Earthbound Beginnings |OT| From Onett to Podunk in 20 years!

It's really weird, but I'm finding myself enjoying this game way more than I did Earthbound. I got to a point in Earthbound after Onett and sort just stopped. This game I actually really want to keep pushing ahead and I don't even really minding grinding all that much since the enemies are so varied in design and encounter music.

I'm about to enter Duncan's factory after I do some grinding in Magicant to bring the other dude up to Ninten's beast status, so maybe my opinion of the game will change after that chore of a dungeon.

I went into this game expecting an archaic slog of a game I'd never finish and ended up finding a charming little RPG that's a little rough around the edges, but overall very ahead of its time. The music is really complex for the NES and very well done (although I Believe In You gets a little old after the third or so hour of the loop). I guess I had always ready about this game being bad, dated and having so many encounters it becomes obnoxious. And yea, the latter is a bit true, but there's so many different enemies to see that it's not that bad.
 
balladofwindfishes said:
It's really weird, but I'm finding myself enjoying this game way more than I did Earthbound. I got to a point in Earthbound after Onett and sort just stopped. This game I actually really want to keep pushing ahead and I don't even really minding grinding all that much since the enemies are so varied in design and encounter music.

I'm about to enter Duncan's factory after I do some grinding in Magicant to bring the other dude up to Ninten's beast status, so maybe my opinion of the game will change after that chore of a dungeon.

I went into this game expecting an archaic slog of a game I'd never finish and ended up finding a charming little RPG that's a little rough around the edges, but overall very ahead of its time. The music is really complex for the NES and very well done (although I Believe In You gets a little old after the third or so hour of the loop). I guess I had always ready about this game being bad, dated and having so many encounters it becomes obnoxious. And yea, the latter is a bit true, but there's so many different enemies to see that it's not that bad.
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Yeah the game is actually really great, the only problem is the end segment which is A HUGE spike in difficulty because, get this, the developers never played that section before releasing it.

Anyways just think if MOTHER was released for the NES back in the 80's, I'm pretty sure it would have been a classic by now.
 
So I'm at Mount Itoi now and I've heard for years about it but holy damn it's just so hard it's not fun. I'm at something like levels 37, 32 and 32.

Also I forgot a few of the melodies
and went back and this meant having EVE die at the choke point near the healer's place because you can't teleport there
and I didn't realize this was an issue before I came here and, uhh, it sounds like it is?

Oh well I'll have to push on through. They say they didn't playtest Mount Itoi and I believe it. Why does absolutely every enemy have a one-hit-KO move? WHYYYY
 
Is there anyone here who's going through the game completely blind? I'm curious since a lot of the games story, as tvtropes would say, falls under "it was his sled" territory and I've always wondered what it'd be like going in without knowing where the story ends up going near the end.
 
El Odio said:
Is there anyone here who's going through the game completely blind? I'm curious since a lot of the games story, as tvtropes would say, falls under "it was his sled" territory and I've always wondered what it'd be like going in without knowing where the story ends up going near the end.
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I am. If you don't consider the fact that I played through Earthbound and Mother 3.
Never touched Earthbound 0. Bought Beginnings when it was announced, but I've only just got through the first second fight.
 
jholmes said:
So I'm at Mount Itoi now and I've heard for years about it but holy damn it's just so hard it's not fun. I'm at something like levels 37, 32 and 32.

Also I forgot a few of the melodies
and went back and this meant having EVE die at the choke point near the healer's place because you can't teleport there
and I didn't realize this was an issue before I came here and, uhh, it sounds like it is?

Oh well I'll have to push on through. They say they didn't playtest Mount Itoi and I believe it. Why does absolutely every enemy have a one-hit-KO move? WHYYYY
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You can collect the missing melodies after Mount Itoi actually. You're actually giving yourself an extra trip.
 
jholmes said:
...

Well what's done is done. It gets a lot easier now right?

...right?
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Climbing Mt. Itoi is going to be a lot more difficult without Eve. I'd suggest liberal use of 4D Slip and PSI Block. Don't be afraid to use your PSI Stones at this point either.
 
At level 18 now, but Lloid is only level 5. Got him the boomerang and candy from swimming cat. Now should I level him up more, or just tackle Duncan?

I on-hit-kill nearly everything with my aluminum bat, but Lloyd is pretty weaksause.

Also, I wish Stephen Spielberg would create a film out of this series with that 80's super 8 feel. Have it somewhere between ET, Goonies, and Close Encounters.
 
ReyVGM said:
So, is it pronounced Oh-net, or One-net?
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In the Japanese version, it's "oh-net-to," so it's pretty much solid that in spite of the pun, "oh-nett" was the intended pronunciation.

For the curious, it's also pronounced "Geeg" or "Geeg-us," depending on the game, since EB/Mother 2 basically re-localized the series for the West from scratch
 
I am Christina Aguilera said:
In the Japanese version, it's "oh-net-to," so it's pretty much solid that in spite of the pun, "oh-nett" was the intended pronunciation.

For the curious, it's also pronounced "Geeg" or "Geeg-us," depending on the game, since EB/Mother 2 basically re-localized the series for the West from scratch
Click to expand...

