@@kangrroo5596 yeah, it was really good video . Earthbound gets talked about so much that people tend to skip over Mother 1+3 in their discussion, I'm really glad that Leadhead didn't skip over Mother 3
@@mikumika3819 That's true. What I'm saying isn't that Mother 3 is underrated amongst fans of the series. What I'm saying is that Earthbound tends to get way more exposure among the general gaming community than Mothers 1+3.
I hate to sound like one of those groggy “Kids these days” folk, but messages like the ones portrayed in Earthbound are ones I wish more people would be able to carry with them as they grow. Another great video
I'm someone who is in fear of adulthood, especially since I'm coming up on my senior year of high school and I don't feel prepared at all, and this video and especially its ending made me very emotional, even making me tear up. Thank you.
As I look back upon my life I can firmly say that my adulthood began when I became 15 years old. Becoming an adult isn't about independence like we all assume as children, it's about finally looking forward to and acting upon our life in the future. Like being mindful and excited for when one will hopefully start a family one day. There's nothing truly defining when one becomes an adult since you can see people in their 20s and 30s still acting like children 😂 You just have to finally be comfortable and confident with yourself aswell as accept yourself for who you are. And once you can day to day wake up and say: yup, this is my life and the only one who can live it is me; then you can finally be an adult :3❤
Alot of people will tell you you'll be fine, and you will, but speaking from experience of someone who couldn't handle things and gave in; don't give in, don't retreat. It can be tempting to surrender and infantilize yourself, but keep pushing yourself to grow and stand taller. Always keep an open mind towards the lives of others, and where your own life may take you- do that and you'll have all the freedom you'll need. You've got alot of potential ahead of you, and the natural human strength to use it, everyone who came before you deep down believes in you, and wants you to succeed, so get out there, do it, and remember! Nothing is ever as bad as it can look
I didn’t think I was prepared at the beginning of my own senior year, but the truth is, it really wasn’t that different or challenging. Go in with your head held high, and you’ll be fine. I’m about to start college and it’s surreal.
You know, I've played earthbound last summer, and for a new experience it sure gave me a lot of nostalgia. It didn't bring me back to my childhood, it brought my childhood good back to me. Suddenly my whole summer felt like the ones I had as a little kid. I wasn't missing it, I was experiencing it. I don't know how Itoi did it.
Sorry for necroing, but I found the way you worded that this game "brought your childhood back to you" instead of the opposite really reassuring and hope inspiring. Why should I want to go back to being a kid when I could just do the things that made me happy as a kid now, as an adult? This comment really brightened my day, so thanks for that.
I didn’t get to play this when I was young either. Just finished my First playthrough last night and I’m 32 so I didn’t get that same nostalgia but I agree you said that beautifully, Brought my childhood back to me
It’s truly criminal how small your channel is but I’m sure it’s gonna get bigger with the quality of content you put out. I really enjoyed this and your MGS4 video and can’t wait to see what you do next.
The earthbound video should of gave you that jump!!!! Done so well my man Cant wait for your next video Best game deep insightful videos ever Your going place champ!!!!
I haven't played Earthbound yet but there's a moment in Mother 1 when you're in Magicant and you can recruit these bird men from a random home in the middle of nowhere to fight with you. I did this and one of them died, nbd. Well then when you leave Magicant and come back and begin wandering through it again, you randomly walk past that house to find a cross buried in the yard, memorializing the fallen bird man. That was a holy shit moment for me.
@Alex Kalinin technically they're correct, but only in the context that the unreleased English-translated beta version of what is now Earthbound Beginnings on the NES was called Earth Bound, with the space between the words. That doesn't make the comment look any less ridiculous, however...
Also heres something u might wanna know: Once you use the phase distorter at the end of the game DO NOT save with it. If you save the game there you won't be able to go back unless you start a new game data. Well, technically you will for the final part of the game but you wont be able to fight anything. I recommend saving in the normal world before you go to fight Giygas.
Craziest part is even Giygas wasn't always pure evil, just hurt by loss. Unlike Ness, he allows himself to give into hurt and evil and eventually becomes nothing but a mindless slave to that nature. Masterpiece game.
This kinda reminds me of how i felt realising that im getting bullied after months of thinking those people were my friends, kinda sucks to be way more cinical than before that wake up call out of true childhood but it was long due i guess. Everyone has to grow up sometime
I hope you find good friends soon. The ones that you can talk for hours to without feeling bored or awkward and the ones you can tell good and bad news to and you know they will listen.
Honestly this is a game everyone should play. Show Earthbound to anyone, who has already reached adulthood, is coming up on it, or at the age they are starting to see the ugly side of the world. Whether they be 11, 14, 20, this game is an incredibly unique experience that can give us a good lesson. But, after all, I'm not mature, or that old. So what do I know?
I played Earthbound at 16 years old (7 years ago), I used to be more light-hearted, empathetic, and happy... On those 7 years a lot happened I realized how toxic my relationship with my ex was, got frustrates with the engineering career I was studying and end up dropping, became more cinic, bitter, sarcastic, aphatic, and going to a constant struggle on "finding meaning in life"... Going back to Earthbound brings me back to simple times... Shite, this was painful to write...
I feel the urge to say that everything you wrote is so relatable to me. I remember playing Earthbound around 2013 on highschool and it got me to know some good friends who where interested in the franchise too. Then I played Mother 1 and 3 on the same year and had some quality friend moments out of that. At that age I liked to post a lot of dumb things on social media, try to talk to new people, get in touch with older childhood friends, even go to the gym despite me not being the biggest guy into fitness stuff... Everything started to change when I hit college and (ironically enough) I also went to engineering school because most of my friends were going there, but it suddenly became a nightmare with almost all the subjects being hard, and thus uninteresting to me. Aside from my high school friends, I couldn't talk to many new friends and ended up dropping it and taking a whole semester off from school. Now I'm close to getting a degree on another career and luckily managed to make more friends but I can see how much I changed during this 7 year time gap and I feel its evident that I became quite apathetic and usually easy to irritate compared to my younger self...
@@jimijenkins2548 you know.... thanks... I was about to kill myself a couple days ago. I didn't work and im about to look for psycological help. but idk, this replay on a 7 months old comments idk.. feels good... thanks mate
Mother has been my favorite series for so so long and I’ve carried its messages with me throughout my life. I’m turning 18 in a month or so and now is the perfect time to be reminded of that. This was an excellent video.
I keep making the mistake of watching your videos before going to bed, they’re always so thought provoking and well presented that it takes me ages to fall asleep afterwards because I can’t stop thinking about all the things you’ve said.
I finished Earthbound this year and turned 18 slightly after that. Earthbound really does make you feel like a child, everything you see is stuff that made you excited as a kid; Heroes, magic, aliens, dinosaurs, zombies, vehicles, pyramids and so much more. And then, I remember the moment after I finished with Giygas. I really felt like for the first time in my life, I've became an adult. Earthbound sends you to a trip of living as a kid, then facing you against the absolute opposite. When you come out of it, you really feel like you've growen up. That it's time to take your experiences and continue to the next part.
Another good video & more interesting analysis. Never played the game but your title raised my curiosity, & your points touched a nerve. I think I have some idea where your at & can relate.
gosh. Glad you could articulate why I like Earthbound the most. I was far more emotional with Earthbound than Mother 3 but I tried to explain the themes of growing up and facing oneself in Magicant and seeing 'I am Ness' but have trouble articulating it as well as you did here. Thank you.
I'm gonna turn 18 soon and I'm really scared. I'm hopefully going to be going to college soon and truly be on my own for the first time and I find that terrifying. That and the fact that I don't even know what I really want to do with my life. And while i'm still scared, this video put some things into perspective for me. Thank you for uploading this!
