Editing EarthBound (section)

==Reception==
===Sales and promotion===
[[File:EarthBound 1995 Ad.jpg|thumb|400px|right|''EarthBound''{{'}}s poor sales in the west were attributed to its satirical marketing campaign, based on [[gross-out humor]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=David |date=2015-04-15 |title=The totally radical history of game marketing in the '90s |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/totally-radical-history-game-marketing-90s/ |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=GamesRadar+ |page=7 |language=en |quote=But some ad exec must have seen a single picture of Master Belch and decided that ''EarthBound'' was nothing but gross-out humor, and decided to revolve the entire ad campaign around it. [...] There are a lot of reasons ''EarthBound'' tanked in the West, but a large part of it was due to this ad (and its accompanying Scratch-n-sniff cards). |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706183503/https://www.gamesradar.com/totally-radical-history-game-marketing-90s/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Oxford |first=Nadia |date=2017-08-31 |title=Super NES Retro Review: EarthBound |url=https://www.vg247.com/super-nes-retro-review-earthbound |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=VG247 |language=en|quote=Though Nintendo spent a lot of money on a great localization for ''EarthBound'', it literally blew the game's advertising campaign with ads about farts and poops. That was an immediate turn-off for newly-minted RPG enthusiasts (myself included) [...]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chan |first=Khee Hoon |date=2019-02-01 |title=Piracy helped Earthbound become a cult classic |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/1/18205319/earthbound-snes-emulation-rom-mother-3 |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Polygon |language=en-US |quote=The game's marketing campaign compounded the issue. It was unabashedly juvenile, filled with gross-out humor and self-deprecating proclamations about how "this game stinks," which were accompanied by scratch-and-sniff ads. These pages left a literal stench in gaming magazines. [...] Nonetheless, ''EarthBound'' still managed to inch its way toward cult status as the years went on and the ROM was traded among fans and shared online. |archive-date=December 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231227095441/https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/1/18205319/earthbound-snes-emulation-rom-mother-3 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Digital Trends: Itoi teases" />]]
In Japan, ''Mother 2'' sold 518,000 units, becoming the tenth [[1994 in video games|best-selling game of 1994]] within the country.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=1994年のコンシューマーゲームソフトの売上 |trans-title=1994 Consumer Game Software Sales |magazine=[[Dengeki Oh]] |publisher=[[MediaWorks (publisher)|MediaWorks]] |lang=ja |url=http://www.rnac.ne.jp/~zangel/1994.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010920123100/http://www.rnac.ne.jp/~zangel/1994.htm |archive-date=September 20, 2001 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> ''EarthBound'' was released on June 5, 1995, in North America.<ref name="Wired: Lindblom"/> The game sold about 140,000 units in the United States,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Consalvo |first1=Mia |title=Atari to Zelda: Japan's Videogames in Global Contexts |date=8 April 2016 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=978-0-262-03439-5 |page=58 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tH3TCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58 |access-date=March 15, 2021 |archive-date=February 25, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230225235521/https://books.google.com/books?id=tH3TCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA58 |url-status=live}}</ref> for a total of approximately 658,000 units sold worldwide.

Though Nintendo spent about $2 million on marketing,<ref name="ONM review" /> the American release was ultimately viewed as unsuccessful within Nintendo.<ref name="Wired: Lindblom" /> The game's atypical marketing campaign was derived from the game's unusual humor. As part of Nintendo's larger "[[Nintendo marketing#Play It Loud!|Play It Loud!]]" campaign, ''EarthBound''{{'s}} "this game stinks" campaign included foul-smelling scratch and sniff advertisements.<ref name="Shacknews: EarthBotched" /><ref>{{Cite web |first=Luke |last=Plunkett |date=2013-06-26 |title="What The F**k Kind Of Game Is Earthbound?" |url=https://kotaku.com/what-the-f-k-kind-of-game-is-earthbound-580416562 |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=Kotaku |language=en |archive-date=July 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706183507/https://kotaku.com/what-the-f-k-kind-of-game-is-earthbound-580416562 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[GamePro]]'' reported that they received more reader complaints about the game's scratch and sniff ad than about any other 1995 advertisement.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=When Ads Go Bad, Readers Get Mad|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=91|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=April 1996|page=12}}</ref> 

The campaign was also expensive. It emphasized magazine advertisements and had the extra cost of the [[strategy guide]] included with each game.<ref name="1UP: Vapor" /> Between the poor sales and the phasing out of the Super NES, the game did not receive a European release.<ref name="ONM review" /> Aaron Linde of ''[[Shacknews]]'' believed that the price of the packaged game ultimately curtailed sales.<ref name="Shacknews: EarthBotched" />

