EarthBound: Why the Hype? - SNESdrunk

[@stellaroj]

I haven't played Earthbound in 10 years but my heart swelled several times while watching this. My favourite RPG, a titan amongst giants.

[@SNESdrunk]

Thanks for watching

[@jeffreyfike3384]

Ye. 😊

[@richardmyers5732]

Understandable for sure. Crazy emotional journey from start to finish 👍

[@Jummmpy]

earthbound is the bill wurtz of video games

[@michaelhoule2134]

@@SNESdrunk pppp ok p

[@ryuail]

The way I describe Earthbound to anyone who asks is that its 'What small town childhood and American culture as a whole looks like through the perspective of the Japanese'. If that catches their attention we fire up the SNESc.

[@zakcash7337]

Nailed it

[@charlespage8692]

Perfect Ryu. Perfect.

[@luke1stars1masher]

I notice a lot of people praise Earthbound for its humor and sweet atmosphere, but I actually had somewhat of a different experience. Maybe it was the setting a first played it in or some other factors, but I loved how unsettling and almost terrifyingly erratic everything was. It almost felt like I was driving a motorcycle down a dark rural street, I feel somewhat safe thanks to my mobility, but still so unnerved. It's a rare type of situation that I both love and dread. Needless to say, I love this game.

[@tukkek]

Agreed and he talks about the game like the battles are easy... man they're really not, especially near the very end! It could actually be one of the hardest JRPGs out there!! So definitely, behind all the cuteness and sweetness (which, don't get me wrong, is definitely there), there's also that undertone of darkness and danger that you mention here. Do I even need to bring up the final boss battle?

[@zarreff]

Drove my car far down a dirt road with huge ditches on both sides, and also a deep dark woods on both sides beyond the ditches, nighttime, driving slowly with all my Windows down. Every seat of my car with a friend sitting in it, we are ALL very quiet and just taking in the eerieness of the atmosphere we found ourselves in. It was unsettling and terrifying, yet we felt safe since we were together. We were actually on our way to a supposedly haunted abandoned church far out in the sticks.

[@Frejborg]

And the fact that the combat is actually tougher than many JRPGs of its era... you might not want that flying saucer to touch you ! lol (or the freaking TREES)

[@GamingWithDrew]

Excellent, well-spoken review. I could never get into this game personally, but that doesn't mean I don't have respect for it. I think you articulated why some people *really* like this game very well.

[@SNESdrunk]

+GamingWithDrew Thanks Drew

[@TheMrMaynard]

+SNES Drunk Usually I tell people who never played Earthbound a few questions. -Do you like Traditional JRPGs? -Do you like Zany stories set the our Western Culture? -Are you willing to sit down, relax, and have an experience? If they say yes to all three, then its a Recommend. Earthbound is up there as an Experience, sure its a game, but you have to sit down and slowly go though it. The game to compare now (which I'll be getting a ton of flack of) is Undertale. It's unique but worth sitting down and playing for sure. Great review +SNES Drunk

[@chaser5616]

i cant agree more,i played it after seeing the hype and i really want to criticized this game while playing it(because i didn't like games that are overrated) ,but in the end i found myself sitting in a chair asking myself,is this game really what i think its bad or not?,like you said its a unique experience for sure, and now we had undertale.....haven't check it yet but it looks good but still its a overrated game.

[@TekMoliGy]

i don't think the first question is good though. I think this was a perfect rpg for people that are completely burnt out on regular jrpg's like i was. It's so different and odd that i loved it way more than i chrono trigger because i played them for the first time around the same time in 2015. I was completely burnt out on the jrpg genre so i didn't like chrono too much but earthbound drew me in and is my favorite rpg ever now.

[@Quandry1]

@@TekMoliGy See for me. I can't explain why. But Earthbound is boring for me. And gets on my nerves somehow. But I can't explain exactly how. But I love RPG's and have played all kinds. Chaser's mention of Undertale is somewhat similar. That game is another that everybody raves about and talks about how it's different and fresh and cool and must play and it's just boring to me.

[@randomduck8679]

Quandry1 Undertale is influenced by Earthbound so I'd imagine the reason you don't like those games would be the same.

[@TheTruth175644]

I say "fuzzy pickles" to get my kids to smile for pictures. That made me laugh as a kid and it just stuck with me 20 years later. I agree with you, this game is worth the hype. I'm currently in my second playthrough of it, about half way through so far.

[@drebin1381]

THAT is awesome 😎

[@vidgamarr5126]

That is so amazing to hear. I’m currently playing through the Gameboy advance combo cart version, JP only so I translated the ROM to English. Music sounds worser on Gameboy obviously, but it has its own charm to it. Breathtaking game.