I was thinking that I was ready for adulthood. I went into my first year on Uni feeling like i can do it all. A year later, now, I only begin to see and understand the world I live in, and boy I made some bad decisions. Its only going to get worse before it gets better and thats because the biggest enemy I've encountered so far is me. I wish i could turn back time
I can't think of Earthbound as a kids game. Not because kids can't play or understand it, because they definitely can. But having played this as an adult had a particular impact on how I perceive the game. I would've loved to have played this as a kid back in the day, and much later on as an adult. I'm forever obsessed with this game, btw.
As someone who has played it as a kid, it was certainly an experience. Up until somewhat recently, I always thought it was just a whacky but fun story about good vs bad, but the deeper undertones really bloomed as I grew up and became more aware of what was going on in the outside world. I have played many games in the past but none have resonated with me as much as Earthbound and Mother 3. I can never really pick out a list of my favourite games as it changes all the time but there are 2 that have always remained on top. Earthbound and Mother 3. Absolute masterpieces. I will replay earthbound sometime in the future because it's just that good. As you can probably see, like you, I am also obsessed with the game and have been ever since I played it on the Wii U as a kid
@@ThunderboltUA-camThe only game that comes close to giving me the same level of comfort as Earthbound is Omori which is heavily inspired by the Mother series ( Particularly Mother 3) and is a great profound story about the themes of loss of friends and suicidal depression. Although many people cite Undertale as similar, I find it to be separate due to its multiple themes and routes that the game has to offer.
I got this game in 1995 when I was 13. A massive category 5 hurricane came through and rocked our town. It was my birthday and I didn't get to celebrate it due to the fact that my family and I were evacuating. We spent 2 days hundreds of miles away from our house, and slept in our van in a parking lot. When we got back home, the town was in bad shape. We didn't have power or running water for a month. After everything got back to normal, my parents went out and bought Earthbound for me. None of us knew anything about the game. They just saw a Snes game in a giant box, and thought that it might make up for missing my birthday. They were right. 25 years later I'm still a big fan of Earthbound. It kept that whole experience from becoming a total nightmare. And yes I still have it, in the box with the guide.
I'm looking forward to bingeing all your videos, so glad to have found your channel to open a new perspective for me on how to consume video games. Actually makes me think about what i'm playing rather than mindlessly playing.
I never thought "Ness" was "having the time of his life fighting these enemies". I always took it as a battle fate forced upon him... It was never much of a choice- it was a calling... A literal psychic call for help sent to him from parts unknown
(Late but) I'm curious; what's your take on how praying is used as a game mechanic? Because for me in early battles, praying was my downfall. It'd make everyone start crying, it'd do all sorts of hecking bad things, so it made me not want to use it ever. I couldn't figure out how to beat Giygas for a while until I looked it up because I was so tired of praying doing something that screwed me up lol. Maybe it's some sort of meta way to get you to lose faith when you pray and things don't go your way?
The first time I tried to beat Giygas my other party members died and I believe Paula was paralyzed and out of PP, so I just prayed. In hindsight that's probably the most dramatic way it could have gone, with the team on its last legs and nothing left to do but pray... And the ending had me in tears.
Yeah i know the feeling. I think what sets me back is "What dose it mean to be an adult?" i'm 20 years old and yet i still feel like i'm 16, I've got somewhat of a grasp of how to live in the world; but not know what it means to be an adult. I still like like childhood games like Spyro, Sonic, Jack and Daxter. But dose being an adult mean that i haft to stop liking such childish things? Do i haft to be an emotionless husk of what i once was to fit in with society? I'm currently at that stage. I think no matter what, it doesn't matter what people think of you; so long as you're happy. That's all the matters.
I'm exactly like that. I'm 35 and I still like those types of games, and I feel like I'm 16. I suspect I'll feel like that when I'm 70. Adulthood is a myth. Nobody knows how to be one. As they learn through experience, they get closer to learning what it means to be an adulthood. However, I suspect a lot of people I know are basically faking being adults. Anyway, something I've learnt is that being an adult isn't about what you do with your leisure time. It's about accepting responsibility for your actions, and putting the needs of others before your own. Calling someone childish because they have a different hobby to you is childish. So, if anyone tells you that computer games are just for kids, remember that they're less mature than you, so you can ignore their nonsense.
I just noticed, seeing this, that I wasn't scared at all by adulthood, I knew everything it will come with, responsibility, pressure, the pros and cons, all of that, and even I already experienced a lot of them as young as a 10 year old child... I just noticed, I was being an adult when I was supposed to be preparing to be it, and maybe that's why the world was so dark and frustrating, so full of eyes criticizing me for "being something I wasn't", cutting me off from having my own opinion or saying when talking to them, and even now, more tan a decade later, it's almost the same, with the only difference that now I'm capable of defending myself and my loved ones, with my mental and physical strength.
I remember first playing Earthbound from beginning to end around the age of 18 I believe, sometime within 2017 and 2018, around this point of my life my mother decided to leave everyone and I stuck with living with my father, and my sister already living with her boyfriend about these years. I grew up in a trailer house; I grew up ghetto and hillbillie-ish. By this time everything was changing so drastically, we where evicted under questionably legal circumstances, family from my father's side are the landlords of the trailer house lot; a daughter of that family member inherited the responsibilities and then decided to evict all of us simply because she didn't like us. It was incredibly stressful, although looking back at the message of this game it might've subconsciously helped out despite worrying about possibility being left out on the streets although we thankfully had some people from my mothers family, ironically, who gave us a place to stay. Now a-days we're in RV parks but at least we're fed, housed and such, without needing to live with someone else. I've lived a tough home life, although it was a fun experience the game was. With myself being autistic I of course experience the world differently and with all that's happened I'm surprised I didn't go through many shutdowns but surprisingly I didn't, an unexpected change like what I've went through is especially stressful because this disorder makes that stress threshold way, way lower when compared with neurotypicals. There's even neurological analysis that proven this. I think I might try to re-experience this game once again.
Thank you for making this video I just turned 15 and I am filled with dread for the future I don't know what to do but this video kind of opened my eyes so thanks
You are absolutely right about how like... really, we do have the tools to protect ourselves from crumbling beneath the world's evil. I'd use the term "coping mechanisms" to describe a lot of it; we carry the things we dream about and enjoy as children into adulthood, and we can look back on those feelings and those dreams and those things that we enjoyed to continue helping us survive and to give us motivation to keep going in spite of the evil in the world. A lot of people don't realize that the silly things you do as kids are practice for real skills later on, as well-- for example, kids who draw wobbly MSPaint fanart and post it on deviantart, or who do warrior cats fan animations and post them to youtube, are practicing very real crafts that not only can help them cope with the world, but can also help them change it and influence it through what they later create. A child who starts drawing Sonic the Hedgehog OCs can end up growing into an artist who creates art that educates or gives comfort to people-- even if it's only one person that their art reaches, that's one whole human life affected for the better. People who write fanfiction can and do go on to create pieces of fiction that give people a safe place to recover in at the end of the day, or catharsis, or maybe even write nonfiction that educates people. This is a MASSIVE reason I get so incredibly angry with the concept of "cringe culture," and when people make fun of these kids and teens online who create this artwork. These young people are honing very real skills and we should encourage them, not break them down-- and, that aside, the world is cruel enough already. Let kids and teenagers do things that make them happy, whether you enjoy those things yourself or not. There's no reason to force more evil into their lives when all they're trying to do is have fun. Allow yourself to engage in "cringy" things that make you happy, too-- design shitty sparkledogs, write a selfinsert fanfiction if you want to, wear bad cosplay and like dumb movies. If something makes you happy, don't deny yourself that happiness because cruel people think you shouldn't. Life is so short, and so temporary; every single piece of happiness, however small or goofy or "dumb," is incredibly important, no matter where it comes from.
Wow, that got long. The short version of my whole rant here is: be nice, encourage children and don't shut them down, and have fun doing whatever goofy shit you want to do, no matter how silly the world at large might tell you it is.
This game resonated with me on an emotional level that made me reflect on my own disillusionment around that age. It showed me how memory is the summation of experiences that help give us strength the older we become and the most important thing we cling on to on an individual level. It's what defines us and hopefully helps in holding onto the hope and quality of being the 'pure' person we once were as children: uninfluenced by the world and being authentic to ourselves, this tangible feeling of being unrestricted; something beyond nostalgia. Earthbound was hyped up for me for so long and I saw why people loved it so much. It really is one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in any medium.
