I've been looking forward to your thoughts Patrick, thanks for sharing and I'm glad you're enjoying it as it's my favorite game of all time.
I've thought about this before and as I started deconstructing Earthbound, I came to the following conclusion:
Earthbound's gaming mechanics are nothing special. The notion of navigating around a map with live/random encounters is not new, nor did Earthbound innovate that system. I should note that Earthbound was the first game I played that had a fear system (enemies avoid you at a certain point and you auto-win against weaker characters), so I would give Earthbound credit for adding a bit of common sense to it. The concepts of magic (PSI) and leveling up are all common RPG tropes, as well as items that cure ailments, regain health, etc. So what exactly is it about Earthbound that makes it so damn amazing?
In my opinion: charm. Earthbound is perhaps the most charming game I have ever played. It has a certain factor to it... a voice that echoes a captivating experience because almost every stitch to the game has a feeling of real, down to Earth love and affection. It's weird without being offputting, quirky without levity, along with a uncompromising storyline that was serious but never pretentious. Both literally and figuratively, the game knew it was a game.
I think of Little Big Planet sackboys, Bastion's narration, or the humor in the GBA Mario & Luigi RPGs. Yes, they all have their separate merits but above all else something about them is alluring. It's that delicate balance of humor and cuteness while maintaining sincerity of purpose. It's basically the way most of us live our lives. We try and laugh as much as possible at what's funny, what isn't funny, all while trying to maintain perspective on what really matters to us (whatever that is).
I don't mean to say that Earthbound purposefully wrangles in these emotions. What I'm saying is that us, as humans, as gamers, are naturally attracted to charm because it reflects back the human condition. It's almost impossible to achieve that kind of charm on purpose because part of Earthbound's allure is that it never felt like it was trying to be funny, or trying to be preachy (unlike Borderlands 2 which hits you over the head with its humor). So regardless if you disagree with Paula's ability to pray, or you find the Mr. Saturns weird, or whatever your hangup might be that are probably legitimate criticisms with the game, Earthbound (and Mother 3 as well) has a charm that is impossible to ignore. It shines brighter because we've all played a ton of those kinds of games and just the little things like the moles breaking the 4th wall and telling you where the button is on your controller, or the photographer oddly saying Fuzzy Pickles, or the strange relationship with your father... all of it makes the system feel alive, like it knows what you want. It doesn't feel like boilerplate RPG or even common video game dialogue, and that is part of it, as well.
So while I may have deconstructed the game to understand its charm, the game still manages to be greater than the sum of its parts. In art, we call that Gestalt, and good art often comes from the amount of care and polish you put into the process. As I said before, every stitch of the game feels like it was sewn with a deft hand, but then stepping back and looking at the game as a whole, it just feels like a solid work.
A solid work that charms the pants off you.
handofreason
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