now really hoping it improves with more party members.
This may be due to the fact I’ve played dragon quest 1, but playing earthbound beginnings isn’t that bad in terms of interacting and battling so far. Now I have heard the end of the game gets very difficult but maybe if I spend a moment grinding I should be able to get through it without too much frustration.
I've played Earthbound back when it first came out on the Nintendo 3DS and it was a nice storyline with how the characters and the ways of it coming out on the SNES at the time in the 90's like yeah it would've been nice to play that game growing up back then and knowing about the game at the time but never had that game for SNES growing up to now with me already beating the game for the Nintendo 3DS but now that it's on the Nintendo Switch I just absolutely wanna go and start with Earthbound Beginnings and then play Earthbound again in line to how the story goes in the series of the franchise because essentially the storyline starts with Earthbound Beginnings being the first in the series rather then just playing Earthbound or in Japan Mother and Mother 2 is that storyline of how it's meant to play it and have a better understanding of what Mother really means for these incredibly good storylines that will make you feel a burst of emotions happy, sad, confused and down right shocked when it all comes down to dealing with where to go in the game and then the final boss for both of these series of games and it makes sense so definitely give these games a try if you have a Nintendo Switch with online and if not you're definitely missing out on two wonderful games for the series and I really hope Nintendo eventually decides to put Mother 3 or Earthbound Endings possibly in America I don't know but it has a nice ring to it maybe Earthbound 3 to the Nintendo Switch as well. 😂🤣🤷🏼♂️💯
This comment was originally written by Reggie -- formerly of Nintendo of America -- but was reworked into this other comment, by ME: play 👏 the 👏 game 👏
It's certainly far better than buying the SNES Classic just to play EarthBound, in terms of availability. If only it was able to be purchased separately like all the other SNES or NES games
@@knuclear200x I mean I’d personally gladly pay money to actually own SNES games instead of having a yearly subscription that won’t exist in the future, but that’s just me.
I played Beginnings first, with the 25th anniversary patch. Simply having characters join at not Level 1 is enough to make it a massive step up from the original, and the new graphics are beautiful.
In earthbound beginnings. If you keep opening the menu it reset step counter which stops battles from appearing so often this might make things less tedious. 🤔🎮
I was always interested in Earthbound because I enjoyed Ness and Lucas in Smash, and I've always always heard how legendary Mother 3 was. A couple years ago I decided to give it a go- from the beginning. I emulated Mother 1 on my phone, and I really loved that game. It was far from perfect, but I did use save states to curb frustration and after playing it and moving on to Earthbound, I've gotta say I'm glad I played Mother 1/Earthbound Beginnings first. It was so awesome seeing how much it was able to transform and improve between games, and I definitely prefer that personally to playing the sequel and then taking a step back.
If anyone's actually new to the series, to clear something up: yes, Giegue and Giygas are the same... person? entity? lifeform?. point is, it's the same character, but years apart.
I remember my grandpa taught me how to read while i was playing Earthbound/Mother 2. Everytime I spoke to an npc or 'read' a sign or something, he would have me read the words out loud to practice my reading skills. Alongside the lunch lady at my school teaching me to read by reading Dr. Seuss' Go Dog Go, I came to enjoy reading and RPGs, that's probably why I enjoy story heavy rpgs and visual novels xD
Levelups are random in Mother 1. For example, Ninten's "average" ups is 2, "bad" is 1, and "good" is 3. A bad string of 1s can ruin you early on. But if you rewind to just before you chose the action that won you the fight, you can reroll until you get a good score!
I think it might be a good idea for anyone who isn't a seasoned veteran of classic RPGs to temper their expectations for EarthBound a bit as much of what gives it its unique charm and makes it feel fresh for its time could possibly be lost to some degree without that strong background understanding of the genre's tropes and cliches. It's still a good game, regardless, but I believe that lack of context may make it more difficult to fully appreciate it.
Great review! I’m a HUGE Earthbound fan and need to check out Earthbound Beginnings one day. Hopefully soon…I feel like as a fan of Mother 2 and 3 I just have to haha
I beat Mother 2/EarthBound on NSO, I had a blast, it's one of the best Nintendo JRPG franchises ever made, I'm playing the original Mother and still having great vibes from these gems
Thank you for this video! I enjoy the writing and how you all cover games. I’ve been extremely curious about these games so I’m starting them on my switch.
I just finished Earthbound on NSO. What an incredible game. I still can’t believe it was released in 1994, almost 30 years ago! This game was ahead of its time in every aspect. Yes, Earthbound is a masterpiece confirmed.
Definitely got both games downloaded on my WiiU, considering getting EarthBound for my 3DS as well to be able to play on the go. I haven't finished EarthBound Beginnings yet, but for EarthBound itself, I love a lot about the game, but I would've liked to see a more reasonable rare item drop rate, because I remember in a previous playthrough where I maxed out all my characters' levels just trying to get Poo's Sword of Kings in Stonehenge for literally hours straight. The 1/128 drop rate I hated so much for JRPGs like this game and Final Fantasy 4. There was a rumor going around back then about a compilation that all 3 EarthBound/ MOTHER games would be released in a single compilation release since there was a GBA release of MOTHER 1 + 2; I would certainly love to see that become a reality.
Just started Earthbound and dabbled a little in Beginnings. Mother 2 just seems like an improvement on the first one, so I’m sticking with that. I think it’s a game I’ll pick up every so often to make progress and play over the course of a year.
Ridiculously grindy? I don't follow. Once you can beat the crazy farmers outside your house, the game is quite smooth as far as difficulty progression is concerned.
