Let's Talk About Earthbound

Earthbound_medium

Finally!

The one thing Nintendo hasn't produced here in America is a new Earthbound game. While we're still not getting one, we are getting the next best thing: Earthbound is finally coming to Virtual Console! And this is a big deal. The mere fact that Earthbound is coming back to America could be a few reasons.

  1. To gauge interest.
  2. To make money.

I really hoping that the first reason is the main reason. I have played a very limited amount of Earthbound and the only time I have played it was when I was a small child. In essence, it was the very first RPG I ever played. I always say that the first RPG I ever played was a Final Fantasy title, but I have always forgotten about Earthbound. Mostly because I never got to finish it.

The story takes place in a tiny little town known as Onett, which is just a small little part of the game. You control a spunky young boy named Ness and together, they go on an adventure that will change their lives and their town. The gameplay was your typical RPG fare. You gain experience from fighting monsters on a separate screen and you are tasked with defeating them.

What makes this game so unique is the way the game is presented. The art style is fantastic with a quasi-3D world and enemies actually appeared on screen. Not that this was a major accomplishment back then, but the game was technically impressive, especially when you're fighting enemies with the groovy battle scenes. Below is an example of a few of those battle scenes:

Not only is the visuals unique, but so is the music. A very weird balance of an electric-vibe and a crazy beats. It's truly unique as to how this RPG and game itself was presented. As per normal, the actual battles are fought in a similar fashion. And did you notice the weird creatures these battles, talk about eerie!

I am so happy that Nintendo is finally bringing Earthbound to the Virtual Console. I am very excited to see if Nintendo is finally going back to bring the rest of the series over here to the States and the UK...but, let's take it one step at a time!