roadtodeltarune

[roadtodeltarune]

(PART 4)

After dropping off Bana, I walked home. I remember at the beginning of the game, an NPC told me that I'd be coming back to Onett at the end of the game. He was right.

This is actually really cute. I think the way they look at the camera here is a reference to the ending of Mother 1 in the original version.

I would send all the credits, but I don't want to spam. I already send so many pictures anyways

Pokey...!

Well, that's the end of the game. But not the end of my time with Earthbound! Next week I plan on making another post, giving my complete feelings and some theories I have. I'm also going to be watching retrospectives and reviews of Earthbound in the meantime, so I'll share which I watch.

I'll see y'all on the road!

For real this time, I promise it won't be 3 weeks again.

Earthbound Update 3

(PART 1)

I'm back! Some of you may have thought I abandoned this project, but you were wrong!

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Oh, I've been busy playing Earthbound! I knew I was close to the end, so I wanted to finish it before updating! I could have finished in a week, but I got distracted by other games and responsibilities. Now what exactly did I do in Earthbound?

Well last time, I cured Tenda Village's shyness. After making my last update, I tried their coffee and had another strange vision. But once my head cleared, I did some trading and then hopped into the cave.

As I figured, this was my next Sanctuary Location. The boss wasn't very tough; he was blasted to bits by a multi-bottle rocket and some good bashes. The hardest part was the maze of a cave!

We had a strange moment of Straw's(Ness) thoughts being beamed to a wall, then jumped down a hole into the Underworld.

This place is huge! And there are dinosaurs here! I wanted to avoid them since I felt strong enough already, but they were just too big, they kept blocking my path. It's actually so huge here that I had to look up a map. I also got lost in the first five minutes and was walking in circles, so a map helped a lot.

I feel like this should be a bigger moment, but didn't Buzz Buzz already say something about being in a prophecy? I guess it's good to remember the scale of our journey. Welp, time for the last Sanctuary Location!

Well, that was a fever dream...

The Fire Spring wasn't too hard to go through, the Psychic Psychos were more so just annoying. The final Sanctuary Boss felt like a good final boss, though, that fight was lots of fun.

As for all the melodies playing together, they sounded very pretty. I feel like they fit together better than Mother 1, but I hope there is, or will be, an orchestrated version like Mother 1 has.

The sequence afterward of Straw going through his home and seeing how much his parents loved him... Man, that hit me right in the feels. At the end of Mother 1, I came to the conclusion that this series is about love. Spoiler: I come to the same conclusion with Earthbound.

MAGICANT?! How is Magicant here! I thought it was Mary's dreamscape and it faded when she accepted death. Is... Is Mary still around? Is that why the melodies are back?

I think I like the aesthetic of this Magicant more. The old one was pretty, but this one feels more peaceful, and the color shifting adds to the magic/dream aspect.

Plus all the veggies remind me of my Mother 1 characters: Carrot, Onion, Potato, and Beet.

Is this true or is this what Straw thinks is happening with Pokey? Is he really, truly a bad guy?

Rest in peace, Buzz Buzz. We'll win this war for you.

The Flying Men! It's good to see them again! Oh no, wait, I don't want them to die

Interesting... My personal explanation for this is that the statue brought out the worst in people, so it uses the evil part of your brain; but I also think Straw just views it as the worst evil he's fought so far.

Hi, I'm back here. I died to the statue. This seemed impossible, just like Belch, so I looked up some tips and a map. I found that I just needed a bunch of Dragonite, so I got some from storage. I also got an extra Earth Pendant for Apple (Jeff)

Wow! Dragonite is strong! I got lucky though, he didn't heal in this second attempt. If he would have, I might have lost.

Like how Grape (Poo) had his training that, to me, like he was reaching his personal enlightenment, I feel the same for this moment. It feels like Straw is taking everything that's happened to him and learning a great lesson that's left up for interpretation, whether it's a lesson on Love, Determination, Destiny, overcoming Evil, or all of the above.

This also makes me think that Magicant is a by-product of the Melodies, meaning Mary must have been in Magicant for decades, waiting for Carrot(NinTen) to restore peace to her and help her move on.

[roadtodeltarune]

(PART 3)

Okay, yeah, I'm a little scared. Bro looked like Mewtwo in the first game, what happened! Is this what happens when you abandon Love?