[@earthboundmother205]

Wonderful

[@isaacmackey1950]

I do that too! Mine was confused at first, but now she says that anytime anyone is taking a picture and just warms my heart.

[@DavidEve]

“You could live to be a thousand years and you would/could never play another game like Earthed Bound (point blank period.)” - lifts my heart.

[@9unslin9er]

Behold, the inspiration for Eric Cartman: Pokey.

[@aaroncarlson1770]

Donald Trump kinda makes me think he is old man pokey😁

[@donaldtrump2728]

Cletus Kasady earthbound actually was an inspiration for south park:tsot

[@porkyminch1640]

Aaron Carlson uhhh... boy... MOTHER 3 im like 1000-10,000 years old now...

[@tommyiii579]

I just realized that

[@pokepress]

Oh my god, they diamondized Kenny!

[@carloseduardoaguiar8712]

I agree that Earthbound is a huge hit or miss, but when you like it, you really like it.

[@kavajarrace]

I guess they never miss, huh?

[@mrblanchard]

You got a boyfriend, I bet he doesn't kiss ya

[@Jrdotan]

@Pokémon & FF fan "objectively better games" >Pokémon & FF fan I mean, lol

[@Jrdotan]

@Pokémon & FF fan first of all: Pokémon didnt created nothing nor has an "insane ammount of strategical options" Its literally based on that weakness philosophy of X is stronger than Y You just have one atack per turn and content? Lol The game is based around grinding and getting stronger monsters Hell, literally shin megami tensei has more things than just "exploration and contests/gyms" And smt was the first "Monster taming game" And final fantasy? Lolll so because it have atb it is better? The system that literally no one used aside from square and they for themselves scrapped in ffx because it sucked? I mean, LOL if you are talking about inovations, look at the SaGa franchise (literally sandbox jrpgs when sandboxes werent even a thing) Theyre literally the games that push other square titles to try new things Kawazu's design is innovative Dragon quest was innovative Final fantasy? And lol, good stories and characters? Ff9 is good written. Ff tactics is good written The others? Nah i can understand why people can look to their concepts and see something grandious,but man the writting is cringy as fuck Look at ff6 man, wtf, every single 5 seconds theres an out-of-place scene about some character quoting things like: "Oh my god, how i should live now? Whats my purpose on the world?" So, people seriously look at anti-natural scenes like that and praise them like some intelectual quote?

[@Jrdotan]

Earthbound in other hand, dont need to be grandious because it isnt pretentious The game is amazing at worldbuilding,its good written, the dungeon design is MUCH better than ff5 and 6's counterparts (they're literally based on fighting a lot of random encounters just to reach the boss and no, ff6 "splitting parties to fighting bosses" dont change that SO much, just helps to be a little less boring) So no, they arent objectively better at all The things ff6 does better than earthbound are: character development (because earthbound barely has character development) And the battle system (because you can customize your party a little and has strategical options and elemental roles to play in different ways without being just an "Use X to kill Y" like pokemon) People who actually like worldbuilding and exploration will prefer earthbound's design to ff6's one The world and places are unique and every character in towns are weird and have some joke and different kind of answer to you You have a town where everything is reversed and yes is no/no is yes You have a town with cultists who worship the blue color and theyre so obcessed that they hate anyone who doesnt use or like this color (being a parody of KKK) You have a strange dream with birdman and colourful clouds with things that remember the protagonist of its own childhood. Its an Amazing world and its a very polished experience to a small budget game. And yes, it isnt for everyone but no,it isnt "objectively inferior" because even tho reviewers can see objectively flaws in games, the weight of those flaws depends on which people play the game and what they most value in a game design. I dont believe there is a game without flaws and what earthbound does different, it does VERY well

[@BlueShellshock]

Alright, I love Earthbound - recently I've even started listening to the OST and remixes found here on KZbin. They're fantastic songs, full of charm and character, brings back memories. Then I make the mistake of scrolling down to the comments section and see people dissing Undertale, and not casually. I mean, what the heck? Toby Fox, Undertale's main dudeski, is a huge Earthbound/Mother fan. The Earthbound Halloween Hack? That's him, he wrote out and programmed a fan-made sequel/epilogue to Earthbound that was actually good. It would be rare to find someone who's a bigger fan of Earthbound than Toby, short of Itoi, Miyamoto, Iwata, and those who actually worked on Earthbound. I guess I'm just a little miffed that people separate themselves between Earthbound and Undertale fans, and spew crap at each other for it. Did we forget what these games made us feel the moment we shut them off?

