| |
System:
SNES
Genre:
RPG
Publisher:
Nintendo
Developer:
Ape Studios
Players:
1
Release date/year:
1994
Other systems:
-
|
|
- EarthBound
-
1994 Ape Studios - Nintendo - SNES
-
Earthbound is a quirky RPG effort by Squaresoft. First released many years ago, this game still has many followers and dedicated Internet sites. The way this game was designed is different than the way other games by Squaresoft, or any company for that matter, are usually designed. The game wasn't designed with images on grandeur in mind, nor was it designed to be a big smash hit. This game was simply designed to be fun to play. For this reason, a lot of people didn't like it. Some people are used to the simple Final Fantasy formula for making and playing video games. Earthbound is the kind of game you either love, or you hate. This is best demonstrated by the other scores given throughout the many reviews for this game.
- The bee told me to do it!
The story of this game is quite humorous. it isn't overly complex, it just wasn't written to be complex. I liked it that way. I like how the story just flows throughout the game. No huge plot twists, nothing you have to make an effort to understand and decipher. The storyline of this game was essentially designed to create a fun path for the game's player to follow. If the game is really fun to play, you really won't be worried about having a revolutionary story. Basically, a small boy named Ness is sleeping in his bed one night. The next thing he knows he hears a big crash and goes to investigate. He discovers a crashed space craft and a small bee. The bee tells him about the ravaged future and the threat of an evil named Giygas. Soon after, he is swatted to death by an annoyed housewife. So with his mother's permission Ness embarks on a journey to save the present and the future.
- Dear god, that hippie is coming right for us!
The gameplay of this game is what makes it so great. It isn't like any other game that was out at the time, and no game has ever come to rival it's simplistic beauty. Ness is just a normal boy, and he lives up to that title. Nothing special here, Ness is just travelling the world. he starts off in his home town, and eventually travels to others. In the various towns you will find structures such as a Hotel, where you can replenish your health, a Drug Store, where you can buy supplies, a Department Store, a Bakery, a Hospital, and more. What more you ask? Take a look around your city, if you see it there, it's probably in the game.
The battle system of Earthbound is also quite interesting. As you walk around the cities or dungeons you may notice a creature or person being controlled by the evil Giygas. You can usually recognize them because of their distorted appearance, and the fact that they basically run around in circles smacking into walls. Once one of these evil creatures catches you in its site it will start chasing you. Once it touches you the game will initiate battle. You are then taken to a new battle screen, but following the theme of the game, an unconventional one. You see the enemy in front of you, and there is a status box for each of your characters lined up along the bottom of the screen blow the enemy. Once it is your turn to attack one of the boxes will change colour, and it is that characters turn to attack. A box appears along the top with all of your options, and you choose one to attack. The status of the battle is displayed in a text box centered at the top of the screen. A typical caption is ''36 HP of damage to The New Age Retro Hippie!''
Your basic battle options are Attack, PSI, Goods, Run Away, and Auto-fight (in which your characters will attack right away with no forethought). Some characters have special battle options as well. I think all of these options are quite self-explanatory, except PSI. PSI is like magic. Three of your four characters will be able to use PSI. New PSI abilities come with new levels, and as with most other RPGs, there isn't a wide range of PSI abilities, but different magnitudes of each. Most PSI abilities have three levels which are noted by three ancient Greek numbers, such as Omega.
- Wow, that building is tall!
The graphics of Earthbound are designed differently than most other games. Most games use two of three layers of effects, used for the base graphics, fixed objects, and active objects. Earthbound is different, it only uses two layers: the base layer, and one other layer used for effect. On my emulator, if I disabled the layers one by one, I notice something. The first layer is used for basic fixed objects and sprites all in one. The second layer is used for one basic purpose: effect. When the second layer is removed, all corners of buildings, 3D objects, and some fixed objects were removed. Basically, it was used for a three dimensional effect, one never seen in an RPG. The buildings, fences, sprites, and most other things look to be three dimensional. Other than the FMVs and fully rounded graphics only achievable on 32+ bit systems you would think you are playing the Sony Playstation. Your fixed sprite view is above, but slightly behind. So, all of the buildings are forced to be shown sticking out of the ground. It's really quite hard to explain, but very well done.
The other thing that the Earthbound creators did to make the graphics great was to utilize a wide array of colours. Everything is shown in a great looking true-colour palette. The perfect example of this is the battle screen. The background of the battle scenes are moving designs. Wavy colours and psychedelic designs fill the screen, all shows with every colour of the rainbow. This helps the game to flow much better.
- Complexity doesn't need to be complex
The music in Earthbound follows in the steps of many other RPGs. It uses instrumental and orchestral pieces in order to create an atmosphere. But in this game, as I've mentioned, the atmosphere is meant to be quirky and enjoyable. So to create that effect in the music the makers decided not to overdo the sound. They used orchestral pieces, but they didn't use a lot of instruments. Sure, they use a lot of different sounds and make the music seem very complex, but they really did this in a quite easy manner. I liked the ambience of the music, it worked with the theme of the game well, and overall it helped make the game much better.
- The perfect game needs no mention of difficulty
The phrase above sums it up perfectly. If a game is truly great then there is nothing you need to say about the difficulty A game should not be so hard that you have to complain about the trouble you have, nor should it be so easy that you have to be disappointed you got through it too fast. Earthbound is exactly like that. There are times you will think the game is really hard, but it's never so hard that you get so frustrated you have to shut it off and cool down. But if you plan to play this game, don't expect to fly through it. If you plan to play this game to the end you'll need to think, and you'll need to put some effort into it. I loved the challenge level of this game, a perfect match for my playing style.
- FINAL SCORES
Gameplay - 9.7
Graphics - 9.5
Sound - 9
Story - 8.9
Enjoyability - 9.9
Replay Value - High
Challenge - Perfect
Overall, this game is very well done. I have been playing a lot of Final Fantasy, and a lot of Chrono Trigger, and I guess I developed an image of how people make RPGs. As soon as I played this game, that image was completely redesigned I learned that a game doesn't need to be really complex and thought-provoking. It doesn't need to be set in the distant future or the past. It doesn't need to have concepts never before heard of. Earthbound lived to the title ''Role Playing Game''. That is exactly what you will do, play the role of a boy just like you who was sucked into a situation he never expected. This is the kind of game you'll play all the way through, wait a couple days, then have the urge to play again. Playing this game isn't a huge chore, it's just a fun experience. Very well done indeed.
This game gets a Seifer Guarantee!©
9/10
//Seifer psx
|
|