Oh! With the power of Praying, wishing for someone's safety and well-being, and the act of Love, we can win! We can defeat Evil!

This is really gross and creepy though

Everyone... Everyone we helped, they are really helping us back... No to ruin the mood, but this reminds me of the Spirit Bomb from Dragon Ball.

At this point, I was in a cycle of healing with Straw, praying with Bana, attacking with Apple, and psyshocking with Grape, occasionally switching up who was fighting and who used items. The prayers of everyone really did keep me motivated.

Yeah, if I had to fight this, I'd be praying too. Pokey wasn't lying, I am afraid.

Even Frank?

Mom... Berry...

Yeah! That's right! I am praying for them! I hope they defeat Giygas once and for all! In Mother 1 we made him have a traumatic mental breakdown and a panic attack, forcing him to retreat, but now he's too far gone, too evil. All we can do is destroy him with the power of Love.

Pokey, you coward! Face the consequences of your actions!

Is that the static from the opening of the game? Does that imply a time loop? Hm... No, I think it's more of foreshadowing.

They're alive! I'm so happy! I thought they were gonna be stuck as robots.

Oh- Well, I guess he's right. They have other responsibilities, and I can't keep them at our side forever.

Goodbye, Grape. I hope you become a great king and come visit soon.

Goodbye, Apple. Graduate and become a great scientist. And invite us to your wedding with Tony.

After some touching goodbyes and reading some letters, I walked Bana home. I didn't teleport. I wanted to enjoy the peace with the little time we had left together.

Earthbound Update 3

(PART 1)

I'm back! Some of you may have thought I abandoned this project, but you were wrong!

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Oh, I've been busy playing Earthbound! I knew I was close to the end, so I wanted to finish it before updating! I could have finished in a week, but I got distracted by other games and responsibilities. Now what exactly did I do in Earthbound?

Well last time, I cured Tenda Village's shyness. After making my last update, I tried their coffee and had another strange vision. But once my head cleared, I did some trading and then hopped into the cave.

As I figured, this was my next Sanctuary Location. The boss wasn't very tough; he was blasted to bits by a multi-bottle rocket and some good bashes. The hardest part was the maze of a cave!

We had a strange moment of Straw's(Ness) thoughts being beamed to a wall, then jumped down a hole into the Underworld.

This place is huge! And there are dinosaurs here! I wanted to avoid them since I felt strong enough already, but they were just too big, they kept blocking my path. It's actually so huge here that I had to look up a map. I also got lost in the first five minutes and was walking in circles, so a map helped a lot.

I feel like this should be a bigger moment, but didn't Buzz Buzz already say something about being in a prophecy? I guess it's good to remember the scale of our journey. Welp, time for the last Sanctuary Location!

Well, that was a fever dream...

The Fire Spring wasn't too hard to go through, the Psychic Psychos were more so just annoying. The final Sanctuary Boss felt like a good final boss, though, that fight was lots of fun.

As for all the melodies playing together, they sounded very pretty. I feel like they fit together better than Mother 1, but I hope there is, or will be, an orchestrated version like Mother 1 has.

The sequence afterward of Straw going through his home and seeing how much his parents loved him... Man, that hit me right in the feels. At the end of Mother 1, I came to the conclusion that this series is about love. Spoiler: I come to the same conclusion with Earthbound.

MAGICANT?! How is Magicant here! I thought it was Mary's dreamscape and it faded when she accepted death. Is... Is Mary still around? Is that why the melodies are back?

I think I like the aesthetic of this Magicant more. The old one was pretty, but this one feels more peaceful, and the color shifting adds to the magic/dream aspect.

Plus all the veggies remind me of my Mother 1 characters: Carrot, Onion, Potato, and Beet.

Is this true or is this what Straw thinks is happening with Pokey? Is he really, truly a bad guy?

Rest in peace, Buzz Buzz. We'll win this war for you.

The Flying Men! It's good to see them again! Oh no, wait, I don't want them to die

Interesting... My personal explanation for this is that the statue brought out the worst in people, so it uses the evil part of your brain; but I also think Straw just views it as the worst evil he's fought so far.

Hi, I'm back here. I died to the statue. This seemed impossible, just like Belch, so I looked up some tips and a map. I found that I just needed a bunch of Dragonite, so I got some from storage. I also got an extra Earth Pendant for Apple (Jeff)

Wow! Dragonite is strong! I got lucky though, he didn't heal in this second attempt. If he would have, I might have lost.