[@cantdestroyher7245]

Yeah undertake fans can be kinda crappy

[@wozthescott2804]

I felt many different emotions playing this game. But the experience was like no other. This game is truly special.

[@cravis123]

Just finished the game and I have to say, Earthbound is such a special and unique game that has no comparison term...like a dream of hope about friendship, humanity, about love...story it is really, really interesting! I did not get it for the first time, but loved it the second time. This game gave me a lesson that I should never give up, because in the end you will find the thing that you are looking for...Earthbound is an experience! Great review!

[@halyomorpha]

gotta love Tom Waits, but I think the better music analogy would be with Ween, haha. great video, sir.

[@SNESdrunk]

That is perfect. EarthBound is a brown game

[@halyomorpha]

+SNES drunk This channel is perfect. You're awesome.

[@Bramhallthefifth]

Primus fits too--while they have more of an established genre than Ween, it's still difficult to describe in words. Primus and Ween have always kind of gone hand in hand as well. My go-to analogy would actually probably be Frank Zappa though.

[@otomicans6580]

How on earth do you describe Tom Waits? You say he's awesome. And if you think his voice sounds too rough then you just have bad taste in music.

[@mantoslodge]

I was thinking Ween as well. Earthbound is like The Mollusk of jrpgs.

[@DrBreadPants]

I’m surprised that whenever people talk about earthbound they never mention how entrancing the music is. I always come back for the music because it instantly transports me to the world that song is related to.

[@CarbonDoggie]

The Tom Waits analogy is spot on, and really made some connections for me. I first played Earthbound around 96' I was maybe 11 or 12. I had played other RPG's like Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy II and III (VI and VI) before and then this game came along and changed how I felt about and saw RPG's from that point. I say that without hyperbole. The only thing that was ever made that was close to it at the time was its predecessor (Mother) which I didn't know about till a few years later.

[@lockesaban7717]

I always hear people mention if you win the match before your HP drains completely you don't die, but no one ever mentions that if you heal them while it's counting down that also stops it...

[@Frejborg]

This is a MUCH more important piece of information, and a cool part of the combat. (it'll happen a lot) lol

[@breloom657]

Great review! Very well done! It's such an old game but I've never played a game like it before, it just has a certain undescribable magic to it, and you did an excellent job expressing that. As a child, I DETESTED role-playing games! EarthBound gave me a whole new outlook on them and I freaking love JRPG's now! Sometimes we just need a game to help us unwind and relax.

[@AB-qe8cs]

Crazy how I remember listening to the music as a kid - it felt nostalgic even then, yet I was aware that I was still a child and fortunate enough to still be one. Now, twenty years later, I listen to the music and feel the nostalgia differently. Now I'm no longer a kid and it hits differently. I used to really enjoy the music that plays at the hotel after you rest, and lay on my bed and just enjoy the music and the sunlight coming in from the window. I think I might do that today.

[@joshjohnson3442]

I’m playing through it currently first time, and it reminds me of those old coming of age 80s-90s movies about a group of kids and the adventures they can get into. Stand By Me, The Sandlot, Monster Squad, Goonies, take your pick. But that was pretty much a genre of its own back then 😆

[@Red88Rex]

Earthbound is one of my favorite games of all time. So fucking neat. Probably the most unique game I have ever seen.

[@BuildLego]

Agreed

[@4130-g9d]

Personally, my favorite RPG of all time. And in my Top 10 games of all time.

[@Musicradio77Network]

To be fair, this game didn't do well at the start, but it does have a cult following making it the best SNES game ever, and also the most expensive game in the SNES library. Back in 1994, it was priced at $100 to $150 price range. On Amazon and eBay, it's worth a fortune.

[@rig85]

It took me a LONG time to get into Earthbound. It's one of the games that I try and try and know it's good...but just can't get it to click. Finally, when released on the Wii U VC, I forced my way through. Somewhere along the way, it finally did click for me. Really enjoyed it. (Two other games that have done that to me: Bioshock and Chrono Trigger. I finally got into Bioshock, and love the hell out of the series. CT is still one of those I can't get into...yet...)

[@rootykazooty351]

When you get into Chronotrigger you're in for a treat. Awesome game.

[@Leon-hp1wm]

Xenogears and Deadly Premonition would be a must play then

[@louiskeiflin5858]

Ah I love earthbound, it will be my favorite RPG.

