Earthbound Zero Is My Favorite Mother Game
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- čas přidán 23. 09. 2022
- Earthbound Zero. Or Mother. Or Earthbound Beginnings, whatever you wanna call it. I think it's pretty good and I'll try to maybe show you why a little bit today.
(I cover the entirety of the game in this video, so spoiler warning I guess)
Starmen.net page with lots of map images and assets that I used for the video: starmen.net/mother1/
Chip Tanaka's bandcamp page: chiptanaka.bandcamp.com/ (Django is an insanely sick album)
Special thanks to idiotpro and automaticpause for their contributions:
idiotpro: / idiotpro
automaticpause: / @automaticpause (check out his warioland retrospective series that he's currently working on, it's really cool!)
also special thanks to my friend avery for pretending to work at CPS for my stupid video i owe her my life
my stuff:
twitter: / surri01
band cramp: surri.bandcamp.com
credits music is track 4 here: surri.bandcamp.com/album/soul...
thanks for watchin!
also sorry you can hear significant white noise in the background for the first 20 minutes of the video or so, I managed to mostly fix it for the rest, I think? lol
video clip credits in order of appearance:
Steven's Basement - I Am Earthbound • I Am Earthbound [Music...
Chibi Sings At Iwata's Funeral • Chibi Sings at Iwata's...
Nissan Cefiro Commercial starring Yosui Inoue • セフィーロ(A31)CM集
MOTHER Commercial • MOTHER Commercial (sub...
Darfliny b - Yay I got my snow • Yay I got my snow
The Eric Andre Show Tyler The Creator Interview • Tyler, The Creator | T...
Chapo Trap House Adam Curtis Interview (Timestamped at the part that matters) • Units of One feat. Ada... - Zábava
4:40 the fact that there’s a photo of toby fox wearing a homestuck shirt sitting next to shigesato itoi is just incredible
I saw that photo flash and my fight or flight activated
@@blitzstrk0 speak for yourself
I was shocked when Magicant dissappeared. The sense of having a safe haven was just gone, especially with EVE turned into junk. There was this feeling of dread and uneasiness, fear even.
It felt like THE ENDGAME.
It took maybe 20 minutes to beat the game after that point, but it still made my heart sink. Watching the Onyx Hook simply do nothing gave me this devastated feeling
I finished the game 2 hours ago btw!
Remember: No crying until the end
"Duncan's Factory was worse than Mt. Itoi."
I've been saying this for years feels good knowing someone else understands.
Two words, bread crumbs
Me when I was a kid watching LPs of Mother: Wow, $60 to cure a cold, that's outrageous.
Me as an adult: Wow, Itoi is spot on with American healthcare!
I'm legally changing my name to buggerror
*25:45* Probably because it's a fish and that the item is a hook, this making it an ironic situation.
i'm so mad at how much sense this makes i'm so dumb LOL thank you
Thank you for covering mother 1, seems like a lot of people just skip right to earthbound! it’s worth it’s own playthrough
It’s criminally overlooked I think! Thanks for watching!
People skipping Original Dragon Ball and starting with Dragon Ball Z be like.
@@mikumika3819 I hate when people say "When if you've played Earthbound you've played Mother 1"
@@LimedGreen yeah the games stories don’t even have the same themes. Mother 1 is about friendship while Earthbound is about growing up.
@@Lute01 please do a video talking about Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy Tactics, and whatever else you like. you could probably make a unique and funny video on Metal Gear Solid.
Its sad to see the great Catharine Warwick not have a big career after the mother songs
Mother 1 is so under appreciated. I kinda like the novelization a lot for giving us the story through Ana's eyes.
My theory for Pippi is that she heard about the zombies and tried to fight them herself. Pippi is actually incredibly strong; her stats are identical to Teddy's. She's just at a much lower level considering how early we meet her. Given her hair and her last name, shes based off of Pippi Longstocking, whose whole gimick was being freakishly strong. Also in the Book, Ninten (Ken) describes her as "a girl who can do anything". So I imagine this 7 year old probably was able to take down a zombie or two with her fists when she heard there was trouble in Podunk.
I think I like the idea more that Ninten and Teddy were just straight-up throwing hands rather than using weapons, that shit is just so funny yet so badass for some reason.
My favorite part of this game is that it gives you JUST enough story to get your imagination going to fill in the gaps. It's super vague with a lot of stuff, but you almost don't even notice because you kind of intuitively paint a picture of what's missing in your head. And that just makes me love the game all the more.
Mother 1 best Mother.
FTL: Faster than Light does this aswell and it's glorious
This is exactly why Mother always worked better for me too. Its casual story-telling that you figure out at your own will and pace feels so relaxing and homey ^_^
Isn't that just most old rpgs...
