Johnny vs. EarthBound Beginnings

In today's episode, the Mother Marathon begins! We're going back to the NES to experience how this beloved cult classic of a series got it's start! You know, I just hope we start strong, maybe. Hopefully.
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/ somecallmejon
/ somecallmejohnnyfanpage

[@DDBurnett1]

There was an interview with the creator where he was asked why the last area was so touch, and, yeah, he basically confirmed your suspicion. There was no playtesting.

[@RaitoADV]

13:38 Fun Fact: Shigesato Itoi and his team didn't tested the last part of Earthbound Beginnings, this was confirmed when someone talked about this at a Mother 1+2 promotional event, Itoi humorously stated, "When we got to fine-tuning the difficulty there [Mt. Itoi], I was like, 'Whatever!'"

[@Gokuvsnaruto22]

ok this was like the 50th time someone said that

[@seank.cunningham3841]

@@Gokuvsnaruto22 Tell that to everybody else who said this. Not all of us have time to read the comments section like an encyclopedia. And besides at least this one includes the quote.

[@orngjce223]

re Mt. Itoi, "Was this area even playtested?" Nope! Apparently they ran out of time during development and had to shove it out the door.

[@glitchphoenix2242]

And sure as shit it's brutally difficult.

[@OneTrueBelmont]

I think the creator apologized for that part.

[@NaXEthan]

lol

[@justinjanicki6561]

Elaine Wang Thank god for EVE(the robot party member that one shots everything until boss fight )

[@MBison-im2qy]

that explains alot

[@TheFuzzyPickle]

John, Mt. Itoi was actually NOT play tested in fact...

[@ripleyandweeds1288]

why would you not playtest any part of a game?

[@namingisdifficult408]

Mrpikalink interesting

[@Matthew_Klepadlo]

TheFuzzyPickle GREAT game design! 10/10!

[@everythingpony]

Mrpikalink not sure what your talking about, can beat that area at less then level 30?

[@everythingpony]

TheFuzzyPickle mt ltoi is easy, just dont have pippi

[@DarkLink1996.]

Yeah... Tomato's translation of the GBA version is considered the definitive version for a reason.

[@ziro6319]

yeah, if you can stomache the gba butchering the music, i couldn't so i just play the earthbound zero improved hack

[@expio4257]

@@ziro6319 Only the EB music is butchered. Mother 1 music is fine.

[@ziro6319]

@@expio4257 no it isn't

[@ziro6319]

@@expio4257 probably a me problem but after mostly playing the nes version the gba higher notes hurt my ears

[@muffet1536]

I do still perfer the nes translation

[@Pyrus425]

If only it was Month of Mother, or MoM

[@Monstermania101]

Pyrus I like that.. a lot.

[@marinanicole5693]

Very clever

[@namingisdifficult408]

Pyrus Marathon of Mother

[@ExquisiteTaco]

BeeSquared has a series named that now!

[@marplatense31]

Enemies do a lot of damage to you? It's almost as if sending a kid to do this job was a bad idea or something. THANKS DAD!

[@marplatense31]

@Ahmad and skeleton Yeah, but in Pokemon, the kids have the technology to brainwash animals to fight for them.

[@marplatense31]

@Ahmad and skeleton Don't look at me. I didn't make that up.

[@marplatense31]

@Ahmad and skeleton Not sure how they got away with it. But somehow people overlooked that Pokemon is basically cock fighting the game.

[@junkospace7573]

Kamen rider ichigo

[@NitroRad]

Mother 1 is such a tedious grindfest, but there's something charming about it I'd argue the other games don't quite have. Obviously I think Mother 3 and Earthbound are better games by a longshot rivalling infinite, but I really enjoyed playing Mother years back. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was that it looks like Peanuts, idk man.

[@Nitro_0999]

Nitro Rad infinite?

[@roguegoat9756]

Rasmus Krogh-Jensen Infinitely better, is what I guess he meant.

[@jackshoggoth677]

Big fan of your channel Nitro!

[@MrDSkinny]

KZbin didn't give you a verification check yet? What madness is this!

[@judgemario]

I enjoyed Mother 1 too.

[@trueblueryu5713]

In case everyone wants to try this out, here's some tips to make grinding less difficult: (Spoilers, I guess) -When you briefly have Pippi in your party, take her to the Zoo gate. Zoo monsters will spawn and they give way more Exp than the graveyard monsters and I think even slightly more than the enemies in the magicant overworld. -Get the Onxy Hook from the pit with the fish boss in the Magicant cave. Use Defense up IMMEDIATELY or you'll get destroyed. -Use the flying men as help when you first get to Magicant. They die after I think ~50 damage and there's a limit of 5 but they speed things up a bit since they don't take Exp. -NEVER fight Sky Yeddets or Read Yeddets that are spaced to the side (they can spawn the Sky Yeddets if they're to the side, in the middle is okay). Sky Yddets have a move that can do over 150 damage. -DO NOT fight cars and trucks until you have Lloyd in your party; Asthma can basically make you lose instantly if you're fighting alone. -NEVER fight battles where it's a robot and an energy generator. The generators heal the robots and once they're destroyed they blow up and do massive damage. -When Teddy is in your party and you're on the way to Mt. Itoi, you might disagree with this method, but hear me out: Let Ninten die and Teddy and Anna will increase Exp gain by 50% each. Teddy hits WAY harder than Ninten, especially if you have the Sword from Magicant as his weapon, and Anna will quickly get moved like Beam Gamma and beyond. After only a rough hour of doing this I could actually win battles in upper Mt. Itoi, and I didn't even have a problem against the final boss by this point. You have any other tips, add them below:

[@yeez13]

Started this game a few days ago and can confirm all of this! One thing I would add? The Zoo Animals outside the Zoo before getting that melody from the Singing Monkey give AN INSANE AMOUNT OF MONEY for early game and make saving up for Ninten, Lloyd, Ana, and Teddy’s armor pieces easy as long as you’re willing to grind for a couple hours. Elephants and Tigers in particular are great for Money and EXP Also, Teddy pretty much makes everything except Ana obsolete.