Fantastic video! I had thought about these themes on their own but the way you skillfully put then together was amazing. Earthbound is truly a masterpiece
Wow, this video really gave me a whole new look at the game and taught me something about myself as well. Huge props to that. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Mother 3.
You know, Mother 3s Rhythm Battle system not working properly on emulators has kept me from replaying it since early High School, but I just rewatched this video, and read some of these comments... Maybe it's time I tackle that fantastic game... Thanks for the inspiration
@@Leadhead it depends on the emulator you use. On PC, 😅 you might not get the result you want. On PSP however (or I suppose PSVITA), the frame rate (or whatever the issue tends to be) is right on, the rhythm attack works exactly as it should.
Oh this video hits right to the point! First time l played EarthBound was in 2015, as a 12-year-old kid on an emulator because l saw Ness & Lucas on SSBB and thought EarthBound looked like a cool game to try. Played through it and oh man, even now as an 18-year-old "adult" l can't praise this game enough. It just has that something that no other game l've ever played has had. It is the only game in my life that has really ever made an impact on me in my personal life since it taught me about empathy and love for others while being strong and growing up. l had a really difficult time growing up and this game just gave me strenght and belief that things would always get better. Now, heading into my own adulthood it's all about staying positive, strong and kind for others. There will always be problems out there but all you can do is your own part. Thanks for this great video btw, excellent job :)
Truly a beautiful and touching video. Earthbound has been an important game in my life since I could remember. A lot of traumatic and scary things have happened, and this game helped me escape it all. It does a great job at keeping your attention and immersing you in a deep world that you can let other things go for a while. You explain why I love this game better than I ever could. I feel like this was a game made for adults with a child-friendly disguise.
Never imagined that a video about a game can have me reflecting on my life with feelings I'm yet to comprehend. Not sure if I'll sleep tonight but great analysis and channel nonetheless.
"All the play fighting we did as kid can be our Ace in The whole" Earthbound didn't make me realize this, but rather Adventure Time. Learning how to adapt that childlike sense of Adventure and exploration into adult life is what has helped me greatly.
Earthbound legit my favorite game of all time down to the music the story the trippy backgrounds just like you mentioned the overall vibe of it makes it so human but insanely unique and extraterrestrial. Thank you for making a video like this currently replaying this for the 3rd time on my switch I had taken a similar message when you said adults have to battle giygas everyday the evil force that you must beat with the power of your own light and memory . This game is deep asf yo
This was definitely an interesting take on the interpretation behind Earthbound, and for the most part I definitely agree with a lot of the concepts mentioned, such as the beginning showing a more innocent narrative that slowly becomes more warped as you progress. While I don't think it's as cut and dry as "This is all just pretend and a way to deal with the world's evils", it's easy to make the comparisons to play fighting considering the abstract silliness of a lot of the enemies, ranging from sunglasses wearing crows to overly aggressive people to straight up dinosaurs. Another concept I really enjoy thinking about for Earthbound is that it's a tale of a boy being thrust into a situation he was unprepared for. What starts as a child-like innocence towards the new goal slowly turns stressful. You learn that there are a lot of people who don't want you to succeed, even if your goal sounds genuine and good. For every friend you find that agrees and wants to help, you find an old friend who wants to get in your way now, or an enemy who is trying their hardest to stop you. There are times where it feels like you can't go any farther, and that the world is against you, like when you are thrown into a grave in Threed, only for a miracle to happen and you are saved by another friend who was also tasked with a similar, or even the same, goal against his will. Along the way, the boy who originally viewed his new goal with an innocent excitement now faces fear and stress of failure, and confusion on why so many people can do so many awful things to someone even if they've never interacted before. The boy learns that the world is harsh, and even those abstract and silly enemy encounters suddenly start to feel a lot more sinister or ugly. Despite the horrors of the real world, the boy and his friends confide in each other and keep going, knowing their goal is one worth pursuing, and are determined not to give up. They travel to different parts of the world, meet all kinds of people and make all kinds of experiences, good and bad. Finally they reach a point where they are close to the end, and something snaps in the boy. That sense of fear and stress and confusion bubbled into something nearly unbearable. Before continuing, the boy looks introspectively and wonders about himself and the world he lives in. He remembers his life and all the things that happened. He remembers that there were many good times and many bad times, but also remembers that a lot of the bad times were caused by misguided people. The world may be dark and harsh, but, for the most part, people try to be the best they can, and sometimes are unable to deal with the situations they are given and thus become those bad people we have to face. The boy gathers his courage and faces his Nightmare. The thought of failure, or becoming like them, of being a person unable to overcome the situation put on him and potentially becoming an obstacle for some other boy who is simply trying to do good. Despite the fear and stress, despite the desire to give up and go home and hide away from it all or take the easy route, the boy overcomes those feelings. Choosing to move forward and gaining the resolve to see things through to the end, he looks back to his friends, all of whom seem the same as before, yet he feels more powerful now. Despite their similar goals, those friends he connected with may not have gone through similar feelings of stress or maybe they just weren't able to deal with it in the same way he was. Either way, the group agrees to see the end through, and they go on to find their goal in sight. There is only one last obstacle but it's immense and overbearing. In fact, it almost seems like it's impossible to deal with. When it looks like those fears might finally come true, and that failure is almost assured, the boy and his friends remember that it's not just them fighting for this goal. Each of them have a multitude of allies, from family to friends to acquaintances they've met over the course of their journey, all willing to help them if need be. This final realization, that no matter how bad things get, no matter how dire the straits, there is always someone looking out for you, is enough to drive the boy and his friends forward one last time, overcoming the seemingly impossible and accomplishing their goal. They return home, goal completed, but most of the world in none the wiser. They are thanked by those who were involved, but not everyone affected knows or even cares about what they did. But that doesn't matter to the boy or his friends. All of them are proud of themselves and look towards the next part of their lives, no matter what it is. They can all always remember what they've done and the memories they've made along the way, even if they won't see each other again for a long time. The world goes on, seemingly unaffected yet changed for the better. Like your video states, Earthbound is a story of growth, but not quite in age, but purpose and feeling. What starts as a boy playfully moving towards this new goal, slowly warps into a trial of pain and suffering, gets mired in deep reflection and introspection and ends in the reward of a better place at the cost of an innocent mindset. Understanding the world is scary, and you won't always be able to reason with those who stand in your way, but for every terrible thing you find, there is good to be found as well. Friends or happy memories are the fuel that keeps us going, and leads us to our final destinations. It's only when we refuse to accept the pain and suffering, or when we are consumed by the fear and stress of it all, that we become like those we fought against. But if we work at it, get the help we need to overcome those fears, in whatever way it may be, then we can truly become the people who change the world for the better. That is what Earthbound has always been to me.
I appreciate your message with this video, but I TRULY don't agree with the part where we _stand in the face of the cruelty of the world_ when we're having fun as kids. (1:03) Sure, we're having fun _despite_ the bad things in life. Sometimes we're having fun to escape from it. But I find it hard to call it as "making a stand" against it.
Nah man your wrong, I think teens got to play this game. I will always remember this game as my teenage game. I have so much nostalgia for this game, and I don’t think I would have the same feeling if I played it later on in my life. Also great video!!
Man I knew earthbound had a dark meaning to it but I never knew it was this relatable holy crap. As a 15 year old becoming 16 in a few months, as I hear adulthood knocking on my door more than ever now I’m truly terrified. As well as excited to become and adult so I don’t know how to feel. Now typing this I realize my childhood is really starting to fade away since this is my last summer of being a kid really and right after I have to get a job when I turn 16 in august. As well as start driving. Which now creates the fear of one day facing the evil of this world alone. I see earthbound the perfect game for a teen anywhere from 13-18. If your currently 13 please I urge you to enjoy it and have the most fun you can. Believe me it’s only been two years and I have to start thinking about college now as well as plan for my future career. For the time being what’s the best thing I should do and prepare for adulthood?