@@brotbrotsen1100 I don't think so, I think most old RPGs just have simple stories. But Mother 1 has a vague story, it has this whole background about George and Maria that is given very little explanation. Why they were abducted, how they came to raise Giegue, how George stole PSI, how George came back to Earth without Maria, how Maria created Magicant, how George's journal allows Ninten to access Magicant, all of this is introduced and none of it is explained, which could be considered poor writing, but they provoke the player to explain it themselves, as if they're taking part in writing the story as well.
There are like a million different ways to interpret the characters' personalities and i love all of them
lloyds definitely a "quiet kid" though. him and ninten cause massive amounts of property damage in their free time
I clicked the video expecting the hundredth review of Mother, but I got a video of an authentic experience. I just felt I was talking and chilling with a friend the whole time. The jokes, the ambience, the pace of the chat, everything was so good. I'm glad you made this video, and I'm glad I found it. Hopefully it gets to other people as well, and I hope to see more content from you. Good luck! And no crying until the end.
So true! Keep up the good work!!!!!
Lol ok
Same, I love youtubers who can pull that kind of feeling off, it takes a lot of skill
That explanation you had about the battles on the black background being uncomfortable...that really made me appreciate it a lot more. I really just perceived it as lazyness/hardware limitations but seeing that way is actually very cool.
Makes me want a game with legit HD characters in a black void for an RPG, it would be so disturbing!
Undertale?
@@mell7249 Undertale isn't HD though.
I've always liked it beyond hardware limitations, not because it's uncomfortable or anything, I just find the contrast pleasing.
A good early game strategy is to keep Pippi, she has a really fast level up and damage curve, it can help you grind levels even though the experience is split because you can fight at the zoo way earlier.
I've found this cuts down a lot on the early game pain, plus it thematically makes sense that friendship is helping to make the early game easier or something like that.
Dang didn't realize you could do that
Pippi is quite literally a pallette swap of Teddy. If you grind both characters to the level cap before losing them they will have the same ending stats with no equipment. Just nobody is stupid enough to grind Pippi up to that point. I think
@@josephboehmer1245 there was one person who got pippi to level 99. They uploaded a video on it
@@zestyvoyage2188 what's the name of their channel?
The fact you put a picture of Contact for DS as an example warms my heart. I absolutely adore that game, and it seems like NO ONE talks about it, let alone even knows about it
Absolutely based contact enjoyer. I looked in the comments for this exactly
Don't worry, we exist and are valid
truly king behavior
There was supposed to be a spiritual sequel to contact called space agency but got canceled over 10 years ago.
@@Reoko77 this is true, ueda's actually posted some videos on his yt channel about the pitch, it's a must watch for any contact fan
I still enjoy sakura note and I hope one day someone will make a fan translation
i played contact and i actually think it was ok. i dont like the combat and it feels like a chore to play but the graphics and music is so charming. there was also some funny stuff
Mother 1 underrated af
So charming and yet so painfully ignored.
I legitimately cannot thank you enough for making this video. Mother 1 feels so unique compared to the others, and that's what I've always loved about it. I feel like there's so few people who share my love for it, so seeing this video put the biggest smile on my face.
I really hope this video hits big with the algorithm, as I feel this game deserves the love and credit its younger siblings get.
Thank you again for making this
So glad someone else is saying this. The game feels grindy only up to and including the factory, which requires some map-drawing, but after that it really is smooth sailing. Likewise, the minimal aesthetic fits the surreal tone of the series so much better.
There's a quote from one of Queen Mary's castle attendants. It's enough to bring tears to my eyes when paired with the music "Wisdom of the World" which is playing at the time. The fan translation says, "Queen Mary often has nightmares. She talks like she's punishing a naughty child, and then cries out about being afraid. She starts to sing a song, but only a short bit of it. The fact she can't remember it seems to bring her pain. Then she wakes up covered in sweat. Something really sad must've happened to Queen Mary a long time ago..." Everything else is communicated through tone, music, and setting. You aren't told the story, you live inside of it, and it's a melancholy yet strangely home-like experience.
THANK you for actually talking about Mother's plot instead of just talking about the lore and jumping straight into earthbound
I tried Mother back in 2013 immediately after finishing Earthbound. I think my expectations were set too high and I didnt really enjoy myself. I finished the zoo area and found the melody there before the first two, then couldnt figure out where else to go and dropped it entirely. This video has inspired me to go back and give it another try 10 years later.
i really like the old internet style of editing you use, its really nostalgic while actually being good for this type of video
God you’re such a good CZcamsr, so refreshing
Mother 1 is easily my favorite of the trilogy too, so thank you for this. I would cry if it got an official remake, whether it be 2d or 3d with the clay art style. I feel like way more people would appreciate it as a result. I also love the nonlinearity as soon as Merrysville.
just binged your channel and ur content is literally so homey and easy to watch. I’m sad there’s no more 😢 but keep up the great work man
I really appreciate how much you enjoyed watching, thank you! These do take a long time for me to make but I wanna keep doing em because they're fun ^_^
The "Weaking Child" thing must be a coincidence. The album came out before the translation released.
