EarthBound and The Mother We Share
The year is 1995. It’s my birthday and my parents gave me a present to open. My eyebrows slightly raised. After tearing away the wrapping, I see a strategy guide and a SNES game called EarthBound (known as Mother in Japan.) Little did I know much this game would influence me.
The thing that drew me in the most was that the game takes place in a modern setting as opposed to fantasy/medieval like other RPGs at the time. Enemies and locations were notable as well. Aliens, dogs, and sometimes your fellow human. The quirky writing probably influenced my sense of humor more than it should have.
Recently, a rom hack titled Mother 2 Deluxe was released vastly improving the game. The hack features several added difficulties and new enemies/dungeons which is a godsend for someone like who wants to make the game harder. The developer is currently on version 3.0+ and I’m very much looking forward to the finished product.
Nice reflection on how EarthBound's modern setting was such a departure from the JRPG norm in '95. The decision to ground enemies and locations in contemporary suburbia instead of castles and dragons was pretty bold for Nintendo, especially when Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger were dominating with their fantasy worlds. The quirky humor definetly aged better than alot of other 90s game writing. I've been meaning to check out that Mother 2 Deluxe hack, the difficulty tweaks sound like exactly what the original needed.