[@lewisspring35]

I was gonna say you could do the same thing to the generator+robot combo as you do with Atomic Power Robots in Mother 2, but then I remembered: "Oh yeah, no rolling HP counter."

[@ryukahr]

can you imagine how much Johnny's life would be GG'd if he had to review the Final Fantasy franchise?

[@millieman76]

If you want a review once every month or two for them to come out.

[@jherinstamps6874]

It's coming soon...👀

[@king_fresh27]

Holy shit hi Ryu

[@Doomshroom8]

Welp

[@Jamie-sg5in]

Uhhh I got news for you

[@ZyxKatanaLXIV]

I think Itoi himself confirmed in an interview once that Mt. Itoi actually never got proper play-testing because the developers pretty much ran out of time by that point.

[@demi-femme4821]

The name Mother's significance ties back to the actual song. "Mother" is about how John Lennon's father was absent for most of his life, something that is also true of Itoi. As such, Ness/ Ninten's father is never actually seen in either of the first two Mother games.

[@PKSparkxxDH]

0:34 - How many times did you have to redo *that* line? lol

[@SomecallmeJohnny]

+PKSparkxx DatHottneSS Only twice, actually!

[@aakashramaswamy1551]

+SomecallmeJohnny So Johnny, any clues on the bonus video? Please let it be Undertale.

[@dickfart6501]

+Aakash Ramaswamy i think it's gonna be sonic chronicles for the ds cause in his moving video, he said he was gonna give that game another look cause he was way too nice to it

[@justinwillis9047]

+Eli Cohen it depends upon you really. if you like games with maps and tells you where to go most of the time then I recommend metroid zero mission. Now if you like a challenge and want to figure it out for yourself then the very first metroid on the NES is where I would start. you can't go wrong with either one though but start in the beginning of the series and work your way up.

[@justinwillis9047]

+Eli Cohen fusion is a great starting point. fusion and prime 1 is how I got into the metroid series. you will be confused story wise though since it is the last game in the series

[@theluigifan1]

Through my best friend, I finally got around to playing EarthBound sometime around late 2014 and I fell deeply in love with it. I didn't play Mother 3 until around the summer of 2015, but when I did, hoo, boy... All I can say is.. It definitely gets better from here, Johnny.

[@isaacplayer4268]

+theluigifan1 Unfortunately, he's also doing Undertale for this marathon. So it gets better...only to drop like a rock.

[@theluigifan1]

isaacplayer42 What are you trying to imply? That Undertale is bad? If so, why? Don't even mention the fandom. Every fandom has bad apples. Even the Mother fandom does.

[@theluigifan1]

Adresadini Honestly, EarthBound. I've found myself struggling with Mother 3 more, especially around Chapter 6 and Chapter 7. The rhythm mechanic it implemented into battles also made things even tougher on me. It wasn't impossible or TOO frustrating, like Mother 1 is with its excessive grinding and INSANE difficulty spike around Mt. Itoi, but it was definitely more difficult than EarthBound. EarthBound was pretty easy, especially around the time Poo joins your party. (Thank you based PK Starstorm + Brain food lunch combo) You just needed to take advantage of various equipment, grind for enemies, and make sure Paula doesn't die in battle. (As she's the PSI powerhouse of the group but has VERY low HP) Heck, I'm replaying EarthBound on the Wii U Virtual Console and I already have over $190K in cash from beating up so many enemies.

[@isaacplayer4268]

***** Boring gameplay that doesn't know what it wants to be, bland story, cringey characters, and it pulls the "you did this in a game you bought with money, now it can never be undone!" bullshit with the Genocide route.

[@theluigifan1]

isaacplayer42 Hmm, well, I personally think Undertale is a wonderful game. Your statement about how the gameplay being boring and "doesn't know what it wants to be" doesn't make sense. Elaborate on that, if you will. It's just another game that uses bullet-hell mechanics and simple RPG mechanics from various games. (i.e. the very reason it's going to be included in this marathon, Mother) And it sure as hell isn't boring. Every boss fight, heck, even the ENEMY encounters are all unique. The most unique boss fight I might say is Mettaton's. The dude is basically two monsters in one. The story isn't something I would exactly call "revolutionary" or "innovatively fresh", but for what it was, it worked. It wasn't trying to be overly ambitious or trying to be super creative, it just wanted to tell a story. And it worked. When you take into account literally almost every detail you find, the story certainly isn't "bland". (Hell, even the soundtrack does a great job telling the story. That's why so many songs reuse many leimotifs. It wasn't Toby being "lazy", he was using his music to tell the stories of characters all throughout the game.) You have very peculiar tastes, my friend. Also, I'm like this close to throwing my laptop out the window if another person uses the word "cringe" to describe even a SINGLE aspect of Undertale. That word is so overused that it's lost all value at this point. Just say grating or characters that didn't really click with you. That's a better and more detailed way of putting it. And that last reason is really not a reasonable gripe with the game. It CAN be undone. You just never bothered to figure out how to do it. Also, it's a CONSEQUENCE for choosing a path as horrible as the Genocide Route. The game didn't TELL you to choose that path. YOU chose that path YOURSELF. Honestly, it's a very fitting punishment for what you do in the game. (I'm guessing that's the only route you chose, since you seem to despise it so much. If I'm jumping to conclusions here, I apologize.) Lastly, that final sentence is implying that it cost you a fortune to play. It's only $10 on Steam. Chill. Now before you argue all my points, I'm not saying you should love the game and that if you don't, I'm going to assume you're a terrible person or insult you in the worst ways possible. Not at all. We all have differing opinions and different tastes. But give better insight and reasoning as to why you dislike it as opposed to using buzzwords like "cringe" or giving abridged answers like that.