Unless Aphex Twin personally tracked down an unreleased prototype cartridge of an obscure NES game in the mid-90s, wrote a song about it, and then sold it and never told anyone.
Which...isn't impossible, honestly
I really do think "Running Shine inspired" videos are the true path forward with game reviews or at least I'd hope so. This kinda style isn't gonna get boring in a long time for me
hey I made a cameo lol
On my last playthrough I decided to grind for all the PSI abilities even if it's not necessary at all, and unleashing PK Fire Omega is the most wild thing ever in a NES JRPG.
your style is such a refreshing departure from most of "gaming retrospective" youtube that I otherwise put on to fall asleep to; you obviously put in a huge amount of work and the end result feels genuine and conversational while respecting the viewer's intelligence in a way few can actually manage. great stuff!
Appreciate that a bunch! I'm obviously still pretty new to this and figuring stuff out but I do my best, I'm just happy the videos are fun for people to watch!
I agree with a lot of people that Mother marked the beginning of the modern style of video game story telling and narrative devices and set the precedent for pretty much every rpg ever made since.
I love that this thing's existence is even a possibility- a passion project envisioned by one man which would eventually inspire an entire generation of artwork and self expression.
One day, when videogames are universally recognized by the public as a medium capable of producing transcendent art (I'm not even sure the term "videogame" will be relevant much longer), they will refer to the release of this title as a grand moment in history.
I love hearing ur opinions as someone who played Earthbound Beginnings before playing Earthbound. Everyone else played Earthbound first and just constantly compares it. You have a very unique perspective
Mother 1 deserves so much more attention than it gets. For an 8-bit NES game it was very impressive. Especially the music!
Also, really enjoyed the video! Had to rewind a few times from laughing too much 😂
These are the exact reasons I love it too! It has this poetic simplicity that’s really nice. I also like how it’s sort of an open-world game for the Famicom. Earthbound and Mother 3’s areas were mostly separate screens (which isn’t a bad thing), but I think it’s impressive how they made most of the world in Mother a seamless connected map.
Really good video about a really good game!
I've taken this message from somewhere else but this is how I played Earthbound Zero and it truly became one of the most amazing adventures I have experienced in a videogame: Imagine you're a kid in 1989. You have an 8-bit NES with a couple games. On a Friday afternoon on the way home from school, you stop by a video store and rent a random game called "MOTHER". Usually when you rented games back then it was always a very hit-or-miss thing, so whatever game you got, you were stuck with it for the whole weekend. Try playing this game with that mindset - that you're a kid in the late 80s with a weekend ahead of you to play this game. Do that, and you might start to appreciate it in new ways!
This is genuinely the best video on here covering Mother. Thank you.
Edit: The part where Magicant disappeared legitimately hit me.
Also, the Ana/Ninten dance warms the heart.
God these games transcend the medium.
If I'm not mistaken, pippi eventually becomes really REALLY strong if you grind her up for some godforsaken reason
I mean guess that's what happens to anyone if you grind them up high enough, but it's funny that anyone wanted to invest that much time into a character who follows you for such a short time
it's because pippi in battle is basically a copy of teddy lmao
that's why she gets unbelievably powerful when you grind with her
@@joaonitro5149 woah that's crazy
Earthbound Beginning was my first mother game. It's too bad it's so overshadowed by it's successors
Don’t worry another example of this is Final Fantasy V / 5, it’s a favorite of mine but completely overshadowed by IV / 4 and VI / 6 and it too wasn’t released in the west until Final Fantasy Anthology with a horrible translation. The GBA port is the best one but the SNES version is also worth playing for better sounding music.
Baller video, also that kingk draft had me in stitches
Did you actually call CPS just to make a joke!!??? Great video btw, it's super cozy to watch! :)
I’ve always had a tough time giving this game its due, but I respect the hell out of those who could manage it, and this really breaks down a lot of the appeal. It really does have this melancholic feel that, as sublime and emotional as the series gets, its more popular installments arguably never match.
Also thinking about how you can do stuff like skip Teddy until EVE is busted and take him to the end of the game, or just not get Ana at all and legit play to the very end with only Ninten and Lloyd.
Hey Lute, really thrilled I got this video on my recommended. I’ve been a fan of these types of videos for over ten years. In that time they’ve all become overly produced and over intellectualized to the point of either boredom or annoyance. This video feels like classic CZcams, and that’s a super high compliment from me. This feels like a video I’d go back to in a few years and go, wow I wish they still made stuff like this.