I turn 18 in August, I've been broken mentally and spiritually without realizing it and graduate high school in a week. Turns out I unintentionally created a giygas of my own for my ap art class. It represents all that is evil. it was meant to represent my existentialism I've developed. Life felt like a cycle and a joke without the punchline. I lost my faith in God and couldn't find a reason to do anything, I lost myself. Though the last few months something inside woke up in me, I thought of what I was like before things went wrong or when I realized the truth of society. Talking to someone about it helped, but how my art pieces went from being controlled by this evil entity like a puppet on strings, to burning it down with the last glimmer of all that is good. Those morals and innocence gained in childhood. Today I look back and although it wasn't pretty, but it gave me a taste of reality. I'm ready to face whatever is next, when my magicant comes so it will decide what my path will be.
That makes sense why it’s called earthbound. It is saying that we are all stuck or “bound,” to earth and all of its horrible problems. Because of this we have to learn how to deal with all of the unfairness on earth. I’m 15 now and the world isn’t looking as nice as I thought it looked when I was 5
I just finished playing earthbound (SNES) on the switch, its a very interesting game. It sure did went dark later in the game lol Will be planning on playing mother 3 probably in a month or so
Back in September 2018, I was home on medical leave after surgery. So, I had some time to just unwind and play some games. One of them was Earthbound. I had the game on my virtual console on my Wii U that had 3 inches of dust on it. So, I fired it up and played it from beginning to end. As a child of the 90s, I loved all the references. And as someone who loves JRPGs, this is a must.
Boy, not even the vast majority of adults know how horrifically cruel the world really is. They just live in their own bubble they think is reality. Soon, everyone's gonna have an extremely rude awakening.
I played Earthbound a year ago and finished it earlier this year. It was honestly one of the most satisfying, touching, thought-provoking and fun games I've ever played Defs in my top 5 I love your analysis of it. Looking back on it, it is a really good coming-of-age game
The first time I played Earthbound was when I was in my early teens, probably 14. What stuck with me the most was in the beginning when you get the map (or something like that, not sure) the character tells you that "you won't have to return it before the year 2001", in which the year 2001 was 'the distant future'. 2001 Was the year I was born. It's funny how a game made so much before my time still applied to me so well. I'm 20 now and I still remember that insignificant throwaway line.
My god... this video man. I knew EarthBound was about growing up when I played it a few years ago but I never looked too deep into it. As an 18 year old currently transitioning into big important parts of adulthood this really touched me emotionally. Excellent video. This one's goin in my Important Videos playlist.
Was Ness supposed to be growing up throughout this game? This was such an obscure experience to have stumbled upon at a Blockbuster Video at twelve years of age. It changed the way I thought of games from there on. The first of its kind in my life. A modernized RPG, with a genuinely realistic take on the genre. This had been what I was looking for, and to this day what I hope to stumble upon still. Which! I have. There is a game for Android called Guardian Tales that has a very similar setting and even builds upon an almagamation of nearly every game I can recall playing in my childhood. You should check it out. We are about to kick off season 2!
this video is amazing, congratulations. It changed my perception on Earthbound, and i hope it has the same effect for a lot of people. This deserves WAY more views.
I've always hated when people call surreal JRPGs "Earthbound inspired," and I think you put into words exactly why. What's always made Earthbound amazing to me are all the themes of growing up, all the quirky bits being used to convey a message. That's why games like Lisa and Undertale gain the same following, and why other Earthbound-inspired games like Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass get left in the dust.
if you're having any device (smartphone or pc), that can launch perfectly snes emulator, and still haven't played earthbound - then you don't wanted play this game much. Even if this could be not so satisfying to play on phone (personally i like when you can feel the buttons), but in mother 2 you literally use 90% of the time only one button and dpad and imho - jrpgs are perfect to play on mobile devices. Like cmon bruh, pirating the game from 1994 will not harm studio that made this game at all, don't be this scared about it
8:54 Strange. I never really noticed this transition in myself. I feel like it either happened so smoothly I didn't notice or I wasn't there when it happened.
so weird seeing things I didn't notice before about mother 2 and 3 because I was younger. makes me love the earthbound series so much more and I feel good about the messages they're transmitting
In the same way that Mother 2 represents the feeling of growing into an adult, Mother 3 represents the feeling of being an adult.
Yehuda I watched this video in preparation for the Mother 3 video Leadhead released a couple of hours ago
@@kangrroo5596 yeah, it was really good video . Earthbound gets talked about so much that people tend to skip over Mother 1+3 in their discussion, I'm really glad that Leadhead didn't skip over Mother 3
@@yehuda8589 mother 3 is commonly seen as the best mother game wdym
@@mikumika3819 That's true. What I'm saying isn't that Mother 3 is underrated amongst fans of the series. What I'm saying is that Earthbound tends to get way more exposure among the general gaming community than Mothers 1+3.
@@yehuda8589 I mean, I do think mother one needs more love as it’s my second favorite mother game after earthbound
I hate to sound like one of those groggy “Kids these days” folk, but messages like the ones portrayed in Earthbound are ones I wish more people would be able to carry with them as they grow. Another great video
its most important message is "standing still for 3 minutes is good"
I'm a teen and gonna play it cus its sounds fun
@@yourmother6969AS A 23 year old playing thru run i bet ull enjoy it
No to growth
I'm someone who is in fear of adulthood, especially since I'm coming up on my senior year of high school and I don't feel prepared at all, and this video and especially its ending made me very emotional, even making me tear up. Thank you.
As I look back upon my life I can firmly say that my adulthood began when I became 15 years old. Becoming an adult isn't about independence like we all assume as children, it's about finally looking forward to and acting upon our life in the future. Like being mindful and excited for when one will hopefully start a family one day. There's nothing truly defining when one becomes an adult since you can see people in their 20s and 30s still acting like children 😂 You just have to finally be comfortable and confident with yourself aswell as accept yourself for who you are. And once you can day to day wake up and say: yup, this is my life and the only one who can live it is me; then you can finally be an adult :3❤
Trust me dude, you'll be fine.
Alot of people will tell you you'll be fine, and you will, but speaking from experience of someone who couldn't handle things and gave in; don't give in, don't retreat. It can be tempting to surrender and infantilize yourself, but keep pushing yourself to grow and stand taller. Always keep an open mind towards the lives of others, and where your own life may take you- do that and you'll have all the freedom you'll need. You've got alot of potential ahead of you, and the natural human strength to use it, everyone who came before you deep down believes in you, and wants you to succeed, so get out there, do it, and remember! Nothing is ever as bad as it can look
I didn’t think I was prepared at the beginning of my own senior year, but the truth is, it really wasn’t that different or challenging. Go in with your head held high, and you’ll be fine. I’m about to start college and it’s surreal.
@@notelijahking8038 🅱️ruh cyber college 😵
You know, I've played earthbound last summer, and for a new experience it sure gave me a lot of nostalgia. It didn't bring me back to my childhood, it brought my childhood good back to me. Suddenly my whole summer felt like the ones I had as a little kid. I wasn't missing it, I was experiencing it. I don't know how Itoi did it.
Same. Wonderfully worded. This gave me shivers, thanks.
Sorry for necroing, but I found the way you worded that this game "brought your childhood back to you" instead of the opposite really reassuring and hope inspiring. Why should I want to go back to being a kid when I could just do the things that made me happy as a kid now, as an adult? This comment really brightened my day, so thanks for that.
I didn’t get to play this when I was young either. Just finished my First playthrough last night and I’m 32 so I didn’t get that same nostalgia but I agree you said that beautifully,
Brought my childhood back to me
This video straight up gave me an existential crisis lol
It’s truly criminal how small your channel is but I’m sure it’s gonna get bigger with the quality of content you put out. I really enjoyed this and your MGS4 video and can’t wait to see what you do next.