@@Nukatha let me tell you, I'm playing it and it is insanely grindy. I'm at the point to where I need to awaken the dragon And you have to be at level 25 to do so. and at this point it's kinda boring. I'm too strong for everything but I need to level up and it takes forever.
I always feel compelled to play games in order (the only exception being Metal gear rising) so i picked up Beginnings on my wii U virtual console a few years back and I loved it but didn't finish it, i picked it back up when I heard it came to NSO and j haven't put it down since, i have a feeling im gonna get slightly emotional at the ending from what I've seen online
Just beat the game and here my tips/review It’s very fun and a beautiful game very surprised by its graphics and how witty it is. It so old but it still holds up again shocking. It’s def a MUST PLAY if you have NES collection on the switch. About 25-50 hours game and what makes this the best version is the switch has a rewind feature which is a god sent to this game cuz how many minor mistakes you can make or Mis-click can happen so going back 3 seconds helps a lot. People say you don’t have to grind at all but that false you should grind a lil in the beginning, middle and end. Not too much tho cuz it pointless really but I was way too overpower cuz I like to be and made it a breeze. Still fun cuz the story was fantastic and witty cuz it keep getting crazier every new place. Also use items cuz item are whatever in the game. I know item management is terrible but google your friend and again use stuff. Also Jeff (Science nerd) guns and broken stuff he make can’t be thrown away so be careful is all I’m saying. This game was ahead of its time cuz the story was crazy and it keep you thinking like wow 😯 I feel there should be a remake since that the world were going. Every game getting remake and seeing this would be crazy. If it does I wouldn’t be shock winning awards maybe GOTY
Also the final boss look up how to defeat it cuz I was fighting forever and had to look it up…idk if that spoiler but it was a pain so just helping out. Again Google your friend on finding stats on items and guilds if your stuck
Zion, this is most definitely one of the best videos you have done. I pretty much agree with everything you said as a huge fan of the Mother series. Well done man, I can give you a hug right now if I could
I played Mother 1 when it first came to the States on wii u and I really enjoyed it. I played Earthbound next and for the most part I wasn't totally conviced that part 2 is better than part 1 until I had both games done and completed. they are both great games and sometimes the music is better in part 1 and sometimes there are more memorable scenes in part 2. so I definitely recommend playing them both! ❤️
I always wanted to try earthbound. So I have started with earthbound beginnings... slowly losing interest... I probably should of just started with earthbound...
Personal gripes with the bareboned combat system and frustrations with movement and inventory options aside, Earthbound is still one of my favorite video games ever. It truly transcends being just "another RPG" from a console that was overflowing with quality RPGs and is an experience that is funny, heartfelt, bizarre, thought-provoking, childish, and nostalgic all at once that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Earthbound Beginnings, on the other hand...I respect it for starting the series and its historic significance cannot be understated but if played today, I'd say it's better to just play one of the fan-made mods such as the 25th Anniversary romhack because the base game can feel like a tedious exercise in frustration at its worst. While Beginnings is still funny and charming, it doesn't hold up nearly was well as its SNES successor and I definitely backup the sentiment of only playing it if you've already played Earthbound, Mother 3, and the various Mother-inspired indie games out there.
I have finished both earthbound and earthbound beginnings and am currently playing mother 3. I really enjoyed the earthbound series. I decided to order the games online because of ness and lucas being my favourite smash bros characters. I do hope that they decide to make a mother 4/new earthbound or at least make an official translated version on mother 3.
Favorite game of all time and it’s under rated younger brother. Both are wonderful, and I have such cherished memories with both. So happy to see it get some attention!
played earthbound and mother 3 like 5 years ago and they were goated games (3 being my favorite). ive been meaning to replay them recently, and this might give me an excuse. i personally havent been able to get into beginnings. i might give it another shot at some point.
Had been looking for this game and thinking about getting a snes classic mini sold at target I owned one in 2018 glad I did some research now I can just get the switch
I love how you can practically play eb one handed...still remember the game like the back of my hand. My biggest regret is selling it to my friend for like 20 bucks...I was a stupid(ier) high school kid
If you're here on NL, you probably know what I'm going to say: I played Mother 2 when it first launched and it's still a fucking masterpiece I love to play over and over and over. I hope more and more people (of the 100M Switch owners) get to enjoy this amazing game on NSO. ^^ While Itoi won't be making any more games in the future, I'm always curious if a remake will ever happen? Ah well. :) Btw I just realized Earthbound beginnings is my Dark Souls. :P
Never delved deep into earthbound but, gotta say, starting on beginnings doesn't feel too off. I really been enjoying it. Frankly I've missed games that tell you nothing to progress. True 90s nostalgia.
Think about it this way: EarthBound is an _incredibly_ charming and weird SNES-era JRPG which comes with most of the pros and cons of being a SNES-era JRPG. If you're into that, then you'll more than likely enjoy what EarthBound has to offer... ...EarthBound Beginnings (Mother 1) is a history lesson. You play it to get a taste of where the original EarthBound idea was coming from. Then you never play it again.
The earthbound series as a whole is a work of art. No copy pasted plots or corny NPCs (like pokemon games ugh...). I used a playguide and the games are so intriguing I'd put the guide down and would want to explore things myself. Mr.Ioto is the Mozart of jrpgs, and this is coming from someone who grew up and idolised the final fantasy series.
I liked how talking to every NPC you could find was something useful in Earthbound Beginnings. Unless you were playing with a guide, they often gave useful pushes in the right direction. But oh man, if one more random NPC passes on their cold to Ninten...
Do you even need to answer this question? I mean, despite their amazing quality, they're on NSO anyways. Still a great review, but that title is confusing.
