Earthbound is one of those games that I really wanted to love. The world and concepts are so interesting to me and the game’s aesthetic really strikes a chord. I started playing Earthbound on an SNES emulator on the Steam Deck, but gave up before completion. I found the combat bland and I really don’t enjoy the way the game progresses. It doesn’t feel like a puzzle to figure out, instead it just felt like you explore a town and something happens. Then you explore the entire town again to see what changed until something else happens. Rinse and repeat. Each time something happens, it didn’t feel like it logically connected to the next thing (with some exceptions), instead you just have to go talk to everyone again and see what NPC will now let you continue. The story beats themselves feels connected, but the actual act of getting from point a to point b does not.
Based on a walkthrough I checked, it looks like I gave up about a third of the way through the game. I just was not having any fun, despite really liking the setting and the world. I probably wouldn’t play it again, but if Netflix made it into a movie or TV show, I’d definitely check it out.
Play stats:
- Game: Earthbound
- System: SNES (played emulated on Steam Deck)
- End State: Gave Up
- Date: 2022-08
- Rating: 5*
Kind of Antsy 