Thanks! The channel hit a HUGE growth spurt these last couple days because of that mgs4 video. I was at 660 subs 2 days ago!
The earthbound video should of gave you that jump!!!!
Done so well my man
Cant wait for your next video
Best game deep insightful videos ever
Your going place champ!!!!
Now he has 153K subscribers, that's not a big surprise, his content is awesome
just aproaching 300k, time flies doesnt it?
I haven't played Earthbound yet but there's a moment in Mother 1 when you're in Magicant and you can recruit these bird men from a random home in the middle of nowhere to fight with you. I did this and one of them died, nbd. Well then when you leave Magicant and come back and begin wandering through it again, you randomly walk past that house to find a cross buried in the yard, memorializing the fallen bird man. That was a holy shit moment for me.
Earthbound = Mother. It is called Mother in Japan and Earthbound in the west
@@tellmachine earthbound is mother 2
@@tellmachine Mother in the US is Earthbound Origins. Mother 2 in the US is just Earthbound
@@tellmachine technically Earth Bound is mother 1 and Earthbound is mother 2
@Alex Kalinin technically they're correct, but only in the context that the unreleased English-translated beta version of what is now Earthbound Beginnings on the NES was called Earth Bound, with the space between the words. That doesn't make the comment look any less ridiculous, however...
Well, as someone who is nearing 18, this hits a little bit too close to home and I feel really compelled to try out earthbound now. Fantastic video.
its too realistic for me lol
You really should. It was probably one of the greatest games I've played
Also heres something u might wanna know: Once you use the phase distorter at the end of the game DO NOT save with it. If you save the game there you won't be able to go back unless you start a new game data. Well, technically you will for the final part of the game but you wont be able to fight anything. I recommend saving in the normal world before you go to fight Giygas.
It might be too late now but I reccomend not finishing the video untill you beat the game. Thats what I did.
Earthbound is impactful at any age, I think. I played at 10, but the experience is a positive impact at any time growing up
Craziest part is even Giygas wasn't always pure evil, just hurt by loss. Unlike Ness, he allows himself to give into hurt and evil and eventually becomes nothing but a mindless slave to that nature.
Masterpiece game.
The young ness' "oh you are busy" hit me like a truck, I changed from being a naive playful boy into a sour depressed man
I feel that
This kinda reminds me of how i felt realising that im getting bullied after months of thinking those people were my friends, kinda sucks to be way more cinical than before that wake up call out of true childhood but it was long due i guess. Everyone has to grow up sometime
We share the sentiment. Just keep all your childhood goodness close to you.
I hope you find good friends soon. The ones that you can talk for hours to without feeling bored or awkward and the ones you can tell good and bad news to and you know they will listen.
Honestly this is a game everyone should play. Show Earthbound to anyone, who has already reached adulthood, is coming up on it, or at the age they are starting to see the ugly side of the world. Whether they be 11, 14, 20, this game is an incredibly unique experience that can give us a good lesson. But, after all, I'm not mature, or that old. So what do I know?
All the people i showed the game to most said that it looks bad, it's too old for them, or even some dared to say it was an undertale rip-off
@@null418 Lmao on the last one. Knowing the history of these games let you appreciate them more. But they probably just have the wrong mindset
@@randomguyontheinternet7940 the undertale one was some kid that only plays fortnite and played undertale so..
@Hinawa Mother of Claus and Lucas still it's better that having the undertale kids moving to mother because they'll ruin the good fandom probably
@@null418 Wonder if Toby Fox would hate the fact kids say that
I played Earthbound at 16 years old (7 years ago), I used to be more light-hearted, empathetic, and happy... On those 7 years a lot happened I realized how toxic my relationship with my ex was, got frustrates with the engineering career I was studying and end up dropping, became more cinic, bitter, sarcastic, aphatic, and going to a constant struggle on "finding meaning in life"... Going back to Earthbound brings me back to simple times... Shite, this was painful to write...
Don't give up, skeleton.
Keep living and learning, friend. We're all out here, rolling with the punches, dodging what we can avoid and bracing for what we can't.
I feel the urge to say that everything you wrote is so relatable to me. I remember playing Earthbound around 2013 on highschool and it got me to know some good friends who where interested in the franchise too. Then I played Mother 1 and 3 on the same year and had some quality friend moments out of that. At that age I liked to post a lot of dumb things on social media, try to talk to new people, get in touch with older childhood friends, even go to the gym despite me not being the biggest guy into fitness stuff...
Everything started to change when I hit college and (ironically enough) I also went to engineering school because most of my friends were going there, but it suddenly became a nightmare with almost all the subjects being hard, and thus uninteresting to me. Aside from my high school friends, I couldn't talk to many new friends and ended up dropping it and taking a whole semester off from school. Now I'm close to getting a degree on another career and luckily managed to make more friends but I can see how much I changed during this 7 year time gap and I feel its evident that I became quite apathetic and usually easy to irritate compared to my younger self...
Don't give up, skeleton.
@@jimijenkins2548 you know.... thanks... I was about to kill myself a couple days ago. I didn't work and im about to look for psycological help. but idk, this replay on a 7 months old comments idk.. feels good... thanks mate
Mother has been my favorite series for so so long and I’ve carried its messages with me throughout my life. I’m turning 18 in a month or so and now is the perfect time to be reminded of that. This was an excellent video.
I know this is really really late but happy birthday:D
I keep making the mistake of watching your videos before going to bed, they’re always so thought provoking and well presented that it takes me ages to fall asleep afterwards because I can’t stop thinking about all the things you’ve said.
I finished Earthbound this year and turned 18 slightly after that. Earthbound really does make you feel like a child, everything you see is stuff that made you excited as a kid; Heroes, magic, aliens, dinosaurs, zombies, vehicles, pyramids and so much more. And then, I remember the moment after I finished with Giygas. I really felt like for the first time in my life, I've became an adult. Earthbound sends you to a trip of living as a kid, then facing you against the absolute opposite. When you come out of it, you really feel like you've growen up. That it's time to take your experiences and continue to the next part.
Another good video & more interesting analysis. Never played the game but your title raised my curiosity, & your points touched a nerve. I think I have some idea where your at & can relate.
gosh. Glad you could articulate why I like Earthbound the most. I was far more emotional with Earthbound than Mother 3 but I tried to explain the themes of growing up and facing oneself in Magicant and seeing 'I am Ness' but have trouble articulating it as well as you did here.
Thank you.
You bring up a lot of great points. This game is deeper than what is on the surface for sure. I'm looking forward to replaying it this year.
you're gonna make me cry dude, i don't know how this didn't occur to me before. its so obvious! fantastic essay!
I'm gonna turn 18 soon and I'm really scared. I'm hopefully going to be going to college soon and truly be on my own for the first time and I find that terrifying. That and the fact that I don't even know what I really want to do with my life. And while i'm still scared, this video put some things into perspective for me. Thank you for uploading this!
when you turn 38 you will feel the same
Good luck bro, don't be scared bro, be friendly and kind.
I was thinking that I was ready for adulthood. I went into my first year on Uni feeling like i can do it all. A year later, now, I only begin to see and understand the world I live in, and boy I made some bad decisions. Its only going to get worse before it gets better and thats because the biggest enemy I've encountered so far is me. I wish i could turn back time
THE ALMIGHTY FISHCRAB DECREES THAT YOU SHALL BE SUCCESSFUL AND THRIVE IN LIFE.
I’m 36, still have no goals in life, still terrified of the world and the people around. 🤜 🤛 welcome aboard
This is too underrated. People need to see this
Yep.
I can't think of Earthbound as a kids game. Not because kids can't play or understand it, because they definitely can. But having played this as an adult had a particular impact on how I perceive the game. I would've loved to have played this as a kid back in the day, and much later on as an adult. I'm forever obsessed with this game, btw.