I LOVE Mother series. Beginnings was meh, but that is to be expected as it was made so early in time BUT I DON'T REGRET PLAYING Beginnings at least once.
Earthbound is one of the only games I've ever purchased (Wii U Virtual Console) that I couldn't bring myself to finish. I feel the same way about it as I do Chrono Cross, in that I love everything about it except for the actual gameplay. The series of tedious things I had to do every time I died, before I could get on my way again, became too much for me to stomach anymore. That plus the grindy nature of it that Zion mentions here.
I beat Earthbound on SNES but ended liking Beginnings because its more challenging. Its the more difficult game so its definitely for the harcore rpg gamer. Yes it is more frustrating with the high encounter rates and being a bit grindy, but the game gives you Repel Ring and Bread to make the game more enjoyable.
I never played EarthBound back in the day, and even tho I’ve always been a huge Smash fan, Ness and Lucas have always been some of my least favorite characters. It wasn’t until recently when I heard and saw that Undertale was heavily inspired by the Mother series that I decided to give Earthbound on Switch a try… And my God am I glad I did! I’m a couple of hours in and I don’t want the adventure to end since I know there won’t be any new one coming in a long time… Yes, random encounters, some tedious travel back and forth and the inventory aside, it’s astounding how well this game has stood the test of time! Please Gods at Nintendo, rerelease Mother 3 for us westerners 🙏🏻
I had just been playing through earthbound beginnings and I’ve realised that it was made much easier. They.. removed a few enemies such as the scientist in the sweet factory. I suppose that’s because of the blood or something but I’m sure that there were ‘fixed’ sprites that were censored. Oh well
I don't really like RPGs but (Snes) Earthbound is great! Thanks to Nintendo for the Savestate and Rewind mechanic, I never had a game over or had to revive my team members, the worst part of the game. It was a pleasant trip IMO
Beginnings is hardly a slog. Losing fights is a slap on the wrist, items exist for reducing encounter rate, fully open world, and fast travel, plus every character has unique dialogue and there's around a full hour of unique music tracks. Absolute pinnacle of NES games.
I found out about earthbound through chuggaconroys lets plays and after online dropped, I finally got around to beating beginnings(i played it 2 years ago, got to the final boss and decided it was too hard and stopped playing). It was kind of an enjoyable experience but also very tedious as I was mainly playing it in prep for earthbound. I sort of agree that you should play earthbound first but if you play earthbound then beginnings, then it just feels kind of like a downgrade.
Im not really a big fan of rpgs, but I decided to give earthbound a go because everyone seems to love it that much. I am enjoying myself with the game so far.
I had tried Earthbound ages ago but didn't give it a proper try, until now that it got added to NSO, and this time I got mega hooked, finished the game in a single week. Let me tell you it doesn't just stand the test of time, but in fact if it came out today it would still be considered one of the best JRPGs ever made. That says it all. Take it from someone that really had no attachment to this IP.
Dank & Based
I never liked it until it tried it on NSO and my god it’s so good
I played it too, but it’s difficult to say it’ll be considered one of the best j-rpg. There’s a lot of things that didn’t stand the test of time. Like inventory, stutters and slow down, controls, and other things that would be hard for me to express correctly in english.
But these things could be corrected. Loved the last couple of hours though.
no it wouldn't h=it has so many glaring flaws and horrible design choices, i=f it came out today it would laughed at and shat on. For good reasons too, its an incredibly amature game and Itoi didn't truly make the game he wanted until Mother 3 which would and should be praised today.
Exactly!!
The rewind feature is amazing for games like this. At an earlier point in my life I’d have thought it was cheating, but now as a parent of three young kids who has very limited time to play games, it takes a lot of the tedium out of games like this.
Absolutely - I'm in the same boat. Great to be able to avoid retreading monotonous old ground due to poor checkpoints, or even having to re-watch unskippable cutscenes when I get some precious gaming time.
Is there a way to turn off the feature? It would be nice to be not tempted to rewind.
@@Ubebread1 Just don’t use it…
@@SuperSonicish uhh unskippable cutscenes? in earthbound?
@@marioluigibros.8176 I was making a point about games in general. There are a few parts you can't skip in Earthbound but they are very few and far between. Plus they are really short too. 🙂
i just finished beginnings after they came to NSO. using save states and rewinding was a god send and made it a much better experience for sure. it's already my most played NES game now lol (32 hours)
I'm hoping the release of both of these on the Switch is foreshadowing that we'll finally get an official translation and release of Mother 3.
You really, really don't want this. You think you do, but you don't. They would censor a lot, change a lot of the dialogue to be memes, and it probably wouldn't feel like the same game anymore. You're better off playing the fan translation.
@@nintendo-relatedchannel5810 THIS 1000%
I'm so tired of people thinking they want that, when they actually don't. It's like no one is aware that to get the game the most lucrative T for Teen rating or even a preferred E for Everyone, Nintendo would have to butcher, censor and bowdlerize the hell out of the game just to get it past certification, removing MANY of it's most iconic assets and details, and generally being so inferior to the Fan-Translation that it would just receive more backlash and complaints than praise. Everyone THINKS they want this, but actually doing so would not only be an undue financial burden for Nintendo to put this much effort into a localization just to get massive hate in the end for doing what they'd need to do to the game, making it not remotely worth either Nintendo's time and money, nor acceptable or worth it to the fans.
People just need to accept this can't happen, it shouldn't happen, it will never happen and just go play the translated rom, already. There's a reason Nintendo hasn't bothered to take it down in the over a decade it's been up for the public.
