Let's finish this.
2Mother 32006It's hard to talk about this game because it's a direct sequel to Earthbound, although it's not evident for the most part of it. So I'll just sum up what I love about it.
First of all, its very quirky, absurdist nature. Never being too random, never too "normal" either, the Mother games have a very peculiar sense of humor, consisting on dad jokes, puns, self-references, and playing a lot with the player's expectations. It feels quite childish and silly for the most part, but there's a unique charm to it I can't explain, it just never feels off at all, just fits.
Although it's a turn-based RPG, it's also got a rhythm battle system - yes, you have to play in the song's beat in order to accumulate hits. It's not necessary to master this (I could barely get more than 2 or 3-hit strikes!), but I'll admit it's a lot of fun, and thankfully, for you'll need to grind quite a bit. Enemies are really really varied, sometimes completely absurd and random, and I love it. Mother 3 just has a very strong personality.
Music goes from electronic to samba, classical, 80s rock, rock & roll, ambient, even symphonic stuff. May not be as good as Earthbound's, but it's just a very different approach for a very different game. And graphics are some of the most beautiful pixel art I've seen, filled with bright colors and cartoon-ish sprites.
The plot is surprisingly well-written and developed, with great characters, and a lovely silly story paired with some grim, heart-breaking moments. I don't even know where to being talking about it without spoiling big plot points, so let's say it's about a very unusual group of people who become friends and have to save the world, and they're not heroes at all. But, you need to play Earthbound in order to fully understand it and, most of all, appreciate it - it won't have the same impact if you try this game first, and you'll be spoiled of course. I'll just say this game, despite having a bit of a cheesy ending, it's just quite powerful and emotional, and a wonderful way to wrap up the series.
1Earthbound1994Something strange happened with me and Earthbound - I developed an attachment, the sort of you have when you're a kid playing some really good games and just are fond of them forever. Thing is, I'm 21 and just finished this game some months ago, yet feels I grew up with it, or rather, I
should have played it as a kid, for I would have loved it to death. And this feeling is not uncommon, for its a game with a very strong motherly feeling: the obvious lack of a fatherly figure, only present as a phone you have to call to when saving your progress; having homesick and needing to visit your mother to cure it and rest; even the fact your parents give you money every time you beat an enemy yet let you go out to save the world. Yes, the alien Giygas has returned from the first Mother game (this being the second one), and in 10 years he'll dominate Earth, so a bee was sent to the past to warn Ness and tell him it was his destiny to beat the evil. Thus, he'll head into one hell of a journey, finding new friends, discovering his own psychic powers, and stopping Giygas' evil influence.
But that's just part of the charm - Earthbound is a very silly, childish, absurdist game, and I mean it in the best way possible. It's got multiple references and parodies of popular culture, many dad jokes and puns, completely random stuff, crazy, hilarious situations, and more. I think the main theme is childhood and growing up, and it shows. The game only takes some dark twists here and there, and mostly in the final part of the plot, and man, it's just... moving. Really, Earthbound has one of the most beautiful, emotional endings of any game I've tried.
Graphics have aged amazingly well, just look at them! It's really beautiful to look at, easy on the eyes, and looks way better than most other RPGs at the time imo, which tried too hard to be realistic or have tons of details. Music it's mostly sampled, but sounds really really good, with a good portion of the cartridge's space dedicated exclusively to it. Doesn't have any concrete genre, just very charming, innocent songs paired with some dark, heavy ones. Combat is just simple turn-based style, with psychic techniques and physical attacks and items, but some statuses are unique, like crying or feeling weird.
It took me quite a while to get into it, but the more I played it, the more I got absorbed into it, and ended up loving it by the end of it. If you're someone who just plays RPGs for the plot itself, you won't find really much developed story, but if you just love quirky games, this is a must. It comes with the Super Nintendo Classic Mini and can be bought at the Wii U virtual console.