[@OneTrueNobody]

The issue with the diagonal movement in Earthbound Beginnings as opposed to other games is that your motion still isn't entirely freeform as it is in other games that introduced diagonal movement much later. Like four-directional games, Mother 1 is still very much locked to a grid, so even when you're moving diagonal, you're moving one WHOLE SQUARE diagonally, whereas later games would drop grid-based movement and allow players to move with complete freedom, pixel by pixel, as precisely or imprecisely as they want. In Mother 1 your direction control is always locked until you complete your move to the next square, which for a game with diagonal movement is very unusual and tough to adjust to.

[@tyratooOP]

As a person who likes his movement usually quick and freeflowing, or at least loose enough that I am comfortable, that sounds incredibly frustrating. I have quit other games due to similar structured movement as well.

[@SmashTheOni]

+The One True Nobody! I don't remember having too much trouble moving in the game. Granted, it was on an emulator with a GameCube controller using a control stick, but still. (Also, yes. I did buy the game legally)

[@OneTrueNobody]

Quavion Deering It's only frustrating in the sense that we've had better implementation of eight-directional movement since. For an overhead game at that time, diagonal movement was exceedingly rare.

[@tyratooOP]

The One True Nobody! That definitely is true

[@Yayofangamer16]

Oh look. First time in weeks I agree with a Trump Derangement Syndrome victim!

[@Morgil27]

Recently, I started getting into the Dragon Quest series, and in particular, after playing Dragon Warrior II on NES, I've gained a much greater appreciation for this game. I feel like my eyes have been opened to a lot of the finer details of just _how_ this game is supposed to be a parody of the genre at the time. Before, I was always subconsciously comparing it to the SNES sequel, but now I realize the true genius of the game can only be truly grasped by ignoring later games and putting yourself in the mindset of when the game was made and comparing to other NES RPGs at the time.

[@jsh357]

Mother 1 has certainly aged poorly. This is a totally fair review. It has some interesting concepts (Magicant is particularly cool; there wasn't anything like it in RPGs of the time) and a great soundtrack, but it's missing so much of what made the next two games special. Even if they aren't your thing, hopefully you can recognize the qualities that have endeared the games to fans over the years.

[@Yayofangamer16]

My excerpt from a comment I just posted. Go check it out! Johnny. I have several issues with this review and I believe that maybe this wasn't your game AT ALL. I am deeply unsure as to why Itoi didn't make the game less rushed or if it was Nintendo to blame in this. BUT... this game is still a classic. Or at least a Famicom classic. The game was advertised in Japan as a MASTERPIECE. Better than whatever the fuck Nintendo allowed in America for the SNES sequel. Both games happen in the same universe, or in this scenario; planet. This game is barebones in character interaction between the protagonists . But I feel it was done in purpose. Especially Ninten' s lack of dialogue . Except in the credits where he just wants to rest. Ninten is like Link. They are US. I also feel like you failed to mention how dark this game REALLY is. George wasn't arrested because they LIVED IN A RURAL TOWN. I don't think no one acknowledged their disappearance . Or at least anyone that wasn't from their family. The story begins in 1900's America and continues in the 80's. The game showcases character development WITHIN the Ninten family and how much Maria loved Giegue/Giygas. Plus, I believe Itoi didn't take us as stupid to connect the dots in relation of what was going on. Giegue's forces were causing the poltergeists, the zombies, the actual invasion and the kidnappings. For fucks sake Johnny . In the same town you learn Teleportation, you learn the entire place is full of lonely, crying and desperate children. Even one girl asks you to HOLD HER. They are scared, sad and want their parents back . The pseudo hotel in the same place is managed by a teenager that just... feels lonely. He states it too, hoping you come back to rest in his home. Ana was foreshadowed to have powers before you met her, making her even an icon in her hometown. She was the daughter of a ... priest , too. (NOT JOKING. Official info also says that she reads the bible a lot). Lloyd states why he is so reserved in everything and why does everyone pick on his looks and feelings. His parent doesn't treat him any better. Ninten is a hero in and out because most children playing Fanicom would like to do the right thing. We kind of all were (in less you were born a psychopath or a sociopath. Yikes. ) Magicant' s inhabitants foreshadow the true identity of Mary and I am unsure as yo why you don't acknowledge this. They even foreshadow Mary being your great grand mother. Everyone there LOVES YOU. Even if they don't know you. That's because they already know who you are. Which is why one of the inhabitants is (CREEPYLY SO) capable of mimicking a phone and Ninten' s father voice. Similar to another one of them able to sent STUFF YOU DON'T WANT to your sister. Johnny. Holy fuck. Come on. You can be better than this. Mother 1 may not be a MASTERPIECE compared to Mother 2 or 3. But it still has the same topics of discussion and story. Mother's love. The 8 melodies are said to have a secret power BECAUSE they do. It was a lullaby sang by Maria to her (forcefully) caretaked "son". Giegue/Giygas. She may or not have lived about Giegue/Giygas hating the song BEFORE she died and he got brainwashed in order to invade Earth. But she was correct in him NOT liking the song. It reminds HIM of George and Maria! You beat him by causing him to REMEMBER the humanity he once achieved with a human couple by his side. He SURRENDERED, we never really beat him. P.S. Ninten's favourite food is Ribs. I would get along veeeery well with him. I like Ribs too! But I prefer sushi.

