| System | Super Nintendo |
|---|---|
| Developer | HAL Laboratory |
| Genre | RPG |
| Series | EarthBound (Mother) Series |
A meteor lands near the town of Onett, and a young boy named Ness joins his neighbours to investigate. A time travelling beetle and an alien invader starts a chain of events that sends Ness on a quest across Eagleland to retrieve the Eight Melodies and save the world from the ultimate evil, Giygas.
Each town you visit is beset with problems caused by agents of Giygas. Defeat monsters and complete quests as you restore order to the land.
You battle enemies using a menu system to select physical or PSI attacks, items and more. Win battles to earn experience and make Ness and his friends stronger.
| Region | Name | Release |
|---|---|---|
 |
MOTHER2 ギーグの逆襲 Mother 2: Giegue no Gyakushuu | 27 Aug 1994 |
 |
EarthBound | Jun 1995 |
| System | |
|
 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo Power (SFC) | 30 Sep 1997 | - | - |
| Wii U Virtual Console | 27 Apr 2013 | 28 Jul 2013 | 18 Jul 2013 |
| New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console | 04 Mar 2016 | 24 Mar 2016 | 03 Mar 2016 |
| Game Boy Advance | Mother 1+2 |
Screenshot Required
While it has long been believed that Ness's name is based on the NES, this was confirmed in an interview with Shigesato Itoi:
"The production staff named the main character Ness, a pun on the NES in America."
While this confirms a NES link, the name is also an anagram of SNES, although this hasn't been confirmed as an intentional reference.
At the start of the game, when selecting names for the characters, you can select from a number of default names. In the Japanese version, one set of default names are characters from the Mario series:
Note
Kinopio is the Japanese name for Toad.
In Onett's arcade you can see three kinds of arcade games displayed on the miniature screens. One of them is Donkey Kong, and another is Taito's Space Invaders. It isn't clear what the third game is referencing, but if you have any ideas, contact NinDB.
The background music is made up of 8-bit arcade sound effects. Part of the music sounds like the music from Namco's Xevious arcade game.
On the south side of Threed is a Billboard that reads:
"Located in the shadow of Mt. Fuji - HAL Laboratory"
This is a reference to HAL Laboratory, one of the developers who worked on the game. Their Japanese offices are in fact located close to Mt. Fuji.
In the Fourside department store, you meet a kid who says that one day he wants to work at APE Inc., one of the development studios who worked on the game.
In Fourside, a sign outside of one of the buildings says:
"Planning meeting for EarthBound 2"
Near the start of the game you meet a dog called Ruffini, who claims to be possessed by the spirit of the game's designer. He gives you tutorials on how to play.
Screenshot Required
Using a cheat device, it is possible to unlock the game's Debug Menu. Kirby appears as the menu selection icon.
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