Keep it up.
The story of mother 1 is great, the adventures of ninten and company got stuck in my heart. That part when Lloyd came to save us after that robot came to kill us, the funky dragon that is on magicant, queen mary's story line and the way we met teddy at that dance hall. All those moments are worth the hardships that this game presents. Edit: I forgot to mention how much I loved the way this game used telepathy
Hi Lute, just wanted to say the first 20 minutes or so of this video convinced me to try Mother, having already played Earthbound and loving that. I really enjoyed it, it is truly unique, so thanks for this video. :)
bruh, your dry delivery makes this a million times better
been laughing all the way through
subbed!
I love this games lowkey atmosphere, it's also the only one of the three games where you're not a chosen one. I didn't grind any on my last playthrough and it really gave me the feeling of being scared little kids not knowing what to do, getting curb stomped by everything. The shot of magicant turned into a barren wasteland is one of the most raw shots in all of fiction. Also the feeling of empty 8-bit music is one of my favorite sounds ever, gargoyle's quest's hell field is one of my favorite tracks ever.
This video is amazing and kept me hooked from start to finish, which is rare for my attention span especially for an hour long video.
I had a very similar experience playing through this game for the first time. I'm a sucker for vague mysterious stories, and kind of got immersed in the lore of the story reading through different wiki's and crap. And it's amazing the way the game is able to convey emotion with so little. It's nice to see so many people in the comments appreciating the original even though it's largely overshadowed by the sequels.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that likes Lloyd, he’s awesome.
I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the other two games in the series. This video was great, brought me right back to middle school. I love all three Mother games, but I got my user name from this one!
Lovely video. Mother is the most controversial entry in the Mother/Earthbound series and I think it might be my favorite in terms of ambition, style, and influences. It is a homage of Stand By Me, 50s sci-fi flicks, and contemporary Japanese literature that stood as its own as a story of love in an unrelenting world and its successors would carry on its torch while taking their own stands on this matter. Nothing was like it at the time. There was no Omori or Undertale back then. They are many other games like them that would not exist if it wasn't for Mr. Itoi wanting to create a Dragon Quest of his own and I thank the man for doing that. Once you get in the groove of its, as of now, old fashioned gameplay, you will find an experience unlike any other for console RPGs. That's why it kind of breaks my heart when people rag on the game, it started everything.
I remember getting to the end of Mother and being amazed at the ending. It was simple but it made everything click. It binds the series together and showed me what these games were all about from the beginning. Love is the most powerful thing in the world and the lack of it can be as strong as the presence of love. It might sound sappy but you can go deeper by thinking of each characters background and by what they do after everything is said and done. Any Mother fan who hasn't played it should play it, even if you need to play it with the easy ring patch. It's accessible now more than ever.
Thank you for covering this game. Keep the melody alive in your heart.
OH MY GOD, yeah, no, i completely agree with you on the levelling and random encounter battles. I'm the type of person that basically plays almost everything on easy mode... but i never had too much of an issue with Mother. It's pretty easy to keep leveling up after the first several hard battles. When I reached mt. itoi, i was really high leveled. yeah it was hard at times, ill never deny that, and i agree that the many RE battles are not really fun, BUT... at the end i was extremely grateful for them because of how quick it was to level up. Yeah.... Idk i've only seen a couple of people that also have this opinion, you included (and this one japanese guy on youtube i used to watch years ago. i forgot his name, but he was also a huge Mother defender haha)
there's just... something somber and wistful present throughout this game that is so different from the other two imo. its sweet, and loving, and sad, and lonely, and hopeful... i love it
i'm so glad i found such a recent video talking about mother 1 and talking about the game being good, it always makes me happy people recognizing this game.
the funny thing about yume nikki is that this game acctually got inspiration in Earthbound Zero (Mother 1)
10 minutes in and your writing and editing style reminds me of running shines videos, which is great, it's also great to finally see someone appreciate earthbound zero/beginnings, I'm happy this showed up in my recommended
Edit: finished the video it was fantastic, reminded me of just how successful the emotional scenes are, somehow they still manage to consistently get to me even after multiple playthroughs
This video does such a great job of showing lots of love for the game while adding just the right amount of spice.
This along with your Mega Man X4 video got you another fan
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate your videos, especially this one. Watching these videos are really comforting for me and it always has such a relaxed vibe while still keeping it really funny. It’s hard to describe but it almost feels like a one-sided conversation with someone who shares similar interests and is comfortable being around you
This video feels like something I wanted to do for 12 years, glad you are able to get it out of your system, I also have memories related to this gem, but particulary love the track of the town of children
After I completed Mother 1 for the first time, I found myself thinking a lot more about what I liked then what I didn't. This video helped me appreciate that stuff even more.