Like how Grape (Poo) had his training that, to me, like he was reaching his personal enlightenment, I feel the same for this moment. It feels like Straw is taking everything that's happened to him and learning a great lesson that's left up for interpretation, whether it's a lesson on Love, Determination, Destiny, overcoming Evil, or all of the above.

This also makes me think that Magicant is a by-product of the Melodies, meaning Mary must have been in Magicant for decades, waiting for Carrot(NinTen) to restore peace to her and help her move on.

[roadtodeltarune]

(PART 2)

I got a lot to say and lots of pictures, so this will be another multiparter; but since it's the end of the game, that seems right.

After becoming the definitive strongest member of the team, Straw wakes up and we can finally get out of her.

This level of an upgrade is what I wish Carrot got in Mother 1. Straw is essentially a healer that can also deal out some good damage, just like Carrot, but Straw has now the most PP on the team, and the most health too! He's now taking the role of a tank too, making him a mandatory asset to us

After Straw awoke his true potential, we went to Saturn Valley. I accidentally went into the machine when I was trying to talk to everyone and found out the hard way that it wasn't ready yet. Looks like we have one more quest before fighting Giygas.

Onett is scary now and I don't like it. The hotel was closed, so I went to Mom's house, worried she was in danger. This is the only place we can heal, so I visited her a lot. This was the first time we'd been Diamondized and fainted without being defeated. I don't know how Grape survived, but I ran back to the how as fast I could.

Not gonna lie, I felt like there would be a boss here or a cool cut scene, but I guess we got that cut scene at the beginning of the game.

After I got the materials Andonuts needed, he made it clear that this was the Point of No Return, so I brought up a walk-through to see what items I was missing. Don't worry, I didn't spoil myself on the final fight. I just wanted to see if I could upgrade weapons or armor.

It's probably safe to guess that this is why I took so long to beat the game. If you thought that, you're right. Let me explain:

First, I got Apple's best weapon, but it was a rare drop. Not wanting to take forever, I just used the Switch's rewind feature to make save states and RNG manipulate until I got it. That only took an hour or two.

Then, I went back to the Fire Spring. There were a few items I missed, mainly armor ones, so I got geared up. Bana (Paula) has the best armor because of her bad health stat. Apple has the second best. Straw has the worst because of his amazing health stat. Grape has his complete King's set.

However, I learned there was another Pendant in the game: the Star Pendant. It was, of course, a rare drop from the Major Psychic Psychos. It should have been easy, but I wanted 3, one for everybody (except Grape). On top of that, they spawned in pairs most of the time with regular Psychic Psychos, who also have a rare item drop! Meaning: I can't auto-battle them most of the time, and the odds are worse than 1/128!

For a solid week, I have just been trying this grind on and off. It was very draining because this was the third time I'd done a 1/128 hunt and I needed to get 3 of the rare items with worse odds. Though, I did manage to get a Major Psychic Psycho alone. Yet, it wouldn't drop the item, no matter how long I tried. I almost got into a gambler's mentality of thinking "I could win any moment! This could be the try!"

I gave up the day I beat the game. It was my last roadblock and I could be stuck there forever trying to get the item, or I could finish the game and have fun. I decided to beat the game. I don't think I needed the Star Pendant anyway. It would have been nice, but I was fine without it.

I also decided to not get the Gutsy Bat. In my opinion, it's the best bat in the game, but it's also a rare drop. I just didn't have the willpower to try another hunt. At least Apple got his best weapon.

Here we go... For Buzz Buzz! For the world!

First, Dr. Andonuts told me the machine might not be able to bring me back home, but that was fine with me. As long as the world was saved and all my friends could live in peace, I'd be happy.

Then, he told me that Giygas was in the past, and the only way to get to him was to time travel. However, living things can't time travel. I had to give up my free will, my humanity...

Like Grape in his training and like how we already took the risk of no return, I was willing to sacrifice it all. I was okay with giving up my body. This war was bigger than us. We are the chosen ones because we are the brave ones, the ones who love, not the other way around.

Welp. Here we are. Not gonna lie, this is unnerving, but I already made my peace.

This is super gross, though.

Pokey! Geez, I keep trying to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope he gets redeemed, but he's working with literal Evil! If he's really just jealous of Straw, he's taken this way too far.

