EarthBound: Difference between revisions
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''EarthBound'' is best known for its unusual gameplay: fantasy monster-slaying gives way to a modern-day urban setting, with slingshots, frying pans and baseball bats taking the place of swords, axes and magic staves. Rather than goblins and orcs and other fantasy creatures, Ness and his friends battle drunks, hippies, angry taxicabs, a cult dedicated to worshipping the color blue, and ''a giant circus tent''. Most of its humor humor focuses on how the West is viewed by other countries (Japan in particular), with references to [[The Beatles (band)|The Beatles]] and The [[Blues Brothers]] scattered throughout the game. The sheer level of [[Nightmare Fuel]] is perhaps more famous than the game's quirky humor; amongst the major sources of terror are a ''profoundly'' disturbing final dungeon and a final boss whose [[Nightmare Fuel|genuinely chilling]] [[Mind Screw]] horror has led to tons and tons of [[Memetic Mutation]].
The North American release of ''EarthBound'' is notable for including an official [[Strategy Guide]] with every copy, despite costing as much as other games of its day (a sign of how much faith Nintendo had in the game's ability to sell). Due to an odd -- and failed -- [http://earthboundcentral.com/2009/01/earthbounds-marketing-campaign/ advertising campaign], a simplistic visual style (considering this is when everyone was fawning over the advanced graphics of ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]''), and a general lack of interest in RPGs (at the time), ''EarthBound'' didn't sell anywhere near enough copies to pay back Nintendo's significant advertising investment. In the intervening years, however, ''EarthBound'' has become a [[Cult Classic]] (to say the least) which is fondly remembered (and recommended) for its diverse soundtrack, unique gameplay, and undeniable charm -- aspects covered by [[The Happy Video Game Nerd]]'s half-hour ''EarthBound'' review (which can be watched at [https://web.archive.org/web/20140328224836/http://retrowaretv.com/happy-video-game-nerd-earthbound-reedit/ Retroware TV] or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ4AictvRdU YouTube]).
As a side note: Ness and Lucas (the protagonist of ''Mother 3'') [[Marth Debuted in Smash Bros|are probably best known to Western audiences via their appearances]] in the ''[[Super Smash Bros.]]'' games.
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* [[Meet Cute]]
* [[Mind Screw]]: Oh, ''that's'' putting it lightly.
* [[The Mindless Almighty]]: The final boss is described as such by his [[The Dragon|Dragon]] {{spoiler|Porky Minch, who released Giygas from the Devil's Machine}} (which was likely keeping him tethered to his sanity in the first place). His attacks are preceded by completely random statements in this form, and the attacks themselves are the [[Trope Namer]] for [[You Cannot Grasp the True Form]]. {{spoiler|(Though depending on your party's loadout, you might recognize them as actual PSI attacks - particularly PSI Flash and PSI Thunder, which can be blocked or reflected by certain items.)}}
* [[Mirror Boss]]: Ness's Nightmare.
* [[Money Spider]]: [[Averted Trope]]. As with the [[MOTHER 1|previous game]], money is not dropped by monsters, but is instead received through transactions with your father. However, enemies will still drop... ''odd'' items at times.
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