[@seacliff217]

I never could get into the game, it just didn't check enough of my boxes. I never cared how the main characters were practically silent the entire game, balancing of the battle system, or wandering around just to progress in the game. I still think the game is good. In fact, I get pretty hyped when I hear an indie game takes inspiration from Earthbound like OFF, Undertale, or Lisa. The base game is just not for me, as much as I want to love it.

[@bloodyblade916]

good outlook well said , Seacliff.

[@seacliff217]

@Yosuke okay? There are plenty of other games I find fun, I'm not in eternal anguish because Earthbound isn't my cup of tea. I still think Mother 3 is really good though.

[@hampTC]

@Yosuke that sounds a bit overly dramatic

[@TehPwninator11]

SNESdrunk EarthBound Review: Why The Hype? What a review! It covers many aspects of the game and gives a viewer many reasons to check out EarthBound. Truly a SNESdrunk review for the ages. Great job!

[@dnj79]

Earthbound is my personal favourite game (Tied with Mother 3), and I was surprised to see this video, a lot of people that seem to review this game just seem to not get the game, it is supposed to be wacky, it is supposed to be different. But you sir understand Earthbound and this made me happy (for some odd reason), great video and thx for making my day.

[@onutube6392]

I love earthbounds strange humour.

[@JimboMidge]

As a huge Tom Waits fan, I appreciate your analogy.

[@noeditbookreviews]

Kid uses the mother earth to tap into higher consciousness, come to terms with his "evil" side and realizes that love is the most powerful thing that exists. This game is without a doubt inspired by psychedelics. Now that ness has been witness to true consciousness he no longer needs outside assistance to grasp that knowledge hence the soundstone vanishing. I for one wanna be more like Ness than any videogame character i can think of. The synopsis for this game is so incredibly deep that it went over my head for almost 20 years. Only recently has the immense significance clicked. This is not only an incredible game but a cryptically significant one.

[@Ms_Drake]

All you need is love All you need is love All you need is love, love Love is all you need

[@thestarseeker8196]

Everyone should read “Breaking Open The Head”

[@LockeNarshe]

As a 30-year old guy who still owns his NES/SNES and bought the new SNES Classic, I couldn't help but sub this channel. I started out with some of my favorites: FFIII (Aka VI), Earthbound, Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore, Earthbound, Illusion of Gaia, Super Mario RPG, Suikoden II, Smash T.V., and the hilariously long list of SNES games I've played - I just want to say that I really enjoy your videos. I just discovered them today and I've already been through half a dozen; it's nice to see that someone, somewhere still appreciates the classics. Unfortunately, most of the people I know don't know anything before the PS2 and I can't get them to 'devolve' (their term) into such 'old graphics'. It sucks because, hell, these games were a huge part of my childhood and a lot of them stand the test of time even when you take off the nostalgia glasses. I guess that's all to say - thanks man. The videos are well-articulated, it's clear you're passionate and above all, they're honest reviews. We don't see eye-to-eye on all of it, but I'm not out there spending a ton of hours playing/editing videos for others, so I can at least say it's greatly appreciated either way.

[@SNESdrunk]

Thanks for taking the time to watch, it means a lot

[@MateDrinker33]

The inventory system is by far the most annoying part of this game, lol! Still, you did an amazing job explaining why this game appeals to many of us who grew up in the late '80's/early-to-mid '90's! Thanks for uploading!

[@VideoGameManiac8]

Whoa thank you for recommending this old video, its very well done indeed!

[@lanceuppercut6168]

I personally haven't played it, looking for a copy, but I've seen gameplay here and there and you hit the nail on the head with the music. That's one thing I realized from the get-go, it just imbeds itself under your skin XD

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Remember how the box was huge? And came with a strategy guide and all this other stuff? That was awesome.

[@cl20999]

I never actually played the game myself, I just watched my younger brother play it all the way through on multiple occasions. It was unique how the game was that enjoyable just watching. Describing it as "comforting" is so spot on, the world was weird but also eerily familiar and the music tied it all together. The ending was amazing too, and had this unique quality that almost mad you sad to leave its world, like watching the series finale of a show you watched for years.

[@earthboundmother205]

I think I’ve heard of it. ;) It inspired me. Made me laugh, and definitely made me cry. The music. The Sword of Kings. Every moment your friends are with you. The Runaway Five. The villainous vs the heroic. It stays with you. Forever. My fave food was always ‘Fr.tst.’ I liked the idea of Ness having French Toast every time he went home to see his mom, then get some rest. And his dad? ...Well. At least he saved the game

[@JamnesiaX]

❤

[@huecares669]

"The enemy left behind a present" "Paula just arrived at the hospital and is still unconscious "

[@Darkmasta05]

Well said snesmaster. I myself really like to believe it's the coherence of the game's quirky tone, that's just well (but not over) done. It gives you a world that, while weird and zany, seems plausible when you lean back and look at the whole picture because every single thing just snaps into place.