@@the-NightStar preach
@NightStarXPlays Dude. Thank you. You are one of the many people to go in depth with the lesson of "Be careful what you wish for." Because people had apparently hyped games like Pokemon Sword & Shield and Pokemon BDSP only to find how shit they were. 😊
First of all thank you Nintendo Life for this incredible overview of the series!
I feel like Earthbound Beginnings/Mother 1 gets a lot of flak compared to it's successors, sure it's not as refined as the other two, it can be *really* frustrating at times, but it has a simplistic charm which I find to be quite delightful, it has a very feel-good 80's vibe if you know what I mean. Plus the whole Giygas backstory the game has going for it is really cool, and the melancholy behind Maria's character is something I'm quite fond of, I might go as far to say that it's setting is my favorite in the series. It is true that the game doesn't quite live up to it's predecessors, but I believe that's due to all the limitations it has going against it, being on NES hardware and all. It's a fun ride if you can get behind all the clunkiness it has. My dream is for this game to get a remake that fleshes out its characters and story more, with a more engaging combat system, so that can live up to the other installments in the series.
Earthbound/Mother 2 is really awesome but you've probably heard enough about it's awesomeness by now, so go play these incredible games already!! (Or don't, I'm not your Mom)
Actually it's surprising how much stuff they got right straight from the very first game, Earthbound is very much a much more polished version of it, or if you prefer, Mother feels like a prototype for Earthbound, which to be fair, it kinda is. With some Quality of Life features like faster text skipping and such, it would still be fantastic, and actually from an atmosphere point of view, I think it might in fact be better than Earthbound, it's downright creepy at times (possibly also because of the much more limited color palette), while Earthbound is certainly more fun and upbeat overall.
Earthbound beginnings was a pleasant surprise to play. I’m almost done as well.
Tip: use Repel rings and buy lots of bread
I’ll be playing Earthbound again once I’m done too! Never beat It but I shall on the switch
Yeah, l see a lot of people complain about EBB’s encounter rate but don’t seem to know about Repel Rings or Bread Crumbs. I don’t really blame them - the game doesn’t ever really bring them to your attention. However, complaining about these design problems without bringing up the options the game provides to mitigate them makes a review feel incomplete. I definitely agree that EBB has waaaaay too high an encounter rate, but Repel Rings really do help a lot with it.
EarthBound is a really great game! So quirky, but still fairly relatable! My only issue is the speed. The game is too slow at times and that’s too bad. That doesn’t mean the game is bad though! I loved the game so much that I bought it both on New 3DS and Wii U!
just keep eating skip sandwiches, haha. Nah forreal tough, some of the slowdown is funny, like the Scaraba market place or if you confront a group of Fobby/foppys
It would have been nice if you could keep using the bicycle
It’s the main reason why I’m entirely glad they added a sprint button to Mother 3.
"EarthBound is a really great game! So quirky" That's it, the only real reason people pretend this game isn't garbage. Its sooo quirky, well guess what quirky doesn't excuse shitty game design.
@@brya9681 Lmao the game is good cope...
I'm one of the dozen or so people who actually bought Earthbound when it released in the US. It's been stuck with me ever since that summer; the music, the atmosphere, the overall incredible tone of real life seen from a off center perspective.
EarthBound Beginnings aka Mother is a very impressive NES game. I played it on my Wii U last summer. Loved it a bunch would recommend using a guide though, It has some oldfashioned aspects like one will quickly see with the backpack inventory for that you need to often leave things with Ninten's sister. Plus some of the 'dungeons' in this one can be quite confusing without drawing/having a map. The music is an absolute treat. I absolutely loved the whymsical nature of following a boy and the friends he makes on their adventures as well as the stories regarding the kids' sudden appearing psychic powers and how beginning from a puppet various people, Anmials and other things start to act oddly caused by some Alien lifeform that seems to be related to Ninten's grandparents and get only more interesting as you find out more. Give that one a chance if you didn't before!
I honestly admit, I had a great time with each game but would actually say that I prefer Mother over Mother 2 slightly. Could be because I didn't play that many other NES RPGs taht left me with that kinda impact as this one yet and when going into the SNES game afterwards, some aspects didn't grab me the same way even though it's definitely really good (thinking about it, I feel like the whole part of having savestates is very much contributing against most RPG frustration parts anyways and the way you approach things in the games might also leave you with different impressions). Hope to play "Mother 3" as well at some point anyways.
Every true gamer should experience Earthbound at least once. Enjoy your first playthrough, it's a lifetime experience ❤️
Earthbound is a postmodern masterpiece; it's not a game, it's art.
It definitely is a game
It's both, games are works of art.
@@thegreygoblin5165 That's quite the overgeneralisation, take FIFA 17 for example, to call that a work of art would be crass
@@corinbertrand Just because it’s art doesn’t mean it’s _good_ art
@@sfkapacheoutlaw5348 No, No, NO, NOOOOO
The medium is not art. Just like books, movies etc. are not art in of itself. It has to simultaneously use the medium well and go beyond it to be art.
"Zion had an asthma attack"
"suffered 30 damage".
I'm playing Earthbound for the first time and having a lot of fun. I agree that it's grindy, but the characters are just so good, the game is beautiful and the dialogue is so funny. It's a very charming game and i'm definitely playing until the end, and going to play Earthbound Beginnings right afterwards.
I love Earthbound Beginnings, but for someone looking to try it, I'd recommend the GBA version instead. Its localization is much improved over the Beginnings one, and it adds an item to help rebalance the amount of grinding needed.
It may still feel like a chore at times, but is a much nicer experience for the average player these days.
Is it a ROM or is there somewhere I can buy it
Would the GBA version be a fan translation? Since as far as I know, the GBA version of both Beginnings and Earthbound (called Mother 1+2 in Japan) never ended up being localized.