[@EpicOdysseus]

@@Yayofangamer16 It's very weird that EB0 and EB are considered to take place in the same world, because the locales would have you thinking otherwise. It's confirmed that Giegue/Giygas in EB0 and Giygas in EB are the same villain, yet EB0 takes place in rural "America," a real place, while EB takes place in "Eagleland," a parody of America (which, y'know, is a real place in EB0). I always thought that very odd. All of that coupled with the fact that the three (main) characters of EB0 are almost "remade" in EB0 as the first three of the main four, it almost seems like EB is a reimagining of EB0, yet we have the Giegue/Giygas connection, which is confirmed. It's all very strange.

[@eatingmytoesrightnow3627]

ClausMystery you never even talked about the game play if the story is great make a book

[@jsh357]

@@eatingmytoesrightnow3627 I don't see what this reply had to do with mine from years ago, but it's also a stupid sentiment. Should movies not have stories either?

[@eatingmytoesrightnow3627]

I’m not saying that I’m saying the major point of a game is to plaaay if the game I’m playing isn’t fun what’s the point

[@MegamanNG]

It has begun. Yep. Welcome to the Mother series.

[@picklejar7236]

MegamanNG Are you a real bird?

[@ziro6319]

beginnings is actually my favorite mother, music, story, artstyle, gameplay, i dig it and its my favorite nes game, although i'm not gonna say it's good objectively i can find satisfaction in it

[@azrieldreamer]

"get out your wiius" *plays Mario KART 8*

[@superstarm304]

I think the real issue of Mothers story is that it only becomes interesting. When you connect it to Earthbound since Giygus has a much bigger presents there.

[@welon17]

I am not blind to this game's flaws. And I still love it.

[@SoLinkSmash]

I'll be honest, I adore this game's story. Why? I really don't know how to explain it. Something about it is just inspiring and gives me so much emotion...

[@thecosmic8248]

Man I remember when this marathon was still coming out. 5 years fly by fast man.

[@autoexe2695]

I've noticed you can usually tell what Johnny's final thoughts on a game are gonna be like judging on his general tone of voice throughout the review

[@wesleybcrowen]

I guess it's one of THOSE first games in the series that bring the idea and bare executive of a concept.. and is eclipsed nowadays with how the sequels improved upon the foundation. Kinda like.. Metal Gear, in a sense.

[@millieman76]

Very well put.

[@breloom657]

I actually like EarthBound Beginnings a lot! The story wasn't much, but compared to other NES games at the time, at least it had one, and it was really cute for what it was. As for the gameplay, yeah it has its issues. The enemy encounter rate sucks. Like really badly. The battles are actually kinda fun once you get the hang of things. I don't do much grinding in this game; just a little in the beginning until I learn Lifeup and then that's it, the low level party members actually level up super fast. You just gotta know what your PSI does and how strong your enemies are: Weak enemies = Regular attacks to conserve PP Strong enemies = Use your non-offensive PSI to raise defense or inflict status ailments! You get some REALLY useful skills in this game! You even get the infamous PK Beam Gamma by the time you reach Mt. Itoi. The terrible inventory system is an issue, as is the lack of an explanation of things, but this is an NES game; they kinda just expected you to explore, get your ass kicked, and learn from that experience. I feel at worst, it's right in par with other jRPG's at the time, but with really catchy music, a very unique setting, and really great writing for the time.

[@monkeykingw]

Earthbound is your awesome mother who loves you and gives you candy. Mother 3 is your badass sister who is pretty awesome and while acknowledging that you're old enough to hear some of life's harsher points but let's you know that it will be alright. Earthbound Beginnings is your racist grandmother who is way too strict, but does have a kinder and more quirky side.

[@destroyerblackdragon]

+Cascade Hellsing how racist?

[@donnelwaddledee965]

+Loga Soba More like she still tells the African Americans to sit at the back of the bus.

[@destroyerblackdragon]

its kinda hard to give a racist redeeming quailiteys

[@monkeykingw]

Addison Thompson It's mostly age, which is where the main comparison comes from. A lot of problems from Beginnings can be summed up with what era it came out in. Does that make them okay? Not really, but it's understandable to see where it came from.

[@namingisdifficult408]

Cascade Hellsing interesting

[@blindingblade]

MOTHER THERE IS NO OTHER LIKE MOTHER SO TREAT HER RIGHT

[@TheDiego908]

*cue singing kids* MR T TELLS YOU TO BE SOMEBODY AND NOT SOMEBODY'S FOOL!

[@blindingblade]

Gabriel Ortiz Why is this comment flagged, this is amazing.

[@namingisdifficult408]

High quality stuff

[@toyotacamry2414]

Mr. Mister Mister TREAT YA MOTHER RIGHT YA MOTHER RIGHT

[@michaelrhett4958]

TheDiego908 ITS A CRACK BABY FOOL

[@Medachod]

The first entry has a lot of charm and I still find the dialogue hilarious to read. Watching one of my buddies play it and stop rather quickly was quite funny, to say the least. It's definitely a video game that demands patience, though. I would not want to play it again, but I will always watch a Let's Play of it whenever possible.