As someone who has played it as a kid, it was certainly an experience. Up until somewhat recently, I always thought it was just a whacky but fun story about good vs bad, but the deeper undertones really bloomed as I grew up and became more aware of what was going on in the outside world. I have played many games in the past but none have resonated with me as much as Earthbound and Mother 3. I can never really pick out a list of my favourite games as it changes all the time but there are 2 that have always remained on top. Earthbound and Mother 3. Absolute masterpieces. I will replay earthbound sometime in the future because it's just that good. As you can probably see, like you, I am also obsessed with the game and have been ever since I played it on the Wii U as a kid
@@ThunderboltUA-camThe only game that comes close to giving me the same level of comfort as Earthbound is Omori which is heavily inspired by the Mother series ( Particularly Mother 3) and is a great profound story about the themes of loss of friends and suicidal depression. Although many people cite Undertale as similar, I find it to be separate due to its multiple themes and routes that the game has to offer.
What a wonderful video with a wonderful message. Thanks man
I was thinking about that in past 3 weeks after I got my id. This video actually make me cry. Thank you!
I got this game in 1995 when I was 13. A massive category 5 hurricane came through and rocked our town. It was my birthday and I didn't get to celebrate it due to the fact that my family and I were evacuating. We spent 2 days hundreds of miles away from our house, and slept in our van in a parking lot. When we got back home, the town was in bad shape. We didn't have power or running water for a month. After everything got back to normal, my parents went out and bought Earthbound for me. None of us knew anything about the game. They just saw a Snes game in a giant box, and thought that it might make up for missing my birthday. They were right. 25 years later I'm still a big fan of Earthbound. It kept that whole experience from becoming a total nightmare.
And yes I still have it, in the box with the guide.
Do the scratch and sniff stickers still have a scent? I'd be willing to pay 50$ to meet up somewhere just to smell the stickers
I'm looking forward to bingeing all your videos, so glad to have found your channel to open a new perspective for me on how to consume video games. Actually makes me think about what i'm playing rather than mindlessly playing.
I never thought "Ness" was "having the time of his life fighting these enemies". I always took it as a battle fate forced upon him... It was never much of a choice- it was a calling... A literal psychic call for help sent to him from parts unknown
(Late but) I'm curious; what's your take on how praying is used as a game mechanic? Because for me in early battles, praying was my downfall. It'd make everyone start crying, it'd do all sorts of hecking bad things, so it made me not want to use it ever. I couldn't figure out how to beat Giygas for a while until I looked it up because I was so tired of praying doing something that screwed me up lol.
Maybe it's some sort of meta way to get you to lose faith when you pray and things don't go your way?
The first time I tried to beat Giygas my other party members died and I believe Paula was paralyzed and out of PP, so I just prayed. In hindsight that's probably the most dramatic way it could have gone, with the team on its last legs and nothing left to do but pray... And the ending had me in tears.
Im glad that your videos pop up in my recommendations
Yeah i know the feeling. I think what sets me back is "What dose it mean to be an adult?"
i'm 20 years old and yet i still feel like i'm 16, I've got somewhat of a grasp of how to live in the world; but not know what it means to be an adult.
I still like like childhood games like Spyro, Sonic, Jack and Daxter. But dose being an adult mean that i haft to stop liking such childish things? Do i haft to be an emotionless husk of what i once was to fit in with society?
I'm currently at that stage. I think no matter what, it doesn't matter what people think of you; so long as you're happy.
That's all the matters.
I'm exactly like that. I'm 35 and I still like those types of games, and I feel like I'm 16. I suspect I'll feel like that when I'm 70. Adulthood is a myth. Nobody knows how to be one. As they learn through experience, they get closer to learning what it means to be an adulthood. However, I suspect a lot of people I know are basically faking being adults.
Anyway, something I've learnt is that being an adult isn't about what you do with your leisure time. It's about accepting responsibility for your actions, and putting the needs of others before your own. Calling someone childish because they have a different hobby to you is childish. So, if anyone tells you that computer games are just for kids, remember that they're less mature than you, so you can ignore their nonsense.
@@AdamKyles 100% agree on that!
I got a good video from you recommended and thought it was one-off. Then I got recommended 3 great vids in a row and u got me. Subscribed :D
I just noticed, seeing this, that I wasn't scared at all by adulthood, I knew everything it will come with, responsibility, pressure, the pros and cons, all of that, and even I already experienced a lot of them as young as a 10 year old child...
I just noticed, I was being an adult when I was supposed to be preparing to be it, and maybe that's why the world was so dark and frustrating, so full of eyes criticizing me for "being something I wasn't", cutting me off from having my own opinion or saying when talking to them, and even now, more tan a decade later, it's almost the same, with the only difference that now I'm capable of defending myself and my loved ones, with my mental and physical strength.
It's deffinetly scary not knowing what'll happen in the next few years. Anything could happen and I don't know how prepared I am
Mother 1: The experience of being a child
Mother 2: The experience of growing into an adult
Mother 3: The experience of being an adult
I remember first playing Earthbound from beginning to end around the age of 18 I believe, sometime within 2017 and 2018, around this point of my life my mother decided to leave everyone and I stuck with living with my father, and my sister already living with her boyfriend about these years. I grew up in a trailer house; I grew up ghetto and hillbillie-ish.
By this time everything was changing so drastically, we where evicted under questionably legal circumstances, family from my father's side are the landlords of the trailer house lot; a daughter of that family member inherited the responsibilities and then decided to evict all of us simply because she didn't like us.
It was incredibly stressful, although looking back at the message of this game it might've subconsciously helped out despite worrying about possibility being left out on the streets although we thankfully had some people from my mothers family, ironically, who gave us a place to stay. Now a-days we're in RV parks but at least we're fed, housed and such, without needing to live with someone else.
I've lived a tough home life, although it was a fun experience the game was. With myself being autistic I of course experience the world differently and with all that's happened I'm surprised I didn't go through many shutdowns but surprisingly I didn't, an unexpected change like what I've went through is especially stressful because this disorder makes that stress threshold way, way lower when compared with neurotypicals.
There's even neurological analysis that proven this.
I think I might try to re-experience this game once again.
Sometimes i turn on Earthbound, and clean my room up real good. Excellent video, just what i was looking for.
Why does this sound like an earthbound quote
Thank you for making this video I just turned 15 and I am filled with dread for the future I don't know what to do but this video kind of opened my eyes so thanks
Thanks for this it really hit home.
It was the reason king didnt want to PLAY anymore....
Great video my man!!!!!
You are absolutely right about how like... really, we do have the tools to protect ourselves from crumbling beneath the world's evil. I'd use the term "coping mechanisms" to describe a lot of it; we carry the things we dream about and enjoy as children into adulthood, and we can look back on those feelings and those dreams and those things that we enjoyed to continue helping us survive and to give us motivation to keep going in spite of the evil in the world. A lot of people don't realize that the silly things you do as kids are practice for real skills later on, as well-- for example, kids who draw wobbly MSPaint fanart and post it on deviantart, or who do warrior cats fan animations and post them to youtube, are practicing very real crafts that not only can help them cope with the world, but can also help them change it and influence it through what they later create. A child who starts drawing Sonic the Hedgehog OCs can end up growing into an artist who creates art that educates or gives comfort to people-- even if it's only one person that their art reaches, that's one whole human life affected for the better. People who write fanfiction can and do go on to create pieces of fiction that give people a safe place to recover in at the end of the day, or catharsis, or maybe even write nonfiction that educates people.
This is a MASSIVE reason I get so incredibly angry with the concept of "cringe culture," and when people make fun of these kids and teens online who create this artwork. These young people are honing very real skills and we should encourage them, not break them down-- and, that aside, the world is cruel enough already. Let kids and teenagers do things that make them happy, whether you enjoy those things yourself or not. There's no reason to force more evil into their lives when all they're trying to do is have fun. Allow yourself to engage in "cringy" things that make you happy, too-- design shitty sparkledogs, write a selfinsert fanfiction if you want to, wear bad cosplay and like dumb movies. If something makes you happy, don't deny yourself that happiness because cruel people think you shouldn't. Life is so short, and so temporary; every single piece of happiness, however small or goofy or "dumb," is incredibly important, no matter where it comes from.