Yes. It is still too chore-ish for me though, so hearing 8/10 was kinda funny.
@@amirgarcia547 Technically yeah it's a fan translation, but it's actually done by the guy who translated Mother 3, and is an actual professional. I was a fan of his work even before playing a translation of his, so really it's many steps above what people would think of a fan translation as being.
@@sergiomanzanares6817 I'm sure people have made carts with it on it, but finding a ROM would obviously be the most simple way of playing it.
I remember buying Earthbound when it was rereleased on Wii U and never even made it past Onett, and when I heard it was coming to Switch Online I audibly said "Alright, this time its for real." I just made it to Threed and loved every minute of the game so far.
Glad you're having fun buddy, the journey is so much fun! Keep moving forward and have a good time! :)
I completed Mother 3 years ago and it was one of the most emotional and loving games I’ve ever played. I then went and played Earthbound on 3ds and loved it, with spurts of fantastic storytelling. I’m currently playing Beginnings and I’m honestly loving it as a combo of Earthbound and early JRPSs like Dragon Quest 1 and Final Fantasy 1.
Me and my best friend used to "speedrun" Earthbound back in the 90's as kids. Not because we were attempting to pioneer jrpg speed running, but because we would rent this game (or Mario RPG) and try to finally beat it before returning it to the store and praying we can get our save file back next weekend.
Last time I played Earthbound as an adult, it felt like I was possessed; the muscle memory was deep and intense.
You don't know how much I agree with this review especially with the narrative and the storytelling. As weird and quirky the story is, playing it as an adult gives you a different perspective.
I never got to play this as a kid and I grew up with turn based RPGs but eventually outgrew the turn based system and eventually bored out by it and embraced a more fast paced and action oriented RPGs and other genres as I grew up. I gave Earthbound a try after it got announced and released on NSO. I never turned off the SNES app on the switch ever since I played it until I finished it.
I eventually get bored even with the new games that I play and even sometimes leads me to rushing it just for the sake of finishing it to get my money's worth, but, Earthbound just does the opposite and this is a 2 decade old game. It got me hooked and kept me hanging on what's about to happen next whenever I put my switch down that I'm eager to finish my work and meal to play Earthbound.
It's a beautifully written game and it has got a certain charm that most of the modern games fail to do nowadays. Only a few does.
I love it from start to finish and I'm thankful to myself I gave it a chance.
My first experience with Earthbound was when I borrowed my cousin's SNES Classic and spent hours on it. He took it back before I finished it, but I'm glad I can now beat it.
Earthbound is definitely worth playing if you haven’t already, since it’s a gem of a game that’s clearly inspired some of the most beloved and influential RPGs in recent years, including Undertale and Omori.
Earthbound Beginnings though…even if it’s aged like milk due to being an NES RPG, it’s still worth checking out if you’re curious enough to see where the series started, and still has plenty of its much-improved successor’s charm.
I need a remake. I don’t like old games like this but if they recreated it I’d be all over it
I’m playing the original version and it’s not bad. Still would like a remake though
I have never played Earthbound before, and only knew about it through Smash. One thing that always captivated me though was the Earthbound Music. Smash Bros has given us so many great music tracks from the Earthbound/Mother Series, and whenever I hear the original versions of some of those songs (in videos like this) it always makes me really happy!
Earthbound Begginings was the first Mother game i played because I'm stubborn and like playing things in order, it's very frustrating, sure, but the story and characters are so charming and the ending twists are genuinely heart wrenching and pulled a tear out of my eye, i understand it's a very difficult and frustrating game but i wish it could receive more love somehow, maybe a remake or something, i genuinely love that game and while Earthbound is leagues better i still feel people should experience Begginings at least once in their lives
I had my og 3ds for years. I only got the n2dsxl because snes games were only available there. First thing I did was download earthbound.
I'm (was) part of that community that was active around what demi did over 20 years ago getting the old FC(NES) game out to the market to play. I remember the struggles, Nintendo had put some sneaky game kills within for a copy protection routine that had to be defeated. There were such gems as a one hit progression stopper within an area with tomb stones, also having the difficulty cranked up to suicidal levels too on things from the get go.
I tried to get into the game then and never really tried much since because one thing always confused me. I never could find a way to restore health much and definitely never your PSI power which just turned the game into a club fest with the bat and grew tiresome being unable to continue much into the game. I'm really curious how people are playing this now without an ability to restore your PSI power or heal much because the difficulty as said is utterly nasty from the get go especially compared to its SNES sequel.
My Nintendo Online subscription expired right before the EarthBound announcement. I didn't plan on renewing since I only play single-player games but now I'm really tempted because EarthBound is tied with Super Mario RPG for my favorite game. (Still waiting for you to add that one too, Nintendo!)
I only just started playing Eathbound and the world and charachters are interesting but so far the combat sends me to sleep, I just kind of glaze over during battles. I'm on to the second town now really hoping it improves with more party members.
It gets better and way more difficult, I love how the hp counter drains while you're hit and you can heal and still fight right before dying
@@th3SyLvEsTeR agreed
Welcome to rpgs lmao
Usually in an RPG you start with three of four companions so things are a bit more interesting. Admittedly I haven’t really played many SNES era rpgs
This may be due to the fact I’ve played dragon quest 1, but playing earthbound beginnings isn’t that bad in terms of interacting and battling so far.
Now I have heard the end of the game gets very difficult but maybe if I spend a moment grinding I should be able to get through it without too much frustration.