I still mispronounce it "Gig-Yas" sometimes because I had misread it the first time I played the game. It is a terrifically hard name to pronouce. Alien-like in that way, I guess!
 
Epcott said:
At level 18 now, but Lloid is only level 5. Got him the boomerang and candy from swimming cat. Now should I level him up more, or just tackle Duncan?

I on-hit-kill nearly everything with my aluminum bat, but Lloyd is pretty weaksause.

Also, I wish Stephen Spielberg would create a film out of this series with that 80's super 8 feel. Have it somewhere between ET, Goonies, and Close Encounters.
Click to expand...

I usually grind the new party members in Magicant until they can at least not get killed in one hit. Make sure you get some defensive equips too while you're there.
 
The economy of Mother 1 is so messed up. The third location in the game has the best purchasable equipment, but everything is easily affordable when you first get there yet the money just keeps going up and up. I guess they wanted people to spend money at hotels/doctors...but even then you can just black hook back and heal for free. Especially after you get Teleport there is practically no reason to spend money on that. Then at the end of the game an NPC will literally give you as many free healing items you want, the best in the game. The item based character can only get his really good stuff by grinding an easy foe.
 
backlot said:
I usually grind the new party members in Magicant until they can at least not get killed in one hit. Make sure you get some defensive equips too while you're there.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I did exactly that! Working on Ana now.

Even after beating Earthbound on initial release, Beginnings makes me want to play Earthbound all over again to truly appreciate the little advances it made over this.
 
I'm just starting out, and am I supposed to be so pathetically weak compared to the crows? And they stole my OJ & bread in the first 2 battles, so now I have to go back to Mom to heal..
 
Grinding before Yucca desert. Why can't Ana just stay alive!? If Spookane had a proper hospital where I could revive her I would have grinded there but it's such a chore. No hotel either. So frustrating.
 
JohnTinker said:
And is the Slingshot worth buying early on? Or should I wait and buy the Wooden Bat?
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Save up for the Wooden Bat. Not worth spending any money on a weaker weapon.



backlot said:
Stick with bats. I think the slingshot has lower accuracy.
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Seven Force said:
Never buy slingshots in this series. The higher attack almost never makes up for it's terrible accuracy.
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That's only true in EarthBound. In Beginnings, Slingshots and Boomerangs are just as accurate as any other weapon.


Makonero said:
Grinding before Yucca desert. Why can't Ana just stay alive!? If Spookane had a proper hospital where I could revive her I would have grinded there but it's such a chore. No hotel either. So frustrating.
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Make sure she has the best possible defensive equipment (Gold Ring / Magic Coin / H2o Pendant). If you're still having trouble, try using Defense Up (reduces damage from physical attacks) and/or PSI Shield (cuts all damage in half) on her at the beginning of a battle against a strong enemy. You can also just have her guard, which cuts all damage in half for the turn and works even if she's slower than the enemy.
 
Burning Justice said:
Make sure she has the best possible defensive equipment (Gold Ring / Magic Coin / H2o Pendant). If you're still having trouble, try using Defense Up (reduces damage from physical attacks) and/or PSI Shield (cuts all damage in half) on her at the beginning of a battle against a strong enemy. You can also just have her guard, which cuts all damage in half for the turn and works even if she's slower than the enemy.
Click to expand...

Guarding works that way? Great! I like to save her PSI for enemies I know she can beat, so that will be awesome. The guide at Starmen.net says to get her around 18 before entering the desert proper, so that's my goal.
 
This is OT but was it ever confirmed Earthbound (Mother2) took place in America?
IT seemed to better fit England (Eagleland) with Stonehenge in a "country to the north", plus the way the police dressed. I'm pretty sure there's not a Stonehenge in Canada ><

Edit: and Tessie is Scotland again!
 
Terry Travis said:
This is OT but was it ever confirmed Earthbound (Mother2) took place in America?
IT seemed to better fit England (Eagleland) with Stonehenge in a "country to the north", plus the way the police dressed. I'm pretty sure there's not a Stonehenge in Canada ><

Edit: and Tessie is Scotland again!
Click to expand...

Winters is the UK. Eagleland is the US. Scaraba is Egypt. Jeff is British, but Ness and Paula are American. Poo is Indian (as Dalaam is India, of course).

It's a multicultural adventure!
 
Terry Travis said:
This is OT but was it ever confirmed Earthbound (Mother2) took place in America?
IT seemed to better fit England (Eagleland) with Stonehenge in a "country to the north", plus the way the police dressed. I'm pretty sure there's not a Stonehenge in Canada ><

Edit: and Tessie is Scotland again!
Click to expand...

Eagleland was meant to be a parody of America (America's national bird is the bald eagle) and Foggyland, where Winters and Stonehenge are, was meant to be a parody of England (cuz you know, it's always foggy in London).
 
Makonero said:
Winters is the UK. Eagleland is the US. Scaraba is Egypt. Jeff is British, but Ness and Paula are American. Poo is Indian (as Dalaam is India, of course).

It's a multicultural adventure!
Click to expand...