[@Frejborg]

Nice comment!

[@Darkmasta05]

@@Frejborg why thank you :)

[@jamesesterline]

This is my favorite game of all time.

[@mrmusickhimself]

Mine too!

[@phoshigs]

Fantastic review! I know you probably cannot do it for all your videos but i appreciated the extended format. Thanks so much for the great content.

[@SNESdrunk]

+phoshigs Thanks for taking the time to watch!

[@julsbarracuda9892]

This is my favorite game, at first it was difficult to get the hang of the style of combat, but then I became an expert, for me there is a lot of strategy involved and that's why I love it so much! The first time I saw the graphics I don't know why but they inmediately attracted me and that's the reason why I started playing it, also the music is absolutely wonderful, I could listen to the whole soundtrack all day, and... the most important thing, the story, even thought Ness, Paula, Jeff and Poo are fictional characters, I love them so much, I love this game so much!

[@rootykazooty351]

One of the best, most creative games i've ever played. Masterpiece.

[@chrisbg99]

Earthbound holds a pretty special place in my heart as it was the 1st RPG I ever really got into and is probably my single most obsessed over game ever.

[@Juggalo972]

You described Earthbound and compared it to Tom Waits.....how appropriate and very true!

[@benryr3806]

I believe Itoi (director and creator of earthbound) has said he likes Tom Waits, so it fits even better.

[@ChrisMosesMagnum]

Nice job man. EarthBound is a Top 3 for me (along side Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI/III - Don't make me narrow it down any further!), and everything about it just makes me nostalgic. It was the very first RPG I ever played, when I couldn't resist renting it from Blockbuster at age 13 or so - I couldn't resist the giant box!

[@SNESdrunk]

+Chris Hughes Thanks for taking the time to watch this morning

[@Johnsquared22]

Played and beat this many times...love it!

[@anonymousghostcrab4606]

love this game so underrated

[@aaronlevine9571]

thank you for mentioning big lebowski and tom waits and earthbound. all pillars of my pop culture identity

[@ClassicGameChronicals]

Had this game as a kid. It never really clicked for me on the play style… I could never make it to onett village. After moving on from SNES and playing games like Skyrim, fable, Pokémon, the souls games… I decided to come back on my emulator and try this again. Probably played 8-9 hours straight the first day I ran it back. I’m I’m the dusty desert right now and I think it speaks volumes to a game that is this old that is still enjoyable, not just for nostalgia sake because I don’t have any fond memories of this game. It’s just a solid game. If they listed it on the steam store or Nintendo switch store, I bet they could sell it to a whole new generation

[@MaelstromExceptions]

Forget to include the item, Pair of dirty socks, Makes the monsters have nausea, LOL No other rpg has an item that has some pair of very stinky socks and use it to his or her advantage, that is crazy.

[@billschlafly4107]

I don't typically like RPGs...but I like Earthbound.

[@pilgrims828]

Earthbound: exists Mother 3: hold my nut bread...

[@charlespage8692]

I just cry when Earthbound comes into play. I was one of those cool kids in the mid 90s who got this Game.

[@xenos_n.]

Whenever I get stuck in traffic in the blazing sun in the middle of summer, I think of the music when the same thing happens in EarthBound.

[@jcollins1305]

I was as big a FF fan as you could find. I vaguely remember Earthbound when it came out, but I wrote it off as a kiddie game. I have the SNES mini and am SLOWLY working through the game.

[@Retro90sgamer]

After playing Earthbound several times and enjoying not only the atmosphere, music, gameplay, and the heartwarming story but also the subtle weird parts and jokes! This was excellent review man! One of my childhood favorites and definitely a 90's legend!

[@blackenedwritings]

This game has always alienated me. Although I DO have nothing but respect for it! Your video might have inspired me to give it another chance if I can get my hands on it.

[@the9revan933]

I'll never be as cool as the Spiteful Crow!

[@SNESdrunk]

Nobody is

[@tokyomilkman1068]

I would be lying if I said I didn't get a little disgruntled when you mentioned that the fighting system doesn't stand out, but you are right. I have been catching a lot of your videos lately and I love this review. The music points you made were spot on. Keep posting your SNES Drunk videos!

