| EarthBound | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | HAL Laboratory |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Year released | 1994 |
| System(s) | SNES, Nintendo Power (SNES), Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch |
| Preceded by | EarthBound Beginnings |
| Followed by | Mother 3 |
| Series | Mother |
| Japanese title | Mother 2 |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Players | 1 |
| Modes | Single player |
| Rating(s) |        |
EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother 2, is a role-playing game developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the SNES in 1994. It is the second game in the Mother series, following EarthBound Beginnings. Like its predecessor, the game is set in the modern world, rather than the fantasy environments of its RPG contemporaries. The game was released in North America in 1995, but was not released in Europe until its Wii U release in 2013.
Development began shortly after the release of Mother, running aground several times along with the project repeatedly facing threats of cancellation; it wasn't until HAL Laboratory president Satoru Iwata stepped in that Mother 2 began to see an eventual release. Releasing to critical acclaim in Japan, Mother 2 was released in the United States under the name EarthBound and was backed up by a massive advertising campaign; the game was a critical and commercial failure, however, owning to criticism directed toward the game's off-kilter marketing campaign and its art direction amidst RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. It was only with the emergence of fan-community efforts that EarthBound regained relevance in the US, and the game was re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan in March of 2013 and worldwide in July that same year before being released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in March of 2016 and for the Nintendo Switch Online service in February of 2022. In Japan, it was re-released on the Game Boy Advance along with the first game as Mother 1 2 in June of 2003. On April 20, 2006, a sequel titled Mother 3 was released on the Game Boy Advance, exclusively in Japan.
Critics praised EarthBound upon its Wii U Virtual Console release for the game's humor, tone, writing, and graphics, with a general consensus that the game had aged well over the years. EarthBound is now considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time.
The game's story is largely distinct from that of its predecessor, but there are some elements and characters that connect the two games. Most notably, Giegue, renamed Giygas in the English version of EarthBound, reprises his role as the main antagonist from EarthBound Beginnings.
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The title screen.
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The Japanese box.
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The EarthBound Player's Guide, included with the game.
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A Japanese flyer.
Table of Contents
Characters
Appendices- The Beginning
- Onett
- Giant Step
- Onett Again
- Twoson
- Peaceful Rest Valley
- Happy Happy Village
- Lilliput Steps
- Threed
- Winters
- Threed Again
- Saturn Valley
- Belch's Factory
- Milky Well
- Dusty Dunes Desert
- Gold Mine
- Fourside
- Moonside
- Monkey Caves
- Monotoli Building
- Rainy Circle
- Summers
- Magnet Hill
- Pink Cloud
- Scaraba
- Pyramid
- Dungeon Man
- Deep Darkness
- Tenda Village
- Stonehenge
- Lumine Hall
- Lost Underworld
- Fire Spring
- Magicant
- Cave of the Past
- The End