[@superbusstarodub]

Mt. Itoi is infamously unbalanced at the level that they didn't even bother.

[@SgtTwilight]

This is actually one of my all time favorite games. The charm lies in its simplicity, sure its aged horribly and the gameplay is grind happy, but I just cant stay mad at it.

[@thatgamingauthor]

+Jordan DeHart Same here! I actually love this game a lot. A few years ago, I spent quite a few nights playing this game for hours. It can be difficult and frustrating, but I love it. :)

[@austinp8599]

+LordChrom me to guys. I love the Mother series. It's my favorite game series of all time.

[@KidSnivy69]

You have more tolerance than I do

[@namingisdifficult408]

Jordan DeHart interesting

[@albertothealpaca5682]

Oh yeah, I remember that strawpoll from 2 years ago! Oh god, that was 2 years ago...

[@manidavis4126]

REALLY 😮😱🙀

[@manidavis4126]

REALLY 😮😱🙀

[@albertothealpaca5682]

+Mani Davis Um...the Super Mario RPG/Chrono Trigger/Earthbound one, yeah.

[@FreezerBurn90]

+AlbertoTheAlpaca No? it was the one from his mario maker review where you decided from Metal gear, earthbound and star fox

[@albertothealpaca5682]

+FreezerBurn90 I know. At the end of the video John talks about how long Mother fans have waited for his Earthbound review. The one I brought up was the first strawpoll with EarthBound as an option. I still remember when that strawpoll was up for vote ...

[@AKAProm]

Something about Mother as a series gives me tears in my eyes. These games have had such an emotion impact on me that I get a little teary eyed whenever I think about them and what they stand for. (Doesn't help that they also remind me of Iwata.)

[@original4046]

Mother 1 was the first game I beat so it has a special place in my heart

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

wow the way he dissed the story was painful... they are all fair points, but damn it hurts to hear as it is my favorite video game story ever, and one of the few ive been really emotionally invested in. i love the way your adventure starts out and how you just go around exploring the world in the way you want to rather than in a linear way. each area has its own story told by NPCs and enviromental details, there are even some hidden side stories. a lot of it is in your head though. itoi made the game as a message to his young children, so youve gotta put yourself in the mindset of a young child with a vivid imagination, interpreting every little detail. the characters are all sort of based on western movie archetypes, so you can imagine a lot of the dialogue that they couldnt fit on the cartridge, and make it up in your head. it does mean that the story is very different for every player though, and that can absolutely be a negative thing. one thing that shouldve been brought up in the story second though is the semi-canon tie-in novel, the vocal soundtrack with lyrics to most songs in the game, and some important story details he missed. the motivation for giegues rage is caused by mary dying before the game starts. she and george raised giegue as a son, but she died when he was still young (possibly while trying to escape). giegue, who lives in an alien world without mother figures in their culture, and was raised to be a warlord taking control over other alien raises through fear, got very attached to the motherly love maria showed him, being otherwise non-existant in his culture. as to why he kidnaps humans it isnt explained in canon, but one can draw their own conclusions from his backstory. mine is that hes looking for a suitable replacement mother, as he is longing for love and kindness on a planet otherwise ruled by discipline and fear. also teddy possibly dying (recovering in the american version, implied having died in the japanese one) is a pretty important plot point. mothers, motherly love and the effects of lacking a mother are also a recurring theme in the series. thats another reason its called mother. the teleportation is a reference to back to the future, but yeah its kinda annoying. also, youre right, the final area wasnt actually playtested. they ran out of time lol. thanks for reading all my disjointed comments if you made it this far. i love this game, it probably shows. more than mother 2/earthboung and MUCH more than mother 3, which is still good but really mediocre and pretentious compared to mother 1 and 2.

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

+Vin Lark. pretty much. unless u mean earthbound as in mother 2

[@KidSnivy69]

You talk about Mother 3 being pretentious after you long winded love letter to Mother?

[@cupriferouscatalyst3708]

KidSnivy69 yep

[@KidSnivy69]

Cupriferous Catalyst then your a hyporite

[@Bramhallthefifth]

i agree it was irresponsible of him as a critic to treat the story as such an afterthought, but the game is so broken and frustrating i don't blame him for not having the patience by the end of it.

[@genericfirstnamegenericlas6490]

That lag is actually in the games mechanics, I've emulated Earthbound begginings and i noticed the weird movement too

[@KHLovergirl13]

I actually like Mother 1; it's my second favorite out of the trilogy (Mother 3 being first) mostly cause of the story, interesting lore and humor which is what's most important to me in a game. As far as the review goes, I agree, Mother 1 hasn't aged well and that's to be expected because lots of early NES games (mostly in the RPG genre it seems) are very difficult and archaic, but they have their charm. When I played this game I knew going in it was gonna be hard so I turned to a guide so I could enjoy the story and "100%" complete it which I could never do on my own and as a result, I had no difficulties. Much like the original Legend of Zelda, you need a guide in order to make this game comfortable (which I also did with that game and had the same result). So as far as recommending this to the average person, it definitely would not make the cut, but if you're curious and: a) like old JRPGs and b) like the other two Mother games, it's definitely an experience that you should play even if it's just once. The only thing I would say is you really glossed over the story which there actually is a bit of, so it came off as a bit unfair. Overall, good review and I hope you like the other two more! Earthbound in particular took this game's blueprints and improved on them; basically Earthbound is what Mother 1 was trying to be for the NES and it has flaws like anything else but it's still a good game for its time. Thanks a lot Johnny!

