MOTHER 2 (EarthBound) - Part 4/7 - SNES - ギーグの逆襲 ~ The Dark Side of Fourside

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Retro Zen

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Published on December 13, 2022 3:59:27 AM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzmwq_hAKQ

Game:

Earthbound (1994)

Duration: 4:01:26

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5

MOTHER 2 (or EarthBound in English) for the SNES is the sequel to MOTHER (surprise!) on the NES. The first game never having seen a release in English until its apparition on the Nintendo Switch Online service more than 25 years later, EarthBound was stripped of its references to the previous game for the NA market. In some ways, however, EarthBound feels more like a remake than a sequel.

Three of the four main characters look surprisingly similar to their NES counterparts, the final boss -- although he's back for revenge according to the Japanese subtitle -- also needs to be defeated in a similar fashion, many parts of the world and enemies seem to be updated versions of their NES counterparts, and even some events -- such as the Runaway Five concert -- seem to be updated versions of what you already saw in the previous game (B.B.'s dance)! Still, the game features enough new stuff to feel unique.

The battle system has new features, too, such as the rolling counter that will slowly see your HP numbers go down until you die, unless you manage to heal before it hits zero. You also have funky backgrounds that are sure to make you go O____O. And the game is still hard! If you thought that this being on the SNES would make it an easy experience, think again! EarthBound is no joke and you're bound to have a hard time in a few places.

Story-wise, the 'funny' has been expanded upon, with yet more humorous dialogue and eyebrow-raising lines. And generally speaking, EarthBound is just weird. From Happy Happy cultists to Saturn Valley denizens speaking in wacky fonts to a voyage inside Ness's consciousness where he's na... in his pajamas to alternate reality Fourside to the Lost Underworld where you're just a tiny blip fighting dinosaurs to SO MANY OTHER THINGS I can't list them all, yeah, EarthBound is one heck of an original game. Did I say it was weird? I meant it's AWESOME!

The name of the game's main bad guy, ギーグ (Giigu) had been romanized as Giegue in the original MOTHER localization but as Giygas in MOTHER 2. Interestingly, the JP version romanizes it has Gyiyg instead! Giegue, Giygas, Gyiyg... take your pick!

The game has always been a cult favorite but gained notorious popularity with the advent of Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo 64. Ness was a playable character in that game and many people discovered the existence of EarthBound at that moment, cementing the game as an all-time SNES JRPG classic.

Is EarthBound worth playing today? YES! Assuming you can tolerate a relatively high level of difficulty. The MOTHER franchise has a very loyal fan base, and it's easy to see why.

Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjd3BsQQrwAPMwX4EsL2ZQiX8ch9G-uKr

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