===Contemporary===
{{Video game reviews
| title=Contemporary reception
| Fam=34/40<ref>{{cite journal | title = New Games Cross Review | journal = [[Weekly Famitsu]] | publisher = [[Enterbrain]] | date = September 23, 1994}}</ref>
| GameFan=267/300<ref name="DHGF: Viewpoint"/>
| GI = 8/10<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gameinformer.com/jun95/earth.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19971120013515/http://www.gameinformer.com/jun95/earth.html|title=EarthBound- Super NES|magazine=[[Game Informer]]|archive-date=November 20, 1997|url-status=dead|access-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref>
| SGP = 3.5/5<ref name="SGP review"/>
| award1Pub = [[GameFan|''GameFan'' Megawards]]
| award1 = [[List of Game of the Year awards|RPG of the Year]]<ref>''GameFan'', volume 4, issue 1, pages 104-106</ref>
}}
''EarthBound'' originally received little critical praise from the American press,<ref name="Kotaku: Man Who Wrote" /><ref name="1UP: Vapor" /> and sold poorly in the US:<ref name="IGN: top SNES" /><ref name="Wired: Lindblom" /><ref name="1UP: Vapor" /> around 140,000 copies, as compared to twice as many in Japan.<ref name="Shacknews: EarthBotched" /> ''[[Kotaku]]'' described ''EarthBound''{{'s}} 1995 American release as "a dud" and blamed the low sales on "a bizarre marketing campaign" and graphics "cartoonish" beyond the average taste of players.<ref name="Kotaku: Man Who Wrote" /> The game was released when RPGs were not popular in the US,<ref name="Wired: Lindblom" /><ref name="1UP: Posthumous p1" /> and visual taste in RPGs was closer to ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]''.<ref name="Wired: Lindblom" /> The game piggybacked on Itoi's celebrity in Japan.<ref name="ONM review" />

Most journalists attributed the game's poor sales in the US to its simple graphics, atypical marketing campaign, and disinterest in the genre. Of the original reviewers, Nicholas Dean Des Barres of ''[[DieHard GameFan]]'' wrote that ''EarthBound'' was not as impressive as ''[[Final Fantasy VI|Final Fantasy III]]'', although just as fun.<ref name="DHGF: Review"/> He praised the game's humor<ref name="DHGF: Viewpoint"/> and wrote that the game completely defied his first impressions. Des Barres wrote that "past the graphics", which were purposefully [[8-bit era|8-bit]] for nostalgia, the game is not an "entry-level" or a "child's" RPG, but "highly intelligent" and "captivating".<ref name="DHGF: Review"/> The Brazilian ''Super GamePower'' explained that those expecting a ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]''-style RPG will be disappointed by the childish visuals, which were unlike other 16-bit games. They wrote that the American humor was too mature and that the gameplay was too immature, as if for beginners.<ref name="SGP review"/> ''[[GamePro]]'' was critical to the game's storyline and graphics, but praised the music and the humor. They concluded that the game is inappropriate for children due to its adult humor, but would not appeal to more mature gamers due to its simplistic gameplay and poorly illustrated graphics.<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Sir Scary Larry|title=EarthBound |magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=82 |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]] |date=July 1995|pages=74–75}}</ref>

Lindblom and his team were devastated by the release's poor critical response and sales. He recalled that the game was hurt by the reception of its graphics as "simplistic" at a time when critics placed high importance on graphics quality.{{refn|group=nb|Lindblom thought reviewers viewed the game's visuals as "enhanced [[8-bit era|8-bit]] graphics", which, he added, would "ironically" fit 2013's [[retrogaming]] aesthetic.<ref name="Wired: Lindblom"/>}} Lindblom felt that the game's changes to the RPG formula (e.g., the rolling HP meter and fleeing enemies) were ignored in the following years,<ref name="Kotaku: Man Who Wrote"/> though he thought the game had aged well at the time of its [[Virtual Console]] rerelease in 2013.<ref name="Wired: Lindblom"/>

