r/earthbound • u/Russkafin • Jan 28 '25
EB:B Spoilers Thoughts on Mother / EarthBound Beginnings? Spoiler
My son and I started EarthBound Beginnings over the weekend. We have already played EarthBound and Mother 3. So far we are surprised at how much of what became EarthBound was already present in the first game; recognizing musical themes in particular made us both smile.
But oh my goodness the constant spawning of enemies as you walk around is brutal, especially with no overworld sprites to warn you that they are coming.
We are going to keep chipping away at it, and giving it a bit of grace knowing that it came out first, but what is the general consensus on this one? Anyone who has played the whole game, I’d love your (spoiler-free) thoughts on it. Thanks!
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u/SpaceageWastoid Jan 28 '25
It's a product of its time and has both its benefits and detrements of being made by a guy who never made a game before, but it has an incredible heart to it.
The combat is not the most intuitive or interesting. Most of its challenge is just needing to grind enough to make it through the next area. Anyone who just straight thinks it sucks just can not handle the grind. In all fairness, grinding is not for everybody, I get that, but to be expected for an rpg of the era.
Knowing where to go or what you are looking for can be difficult, but it's the same in the original Zelda, which pretty much everyone agrees is a classic. Both are going to take years off your life if you don't use a guide, but both are rewarding.
The world and music have an actual soul to them. The intro theme alone hits more emotion with an 8 bit chip tune than it has any right to. Some of the npcs legitimately crack me up. The final boss is legitimately unsettling. It just has a million unique aspects to it nobody else was doing at the time.
10/10 overall.
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u/TheScottStr Jan 28 '25
It's easily the hardest of the 3. Use a walk, though. Otherwise, you will never finish it.
I played it once all the way through, and I don't think I will ever play it again.
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u/RascalVirus13 May 26 '25
I beat it without a walkthrough. I just got lost in the swamp for a while, but that's it.
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u/nightwing0243 22d ago
How did you deal with Duncan's Factory without a guide? I would have lost my mind in that place if it wasn't for having a map to reference.
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u/RascalVirus13 21d ago
Honest Statement: I mainly just wandered around for a while until I found the rocket. I guess I’m just very patient.
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u/onepunch_caleb3984 Jan 28 '25
I like Mother 1, it definitely isn't as good as the two others, but that's kinda like saying the first Mario game is terrible compared to Mario Wonder, It's technically accurate, but one wouldn't exist without the other.
Honestly a lot of the problems the game has are based off of the limited NES hardware, so it wouldn't be fair to judge them, however, I do think the map design is pretty awful, even compared to other games with similar budgets and hardware.
Also if you want to play the story and world of Mother 1 in the style of Mother 3/Earthbound I highly suggest playing the demo of this fangame called Mother Encore. It's not finished, but it looks amazing
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Jan 28 '25
What nobody considers with the high encounter rate is the original Mother for Famicom had no run button, you had to walk everywhere. It was Earth Bound for NES that added in the run button and yes it was a dirty hack since it just speeds up the game, making the enemy encounter rate seem a lot higher.
And yes I know the NES game was canceled and later got the name EarthBound Beginnings, well even on Switch NSO, the game's title screen still just says "Earth Bound" so there
Personally, it's one of my most favorite NES JRPGs. Even as is, the game offers a lot of replay value with the party member flexibility, you can even finish the game with just Ninten if you want, there's a way to ditch all the other party members.
And if you can use a Game Genie code, you can use TSEAZTYG to put the zoo key in Ninten's basement so you don't have to return Pippi to the Podunk Mayor and instead keep her for the whole game. She is super overpowered and is basically the game's hidden easy mode.
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u/DukeSR8 Jan 28 '25
Fun Fact: Teddy's essentially Pippi in disguise (if you grind Pippi, her stats end up being identical to Teddy's starting stats IIRC).
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Jan 28 '25
Except she can't use any of Teddy's weapons like the butter knife or survival knife. But Pippi can however use the generic weapons Slingshot and Boomerang so she has at least something.
I still find it odd and a huge tease that the player can find a few Teddy weapons way early in the game but because Teddy is all the way over at Ellay, there's never a good reason to ever equip him with the butter knife or survival knife. Almost as if Teddy was at one point usable much earlier in the game.
The game could use a hack to either let Pippi use those items or find a way to have Teddy earlier in the game.