Really happy to see someone give this game a fair shake with a long form video like this. Stuff like that original commercial for the game as well as the general lack of understanding of localization when I was younger made it such oddity at the time that it always stuck with me.
If I remember correctly, there's a guy in Magicant that can give you an Ocarina to play the melody parts that you currently have at any point you want, which is super neat.
Also this game series has been so formative to me that any time I hear 8 Melodies / 16 Melodies I start tearing a up a bit.
ALSO, Cognitive Dissonance is a really cool Mother fan-game that explores Guiges story a lot too which is super sweet.
ALSO ALSO Oddity was LITERALLY supposed to be Mother 4 until Nintnedo had a massive hissy fit, and the devs started veering off the Mother name to avoid a DMCA strike.
This video was recommended to me few days ago and since I've watched this and your Paper Mario video. Both videos are great executions of essentially showing the viewer a game in it's entirety while also sharing your own love for the games. This reminds me of going to friends places and play games for an hour or two together with them and leaving thinking what ever we just played must be the game ever.
Keep going brother. I secrectly hope now that you're a fan of DQ3. Would love to play that with you
I am so happy to find another Mother 1 lover! It's hard for me to choose a favorite between Mother 1 and Mother 2 since they're very similar yet quite different at the same time. I love them both in unique ways. Mother 1 gets nitpicked too much, I agree. I think a lot of the design was very intentional given you're a kid trying to fight a force you don't even fully comprehend. Of course it's going to be difficult, weird, and confusing at times.
This video is getting recommended, good work
This is an amazing video. I found your commentary to have the same quaint but real feeling as the game itself. Mother is one of those things that you just have to experience to understand and even if it sounds a little pretentious to say I think it is a story that's like ”you either get it or you don't”. It is so clear that when Itoi made the mother games he wanted to make a personal art piece.
Also ever since I saw the commercial of the game many years ago I've been obsessed with its quote ”no crying until the end”. I played this game so many times the past 15 years and without fail I cry when I collect all the melodies and see Magicant disappear before fighting Giegue.
This video satisfied my lifelong curiosity to play mother. Like everybody else, earthbound changed my life and became a video game holy Grail that I sought out in every medium over the course of my video gaming life. I’d always meant to come back and play mother some day, but never got around to it. At this point in my life, I haven’t picked up a controller in four years. After your video, I feel like I have a pretty good sense of the game. Thank you for such a well-made and sincerely heartfelt video.
mother 1 is also my favorite and just the way you're explaining this makes me feel like we already sat down and complained about people complaining about mother . very cool
Thank you for all your videos, I love them all. I listen to them in the background while drawing, and they put a smile on my face and have given me a newfound appreciation of the games you've covered. You and idiotpro seem like chill guys, I wish you the best in life. And props to idiotpro, automaticpause and avery for their help. You have a big fan in me
Honestly my dude, this video is so relaxing, playing an excellent game, your DIY approach really shows the endless passion you have for this game.
Mother 1 is something special to me. It's not only my favorite mother game but my favorite game ever. Genuinely awesome to see people love this game and share their stories with it
Great video. Cringed out of my skin at the Iwata tribute, aha..
It's like if someone was like what's Nirvana and just randomly listened to Bleach and it was instantly there favorite album
(coincidentally that actually happened to me lol see what i did that there ;P )
but seriously I gotta say I love your perspective on it... it's gritty, honest and refreshing!
i laughed a little too hard at Maria being represented by Maria from Sonic the Hedgehog
This video is an absolute masterpiece
Thank you for the review. I beat this game recently after playing EB, and it didn't disappoint despite it's age and random battle encounters. Really hard to choose one or the other as each is so unique.. I feel like it's legacy lives on in indie games like undertale, yume nikki, lisa series.
Spoilers for EB/Mother1-
I got into the game after learning about the order of the series, and yume nikki. Magicant was so trippy- really intriguing location, gives you so many questions about the story. Theme absolutely slaps too like winters' theme. Earthbound's Magicant was interesting too, but i still prefer the first, felt bad about killing that dragon who loves me in the dungeon, and the bird men of course. It was crazy seeing Magicant dissolve and fade as Mary learned the song she sang for giygas. The village of children is cool, the robot ally was a true homie, your sacrifice will be remembered. I wish more buildings were accessible and maybe more useful dialogue but they were already pushing the nes to it's limits. Just really cool to know that there's a quirky nes game like this, that was popular in the 80's, albeit not outside of japan-
nintendo.
