EarthBound

EarthBound, known in Japan as Mother 2: Ggu no Gyakush, is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. It was launched in Japan in August 1994, and in North America in June 1995, as the second installment in the Mother series. The player explores the universe as Ness and his crew of four, Paula, Jeff, and Poo, collect tunes from eight Sanctuaries in order to fight the global cosmic destroyer Giygas.

EarthBound went through a five-year development phase. Returning from Mother (1989) were writer/director Shigesato Itoi and chief programmer Satoru Iwata, as well as composers Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka, who included a variety of styles in the music, including salsa, reggae, and dub. Most of the other crew members had not worked on the original Mother, and the game was threatened with cancellation several times until Iwata joined the project. The game was supposed to be released in January 1993, but it wasn't finished until about May 1994.

Although it was well regarded by Japanese audiences, EarthBound performed badly in the United States. Journalists blamed it on a mix of simplistic visuals, a sarcastic marketing strategy, and a lack of market interest in the genre. In the years thereafter, a strong fan group has sprung up to lobby for the series' recognition, notably when Ness became a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series.

Platforms: Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy Advance

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