I've played Earthbound back when it first came out on the Nintendo 3DS and it was a nice storyline with how the characters and the ways of it coming out on the SNES at the time in the 90's like yeah it would've been nice to play that game growing up back then and knowing about the game at the time but never had that game for SNES growing up to now with me already beating the game for the Nintendo 3DS but now that it's on the Nintendo Switch I just absolutely wanna go and start with Earthbound Beginnings and then play Earthbound again in line to how the story goes in the series of the franchise because essentially the storyline starts with Earthbound Beginnings being the first in the series rather then just playing Earthbound or in Japan Mother and Mother 2 is that storyline of how it's meant to play it and have a better understanding of what Mother really means for these incredibly good storylines that will make you feel a burst of emotions happy, sad, confused and down right shocked when it all comes down to dealing with where to go in the game and then the final boss for both of these series of games and it makes sense so definitely give these games a try if you have a Nintendo Switch with online and if not you're definitely missing out on two wonderful games for the series and I really hope Nintendo eventually decides to put Mother 3 or Earthbound Endings possibly in America I don't know but it has a nice ring to it maybe Earthbound 3 to the Nintendo Switch as well. 😂🤣🤷🏼♂️💯
This comment was originally written by Reggie -- formerly of Nintendo of America -- but was reworked into this other comment, by ME:
play 👏 the 👏 game 👏
It's certainly far better than buying the SNES Classic just to play EarthBound, in terms of availability. If only it was able to be purchased separately like all the other SNES or NES games
>paying for snes games in 2022
@@knuclear200x I mean I’d personally gladly pay money to actually own SNES games instead of having a yearly subscription that won’t exist in the future, but that’s just me.
@@amirgarcia547 Nothing wrong with buying carts. But it is when waiting for Nintendo to sell it
@@knuclear200x carts that cost a trillion morbillion dollars
@@innocentzbat don't buy a cart then. Get the games free, right now
I played Beginnings first, with the 25th anniversary patch. Simply having characters join at not Level 1 is enough to make it a massive step up from the original, and the new graphics are beautiful.
In earthbound beginnings.
If you keep opening the menu it reset step counter which stops battles from appearing so often this might make things less tedious. 🤔🎮
I did not know this, though it sounds pretty tedious itself.
The ending where Zion told us to hit the subscribe button had me genuinely laughing at the dorkiness of it and is why I enjoy him as a personality
Why is the picture for Earthbound Beginnings so small? Did they crop out the anti-overscan pixels? Is the emulator set to pixel-perfect mode?
I was always interested in Earthbound because I enjoyed Ness and Lucas in Smash, and I've always always heard how legendary Mother 3 was. A couple years ago I decided to give it a go- from the beginning. I emulated Mother 1 on my phone, and I really loved that game. It was far from perfect, but I did use save states to curb frustration and after playing it and moving on to Earthbound, I've gotta say I'm glad I played Mother 1/Earthbound Beginnings first. It was so awesome seeing how much it was able to transform and improve between games, and I definitely prefer that personally to playing the sequel and then taking a step back.
If anyone's actually new to the series, to clear something up:
yes, Giegue and Giygas are the same... person? entity? lifeform?.
point is, it's the same character, but years apart.
I remember my grandpa taught me how to read while i was playing Earthbound/Mother 2. Everytime I spoke to an npc or 'read' a sign or something, he would have me read the words out loud to practice my reading skills. Alongside the lunch lady at my school teaching me to read by reading Dr. Seuss' Go Dog Go, I came to enjoy reading and RPGs, that's probably why I enjoy story heavy rpgs and visual novels xD
Levelups are random in Mother 1. For example, Ninten's "average" ups is 2, "bad" is 1, and "good" is 3.
A bad string of 1s can ruin you early on.
But if you rewind to just before you chose the action that won you the fight, you can reroll until you get a good score!
I think it might be a good idea for anyone who isn't a seasoned veteran of classic RPGs to temper their expectations for EarthBound a bit as much of what gives it its unique charm and makes it feel fresh for its time could possibly be lost to some degree without that strong background understanding of the genre's tropes and cliches. It's still a good game, regardless, but I believe that lack of context may make it more difficult to fully appreciate it.
Great review! I’m a HUGE Earthbound fan and need to check out Earthbound Beginnings one day. Hopefully soon…I feel like as a fan of Mother 2 and 3 I just have to haha
Short answer yes, long answer yessssssssssssss
I beat Mother 2/EarthBound on NSO, I had a blast, it's one of the best Nintendo JRPG franchises ever made, I'm playing the original Mother and still having great vibes from these gems
Where is a good place to get an English repro copy of mother 3?
Thank you for this video! I enjoy the writing and how you all cover games. I’ve been extremely curious about these games so I’m starting them on my switch.
I just finished Earthbound on NSO. What an incredible game. I still can’t believe it was released in 1994, almost 30 years ago! This game was ahead of its time in every aspect. Yes, Earthbound is a masterpiece confirmed.
I noticed some slowdowns when there were more than six or so enemies in one area. But fun.
I've been playing Earthbound Beginnings without a guide and as a HUGE fan of the turn-based Final Fantasy series I am loving every minute of this game
Definitely got both games downloaded on my WiiU, considering getting EarthBound for my 3DS as well to be able to play on the go. I haven't finished EarthBound Beginnings yet, but for EarthBound itself, I love a lot about the game, but I would've liked to see a more reasonable rare item drop rate, because I remember in a previous playthrough where I maxed out all my characters' levels just trying to get Poo's Sword of Kings in Stonehenge for literally hours straight. The 1/128 drop rate I hated so much for JRPGs like this game and Final Fantasy 4.
There was a rumor going around back then about a compilation that all 3 EarthBound/ MOTHER games would be released in a single compilation release since there was a GBA release of MOTHER 1 + 2; I would certainly love to see that become a reality.