You didn't always sound confident about your points, but you articulated a lot about what I personally love about the first Mother and why it's not only my fave Mother entry, but one of my favorite games ever. The tone, story, and feeling this game has are just right to me. A little cold and weird, but also really earnest, curious, and compassionate. Heck, that's a lot like what being a kid in this world felt like to me, too.
I got sidetracked from looking up Pollyanna by your video title and stayed for the whole hour. I knew everything about this series was gold, but the deeper I dive the more radiant the rabbit hole sparkles. Specifically, my Turkish dad referenced reading Pollyanna the book as a kid in Türkiye, which I never heard of but for the Mother soundtrack. Turns out it was a super-touching 1913 children's book originally written here in the States, and it's as gut-wrenchingly uplifting as this game. Great video, I'm going to give myself a few years to forget every spoiler and play it!
I meant to comment this every time I rewatch this video but I always forget it because I listen to this more as background noise rather than full attention rewatch it every time.
1:02:48
I agree. It's one of the main reasons I far prefer the story in Mother 1 over 2 or 3. Earthbound and Mother 3 have great stories and its not a knock on either of their narratives, but the simple premise and execution just hit really strongly for me. I think its because the concept is very intimate and compelling because of it. Just a simple albeit quite reserved story about the nuclear family and their adopted alien child. All of them are effectively save the world narratives, but I quite like the way Mother 1 goes about it and I think it's in large part due to the intro. The simple text sprawl about a man named George and a woman named Maria and then the narrator telling us that 80 years have passed since then manages to get across the atmosphere of the story far more than it has any right to.
I think Giegue is interesting and far more of an allure when he's a character as opposed to the concept that he eventually became known as Giygas and unfortunately Claus kind of is. Lucas and Claus' story is a heartbreaker, but there's not much in the way of dialogue and is all about the heartache of the single moment whereas Giegue recontextualises everything that has led up until now. I also think that the prayer moment is far better utilised in Mother 1 since Giegue is more understandable and human like. Pokey is interesting, and so are the more meta aspects of Earthbound's final battle, but I think ultimately Giegue gets more accomplished for his story in the final boss battle than either Giygas or Claus do, though I bet my opinion on Mother 3 is unpopular.
There's also something to be said about just how weird a final boss battle it actually is. In Earthbound, the battle to save the Earth is to go back in time and defeat the very concept of evil brewing in the prehistory of prehistory. At the end of the day, you do defeat the big bad and Giygas' influence is erased from the aether. In Mother 3, its revealed that the rival character that has been keeping up with you, swindling you, outmaneuvering you, and just barely matching your pace is actually Lucas' twin brother who is alive after all this time. The moment is devastating especially since he passes away at the end, but in essence the bad guy is thwarted and then the needle is pulled in kind of a 'What now?' I think both are very interesting endings but I was always more partial to the image of a literal alien from another planet battling it out on the world's tallest mountain and completely incapable of losing in a physical sense only to be reduced to tears and forced to flee. You don't really win, the enemy just runs away, and that's always stuck with me on a visceral level, and I know that I'll remember it for a long time.
Thanks for the excellent videos as always, Lute.
this is honestly a very nice vid. i skipped mother 1 and did earthbound and mother 3, and enjoyed those games a lot, so seeing this was really interesting to see where it all starts. the whole vid had the same vibe as running shine's vids with the pacing, the still images. however having not one, but two Fesh Pince references seals the deal for me. and of course you got your own style and unique look so it's all very refreshing. the part that stuck out to me the most was regarding dancing, that sequence and quote made it a pretty special moment man. i'll take a gander on your other vids and see what i've been missing on this website, see where the ride takes me. keep at it!
Craziest thing I learned in this video is that there’s someone out there that likes mother 1 more than me for once. Seriously love your style btw
You're seriously starting to be my favorite vg reviews. you go straight to the points while you give this vibe in your reviews where you are explaining things thoroughly in a rather calm yet exciting pace. The way you make your representation to your videos is comforting to say the least unlike most creators where they mundanely either sit on a chair and explain things to you and show few edits while your edits depict your emotions by showing anime clips and humorous clips ad such. You can't be this low on subscribers.
Also thanks for giving me motivation to finally start playing Mother 1 for once
I love your review style, it's so nice to revisit games like this. I would really enjoy some more reviews of classic JRPGs, including Earthbound. Your style reminds me a bit of Running Shine and you still have your own touches on these videos. This was legit comfy and I hope to see more from you!
Fuck I missed the singing monkey. And here I was poking and prodding the one in Magicant hoping something would happen. Thanks for this non-walkthrough!
Here's something fun: in the Japanese version, your map is also an item that occupies a slot that you have to use. And it's not marked as a key item. So the first random crow you meet can steal it and it's gone forever.