[@KHLovergirl13]

+KHLovergirl13 Also in regards to the easy patch: that was for Mother 1+2 version and not the leaked Earthbound Zero (which is honestly the same as the rerelease we got on vc). So while it does make the game more enjoyable on its own without the use of a guide because it cuts down the encounter rate, doubles exp and money, it horribly botches up the music which this a huge good part of this game and it really sucks! ):

[@kenisu3000]

Holy moley. I've been waiting forever for your EarthBound review, but I didn't think you'd ever review EB Beginnings (my favorite in the series). This game definitely deserves its fair share of criticism, but reviews like these remind me of just how glad I am I first played it 16 years ago. I don't think I would have given it a fair shot had my first experience with it been its VC release, after tons of negative reviews and haters had come out of the woodwork. I think MOTHER 1 is one of those games that appeals more to my kind of person - the creative type who gains a fondness for a game and its lore *after* completing it, even if it was tough as nails and an absolute nightmare to beat - than a gamer who just likes to game. I think a lot of people would be surprised to learn I actually rarely *play* MOTHER 1, but it's still my favorite, because I'm utterly fascinated by its world and lore, as evidenced by my translations of the MOTHER Encyclopedia. The fact that it's so bare and open, and leaves so much to the imagination yet offers just enough information to give way to deep speculation, is in fact its main draw for me, and that's why I started writing/illustrating a comic for it. Plus, the limited graphics and sound design, which gave it an (unintentional?) spooky vibe all around (not just in the "spooky" areas), definitely helped feed my imagination. So I guess yeah, it's fair enough to say it's agony to play through, but for someone like me, it's a sheer gold mine of thought and reflection. And BTW, you're completely right; there's an interview somewhere in which Itoi admits his team didn't even bother evening out the balance of the final area.

[@ChaosShadowZero89]

Props to you for beating this game without cheats, and I agree grinding sucks! Brings the story and game itself to a stand still.

[@dylanmaycry2211]

Pollyanna gives me life

[@viola8422]

this game is flawed but it's charm will always make one of my fav games

[@Morgil27]

10:36 that is precisely why I like the Wii U's off tv mode so much.

[@flamethefox8541]

Me too because I don't have a tv in my room

[@NonstopRam]

If it weren't for that, I would have not beaten this game :P

[@hush8469]

Hey Johnny happy new years. I'm just going through your whole VS series because I'm currently battling depression and your videos are good a distraction for my shitty life. Thank you for what you do and also this video was dropped on my bday

[@Paranoiasonik]

You might see what I see, You might not, all in all I just hope you enjoy them. Great review.

[@eithanknife]

HI Nathan

[@Jose-se9pu]

I really dont care about this marathon, but came to give a thumbs up because of the hard work Johnny puts on these videos.

[@millieman76]

Oh, congrats, have a cookie.

[@Jose-se9pu]

+millieman76 Thanks!

[@anansi4849]

Duuuuuuude, you had it right at 5:47 - 5:57. Itoi wanted it to be an open ended quest with different interpretations for every person. It was supposed to release the inner child in all of us. Unfortunately the gameplay is the worst I've ever had the displeasure of going through. But the narrative is pretty genius.

[@SaXor_the_Nobody]

Fun fact: Mt Itoi actually wasn't tested since the programmers were nearing their deadline.

[@jimmyeddy]

In the English version it was modified and most certainly tested but I buy that the Japanese version is untested

[@angelzavala2254]

No it wasn't.

[@judgemario]

I enjoyed Mother 1, more so than Earthbound. I've actually tried to beat Earthbound three times and never finished it. I liked the story in Mother 1, the tunes, how fast the characters walk, and I just generally have more patience for grinding in NES games than others.

[@jclocks2157]

13:30 lol, it actually wasn't playtested. Literally, Itoi basically went "fuck it" because the game development had hit such a tedium. (Not in those words, mind you.)

[@azuraracon6406]

I actually think he said during a Mother 1+2 event that when it came time to balance the last area, the entire dev team just said "whatever" and left it alone, so you'd be entirely correct

[@ya-kiri794]

Honestly, I believe, if it could happen, that this game deserves a remake or re-imagining on the 3DS that fixes all the issues the original had. It could add the innovations, visuals, and elements the next two games introduced and it could flesh out the story and characters and address some of the balancing issues. Does anyone have anything else to add?

[@rileygay1165]

If like to see all three Mother games remade/remastered

[@theelephant2117]

Mother 3 is my favorite game ever, WOOT

[@westide3050]

I know you're a Mother nerd b/c that's the Mother Universe icon, I know I'm a Mother nerd b/c I know about the Twitter page

[@BahuschBahusch]

+The Elephant Mine too.

[@Nyug3r]

Did you know Johnny. In the Japanese version. Mt.Itoi even wasn´t in the game technically. It wasn´t a dungeon. It was pretty much a straight shot to Giygas. That´s why it feels so hard and unfinished.

[@joshuabradley6110]

I actually really enjoyed this game. I agree with most of your points, however. I found that the unique charm was enough to salvage the experience for me. Mt. Itoi is bullshit though, no doubt about that.

[@saedt]

Johnny there’s a nice calming thing watching your vids. You’re a very entertaining dude. There is no fun in watching reviews if you think about it really, but it’s the reviewer that makes it fun. It’s nice hearing someone talking about things you’re interested in. Never played mother but this is a good vid. You’re commentary is fun and interesting. Thanks man.

