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Earthbound Beginnings (Mother) Discussion (Nintendo NES) [game]
 
Earthbound Beginnings (Mother) on the NES
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Earthbound Beginnings (Mother) Review (Nintendo NES) (8.0)  by  
Finally, Mother 1 is released in North America.

I'm guessing most of us have never played this game before, but for those who have: any beginner's advice? For example, I'd tell someone playing Earthbound on SNES for the first time to keep the characters' default names. Are there any weird little tidbits we should know going into this one?

From what I hear, it's kinda like SNES Earthbound but not as good... but should still be worth playing! Personally, I'm really relieved that Nintendo localized this one before Mother 3, despite the demand being for Mother 3 first. Gotta play the first game before the third one!

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06/15/15, 05:11    Edited: 06/15/15, 05:14
 
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@Zero

You probably have enough money to buy it now...plus you'll get some cash back once you "return" your old weapon to the store.
06/17/15, 17:33   
@Zero
As a rule of thumb, try to get the newest and best equipment as soon as you can to minimize the need for level grinding. After you get the Wooden Bat you shouldn't have to grind for a little while.
06/17/15, 17:36   
I didn't realize new weapons did so much, in a lot of RPGs they are barely an upgrade.

But yeah I know I can't afford it yet because I kept spending money on health items and then dying anyway.

With that said, what are the options for healing? The hotel?
06/17/15, 17:41   
I made an error earlier with the Bread. You can either EAT it to get health, or USE it. When you USE it, it says "Ninten started scattering the crumbs," and the Bread item turns into Crumbs in your inventory. Now, whenever you decide to USE the Crumbs, you'll warp back to that initial point where you USEd the Bread. Make sense? You're pretty much making a one-time warp with the Crumbs.

@Zero
If you're at Level 7, the Graveyard should be doable. Go in with full PP for LifeUp and possibly a hamburger and make sure you're near full life in each battle, and you should do okay. The Gang Zombies are tough but predictable, and Ninten should always take a turn before them so you'll have enough time to heal up. It's actually a smaller area than it seems, too. Getting the Wooden Bat should help matters.

EDIT: You should have PSI LifeUp-A by now. Heals about 30 HP for only 3 PP. Very good option to stay alive. There's also a healer to the southwest of Podunk who'll restore all your PP for $18 or so--a good deal compared to the hotel.
06/17/15, 17:42   
Edited: 06/17/15, 17:43
Getting around Magicant was stupid until I remembered I had PSI Telepathy. Grrr...and finding the ATM was also stupid. I actually had to use a guide for the first time...
06/18/15, 16:54   
Sorry, I'm a total Earthbound n00b, but, I'm gonna be playing Earthbound at some point in the not-too-distant future. So, I'm wondering, are all three games direct sequels? In other words, now that I have the chance, should I be concerned with playing Earthbound Beginnings first?
06/19/15, 06:19   
@NinSage
They are not direct sequels, although a few elements do carry over. But as a big fan of the series, I'd actually recommend playing EarthBound first. Then if you love it and want more, EarthBound Beginnings is still a charmer despite its age.
06/19/15, 06:55   
@TriforceBun

Makes sense. I honestly don't know if this series will appeal to me. Kind of scared to find out because I'm leaning towards "no." I assume that if I don't like Earthbound I have to turn in my Nintendo fan card (along with Super Mario Bros cereal and PJs) and leave the community forever.
06/19/15, 08:32   
@NinSage
Yeah.
Good luck!
06/19/15, 09:06   
@NinSage

We should time our playing of Earthbound together for the sake of the show. Though I kinda wonder if Earthbound Beginnings too would be better to start with. Not that they're super linked but it would be played in the order of original release.
06/19/15, 13:24   
@DrFinkelstein
I would compare it to the need to play, say, Final Fantasy 1 before Final Fantasy 6. The jump is pretty significant, so someone that doesn't like the NES game could still very well like the SNES one. Of course, there is a little more of a connection in story than the FF series, but it's still fairly minor.
06/19/15, 18:11   
@TriforceBun

But FF1 is better than FF6.

:-O

I'm such a loose Nintendo cannon. =P
06/19/15, 18:49   
06/19/15, 20:01   
It kind of feels like Earthbound (Mother 2) is a sort of remake or "re-imagining" of Earthbound Beginnings (Mother 1). I was a bit surprised to find that out how many similar themes they share. In any case yeah, I'd recommend Earthbound first, if given a choice.

@NinSage Nah, I don't think Earthbound is "big" enough to be among the "fan card" games. It's a cult classic for a reason.
06/19/15, 22:09   
So, I beat Earthbound Beginnings earlier today, for the second time ever I think, if we count the not so legal ways of doing things. Third, if we count the GBA version with fan translation. Anyway, fantastic game. I truly love the final battle, which, while not as impressive (and certainly not as disturbing) as the one in Earthbound, is pretty touching, I think. How they sing the lullaby to Giegue/Giygas and all that. The song itself being so beautiful helps too. Just gets better for every time I hear it.

But anyway, the game wasn't quite as hard or grindy as I remember it being without the Easy Ring thing from the GBA fan mod. I only had two longer grinding sessions in the game, one at the very beginning while preparing for the cemetary quest, and one close to the end while exploring together with EVE, but in between that I only really went grinding in order to get newcomers to my party up a few levels so I wouldn't have to get them out of the hospital every five minutes. I suppose it's got a lot to do with me knowing where to go and what to expect, where to stay and fight for experience and where to avoid encounters, but apart from the poorly balanced Mt. Itoi I think everything went surprisingly well this time around.
06/21/15, 18:28   
@Mop it up Yeah I sort of expected Earthbound to be the one that introduced a lot of the stuff the series is known for since it is the more beloved one, but it really feels like most of it started here. Even the song in the first town I was like woah, this is THE song that I think of when I think of Earthbound... didn't know it was actually in the first game. And I'm at Magicant now... what an interesting place.

Then again Earthbound did introduce abortion-themed boss fights.
06/21/15, 18:47   
@Zero
Or did it? I know it's a popular theory and everything (and I'm a bit of a sucker for dark subtext as well), but it's largely based on a misconception regarding the wheres and whys of the boss fight. /boring
06/21/15, 19:06   
@r_hjort OR IS IT?
06/21/15, 19:33   
@Zero
OR ISN'T IT NOT?! Wait, I've confused myself.

06/21/15, 19:35   
Edited: 06/21/15, 19:40
@r_hjort

It's Laylee!
06/21/15, 22:01   
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