Just finished Mother and started EarthBound again last night!
Just started Earthbound and dabbled a little in Beginnings. Mother 2 just seems like an improvement on the first one, so I’m sticking with that. I think it’s a game I’ll pick up every so often to make progress and play over the course of a year.
Yeah the first game is ridiculously grindy. If you like grind focused nes rpg games than play it through. I cant get into it but it isn't for me.
Ridiculously grindy? I don't follow. Once you can beat the crazy farmers outside your house, the game is quite smooth as far as difficulty progression is concerned.
@@Nukatha let me tell you, I'm playing it and it is insanely grindy. I'm at the point to where I need to awaken the dragon And you have to be at level 25 to do so. and at this point it's kinda boring. I'm too strong for everything but I need to level up and it takes forever.
AVGN does a great video on this game.
I always feel compelled to play games in order (the only exception being Metal gear rising) so i picked up Beginnings on my wii U virtual console a few years back and I loved it but didn't finish it, i picked it back up when I heard it came to NSO and j haven't put it down since, i have a feeling im gonna get slightly emotional at the ending from what I've seen online
Just beat the game and here my tips/review
It’s very fun and a beautiful game very surprised by its graphics and how witty it is. It so old but it still holds up again shocking. It’s def a MUST PLAY if you have NES collection on the switch. About 25-50 hours game and what makes this the best version is the switch has a rewind feature which is a god sent to this game cuz how many minor mistakes you can make or Mis-click can happen so going back 3 seconds helps a lot. People say you don’t have to grind at all but that false you should grind a lil in the beginning, middle and end. Not too much tho cuz it pointless really but I was way too overpower cuz I like to be and made it a breeze. Still fun cuz the story was fantastic and witty cuz it keep getting crazier every new place. Also use items cuz item are whatever in the game. I know item management is terrible but google your friend and again use stuff. Also Jeff (Science nerd) guns and broken stuff he make can’t be thrown away so be careful is all I’m saying.
This game was ahead of its time cuz the story was crazy and it keep you thinking like wow 😯 I feel there should be a remake since that the world were going. Every game getting remake and seeing this would be crazy. If it does I wouldn’t be shock winning awards maybe GOTY
Also the final boss look up how to defeat it cuz I was fighting forever and had to look it up…idk if that spoiler but it was a pain so just helping out. Again Google your friend on finding stats on items and guilds if your stuck
I think Zion doing Earthbound videos is the Premier League of Nintendo Life videos. Hopefully Nintendo will do something more with the series.
Zion, this is most definitely one of the best videos you have done. I pretty much agree with everything you said as a huge fan of the Mother series. Well done man, I can give you a hug right now if I could
I played Mother 1 when it first came to the States on wii u and I really enjoyed it. I played Earthbound next and for the most part I wasn't totally conviced that part 2 is better than part 1 until I had both games done and completed. they are both great games and sometimes the music is better in part 1 and sometimes there are more memorable scenes in part 2. so I definitely recommend playing them both! ❤️
I played it for the first time when it came out on the NSO, and it became one of my favourite RPG’s, I wish it had a physical release on switch
i have been playing earthbound for the last few days - for the 1st time - and what a delightful game.
I always wanted to try earthbound. So I have started with earthbound beginnings... slowly losing interest... I probably should of just started with earthbound...
Personal gripes with the bareboned combat system and frustrations with movement and inventory options aside, Earthbound is still one of my favorite video games ever. It truly transcends being just "another RPG" from a console that was overflowing with quality RPGs and is an experience that is funny, heartfelt, bizarre, thought-provoking, childish, and nostalgic all at once that will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Earthbound Beginnings, on the other hand...I respect it for starting the series and its historic significance cannot be understated but if played today, I'd say it's better to just play one of the fan-made mods such as the 25th Anniversary romhack because the base game can feel like a tedious exercise in frustration at its worst.
While Beginnings is still funny and charming, it doesn't hold up nearly was well as its SNES successor and I definitely backup the sentiment of only playing it if you've already played Earthbound, Mother 3, and the various Mother-inspired indie games out there.
They’re just fun games to play and get into. Simple as that. I love ‘em both.
I have finished both earthbound and earthbound beginnings and am currently playing mother 3. I really enjoyed the earthbound series. I decided to order the games online because of ness and lucas being my favourite smash bros characters. I do hope that they decide to make a mother 4/new earthbound or at least make an official translated version on mother 3.
Favorite game of all time and it’s under rated younger brother. Both are wonderful, and I have such cherished memories with both. So happy to see it get some attention!
played earthbound and mother 3 like 5 years ago and they were goated games (3 being my favorite). ive been meaning to replay them recently, and this might give me an excuse. i personally havent been able to get into beginnings. i might give it another shot at some point.
Just started Earthbound today and I'm very glad I did. Even though I am new to the series
If Nintendo translated Mother 3 and put it on the expanded online subscription, I’d definitely upgrade.
Had been looking for this game and thinking about getting a snes classic mini sold at target I owned one in 2018 glad I did some research now I can just get the switch
I love how you can practically play eb one handed...still remember the game like the back of my hand. My biggest regret is selling it to my friend for like 20 bucks...I was a stupid(ier) high school kid
I guess you spent a lot of time playing it one-handed as a high school kid
What were you doing with your free hand when playing this game??
Yes they made it specifically so you could play one handed. It was just a way to not make it too complicated.