I think I really like Mother 1 because it feels the most like it's part of a child's imagination, at least from the image I paint in my head. It feels very whimsical, grounded in like a childlike fantasy kind of way, especially if you name the characters after some childhood friends. It has aliens, zombies, fighting crazy....cars? I think Mother 3 is no doubt better, and I think Earthbound seems like it leans too much into being weird which affects the whimsy the first game had but I'll also say it's also a better game. Mother 1 is an old school rpg after all, but I have more tolerance for this kind of game than most, and I must say I definitely prefer it to at least Earthbound.
I like Earthbound more. What happens alot of the time is that once something becomes insanely popular, we start critiquing it in the most vague way possible. "It just doesn't feel has heartfelt as the first game." I am all like, what does that even mean, they just give more vague answers. Not saying you did that, thats what tons of people do.
There is something about the simplicity of EarthBound Beginnings/Mother 1 that makes it stand out compared to the other two entries in the series.
I personally liken it to the "90s Disney movie" of the trilogy, mostly due in part to its soundtrack with many lyrical pieces. There's so much it pays homage to as well. Dragon Quest being the obvious example with it's text and battle system, but there are others. The character sprite style is reminiscent of Charles Schulz's Peanuts for one. And it makes use of many classic American tropes.
I also have been fascinated with the extended canon from the Japan-only Encyclopedia Mother, which offers more insight into Ninten and his great-grandparents.
In relation to EarthBound/Mother 2, it's always quite interesting. Mother 2 is much more grandiose in its storytelling than Mother 1. For instance, Mother 1 is just a simple adventure story about an alien who comes to Earth and kidnaps people, but Mother 2 is a classic coming of age save the universe story. And yet, I like both for different reasons. And I love EarthBound/Mother 2. But something about Mother 1 just seems tighter knit. Which makes it my favorite in the series. So much so, I decided to recreate its entire soundtrack.
And it's nice to hear someone give the first game more attention compared to, say, Mother 3.
hello luke its merrill again! i really loved this, here are some of my thoughts as i watched
-your whole thing about misinfo abt games on the internet being way more common back then is so true. back then you could just say shit like sonic is in melee or luigi is in sm64 and people would just believe you. nobody knew wtf was going on with games back then
-I think unnerving is really good way to describe this game. the black backgrounds, rough enemy sprites, dark colors, and really simple chiptunes really give this game a creepy atmosphere
-you talking about the mayor reminded me of his assistant that hates his job. I dont know why, but that character always stuck out to me
-i actually got the canary melody by accident, i just bought the canary bc i thought something good would happen, and then stumbled on the canary village trying to get to the zoo. I think this game is good about planting hints about the melodies, but is also linear enough that youre likely to stumble upon the melodies even if you miss the hints. it also helps that npc dialouge is interesting enough that youll wanna talk to everyone, making it likely youll encounter hints from the npcs.
-your point about the games difficulty is interesting. the difficulty does sort of sell the idea that this a hostile world, adding to the creepy atmosphere
-i never realized that you can see mt. itoi from lloyd's school : o
-I like that the game just throws shit at you like the man you mentioned. i think more games should be weird for no reason.
-that cps call made me laugh my ass off. was that real.
-i never knew that eve could get wrecked outside of the scripted battle, thats a really neat little detail
-ill admit the bit where queen mary remembers everything genuinely moved me. its simple but effective like you said. thinking about magicant, which is this place tailored to take care of ninten and friends, and the 8 melodies which are a non violent way of defeating giygas, its like she set all this up as a way to look out for both sides of her family, i think thats sweet.
-following that chain of thought i sort of had this epiphany about the story and themes about this game. All four characters have some sort of troubled relationship with their parents (nintens absent father, lloyds literal garbage dad, ana's missing mom, and teddy's dead parents.) hell, george betrayed and abandoned giygas. all the people being abducted are parents (giygas's way of getting even maybe?) and the final boss is literally the two sides of maria's family duking it out (just like the end of mother 3). I really did not give the game and its storytelling as much credit as it deserves. its also interesting that as you said, a lot of plot beats get reused for earthbound, but they take on a different context without the george and maria thing to tie it all together (not a bad thing, earthbounds going for something kinda different in terms of its story) also interesting to think about how mother 3 is probably thematically closer to 1 than 2.