[@Mikman360]

Mt. Itoi is such a funny case. As many have mentioned, it was rushed and left without playtesting, but my understanding of it was that at that point of the game, you should have a strong understanding of the BS in this game, both for you and your enemies. You would understand that they can one-shot you, but you can similarly one-shot them (PK Fire, PK Beam, Super Bombs), get guaranteed escapes (4D Slip), or just have Eve wreck things for you while you spam healing and defense maneuvers. With proper knowledge of the broken parts of the system and careful planning, Mt. Itoi is perfectly manageable. It's just a matter of utilizing all the broken stuff you've become familiar with by now. Now don't get me wrong. It's still an unbalanced mess and just because you CAN beat it, doesn't mean it's well-designed, but I just mean to say that while it is all BS, it's manageable BS. To this day, I find it's absurd brutalness kind of humorous.

[@ChaosMetroid9000]

I actually really liked this game, sure it was limited by the tech but I was so surprisingly moved by the story in this game and I think that most of it is told through simple visuals and excellent audio.

[@Inezh358]

Good video Johnny! Looking forward to the rest of the series.

[@jdfalcon08]

After coming home from a long day of work, I was happy to see this video.

[@seank.cunningham3841]

Honestly my favorite thing about this game is the backstory behind its final boss and why he hates you singing to him in the first place. Tragic AF, especially considering his state of mind in the sequel.

[@Zack-pc6vn]

I think that I am the only person who loves this game

[@Dracobyte]

Earthbpund and its prequel are now available on the Nintendo Switch!

[@BigMacOrange]

Finally. I'm glad I have the wii u version but the switch emulation is so much more crispy.

[@elgoochadore1086]

God bless you Johnny, you are an amazing content-producer and reviewer, and you are quite well-spoken. Keep on keeping on, man!

[@scrappy2082]

even tho i half agree with you this is still my fav mother game lmao dunno why but i just love it

[@notaducc]

My whole Mother 1 experience went like this. Get stuck in Magicant. End up grinding up to the heavens unintentionally just trying to leave. Aside for my other partners, I was able to absolutely destroy everything in the game once I finally found out how to leave.

[@iregretsomeofmypreviouscom3284]

Yes Earthbound Begginings/Mother 1! Liked that game even being too antiquate and aged badly. I always wanted that you reviewed the trilogy. Thanks.

[@FutureTrunks72]

It has been 5 years and 5 days since this video came up and today I beat EarthBound Beginnings for the first time

[@holylolydiver]

This is why I feel like the MOTHER 1+2 fan translation is the definitive version. -Better, more faithful translation that gives more tie-ins to the other two games and makes the world a bit more interesting. -Literally less grindy than Earthbound or MOTHER 3 (I didn't even have to go out of my way to grind) -Lowered encounter rate -Free movement that isn't locked to a grid and is much more responsive I would highly recommend anyone watching this video to give that version a shot if you want to experience this game, it's practically a must.

[@senabea]

I can't explain why, but I actually fucking loved my playthrough of this game. It was really hard, but for some reason even through all the samey grinding and bs I was still having a really good time

[@itsasecrettoeverybody]

This game is magical... I have a great time playing it too.

[@safiahussein9785]

"And that's after all that fucking grinding!" SomecallmeJohnny, 2016.

[@jiub760]

ive litteraly screeched when he uploaded.... love you man

[@drakejr9914]

Hey Johnny, nice video I really enjoy these and your review podcast. Thanks for the dedication you show to your channel, I'll make sure to like every video you upload

[@RedAvient]

"I am out of fucks to give" ~Johnny, 2016

[@sme23]

Don't worry. MOTHER fans are incredibly accustomed to waiting. You could have announced this marathon in 2003 and we would still have been waiting patiently for it today.

[@d3structi]

+esahig15789 That's a cruel joke.

[@Feavyre]

It`s here! Thanks for this John! I`ve been waiting so long for this. Perfect way to relax after a long day of university work! :D

[@MishKoz]

I'm glad you're tackling this series.

[@JonnyJinx04]

You may know this/have been told already, but you asked if Mt. Itoi had even been playtested, and it seems like it actually wasn't. In an interview from Itoi, he said "What I get most is, “I’m at Mt. Itoi now, help!” That place is just crazy. When we got to fine-tuning there, I was like, “Whatever!”

[@GiordanDiodato]

+JonnyJinx04 I still find Duncan's Factory worse. With Mt. Itoi, it's at the end of the game so it's gonna be pretty tough. Duncan's Factory? It's barely halfway through the game.

[@moistfarticles6211]

+Giordan Diodato Man, I hated Duncan's Factory.

[@ArtemyMalchuk]

@@GiordanDiodato So, after getting Lloyd, does that mean I'm already halfway through? Boohoohoo, thought there was more to do.

[@ryankfbro]

At least it gets better from here.

[@timidalchemist8475]

+DeadeyezRy which is rare for a game trilogy to do...most tend to have the first game being the best or it's sequel while the third is when it all goes downhill.

[@viola8422]

ana's crush on ninten comes from watching him on his adventure with her psi powers

[@westide3050]

NINTENS FACE IS A QUESTION MARK, look at the Sprite you will never unsee it

[@ShadyKnight9]

Did you know, John? During development, Mt. Itoi was actually harder. One person told Itoi that maybe they should tone it down a bit, and Itoi's response was "Whatever."

