"When 'The Three Stooges' and Starmen Collide..."

What do you get when you take a simple RPG, throw it in a blender, and add shovelful after shovelful of cartoon wackiness? You get an outright unique game complete with over-the-top humor and zany gameplay that's difficult to ignore. This game, of course, would be none other than EarthBound, the hit sequel to the Japanese Famicom game Mother. If you've heard of this title before, then most likely you're aware of how it could be considered blasphemy to similar games by possessing more of a cutesy feel combined with hilarious situations. Though the overwhelming comedy displayed by each individual in the game might shroud the more serious underlying story, it does accomplish its intention: to make up a game that not only plays like a classic RPG, but one that actually makes fun of the genre. Parody games a lot of times fall flat by deviating too far away from the basic formula, but luckily EarthBound does not. With an ample amount of innovative qualities, the game becomes a refreshing alternative to the more ''dark'' role-playing games.

Storywise, the game starts out just as simple as any RPG could: you are Ness, a young boy and very unlikely hero who's destined to save the world. After being awakened one night by the sound of a meteorite crashing down in his hometown of Onett, curious little Ness decides to investigate. What he doesn't know is that everything is not what it seems. In a short time, it's revealed to him by a mysterious bee that destructive alien invaders, lead by Giygas, are spreading an evil influence around the earth. In addition, Ness realizes that he has special psychic powers (known as ''PSI'') and the fate of Eagleland as well as the entire universe is in his hands. As Ness, you must team up with Paula, Jeff and Poo in order to fulfill a prophecy by ridding the earth of its enemies before it's too late. Along the way, you'll encounter talking monkeys, a voice of inexplicable origin making references to the ''person holding the controller,'' terrifying New Age Retro Hippies, and many more comical entities as you make your way to mystical Sanctuaries and through menacing bosses. Hey, you even get to bring down a wacky cultlike religion while you're at it, and above all, don't forget to say ''fuzzy pickles!''

Like most standard RPG's, your characters will be thrown into turn-based style battles frequently and must make use of both the physical and magical (psychic) attacks they have at their disposal. However, you do not enter battles randomly; any enemy you fight will visibly be going about its daily business while waiting to ambush you, and if you both come into contact a battle will ensue. Probably one of the most ingenious features in EarthBound is what's known as the Rolling Hit Point meter. When you take damage, your HP meter decreases gradually rather than dropping to a low or critical level all at once, allowing your party members to sneak in a last second attack or heal quickly to avoid losing consciousness. Another unique addition is the way in which weaker enemies act towards you once you reach higher levels. Contrary to other titles in the genre where being forced to enter a tedious battle against monsters whom you clearly overpower is the norm, such opponents here are actually granted the gift of common sense and use it wisely as they run in fear from you. If by chance you do confront a much weaker opponent, you'll most likely be greeted by an automatic ''you won'' screen along with a free boost in experience points rather than entering an actual fight.

The areas you travel to in EarthBound are not your typical RPG worlds, but instead appear much like everyday towns and cities (for the most part) complete with bus routes and your own personal ATM's. References to real world paranormalities are made everywhere you look, including flying saucer landings at Stonehenge and the discovery of the elusive water dwelling Tessie (Nessie's video game counterpart). To fit in with this unique and somewhat clever atmosphere, most of the evil minions you face are not demon spawn or mutated haunted house rejects, but insane woodland creatures, regurgitated masses and inanimate objects. Along with some of their crazier moves, these hostile attackers can make you suffer some peculiar status ailments such as a common cold and ''diamondize,'' a kooky illness that prevents any movement or attacks from your affected party member(s) and literally turns them into a diamond! In this less than true-to-life world, there is no room for excessively large medieval-style swords or spears regularly seen in similar games. Instead, your characters' weapons of choice are baseball bats, slingshots and yo-yos. It may seem unnatural that any and all battling is done with the aid of schoolyard playground equipment, but then again very little in EarthBound can be called ''natural.''

Though there is a considerable amount of freedom to roam around and explore numerous towns, the lack of sidequests causes the game to feel all too linear. If a random citizen runs up to you and asks for a special item, fear not, you won't even have to dedicate much of your time to searching for it; you're practically guaranteed to come across it sooner or later just by following through the main game. For the RPG enthusiast who appreciates the challenge of paying extra attention to small details in order to figure out who to track down or where to go to next, some disappointment may result after finding that such ''subtle'' hints here unfortunately, though probably not intentionally, lead to more than obvious outcomes. Since there is no way to adjust your party's turn order, battles sometimes seem to be fought in an unorganized manner. Because of this, enemies will sometimes attack inconsistently, giving them an unfair advantage at times. Finally, your party members have only enough room to stock fourteen items apiece at a time, many of which you aren't allowed to drop once obtaining. This unfortunately causes you to abandon or waste more potentially useful objects than you can store. Despite these and other shortcomings, EarthBound is not overly complicated and can easily suck the player into its world after only a short time.

Visually, the game falls just short of being spectacular in all its simplicity. The brilliant colors and superb animations are a real treat to look at, and who could ignore the precious charm of characters with unproportioned bodies and surprisingly large heads? Sure, the residents of Eagleland and its surrounding countries walk around with rosy cheeks and mouths drawn as constant smiles, but that and similar characteristics add to the lighthearted nature that can't be beat. Gone are any somewhat bland battle screens that reflect the current environment a la Final Fantasy, and instead the player is put face to face with an opponent amidst a background filled with a swirling and almost dizzying vortex of color. Occasionally you'll come across rough spots such as your party trudging sluggishly because of too many moving creatures on screen at once, but these faults are few and far between.

There is plenty of satisfying music in each town, but nowhere near the caliber of many other RPG's. Still, some songs are catchy and accurately reflect the intensity of the moment. Though most of the upbeat melodies act as more of a way of directing your attention away from the lingering evil, the same cannot be said for the battle themes which lack any sense of urgency or memorable tunes. Sound effects border on being relatively sparse, but those that stand out often tend to be very comedic and, every now and then, downright disturbing. From Ness whistling a tune on a bicycle to the Slimy Little Pile belching during battle, the sounds you'll hear suit the game almost perfectly.

Because of its appeal to all ages and tendency to make the player wonder just what kind of odd occurrence will happen next, EarthBound is exceptionally easy to keep at and enjoy the first time as well as a second. The humorous though sometimes cheesy dialogue is enough for a few more laughs than one might expect, and in an age where more grim RPG's prevail, an ideal alternative it does deliver. Once completed, however, there aren't many specialties that merit a replay other than the desire to relive the experience and for pure and simple fun (and who could ask for more than that?).

Although it just barely misses being a masterpiece, EarthBound is sure to give even the most skeptical gamers a bit of excitement and hopefully immense entertainment. While it's sad that such an astounding gem can be so overshadowed, the transcendent timelessness keeps the gameplay fresh and the originality interesting. For those who've been searching for a witty title that greatly surpasses many others in its genre, you need not look any further; with playful elements and innovative qualities (some of which haven't been seen in any games since) you'll certainly eat this one up.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/03