===Retrospective===
{{Video game reviews
| title = Retrospective assessments
| GR = 88%<ref name = "Game Rankings EB">{{cite web | url=http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588301-earthbound/index.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109130313/http://www.gamerankings.com/snes/588301-earthbound/index.html | archive-date=2018-01-09 | title=EarthBound | website=[[GameRankings]] | access-date = April 30, 2012}}</ref>
| Allgame = 4/5<ref name="allgamereview">{{cite web |url = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2481&tab=review |title = EarthBound Review |author = House, Michael L. |website=[[AllGame]] |access-date =May 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114212003/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2481&tab=review|archive-date=November 14, 2014}}</ref>
| GameZone = 10/10<ref name="GameZone review"/>
| IGN = 9.0/10<ref name="IGN review"/>
| NWR = 9.5/10<ref name="NWR review"/>
| ONM = 90%<ref name="ONM review"/>
| NLife = 10/10<ref name="Nintendo Life review">{{cite web|last=Frear|first=Dave|title=EarthBound Review (SNES)|date=11 Feb 2022|website=Nintendo Life|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/snes/earthbound|access-date=3 Mar 2022|archive-date=March 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220304090443/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/snes/earthbound|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
Reviewing the game years after its release, writers described the game as "original" or "unique",<ref name="ONM review" /><ref name="IGN review" /> and praised its script's range of emotions.<ref name="ONM review" /><ref name="IGN review" /> ''IGN''{{'}}s Scott Thompson said the game teetered between solemn and audacious in its dialogue and gameplay, and noted its deviance from RPG tropes in aspects such as choice of attacks in battle. He found the game both "bizarre and memorable".<ref name="IGN review" /> ''[[Official Nintendo Magazine]]''{{'s}} Simon Parkin thought the game's script was its best asset, as "one of the medium's strongest and idiosyncratic storylines" that fluctuated "between humorous and poignant".<ref name="ONM review" /> ''GameZone''{{'s}} David Sanchez thought its script was "clever" and "sharp", as it displayed a wide range of emotions that made him want to talk to all non-player characters.<ref name="GameZone review" /> ''[[GamesTM]]'' wrote that the game designers spoke with their players through the non-playable characters, and noted how Itoi's interests shaped the script, its allusions to popular culture, and its "strangely existential narrative framework".<ref name="GamesTM review" /> Nintendo Life praised the game's touching story, charm and modern-day setting, with minor criticism of the slow pacing.

Critics praised its "real world" setting, which was seen as an uncommon choice.<ref name="ONM review"/><ref name="IGN review"/> Thompson noted its 1990s homage as "a love letter to 20th-century Americana", with a payphone as a save point, ATMs to transfer money, yo-yos as weapons, skateboarders and hippies as enemies, and references to classic rock bands.<ref name="IGN review"/> ''Official Nintendo Magazine''{{'s}} Parkin noted the theme's distance from the "knights and dragons" common to the Japanese role-playing game genre.<ref name="ONM review"/> Thompson noted the game's steep difficulty. He wrote that the beginning was the hardest and that aspects such as limited inventory, experience grinds, and monetary penalties upon death were unfriendly for players new to Japanese RPGs. He also cited the quick respawn time for foes and ultimate need not to avoid battles given the difficulty of bosses.<ref name="IGN review"/>

Reviewers described the game's ambiance as cheery and full of charm.<ref name="GameZone review"/><ref name="IGN review"/> David Sanchez of ''GameZone'' thought the game's self-awareness added to its charm, where the player learned through the game's poking lighthearted fun. He added that the music was an "absolute delight" and complimented its range from space sounds to themes to "bizarre" battle tracks that varied with the enemy type.<ref name="GameZone review"/> ''GamesTM'' wrote that the game's reputation comes from the "consistent ... visual language" in its [[Charles M. Schulz]]-esque character and world design.<ref name="GamesTM review"/> ''Kotaku''{{'s}} [[Jason Schreier]] found the ending unsatisfying and unrelieving, despite finding the ending credits with its character [[curtain call]] and photo album of "fuzzy pickles" moments all "wonderful".<ref name="Kotaku: Trippiest"/>

Thompson wrote that ''EarthBound'' balances "dark Lovecraftian apocalypse and silly lightheartedness", and was just as interesting nearly a decade after its original release. While he lamented a lack of "visual feedback" in battle animations, he felt the game had innovations that still feel "smart and unique": the rolling HP meter and lack of random battles. Thompson also noted that technical issues like animation slowdown with multiple enemies on-screen went unfixed in the rerelease.<ref name="IGN review"/> Parkin found the game to provide a more potent experience than developers with more resources and thought its battle sequences were "sleek".<ref name="ONM review"/> ''Nintendo World Report''{{'}}s Justin Baker was surprised by the "excellent" battle system and controls, which he found to be underreported in other reviews despite their streamlined, grind-reducing convenience. He wrote that some of the menu interactions were clunky.<ref name="NWR review"/> ''GamesTM'' felt that the game was "far from revolutionary", compared to ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' and ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', and that its battle scenes were unexciting. The magazine compared the game's "chosen one" story to a "throwaway ''[[Link's Awakening]]''/''[[The Goonies|Goonies]]'' hybrid narrative".<ref name="GamesTM review"/> Thompson praised Nintendo for digitizing the Player's Guide, though noted that it was technically easier to view it on another tablet rather than switching the Wii U's view mode.<ref name="IGN review"/> Reviewers concluded that the game had aged well.<ref name="USgamer: the deal"/><ref name="GameZone review"/><ref name="ONM review"/><ref name="IGN review"/><ref name="NWR review"/>