-its worth mentioning that the epilouge was not originally in the japanese version (I cant remember if it was a sandhop original, or something the original devs decided to throw in) leaving things like teddy's fate vague. I remember reading somewhere that originally, there was debate over if EB zero was a legit nintendo product, which was then ended when the gba version (and future VC releases) added a lot of EB zero's changes (including some of the censorship!) back in. I think a lot of this games legacy is owed to the work sandhop did, i wonder what this games reputation in the west wouldve been had the rom never leaked all those years ago (also i think its one of the first instances of an unreleased game leaking online)
this video was really funny and informative, I think you have a great eye for what makes a game special and presenting an argument based on that. I never finished my original playthrough, but i look forward to playing this game now with a new perspective : )
hi merrill! great comment, holy shit, i'm so happy you enjoyed the vid! i definitely agree that mother 3 thematically has a lot more in common with this game than earthbound, never really put that together until reading your comment, but you're right. also the CPS call was just me calling up my buddy, ahahaha
I like the assistant character to
man, i love earthbound but theres some kinda magic that EBZ has that feels so much more engaging to me, the music, the simplisitic graphic, the enemy design and the straight forward story with cryptic loose ends that really make you think what happened to the events that started this whole journey for ninten. I love this fuckin game!
This feels like Running Shine.
I like Running Shine.
I like this.
This video has genuinely been a perfect sleep aid for me for the past 7 months or so with sleep problems. Something about this video is really comfortable. Thanks for making it :D
Great video and format. This video is going to blow up I can tell. Great video man.
Your channel is a blessing! Really like creators with videos like this. The implying that Issac from deadspace is a friendly and charming character when talking about character design is something I totally agree with.
Isaac Clarke is one of my fav protagonists, he rocks
Yo, I looove this game, it's also my favorite in the series. So open-ended, great story. Definitely gonna give this a watch when I have the time
Bro called CPS in a video about a nes game
immediately started crying when the clip of them singing to queen mary played
I just love the experience of finding a game you think is what you are looking for and it ending up being totally different. I had a similar thing happen from a similar experience even. Roy was my favorite character to play in Smash Bros Melee so I tried to find the game he was from. The trophy description said "Fire Emblem", so an 8 year old me convinced my dad to take me to GameStop and buy the game called Fire Emblem. It even had what looked like an older Roy on the cover of the box. I now know that the Blazing Blade is a prequel to Roy's actual game, but I still fell in love with the FE series from that first game.
Radiohead anology really explained your feelings to me about this game trilogy. I do like the sequels better, by quite a bit. Mother 3 is a work of art. That being said, I’ll always have a soft spot for mother
I never knew the Creator used to just be a marketer, I did know he didn't know about game development, but damn if he didn't knock all 3 game stories out of the park with some of the most memorable characters, music and themes of all time!
Lute, I was mesmerized by your commentary and love for Earthbound Beginnings. Thanks you so much for such a fantastic hour!
I hope you’ll cover the other games in the series ❤
While mother 3 has always been my overall favourite game in the series I always found mother 1 to be an experience that stuck with me a lot more than earthbound. The game definitely has an odd magic to it that constantly brings me back to thinking about the various strange experiences I had with the game when I played it. I think its partly how little help or communication the game gives you while you explore its large and dangerous world that made the whole thing feel very personal to me.
Also mother 1 has the best soundtrack in the series that shit is straight up gold.
Holy crap; you’re hilarious, dude. Love your sense of humor. This was a fun watch!
Mother 1 has always been my favorite out of the three. It's so overlooked but extremely charming for how unique it is.
While mother 3 is still my favorite there’s something so raw about mother 1. It’s the only one that actually made me cry in the final fight. It just has a much more blunt emotional depth that caught me really off guard
Easily my favorite of the Mother series, even though I do love the sequel, as well. One thing it does incredibly well is that it looks how the '80s used to look; there's something about the palettes they used that almost perfectly simulate the way the light used to shine and how things used to look. It wasn't all hot pink spandex and "matching" chartreuse legwarmers, you know. I have no idea how they did it, but much of it (especially Magicant) hurl me back in time to sitting on that orange shag carpet in our living room, watching now-ancient sitcoms. I'm not terribly fond of the '80s; it's just impressive to me is all. Anyway, people hate on this game for things like being grindy, but they worship Dragon Warrior, which was nothing but grinding; I don't get it.
I also love all of your smartass quips, and agree that Earthbound Beginnings is a stupid title, and still call it Earthbound Zero, same as you. I'm glad The Almighty Algorithm™ threw this video at me, and I'm really looking forward to checking out the rest of your content.
I think one of the reasons people and part of the us fanbase of the series dont like this game is because most of the people who play this game come from earthbound which is lets be honest piss easy.so when they play this game they espect its also going to be easy and they can Just rush the game and brute force everything,which is a mistake people who play this game for the First time tend to do, so when they find themselfs having to grind to progress and to strategize to win the battles they Just drop the game at the beginning and say its garbage.
I absolutely adore Mother 1 and I'm glad someone has so gracefully described all its strengths so well
I will definitely be using this video as a reference point to help explain to people why I love the game so much
Great video, deserves more subs/views etc
this video made me appreciate mother 1 a lot more! also you were really funny in this video lol