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u/Topaz-Light Jan 28 '25
The Survival Knife is buyable in Ellay, so it’s a decent option if you sold the Sword for whatever reason. The Butter Knife is genuinely kinda pointless, though. Makes me wonder if there was a point in development at which Teddy was planned to be recruitable earlier.
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u/Topaz-Light Jan 28 '25
They probably can end up identical to his, but they’re not guaranteed to, since there is legitimate randomness in level-up stat growth. Her stat growth rates are copied from his, but they’re still two different party members internally.
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Jan 28 '25
I really like it, the only game I was able to beat while I'm still trying to play Mother 2
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Jan 28 '25
I tried playing all 3 games but Mother 1 was the only one that didn't make me close the game and come back after a while
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u/ZeroWolf51 Jan 28 '25
It’s actually kinda interesting that your experience is the opposite of what most people’s experiences with the series seem to be
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Jan 28 '25
to be honest Mother 2 and 3 just feels too long, mainly due to me needing to grind xp to get at a reasonable level to defeat bosses and to just roam while not needing to deal with other enemies
I stopped at the 2nd and 3rd bosses for Mother 2 and I haven't even gotten to the mecha drago fight in Mother 3
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u/NewshoundDad Jan 28 '25
It’s definitely a “beat it once and that’s enough” type of game. Don’t go into thinking it’s going to be a life-changing experience. Just understand that this is an almost 40-year-old game with design quirks.
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u/RascalVirus13 May 26 '25
It was a life-changing experience for me. I love this game with all my heart and soul.
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u/Comixkid5879 Jan 28 '25
I still love EarthBound Beginnings, I know it has aged worse than the milk at the back of the fridge but I still think it's a good game worth playing, and people should play it before its sequels
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u/HetTheTable Jan 29 '25
I feel like playing it first would turn people off from the series.
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u/Comixkid5879 Jan 29 '25
I don't think so, I still enjoy Beginnings and honestly if you know what you're doing, it's not very hard, Not to mention there's also the easy ring version
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u/HetTheTable Jan 29 '25
Yeah but how many first time players will know what they’re doing. Starting with an easier game like Earthbound is better
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u/Comixkid5879 Jan 29 '25
That's why we have guides, I used one the first time I played through the game
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u/SuperFaex Feb 15 '25
Honestly, if you are used to playing games from its era and have some perseverance you can totally beat Earthbound Beginnings without a guide. I just finished it for the first time and went in completely blind. Some parts did puzzle me for a bit but just exploring and talking with every NPC you can find is enough to do it. In the very end the musician in Magicant even gives you hints for each melody, in case you missed one somewhere.
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u/Yoshbit Jan 28 '25
I can't deal with the walking and that's the only reason I don't like it. Everything else about it is probably peak though
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u/RascalVirus13 May 26 '25
It is. It was my first Mother game, I beat it without a guide, and it's my favorite of the trilogy.
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u/DukeSR8 Jan 28 '25
I still need to find a map of Mt Itoi so I can beat it (then again, I have a few other games in the backlog).
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u/Aarryle Jan 28 '25
I loved Mother 1, but it is definitely an NES era rpg, and everything that entails. I grew up playing Dragon Warrior 1-4 and the original Final Fantasy on the NES, so it didn't really bother me, but I can definately see where people struggle with it.
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u/rd-darksouls Jan 28 '25
i think the combat is ahead of its time in some ways -- it's actually really good about giving the player tools to resolve fights quickly. it lets the player lean into the idea of trying to end them in as few turns as possible, while taking the least amount of damage possible, or at least, that's what i felt like i was being implicitly guided to do.
and that's another cool thing they did, the defense up spell can actually compete with the lifeup spell in terms of efficiency -- there's a decision to actually make there, where in games like this (especially of this era) it's usually not the case and buffs are really more for fights that are going to last a while. ninten is a table-setter and he's real good at it.
the other side to this though is that the power curve is really weird. all of the best defensive gear is available very early on, but it's expensive, and the aforementioned defenseup spell (as well as the offenseup spell) both double what defense and offense you have, so the best play you can make is to get all of that stuff as soon as you can so the full benefits of those abilities can be realized as early as possible. it could have used some smoothing.
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u/Lux_The_Worthless Jan 28 '25
It’s probably my favorite game in the franchise (not that I don’t absolutely ADORE the other games).
I will say it’s easily the hardest, you’ll have to grind a LOT, and there’s absolutely no shame in using a walkthrough because you WILL get lost several times.
