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Revision as of 21:38, 22 March 2024 by Bandee of the Stars (talk | contribs) (Fixing some links to Beginnings, and also adding information on a significant connection between the two games.)
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Box artwork for EarthBound.
Box artwork for EarthBound.
EarthBound
Developer(s)HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Year released1994
System(s)SNES, Nintendo Power (SNES), Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch
Preceded byEarthBound Beginnings
Followed byMother 3
SeriesMother
Japanese titleMother 2
Genre(s)RPG
Players1
ModesSingle player
Rating(s)SNES icon.png ESRB Kids to Adults
Wii U icon.png ESRB TeenPEGI Ages 12+MatureCERO All ages
LinksEarthBound ChannelSearchSearch

EarthBound is an RPG developed by Ape and HAL Laboratory and was published by Nintendo for the Super Famicom in August 1994 in Japan, as Mother 2, and in North America in June 1995. It is the sequel to EarthBound Beginnings, formerly Japan-exclusive under the name Mother; like its predecessor, the game is set in the modern world, rather than the fantasy environments of its RPG contemporaries.

Development began shortly after the release of Mother, running aground several times along with the project repeatedly facing threats of cancellation; it wasn't until HAL Laboratory president Satoru Iwata stepped in that Mother 2 began to see an eventual release. Releasing to critical acclaim in Japan, Mother 2 was released in the United States under the name EarthBound and was backed up by a massive advertising campaign; the game was a critical and commercial failure, however, owning to criticism directed toward the game's off-kilter marketing campaign and its art direction amidst RPGs like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI. It was only with the emergence of fan-community efforts that EarthBound regained relevancy in the US, and the game was re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan in March of 2013 and worldwide in July that same year before being released for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in March of 2016 and for the Nintendo Switch Online service in February of 2022. In Japan, it was re-released on the Game Boy Advance along with the first game as Mother 1+2 in June of 2003. On April 20, 2006, Mother 3 was released in Japan on GBA.

In retrospect, critics praised EarthBound upon its Wii U Virtual Console rerelease, with praise being directed towards the game's humor, tone, writing, and graphics, with a general consensus that the game had aged well over the years. EarthBound is now considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time.

The game's story is largely distinct from that of its predecessor, but there are some elements and characters that connect the two games. Most notably, Giegue, renamed Giygas in the English version of EarthBound, reprises his role as the main antagonist from EarthBound Beginnings.

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