[@mattperry3750]

I'm pretty sure that if you pause the game every few steps, it actually resets the enemy encounter rate. It's a bit of a tedious exploit, but you can skip a lot of unnecessary battles that way. Also, I sorta wish you hadn't glossed over the story so quickly. It's not as deep as the next two games, but it was really unique for the time, and I feel like it deserves more credit than what you gave it. Otherwise, good review!

[@KHLovergirl13]

+Matthew Perry yeah that was what I thought too ): he glossed over a lot of the lore

[@breloom657]

Yeah... I like Johnny, but he was mostly just complaining the whole time--not fun for a review. I appreciated his honesty though and the comedy made up for the nitpicking.

[@Ausar0]

I don't think he glossed over it, it's just that there isn't a lot of story even there. It's literally just: aliens abduct George and Maria for whatever reason (never explained), they raise Giegue (I guess), George comes back. Maria doesn't. 80 years later, George's great grandson sets off towards Mt. Itoi to save Earth, and sing at Giegue until his ears bleed. The end. A lot of the stuff in the game is never properly explained or given reason to. Like, why does Lloyd suddenly want to stick around to fight aliens and shit just because you showed him a bottle rocket?

[@quadpad_music]

@@Ausar0 >aliens abduct George and Maria for whatever reason (never explained) It doesn't need to be. It's utterly irrelevant to the game's themes of love and family. It also leaves a bit to the imagination, which is nice. >80 years later, George's great grandson sets off towards Mt. Itoi to save Earth That's not what you're doing for most of the game though. You spend a lot of time figuring out the strange happenings throughout America/Eagleland and finding the melodies themselves. The mystery behind all of this is what keeps you going. The people you meet along the way are important too, they reinforce the themes I mentioned before. >sing at Giegue until his ears bleed Bit of a needlesly cynical take on the most emotional ending to an NES game. Giygas isn't defeated because his ears bleed due to the kids' poor singing or anything, but because he's overflown with the emotion of remembering his human mother, and cannot bring himself to destroy the world that brought her to life. >why does Lloyd suddenly want to stick around to fight aliens and shit just because you showed him a bottle rocket? I don't know, maybe because everyone else was fucking shit towards him and he was just happy to have a friend? Are we so media illiterate that we can't understand a character's motivations being hinted at just because they aren't screamed to your face?

[@Jordan3DS]

As I walked home from school today I thought about this game for the first time in months, remembering the fun that I had with it... then I got home to find this in my sub box! It's the little things that make life great.

[@DarkDemonSide]

Woot, my favorite youtuber covering the earthbound series, thank you!

[@HoudiniFontmeister]

Although he did name the game after the song Mother it also has a deeper meaning within the game story if you think about it Maria was giygas's Foster mother and the climax centers around this with her song being a mother's lullaby being what actually defeats giygas. Some deep shit brother. Currently working on my reviews of the series beginning with this game of course. ^_^

[@dey6942]

Houdini Fontmeister i never thought of it that way wow that's actually pretty smart though

[@Bluedino152]

The Pokemon comparisons are interesting. This and Pokemon actually shared some developers, and gigue/giygas looks a lot like Mewtwo.

[@SmashTheOni]

Mewtwo is basically what you get if you combine Giygas with Frieza

[@randcstudios]

Uploaded on my birthday! Thank you Johnny!

[@Morgil27]

"This can all be justified if you look at the whole thing as a parody" _Ding Ding Ding!_ You hit the nail right on the head!

[@MishKoz]

Also, Mount Itoi wasn't play tested fully. They rushed it because it was the final area.

[@snessy]

+Bob Thompson also not to mention this that this is an prototype.

[@symphomaniac]

+Snesbox Yoshi ...uh no it's not exactly a prototype. It was this way in the Japanese original. Hell the Japanese version was actually worse. It didn't even have a run button

[@azuraracon6406]

Honestly I've gotta agree with pretty much everything you've said. EBB as a game has not aged very well at all, and everything it has going for it is in its world, characters, and the limited story presented. That said, those three things have made it far more tolerable than any other NES era RPG for me, it being the only one I've ever brought myself to finish

[@nolandeskins7684]

Great review Johnny! That Pokemon comment you made about returning to the series has me hyped!

[@LvlGenesis]

Finally, a video to surpass metal gear. In all seriousness I'm so happy you are doing this series, they are some of my favorite games of all time.

[@stephenweir9768]

i literally only bought earthbound beginnings because i want nintendo localize mother 3 the game itself is god awful BUT MOTHER 3 THO... that game is pure magic

[@slashingkatie7872]

Git gud

[@donnelwaddledee965]

Why not Mother 2/Earthbound? It's a much better game worth its price

[@regularrandomperson7108]

+Pikachu Thirteen *Assuming he hasn't done that*

[@donnelwaddledee965]

+Regular Random Person Wait, the way he phrased it only refered to Mother 1. My mistake

[@edwardwisniewski5375]

it's a decent game

[@professionaldaft7403]

Anyone notice that on box art Ana isn't wearing a hat but in gameplay she is.

[@invertedcolors9881]

The characters actually were derived from peanuts characters

[@flippydoodle2440]

I played the fan translation of mother 1+2 and I gotta say... its a LOT less grindy, its a lot more fun, and it makes a lot more sense.

[@thestickopia4619]

If mother 3 ever manages to get localized it better be in a compilation called mother 1+2=3

[@Mixsrants2]

*whispers* Final Fantasy Marathon.......

[@josephcross8464]

I just got up of the bed, turned on my PC, saw this video on my subscription feed, and I knew this was going to be a great day.

[@Grayman2003]

This has to be my favorite Johnny review