Wow, that got long. The short version of my whole rant here is: be nice, encourage children and don't shut them down, and have fun doing whatever goofy shit you want to do, no matter how silly the world at large might tell you it is.
@@vodkasvoice well said
I'm 15 and doing my first playthrough of this game rn, really excited for more
This game resonated with me on an emotional level that made me reflect on my own disillusionment around that age. It showed me how memory is the summation of experiences that help give us strength the older we become and the most important thing we cling on to on an individual level. It's what defines us and hopefully helps in holding onto the hope and quality of being the 'pure' person we once were as children: uninfluenced by the world and being authentic to ourselves, this tangible feeling of being unrestricted; something beyond nostalgia. Earthbound was hyped up for me for so long and I saw why people loved it so much. It really is one of the greatest experiences I've ever had in any medium.
If we retain childlikeness it's still a great victory.
9:55 bro didnt want to say CAPITALISM 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
😂😂😂
Fantastic video! I had thought about these themes on their own but the way you skillfully put then together was amazing. Earthbound is truly a masterpiece
Wow, this video really gave me a whole new look at the game and taught me something about myself as well. Huge props to that. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Mother 3.
You know, Mother 3s Rhythm Battle system not working properly on emulators has kept me from replaying it since early High School, but I just rewatched this video, and read some of these comments... Maybe it's time I tackle that fantastic game... Thanks for the inspiration
@@Leadhead it depends on the emulator you use. On PC, 😅 you might not get the result you want. On PSP however (or I suppose PSVITA), the frame rate (or whatever the issue tends to be) is right on, the rhythm attack works exactly as it should.
Oh this video hits right to the point!
First time l played EarthBound was in 2015, as a 12-year-old kid on an emulator because l saw Ness & Lucas on SSBB and thought EarthBound looked like a cool game to try. Played through it and oh man, even now as an 18-year-old "adult" l can't praise this game enough. It just has that something that no other game l've ever played has had. It is the only game in my life that has really ever made an impact on me in my personal life since it taught me about empathy and love for others while being strong and growing up. l had a really difficult time growing up and this game just gave me strenght and belief that things would always get better. Now, heading into my own adulthood it's all about staying positive, strong and kind for others. There will always be problems out there but all you can do is your own part.
Thanks for this great video btw, excellent job :)
thanks for the assuring life advice, I am happier now, and even though I don't know anything about you, you have helped me on my way
Truly a beautiful and touching video. Earthbound has been an important game in my life since I could remember. A lot of traumatic and scary things have happened, and this game helped me escape it all. It does a great job at keeping your attention and immersing you in a deep world that you can let other things go for a while. You explain why I love this game better than I ever could. I feel like this was a game made for adults with a child-friendly disguise.
this video nearly brought me to tears, glad I found this game when I did
Having never played this, but who has several friends who are very much so fans of it, this was an awesome synopsis. Thank you.
Never imagined that a video about a game can have me reflecting on my life with feelings I'm yet to comprehend. Not sure if I'll sleep tonight but great analysis and channel nonetheless.
"All the play fighting we did as kid can be our Ace in The whole" Earthbound didn't make me realize this, but rather Adventure Time. Learning how to adapt that childlike sense of Adventure and exploration into adult life is what has helped me greatly.
100% Christ said unless we become like little children we will never enter the kingdom of God
Earthbound legit my favorite game of all time down to the music the story the trippy backgrounds just like you mentioned the overall vibe of it makes it so human but insanely unique and extraterrestrial.
Thank you for making a video like this
currently replaying this for the 3rd time on my switch
I had taken a similar message when you said adults have to battle giygas everyday the evil force that you must beat with the power of your own light and memory . This game is deep asf yo
This was definitely an interesting take on the interpretation behind Earthbound, and for the most part I definitely agree with a lot of the concepts mentioned, such as the beginning showing a more innocent narrative that slowly becomes more warped as you progress. While I don't think it's as cut and dry as "This is all just pretend and a way to deal with the world's evils", it's easy to make the comparisons to play fighting considering the abstract silliness of a lot of the enemies, ranging from sunglasses wearing crows to overly aggressive people to straight up dinosaurs.
Another concept I really enjoy thinking about for Earthbound is that it's a tale of a boy being thrust into a situation he was unprepared for. What starts as a child-like innocence towards the new goal slowly turns stressful. You learn that there are a lot of people who don't want you to succeed, even if your goal sounds genuine and good. For every friend you find that agrees and wants to help, you find an old friend who wants to get in your way now, or an enemy who is trying their hardest to stop you. There are times where it feels like you can't go any farther, and that the world is against you, like when you are thrown into a grave in Threed, only for a miracle to happen and you are saved by another friend who was also tasked with a similar, or even the same, goal against his will.
Along the way, the boy who originally viewed his new goal with an innocent excitement now faces fear and stress of failure, and confusion on why so many people can do so many awful things to someone even if they've never interacted before. The boy learns that the world is harsh, and even those abstract and silly enemy encounters suddenly start to feel a lot more sinister or ugly. Despite the horrors of the real world, the boy and his friends confide in each other and keep going, knowing their goal is one worth pursuing, and are determined not to give up. They travel to different parts of the world, meet all kinds of people and make all kinds of experiences, good and bad. Finally they reach a point where they are close to the end, and something snaps in the boy. That sense of fear and stress and confusion bubbled into something nearly unbearable. Before continuing, the boy looks introspectively and wonders about himself and the world he lives in. He remembers his life and all the things that happened.
He remembers that there were many good times and many bad times, but also remembers that a lot of the bad times were caused by misguided people. The world may be dark and harsh, but, for the most part, people try to be the best they can, and sometimes are unable to deal with the situations they are given and thus become those bad people we have to face. The boy gathers his courage and faces his Nightmare. The thought of failure, or becoming like them, of being a person unable to overcome the situation put on him and potentially becoming an obstacle for some other boy who is simply trying to do good. Despite the fear and stress, despite the desire to give up and go home and hide away from it all or take the easy route, the boy overcomes those feelings. Choosing to move forward and gaining the resolve to see things through to the end, he looks back to his friends, all of whom seem the same as before, yet he feels more powerful now. Despite their similar goals, those friends he connected with may not have gone through similar feelings of stress or maybe they just weren't able to deal with it in the same way he was.
Either way, the group agrees to see the end through, and they go on to find their goal in sight. There is only one last obstacle but it's immense and overbearing. In fact, it almost seems like it's impossible to deal with. When it looks like those fears might finally come true, and that failure is almost assured, the boy and his friends remember that it's not just them fighting for this goal. Each of them have a multitude of allies, from family to friends to acquaintances they've met over the course of their journey, all willing to help them if need be. This final realization, that no matter how bad things get, no matter how dire the straits, there is always someone looking out for you, is enough to drive the boy and his friends forward one last time, overcoming the seemingly impossible and accomplishing their goal.
They return home, goal completed, but most of the world in none the wiser. They are thanked by those who were involved, but not everyone affected knows or even cares about what they did. But that doesn't matter to the boy or his friends. All of them are proud of themselves and look towards the next part of their lives, no matter what it is. They can all always remember what they've done and the memories they've made along the way, even if they won't see each other again for a long time. The world goes on, seemingly unaffected yet changed for the better.
Like your video states, Earthbound is a story of growth, but not quite in age, but purpose and feeling. What starts as a boy playfully moving towards this new goal, slowly warps into a trial of pain and suffering, gets mired in deep reflection and introspection and ends in the reward of a better place at the cost of an innocent mindset. Understanding the world is scary, and you won't always be able to reason with those who stand in your way, but for every terrible thing you find, there is good to be found as well. Friends or happy memories are the fuel that keeps us going, and leads us to our final destinations. It's only when we refuse to accept the pain and suffering, or when we are consumed by the fear and stress of it all, that we become like those we fought against. But if we work at it, get the help we need to overcome those fears, in whatever way it may be, then we can truly become the people who change the world for the better.