[@SNESdrunk]

+Anthony M Falbo Thanks Anthony

[@Tushumushu]

That was great, but you gotta add in the photographers interruption every 5 minutes to truly represent an authentic experience. "FUZZY PICKLES"

[@perronmartin4558]

What i liked back then is figuring out that One Two Tree Four are the first letter from all towns. Still feels not that much people noticed

[@glowingfish]

Summers and Tenda... "Sum Ten" :)

[@Sly88Frye]

Back in the '90s my family actually did have earthbound on our SNES. especially considering that Ness was playable in the original Super smash Bros just four years later on the N64, I assumed that earthbound was a high selling game and didn't realize it actually didn't sell very well and was really valuable. On the longer have the game and without knowing I sold it with a bunch of other games because I didn't realize how valuable the game actually was. Oh well. Live and learn. Money isn't everything anyway

[@OmegaMouse]

As a kid growing up in the 80's and early 90's on video games, the big box, strategy guide and scratch and stiff cards gave the game a certain aura of significance. It made the game seem important and I trusted it would be quality, even though the graphics looked old school. I loved the game, but I don't remember finishing it. Very long game.

[@MapleMilk]

Already knew all of the takes in this video But man I never thought it would be compared to Tom Waits

[@elvishopper4495]

Thanks snesdrunk! You've helped me get back into retro gaming

[@bblovely7788]

I'm currently playing this and loving it. Maybe some day you will have this as a Let's Play.

[@SeanGrady90]

Did anyone else find it odd that Ness made his way onto the original Super Smash Bros? Maybe its just my age (born in 90) so a little young for the snes's prime years, but literally no one I knew in 1999 had ever heard of Earthbound, let alone played it. A few years later, when getting into emulation and talking about the snes online, only then did I realize how much people loved it. Was Earthbound well known & popular in the US in the 90s?

[@zackdufois]

always a pleasure to see new videos from you. Don't ever stop and please cover all the good games you missed ;) I don't know if you have already covered E.V.O., Pirates of Dark Water, Knights of the Round, Robotrek, Terranigma, etc

[@zackdufois]

+zackdufois oh and please do mother 3 ;)

[@SNESdrunk]

+zackdufois Thanks! EVO is written, will be coming in January. Already did Knights of the Round, Robotrek and Terranigma

[@Ms_Drake]

I finally completed Earthbound with Ness on just level 66 and the others being 60. Behold the power of save states! Also Giygas's fight is one of my favorite boss fights. I always want to do the fight again. So I saved before the fight.

[@olcloudy1618]

This game is that game. I love this game. Mother 3 was not as good. We need a reboot of this game or a proper sequel

[@skydiamsteam6005]

Mother 3 was awesome

[@Ms_Drake]

Both are as good. Love em. And the first game isn't as talked about.

[@victorivanrodriguezgonzale4689]

Hey, can we get a Mother 3 video? Or maybe get a gameplay of yours? Great content man, keep it up!

[@ryanstovercfp]

Man...Earthbound is the Tom Waits of the SNES....that's pretty perfect. I think I'm now your 6,729th subscriber.

[@SNESdrunk]

+Ryan Stover Thanks Ryan

[@Sheepy765.]

I get very few to none of the references you make but I absolutely love the reviews, it's gotten me to try out games that i'd probably never play otherwise, like Chrono Trigger [weird as that may sound]

[@claycutting6092]

Awesome video. The solitaire guy who "lost his shirt" means that he lost a lot of money

[@2001mark]

The 21st century revealed this game to the masses. I first dove in via SNES Classic Edition, during 2020 COVID-19 lockdown no less because let's go! Its Simpsons/South Park stylings & tone is fantastic, as are its character arcs & level designs (the prehistoric Lost Underworld is epic). I truly love its battle system (+ odometer meter) with fab audio/visual feedback for very satisfying payoffs. The end level & boss battle are sublime, there's no words.

[@beatlefan713]

Earthbound is the best JRPG ever! I might be a little bias but to me it’s the greatest and I’ll never get tired of playing it! I have it for the SNES, GBA, Wii U and 3DS VC

[@Nyah420]

It was a very fair review of the game. Good job! :D

[@emersonlemus464]

I remember when i first stumbled upon this game, looking for some snes games to play since i love snes more than anything thats out today. When i saw the ufo destroying a town as the cover of it, i thought it was more of a shooter game. Started playing it and was wayy off. I laughed through and felt really driven in to the game. In fact love this game more than even legend of zelda. Even when i play Smash Bros, Ness became my favorite character and i used to be a Link main. Idk its a game like many say, if you like it you will really like it, and Mother 3 is not too far either but Earthbound is just something else 👍.

