Warning! This page contains SPOILERS for EarthBound. Read at your own risk.

Earthbound is a game that means a lot to me. I first played it on a website called emulator.online when I was 15 years old. Something about the story and its characters just spoke to me, and it quickly became one of my all-time favorite games. When it was added to Nintendo Switch Online I played it again. I like Earthbound Beginnings and Mother 3 as well, but Earthbound has always been my favorite.

The main character of Earthbound is a young boy named Ness. As the game progresses, other characters called Paula, Jeff, and Poo (yes, that's his real name) join the party. Ness, Paula, and Poo all learn different PSI attacks, but as the game always says, "Jeff doesn't have any PP". Instead, Jeff uses a gun. The story begins when a meteor crashes near Ness's hometown, Onett. Ness goes to investigate it, and meets a bug from the future named Buzz Buzz who tells him that he needs to journey to several places in search of magical locations known as "Your Sanctuary". I wish I could summarize the game more without making it sound incredibly stupid. My best advice for anyone looking to get into Earthbound is a direct quote from the game: "Just play it!".

My favorite parts!

Moonside: Ness and Jeff enter a strange dimension after visiting a cafe in the city. I love the neon look and the weird characters and enemies.

The Eight Melodies: After you visit all the Your Sanctuary locations, a cutscene of Ness as a baby plays. This is one of the most emotional parts of the game for me. If you want to watch it, you can see it here.

Magicant: This is the inside of Ness's mind! This scene really adds insight to Ness as a character and I just love the way the whole place looks. Many of the NPCs are from Ness's past, like the snowman he built when he was younger. You can even talk to Ness as a little kid! Later on in this area, as you approach the boss room, one of my all time favorite songs in the game plays. The song is called Deeper Into Ness' Subconcious and I love it so much. To me it feels like the distant memory of a lullaby you heard as a baby.

Giygas: The final boss! He is infamous for being one of the scariest bosses in Nintendo history. This is going to sound strange to anyone who hasn't played the game, but I somewhat relate to him. A lot of his dialogue has stuck with me since I first finished the game and I think about it a lot. There are also a few hidden details in his theme. There is a heartbeat that you can only hear if you're wearing headphones, and apparently at one point the same SFX that play when you use the game's menus. Click here to listen to the sound of nightmares (complimentary)!

My Stuff

I have a few Earthbound related items in my possession. Come take a look!

This is Legends of Localization Book 2: Earthbound! Right now I'm too lazy to get a picture of my actual copy, so for now enjoy the official image. It was written by Clyde Mandelin, who has done a lot for the Earthbound/Mother community. There is SO MUCH cool stuff in this book about the changes Earthbound went through when it was translated into English. In case you didn't know, the entire series has had several issues with localization (legalize Mother 3) . I would definitely recommend getting this book, and it is sold in both physical and digital form.

My two posters! The one on the left is based on the original Japanese cover of Earthbound and I bought it from an artist on Redbubble. The one on the right came with the Mother 3 issue of Nintendo Force magazine, which I am a patron of. It was drawn by Matthew Taranto, who you may know from the webcomic Brawl in the Family.

Earthbound Goodies

Earthbound/Mother stuff from around the Web!

This is one of the most well-known sites for information about Earthbound. It has walkthroughs for every game, forums, and so much more. Go check it out!

Make your own text box with anything you want to say.

Mother 1/Earthbound Beginnings had an album based on the game's soundtrack. Listen to it for free on Youtube. When I was a high school junior I sang Pollyanna (I Believe in You) as a solo in a choir performance!

In case you didn't know, I love The Cutting Room Floor. If you want to know about unused content from the game, this is the place!