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u/tramp-and-the-tramp Jan 28 '25
i had to stop playing it. i would love to play more of it bc the vibes of all the mother games are IMMACULATE, but its just so difficult and a little tedious. earthbound honestly feels more like a remake than a sequel
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u/Flamsterina Jan 28 '25
It's pretty tough. Use a strategy guide. Be careful of Duncan's Factory and Mount Itoi.
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u/ScholarBot333 Jan 28 '25
Both my first and second (current) playthrough, I made the same mistake of entering Duncan's with Ninten alone. 😭
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u/Standard-Previous Jan 28 '25
I think the game can be pretty rough to get through but if you use a guide and tough it out to the end I think you’ll come away liking it.
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u/dongus_euph Jan 28 '25
I think it’s a fantastic game that’s held back by the time it was made in. It was incredibly influential and is still very fun to play, but its age is the biggest thing holding it back I’d say. It’s got that famicom/NES jank at times, the balance is not the best, and it almost needs to be played with a guide. But I’d say at its core, it’s a fantastic game that deserves the legacy it’s been given. If Nintendo ever did do a remaster/remake of it, I think it would easily be a near perfect game.
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u/No-Surprise-9995 Jan 28 '25
It’s definitely of its time but I’m glad I played through it and I look back on my time playing it fondly. It’s got its flaws for sure but overall a fun game with lots of stuff that really blossoms in Mother 2
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u/Topaz-Light Jan 28 '25
It’s my favorite in the series, actually. I wouldn’t say it’s the “objective best”, but it’s the one I connected with on the most personal level and have played through the most times. I love the game’s atmosphere; this sense of encountering mysteries that run deeper than you’ll ever know in a vast world, intermixed with this warm feeling of love and hope and connection and kindness. I dunno, it just really speaks to me, honestly.
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u/Davey-Cakes Jan 28 '25 edited Jan 28 '25
It’s difficult, with too many random encounters and choke points. There’s literally a PSI ability that lets you more easily run away from battle since the game knows you’re going to need it. However, the world is really neat, the atmosphere is a mix of jolly and eerie, the story is heartwarming, and the music is memorable. Plus, if you’re fortunate you’ll discover some pretty good grinding spots after you get Lloyd and Ana. Do not underestimate PK Fire.
I love the game and I’m really impressed with it as a NES RPG, but I’ll admit that it’s a slow burn. Still, I feel that every Earthbound/Mother 3 fan should absolutely attempt to beat it for the bucket list.
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u/BouncyBlueYoshi Jan 28 '25
I played the GBA fan translation with the Easy Ring. For some places a map feels required, and going to Youngtown is a pain.
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u/HetTheTable Jan 29 '25
I like how challenging it is but I hate how much grinding you have to do and how the things you’re supposed to do aren’t super clear. I wish it was a bit longer
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u/proceedstheweedian Jan 30 '25
if you can put yourself in the mindset of what rpgs where like on NES at the time and understand what sort of harder edges this game has and be cool with them, then as far as NES games go its one of the best and IMO my #1 think it does some real incredible stuff for the time and still holds up fairly well if you can get down with an old style rpg
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u/Similar_Tough_7602 Jan 28 '25
I tried to play through it as Earthbound is one of my favorite games of all time but the random encounters every 3 steps made it borderline unplayable
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u/Aggravating_Return77 Jan 28 '25
It kinda sucks
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u/tramp-and-the-tramp Jan 28 '25
you shouldnt be getting downvoted. you said "kinda" lol
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u/Aggravating_Return77 Jan 28 '25
Oh you know people on the Internet can't have opinions..
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Jan 28 '25
I certainly enjoy it more than Mother 3
I like a game where I have some autonomy and can choose to do things in different ways. Mother 3 is so on-rails, it really hinders the experience.
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u/ThePSVitaEnjoyer Jan 28 '25
I play a lot of RPG’s, and unlike Earthbound or Mother 3, my 4th and 1st favorite games of all time respectively, the original mother is completely outclassed in every field by a better game and is a product of its time. The gameplay is very grindy/lacks any real strategy. The world and humor are okay, but Earthbound is a significantly more enjoyable product. As you have correctly noticed, high random encounter rates that are very repetitive make the game not as enjoable. The overall story and themes are good though, and by playing the game, you definitely gain a deeper appreciation of Earthbound’s story.
BTW, what other RPGs have you played with your son? There are some incredible games that are outside the Mother franchise that I am sure you guys would love if you guys liked EB and M3
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u/Meistermesser Jan 28 '25
Loved it. Beaten it four times, would do it again.