[@otterspotter]

It's like Tom Waits, how do you describe Tom Waits to someone other than taking five minutes to play a song. This is spot on accurate.

[@issac82983]

I gotta admit I feel that when you travel to the past to battle gygas you can't help but feel almost sorry for him as it seems he doesn't know why you're hurting him and that last battle is eerily haunting plus the outline of the fetus........ *a child's game?!!*

[@mattlandry]

I never understood the bland visuals thing. Maybe from a tech standpoint yeah but the art style is far from bland. It's so original, colorful and unique I fell in love 10 minutes into the game once I realized it went with the wackiness of the game itself. If you don't get it you can say "Oh that guy looks like one ugly poorly drawn fuck" but to me it seems pretty obvious it's intentional and done as an art style. It supposed to look off because the whole world is off.

[@pixelatednoose3999]

Yepi agree ,its colorful.

[@BoJangles42]

I haven’t played much of this game yet, but the idea that a character gives you $50 if you go through all of his possible dialogue make me chuckle.

[@Bordelll]

Fuzzy pickles!

[@SNESdrunk]

+Kiwi Bordeleau Wow, what a great comment! It will always bring back the fondest of memories...

[@euphoria_7477]

+Kiwi Bordeleau Cheese sandwich !

[@Sneakyturtleegg]

Thanks again for posting another great review, of which I agree with. You said it best, its all about the eccentric quirky story and humor. A relaxing games to enjoy the experience, not a super technical battle system. a real feather in Nintendo's cap. A lot of the other powerhouse SNES RPGs make many "Best Of" and "Top .... Games" lists, and rightfully so. But I do think this game stands with the best of them and tends to be under rated, relatively speaking.

[@SNESdrunk]

+Jason Egerbrecht Thanks Jason

[@jonathancooper5104]

For anyone who tried earthbound and didn't like it.. let me guess why. You started off and you got your ass kicked by the early enemies. After a bit of grinding the game already put a bad taste in your mouth but you pulled through and made it to the next town. You found a mushroom on your head and you couldn't walk properly.. You probably got stuck after that but you eventually figured out how to get through that weird purply river place. You get your ass kicked again by trees and aliens... That is where all my friends who I tried introducing earthbound to gave up. I did as well my first time playing it. After that part the game was pure bliss. The reason I decided to put up with it the second time around is because I took every little bit of advice from the NPC's to heart. The little mole said to me "don't avoid your enemies, it's how you get stronger." And fuck he was right. Both in the game and real life. Eventually I discovered that the whole game centered around the theme of "courage" and not giving up. Unlike other games where you keep trying till you learn the mechanics or whatever, Earthbound rewarded you for overcoming your enemies. When you prove you can kick their ass by beating their boss, they run like bitches. You come to realise that your character ness was chosen for a reason. He represents courage and good-heartedness. When his mother gave birth to him she said all she wanted for him was to be a "strong and thoughtful boy." You're given pep talks randomly when you have coffee reminding you to keep going, not that you really need any encouragement by that point anyway. Overall, if you did only get that far, pick it up again and keep going. That's what draws the line between people who love and hate the game, the willingness to keep going after the game kicks your ass.

[@wozthescott2804]

Jonny Cooper beautiful

[@LWalsh0]

I’m going to take your advice

[@eskarta]

I beat it because of the hype. Terrible waste of time. It's not a terrible game however maybe it's a 5/10 for me. Pros are the intro, early story and ending, some tunes and some parts are more adult than most games. However the story is slim, the gameplay is not that fun. Anyway opinions are personal and some games click with someone and not with some others. I read that Mother 3 is less cumbersome and the story is a bit more expanded, maybe I'll try it a bit.

[@srj34]

One of the best comments I've read on any subject, thank you.

[@jeffreyfike3384]

The kind of people that give up on rpg's such as this have no patience and no understanding of how games work.

[@pastluck]

Great review. I absolutely love Earthbound, and it's probably my favorite snes game. If you're in the mood for something similar, I would highly, highly recommend undertale, which I'm sure you've heard plenty of by now. Has the same brand of eccentric, warm-heartedness that Earthbound has. Also, I would say persona 4 shares some of those similarities as well. All great games!