Valjean Lafitte said:
Eagleland was meant to be a parody of America (America's national bird is the bald eagle) and Foggyland, where Winters and Stonehenge are, was meant to be a parody of England (cuz you know, it's always foggy in London).
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Thank you! Can't believe I missed that.
 
Thanks for the answers y'all, I ended up not buying the Slingshot. Began playing yesterday & somehow played for 8 hours straight. Made it all the way through Duncan, which was surprisingly easy for me? Now I'm going to grind for a little bit longer to earn more cash to prepare for Ana.

Totally loving this so far after a shaky, slow start. Once you get beyond the graveyard & zoo, things really pick up quickly.

Really hope NOA releases Mother 3 after this as a gap filler in the fall.
 
I dunno why, but the prospect of a little kid fighting a tiger out in the open urban is funny to me.

Tiger.png
 
backlot said:
Climbing Mt. Itoi is going to be a lot more difficult without Eve. I'd suggest liberal use of 4D Slip and PSI Block. Don't be afraid to use your PSI Stones at this point either.
Click to expand...

So, left everyone on a cliffhanger. I beat the game. I did abuse 4D slip to get up Mt. Itoi, but single-enemy encounters I just used PK Freeze &#947;. Actually never used a single PSI Stone in the playthrough, collected like 12 of them too. Had a party of maybe 38-34-34.

Mt. Itoi is really tough but I still think this game is a much breezier playthrough than the first Dragon Quest or Final Fantasies if anyone's looking to get an NES RPG under their belt.
 
Shit, I forgot to get the Onyx Hook after I left Magicant the first time. Then I found out you can go back the way you came, so I did that, forgetting I had left GGF's Diary with Minnie. At least I needed to grind some levels outta Lloyd, but that back tracking is a bitch.
 
PKrockin said:
Honestly getting mauled by a tiger in this game isn't nearly as dangerous as getting splashed with scalding hot espresso.
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how are you supposed to towel that off when an electric guitar with a face is attacking you?

I love seeing people in this thread saying EB0 is weird. EB is so much weirder
 
I'm slowly playing through SNES Earthbound for the first time on Wii U.

Is Earthbound Beginnings a prequel, in the story sense and would finishing Earthbound first spoil Beginnings? I know it was an NES game but do the stories tie into one another or are they stand alone games that share themes like Final Fantasy?
 
enigmatic_alex44 said:
I'm slowly playing through SNES Earthbound for the first time on Wii U.

Is Earthbound Beginnings a prequel, in the story sense and would finishing Earthbound first spoil Beginnings? I know it was an NES game but do the stories tie into one another or are they stand alone games that share themes like Final Fantasy?
Click to expand...

technically the stories tie into each other, but you really wouldn't feel like you were missing anything if you played them in any order (Mother 1, 2, and 3) . don't feel like you need to go through Mother 1 before Mother 2. you know when they release a prequel to a film you've already watched, yeeaaars after you've watched it, and you just think "oh that was kinda cool." it's like that.
 
Burning Justice said:
I don't know the exact calculation for hit rate. But after testing the Slingshot extensively... yes, I'm pretty confident it has the same hit rate as other weapons. It DEFINITELY doesn't miss 19% of the time.
Click to expand...
I just got the boomerang. This thing at least doesn't seem to miss anywhere near 19% of the time either. I guess the wiki is bunk.
 
enigmatic_alex44 said:
I'm slowly playing through SNES Earthbound for the first time on Wii U.

Is Earthbound Beginnings a prequel, in the story sense and would finishing Earthbound first spoil Beginnings? I know it was an NES game but do the stories tie into one another or are they stand alone games that share themes like Final Fantasy?
Click to expand...

They do tie into each other, but playing EarthBound first and playing through EarthBound Beginnings as an "origin story" afterward is just as effective from a story standpoint, really. Neither really spoils the other. Just get ready for a dose of deja vu no matter which order you play them in.

If it were to come up, though, I would recommend playing EarthBound before MOTHER 3.
 
It took a while before I really started to get into this, but after some serious grinding—thank god for the writing and music, which really helps alleviate the boredom of grinding—it's finally clicked and I'm enjoying it profusely.

The Mother/Earthbound series is the best. I'm so grateful that I've been given the chance to experience it so far...

Only one more left!
 
I've beat the game, phew ! Mt. Itoi was brutal (well, more like time consuming because of the grinding sessions I did). Other than that, I loved the last part of the game. I wondered during my playthrough what was really the point of the story, and I feared that it would remain a bit vague. But it all came together nicely during the last part of the game, and some scenes like
the vanishing of Magicant
were really well written. I absolutely loved the last battle, it was clever and original, even more so for an NES game.

I can finally play Earthbound ! It will be the first SNES I buy on the Virtual Console, I hope it doesn't look too bad on HDTVs...
 
Big Nikus said:
I can finally play Earthbound ! It will be the first SNES I buy on the Virtual Console, I hope it doesn't look too bad on HDTVs...
Click to expand...

Looks pretty great on my HDTV. The designs really hold up, no matter what size they're blown up to.

And yeah, I'd say anyone who likes EBB is pretty much guaranteed to love EB itself. Enjoy.
 
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