Currently after the 2nd your sanctuary, liking it a lot
If you're here on NL, you probably know what I'm going to say: I played Mother 2 when it first launched and it's still a fucking masterpiece I love to play over and over and over. I hope more and more people (of the 100M Switch owners) get to enjoy this amazing game on NSO. ^^ While Itoi won't be making any more games in the future, I'm always curious if a remake will ever happen? Ah well. :)
Btw I just realized Earthbound beginnings is my Dark Souls. :P
Never delved deep into earthbound but, gotta say, starting on beginnings doesn't feel too off. I really been enjoying it. Frankly I've missed games that tell you nothing to progress. True 90s nostalgia.
Think about it this way: EarthBound is an _incredibly_ charming and weird SNES-era JRPG which comes with most of the pros and cons of being a SNES-era JRPG. If you're into that, then you'll more than likely enjoy what EarthBound has to offer...
...EarthBound Beginnings (Mother 1) is a history lesson. You play it to get a taste of where the original EarthBound idea was coming from. Then you never play it again.
and to get exposition of Giygas’ story and how he’s connected with EarthBound.
The earthbound series as a whole is a work of art. No copy pasted plots or corny NPCs (like pokemon games ugh...). I used a playguide and the games are so intriguing I'd put the guide down and would want to explore things myself. Mr.Ioto is the Mozart of jrpgs, and this is coming from someone who grew up and idolised the final fantasy series.
I liked how talking to every NPC you could find was something useful in Earthbound Beginnings.
Unless you were playing with a guide, they often gave useful pushes in the right direction.
But oh man, if one more random NPC passes on their cold to Ninten...
Do you even need to answer this question? I mean, despite their amazing quality, they're on NSO anyways. Still a great review, but that title is confusing.
Are they worth... Trying lol
Zion, it was available also on wii VC in fact.
Playing earthbound now
I LOVE Mother series. Beginnings was meh, but that is to be expected as it was made so early in time
BUT I DON'T REGRET PLAYING Beginnings at least once.
I have a lot of issues with Earthbound’s gameplay and battle system... but it’s got a great personality!
I beat both games on the mother 1+2 compilation and I love earthbound and earthbound beginnings.
Earthbound is one of the only games I've ever purchased (Wii U Virtual Console) that I couldn't bring myself to finish. I feel the same way about it as I do Chrono Cross, in that I love everything about it except for the actual gameplay. The series of tedious things I had to do every time I died, before I could get on my way again, became too much for me to stomach anymore. That plus the grindy nature of it that Zion mentions here.
Then watch a walktrought
Same for me another game that is like that is FF7
the visuals is nice and the color palette is nice.
THEY SURE ARE!!!! IS THAT EVEN A QUESTION?!?!
I have become obsessed with earthbound once it came to the switch. I had never played it before and oh boy did I miss out.
Thanks to nintendo online I played it and now its one of my favourite jrpg’s
I beat Earthbound on SNES but ended liking Beginnings because its more challenging. Its the more difficult game so its definitely for the harcore rpg gamer. Yes it is more frustrating with the high encounter rates and being a bit grindy, but the game gives you Repel Ring and Bread to make the game more enjoyable.
Started playing Earthbound. I cannot stop! Lol
I never played EarthBound back in the day, and even tho I’ve always been a huge Smash fan, Ness and Lucas have always been some of my least favorite characters. It wasn’t until recently when I heard and saw that Undertale was heavily inspired by the Mother series that I decided to give Earthbound on Switch a try… And my God am I glad I did! I’m a couple of hours in and I don’t want the adventure to end since I know there won’t be any new one coming in a long time… Yes, random encounters, some tedious travel back and forth and the inventory aside, it’s astounding how well this game has stood the test of time! Please Gods at Nintendo, rerelease Mother 3 for us westerners 🙏🏻
Honestly, EarthBound has changed my life. Next month, it'll be 10 years since I've been a fan in my 21 year old life
I had just been playing through earthbound beginnings and I’ve realised that it was made much easier. They.. removed a few enemies such as the scientist in the sweet factory. I suppose that’s because of the blood or something but I’m sure that there were ‘fixed’ sprites that were censored. Oh well
I don't really like RPGs but (Snes) Earthbound is great! Thanks to Nintendo for the Savestate and Rewind mechanic, I never had a game over or had to revive my team members, the worst part of the game. It was a pleasant trip IMO
This is great because of how accessible the games are; anyone with the online membership can play them now
I never played a turn-based RPG because the mechanics turn me off. But Earthbound looks really fun so I will give it a shot.
Let me warm you that the beggining is hard and a bit of a slog, I really ask you that you at least get to Threed
Beginnings is hardly a slog. Losing fights is a slap on the wrist, items exist for reducing encounter rate, fully open world, and fast travel, plus every character has unique dialogue and there's around a full hour of unique music tracks. Absolute pinnacle of NES games.
@@Nukatha Mah man I meant the BEGGINING of Earthbound. Not Earthbound Begginings!!
Over 300 music tracks in EarthBound
1:20 You're forgetting about free emulators. Anyway, good video.
I found out about earthbound through chuggaconroys lets plays and after online dropped, I finally got around to beating beginnings(i played it 2 years ago, got to the final boss and decided it was too hard and stopped playing). It was kind of an enjoyable experience but also very tedious as I was mainly playing it in prep for earthbound. I sort of agree that you should play earthbound first but if you play earthbound then beginnings, then it just feels kind of like a downgrade.
I just wish we got somekind of remake of mother 1/2 instead 😪 but it is nice for those of us who haven't played it before.
Man mother two looks crazy good compared to mother 1. I played through EB:B first and my jaw dropped when i started EB
Im not really a big fan of rpgs, but I decided to give earthbound a go because everyone seems to love it that much. I am enjoying myself with the game so far.