[@lordjunichiro1367]

pastluck the creator of undertale created a romhack of earthbound and is hugely inspired by earthbound. I think you might mean you hate the community, not the game

[@mrmusickhimself]

I remember when I first saw Earthbound advertised in GamePro, complete with scratch and sniff stickers -- one of which actually made me gag (Master Belch). GamePro gave it a middling review, so did GamePlayers Magazine, but I took a chance and rented it anyway...I immediately fell in love with it, and eventually bought it on clearance at K-Mart on my 11th birthday. And when I say clearance, I mean the entire cabinet was FULL of Earthbound boxes -- priced at 30 bucks a pop. I still have the cartridge and the book, the latter being in terrible shape. But what I wouldn't give to have a time machine so I could buy that all those copies, I could have retired by now.

[@AvalancheReviews]

In the risk of angering everyone in the world, I have never really liked Earthbound.....................If I'm found dead later, this comment will be why.

[@johnlacy3611]

I've been blown away by games a few times.. call of duty zombies.. fall out new Vegas.. mass effect trilogy.. legend of Zelda ocarina of time.. and I'm hoping this one does it also! 🤞🏻

[@johnlacy3611]

But it always perplexed me when someone said they didn't like legend of Zelda ocarina of time! I used to go to sleep thinking about that game and first thing I thought about when I woke up..

[@guip1408]

My favorite genre is JRPG and my favorite game of all time is a JRPG and I just didn't enjoyed Earthbound that much.

[@mojebi3804]

"I like big, sweeping dramatic stories that take themselves seriously" Lol.

[@mark_albert]

Red if you like dramatic stories that take themselves seriously, then I guess Earthbound really isn't for you, tho I recommend you to play Earthbound's sequel, Mother 3. It's my favorite of the trilogy and it has such a dark and tragic story, charming characters and tough boss battles, the game still has the "quirky humour" thing because it's just how those games are, but in Mother 3 they balance those 2 aspects pretty well, the game was only released in Japan, but there's a fan translation patch you can use to play in English. well, hope that you check it out.

[@steelman774]

I finally got to play this when I got my SNES Classic a few years ago. Solid fun and cute quirky humor! 👍👍

[@billy_naing]

Great review of a great game but you didn't at all mention Mother 1 which has recently been released for the first time on the Wii U Virtual Console as Earthbound Beginnings.

[@tenshihollywood1060]

OMG someone who knows Tom Waits, I loved the album Alice.

[@Bbrrrrahmybrain]

Tom waits is a guy on a train who’s out of cigarettes and lost his wife last week and has to belt out every word as he tells you his life story as to avoid bursting into tears out of sheer rage

[@JLaRoc7]

What I like about your reviews is your objectivity towards even the most heralded of SNES games, which is why I subscribed yesterday. I look forward to watching more of your videos.

[@SNESdrunk]

+RockNRoll Star Thanks

[@monsterman8878]

Excellent review, man! Keep posting more SNES videos!

[@SNESdrunk]

Thank you for watching

[@Pop_Shepski]

I describe it as the chain that links Zelda to Pokémon with a hint of Maniac Mansion

[@zacharyjohnson1222]

I think my brother and i were the only kids that actually knew who ness was before smash Bros n64. My mom bought us earthbound when it came out. My brother played it non stop. I was too young to really understand it. Once i was 7 or 8 i played it and loved it. It's definitely a different rpg that u can't help but love.

[@apebblebutt6009]

recently discovered your channel and really enjoying it; just here to say that i appreciate the big lebowski shoutout : )

[@PkmariO64]

I don’t actually mind the limited item space. It forces you to strategize and prioritize which items you will need. Sure it’s more convenient to have infinite space for that, but it’s also not as practical. But yeah, the Monkey Love is pretty useless. The one thing that does sorta get to me with EarthBound is how slow transactions are. You can’t just buy x number of items, like you can in other RPGs. You have to talk to the shopkeeper and wait for the list of items to appear, then you select one item and buy or sell it, and then you have to go through the whole process again if you want another item. I shit you not, there’s times where I’ve spent 10 minutes in a shop stocking up, when such a thing can be done within a matter of seconds in other RPGs. But that’s my only big gripe with the game.

[@apoletestry3766]

This game will always bring back the fondness of memories. By yours truly... - the fresh breeze movement

[@LordKiaphas]

Thank you...so much...for the Tom Waits reference

[@ChaoticHoly]

I remember when EarthBound first came out. Little kid me was so excited to get it. But before I could find it in a store & sell my bubble butt for someone to buy it for me, I got the Game Players magazine in the mail with the review! And the advertisement...that was supposed to be scratch n' sniff, but it had failed. The moment I opened the protective bag the stench of that ad hit & gave me the worst migraine in my life. My bubble butt remained safely clothed, and I refused to have anything to do with the game until I finally played it on the SNES Classic. It's okay.