That is what Earthbound has always been to me.
This was one of the best games I have ever played. I really needed this video today. Thank you.
Thank you very much for the reassurance. Moving into adulthood is daunting, but I think I just need to understand what I'm facing more.
I appreciate your message with this video, but I TRULY don't agree with the part where we _stand in the face of the cruelty of the world_ when we're having fun as kids. (1:03)
Sure, we're having fun _despite_ the bad things in life. Sometimes we're having fun to escape from it.
But I find it hard to call it as "making a stand" against it.
Damn this is truthful and sad in a way that I can enjoy and have hope that I can survive when I have fear, thank you
Nah man your wrong, I think teens got to play this game. I will always remember this game as my teenage game. I have so much nostalgia for this game, and I don’t think I would have the same feeling if I played it later on in my life. Also great video!!
Watching a Leadhead video leaves you more eloquent and introspective than before.
I only found your channel now and I love it! Thanks for the video
Awesome video guy
I am nowhere near becoming an adult, but I am still scared for what happens. But this video gives me hope. Some might say "Courage"
Man I knew earthbound had a dark meaning to it but I never knew it was this relatable holy crap. As a 15 year old becoming 16 in a few months, as I hear adulthood knocking on my door more than ever now I’m truly terrified. As well as excited to become and adult so I don’t know how to feel. Now typing this I realize my childhood is really starting to fade away since this is my last summer of being a kid really and right after I have to get a job when I turn 16 in august. As well as start driving. Which now creates the fear of one day facing the evil of this world alone. I see earthbound the perfect game for a teen anywhere from 13-18. If your currently 13 please I urge you to enjoy it and have the most fun you can. Believe me it’s only been two years and I have to start thinking about college now as well as plan for my future career. For the time being what’s the best thing I should do and prepare for adulthood?
I turn 18 in August, I've been broken mentally and spiritually without realizing it and graduate high school in a week. Turns out I unintentionally created a giygas of my own for my ap art class. It represents all that is evil. it was meant to represent my existentialism I've developed. Life felt like a cycle and a joke without the punchline. I lost my faith in God and couldn't find a reason to do anything, I lost myself. Though the last few months something inside woke up in me, I thought of what I was like before things went wrong or when I realized the truth of society. Talking to someone about it helped, but how my art pieces went from being controlled by this evil entity like a puppet on strings, to burning it down with the last glimmer of all that is good. Those morals and innocence gained in childhood. Today I look back and although it wasn't pretty, but it gave me a taste of reality. I'm ready to face whatever is next, when my magicant comes so it will decide what my path will be.
That makes sense why it’s called earthbound. It is saying that we are all stuck or “bound,” to earth and all of its horrible problems. Because of this we have to learn how to deal with all of the unfairness on earth. I’m 15 now and the world isn’t looking as nice as I thought it looked when I was 5
Great video!!!!
Keep up the great work my man!!!!
I just finished playing earthbound (SNES) on the switch, its a very interesting game. It sure did went dark later in the game lol Will be planning on playing mother 3 probably in a month or so
Came back here after Desert Bus (1)
I now know what this transitory time exactly was
That fucking crow... That +6 is valuable early on
I know this is old, but an epilepsy warning would be nice especially for the end, great video!
This was beautifully done. Thank you for making this.
Back in September 2018, I was home on medical leave after surgery. So, I had some time to just unwind and play some games. One of them was Earthbound. I had the game on my virtual console on my Wii U that had 3 inches of dust on it. So, I fired it up and played it from beginning to end. As a child of the 90s, I loved all the references. And as someone who loves JRPGs, this is a must.
Boy, not even the vast majority of adults know how horrifically cruel the world really is. They just live in their own bubble they think is reality. Soon, everyone's gonna have an extremely rude awakening.
Thanks for this video. I adore earthbound and I'm about to turn 18 myself.
I just love how frickin well that was said. It was just.. the world changes people. And people change the world.
I played Earthbound a year ago and finished it earlier this year. It was honestly one of the most satisfying, touching, thought-provoking and fun games I've ever played
Defs in my top 5
I love your analysis of it. Looking back on it, it is a really good coming-of-age game
The first time I played Earthbound was when I was in my early teens, probably 14. What stuck with me the most was in the beginning when you get the map (or something like that, not sure) the character tells you that "you won't have to return it before the year 2001", in which the year 2001 was 'the distant future'. 2001 Was the year I was born. It's funny how a game made so much before my time still applied to me so well. I'm 20 now and I still remember that insignificant throwaway line.
"Albeit a couple years too late." Don't ever tell yourself that. You're moving in the right direction and that's all that matters. You got this.
Great rundown on my all-time favourite game. Thank you! Also Magicant is so cool. I could spend hours there
that last quote is everything and i'm so grateful i heard it.
This video is both existential yet inspiring.
My god... this video man. I knew EarthBound was about growing up when I played it a few years ago but I never looked too deep into it. As an 18 year old currently transitioning into big important parts of adulthood this really touched me emotionally. Excellent video. This one's goin in my Important Videos playlist.
Was Ness supposed to be growing up throughout this game? This was such an obscure experience to have stumbled upon at a Blockbuster Video at twelve years of age. It changed the way I thought of games from there on. The first of its kind in my life. A modernized RPG, with a genuinely realistic take on the genre. This had been what I was looking for, and to this day what I hope to stumble upon still. Which! I have. There is a game for Android called Guardian Tales that has a very similar setting and even builds upon an almagamation of nearly every game I can recall playing in my childhood. You should check it out. We are about to kick off season 2!
Playing persona 5 right at 18 gave me a great growing up experience aswell
Great video buddy. Good luck in life.
8:48 you're 18 and you're at the store one day, and someone calls you "sir"
WHAT THE FUCK, HOW'D THAT HAPPEN? SHIT YOU MEAN I HAVE TO ADULT NOW?!
this video is amazing, congratulations. It changed my perception on Earthbound, and i hope it has the same effect for a lot of people. This deserves WAY more views.
Fuck man your videos always get me in tears, guess that's the power of having experienced and loved these games from and early age
I've always hated when people call surreal JRPGs "Earthbound inspired," and I think you put into words exactly why. What's always made Earthbound amazing to me are all the themes of growing up, all the quirky bits being used to convey a message.
That's why games like Lisa and Undertale gain the same following, and why other Earthbound-inspired games like Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass get left in the dust.
Never even hear of Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass.
This video is so underrated. Finally someone using Earthbound as a medium to explain a more mature and down to earth themes
As a 19 year old I appreciate this video and this game now. Terrific work dude🙏👍.
The way you disected the enemies and why later enemies were just monsters was a completely new take to me. I loved it!
youre videos deserve more views
I've always wanted play Earthbound but lack the consoles to play it without pirating it. Oh well.
I promise you noone is making money off of this game anymore. Please just download zsnes and a ROM and play the game.
still on the eshop for new 3ds and on snes classic
Snes classic is for you. But still people pirate snes games by adding games to snes classic lol.
Guess I'll need to get one.
if you're having any device (smartphone or pc), that can launch perfectly snes emulator, and still haven't played earthbound - then you don't wanted play this game much. Even if this could be not so satisfying to play on phone (personally i like when you can feel the buttons), but in mother 2 you literally use 90% of the time only one button and dpad and imho - jrpgs are perfect to play on mobile devices. Like cmon bruh, pirating the game from 1994 will not harm studio that made this game at all, don't be this scared about it
8:54 Strange. I never really noticed this transition in myself. I feel like it either happened so smoothly I didn't notice or I wasn't there when it happened.
Why does this only have 7k views?
I'm so eagered for Mother 3.
so weird seeing things I didn't notice before about mother 2 and 3 because I was younger. makes me love the earthbound series so much more and I feel good about the messages they're transmitting
8:23 I thought they were smiling at first too, but no, they never smile. The only time Ness smiles is when he uses the bike or takes a picture.
as someone who will be an adult in 2 days, thank you for this video. it helped me out a bit