Earthbound Update 3

(PART 1)

I'm back! Some of you may have thought I abandoned this project, but you were wrong!

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Oh, I've been busy playing Earthbound! I knew I was close to the end, so I wanted to finish it before updating! I could have finished in a week, but I got distracted by other games and responsibilities. Now what exactly did I do in Earthbound?

Well last time, I cured Tenda Village's shyness. After making my last update, I tried their coffee and had another strange vision. But once my head cleared, I did some trading and then hopped into the cave.

As I figured, this was my next Sanctuary Location. The boss wasn't very tough; he was blasted to bits by a multi-bottle rocket and some good bashes. The hardest part was the maze of a cave!

We had a strange moment of Straw's(Ness) thoughts being beamed to a wall, then jumped down a hole into the Underworld.

This place is huge! And there are dinosaurs here! I wanted to avoid them since I felt strong enough already, but they were just too big, they kept blocking my path. It's actually so huge here that I had to look up a map. I also got lost in the first five minutes and was walking in circles, so a map helped a lot.

I feel like this should be a bigger moment, but didn't Buzz Buzz already say something about being in a prophecy? I guess it's good to remember the scale of our journey. Welp, time for the last Sanctuary Location!

Well, that was a fever dream...

The Fire Spring wasn't too hard to go through, the Psychic Psychos were more so just annoying. The final Sanctuary Boss felt like a good final boss, though, that fight was lots of fun.

As for all the melodies playing together, they sounded very pretty. I feel like they fit together better than Mother 1, but I hope there is, or will be, an orchestrated version like Mother 1 has.

The sequence afterward of Straw going through his home and seeing how much his parents loved him... Man, that hit me right in the feels. At the end of Mother 1, I came to the conclusion that this series is about love. Spoiler: I come to the same conclusion with Earthbound.

MAGICANT?! How is Magicant here! I thought it was Mary's dreamscape and it faded when she accepted death. Is... Is Mary still around? Is that why the melodies are back?

I think I like the aesthetic of this Magicant more. The old one was pretty, but this one feels more peaceful, and the color shifting adds to the magic/dream aspect.

Plus all the veggies remind me of my Mother 1 characters: Carrot, Onion, Potato, and Beet.

Is this true or is this what Straw thinks is happening with Pokey? Is he really, truly a bad guy?

Rest in peace, Buzz Buzz. We'll win this war for you.

The Flying Men! It's good to see them again! Oh no, wait, I don't want them to die

Interesting... My personal explanation for this is that the statue brought out the worst in people, so it uses the evil part of your brain; but I also think Straw just views it as the worst evil he's fought so far.

Hi, I'm back here. I died to the statue. This seemed impossible, just like Belch, so I looked up some tips and a map. I found that I just needed a bunch of Dragonite, so I got some from storage. I also got an extra Earth Pendant for Apple (Jeff)

Wow! Dragonite is strong! I got lucky though, he didn't heal in this second attempt. If he would have, I might have lost.

Like how Grape (Poo) had his training that, to me, like he was reaching his personal enlightenment, I feel the same for this moment. It feels like Straw is taking everything that's happened to him and learning a great lesson that's left up for interpretation, whether it's a lesson on Love, Determination, Destiny, overcoming Evil, or all of the above.

This also makes me think that Magicant is a by-product of the Melodies, meaning Mary must have been in Magicant for decades, waiting for Carrot(NinTen) to restore peace to her and help her move on.

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Update 3

(PART 1)

I'm back! Some of you may have thought I abandoned this project, but you were wrong!

Where have I been? What have I been doing? Oh, I've been busy playing Earthbound! I knew I was close to the end, so I wanted to finish it before updating! I could have finished in a week, but I got distracted by other games and responsibilities. Now what exactly did I do in Earthbound?

Well last time, I cured Tenda Village's shyness. After making my last update, I tried their coffee and had another strange vision. But once my head cleared, I did some trading and then hopped into the cave.

As I figured, this was my next Sanctuary Location. The boss wasn't very tough; he was blasted to bits by a multi-bottle rocket and some good bashes. The hardest part was the maze of a cave!

We had a strange moment of Straw's(Ness) thoughts being beamed to a wall, then jumped down a hole into the Underworld.

This place is huge! And there are dinosaurs here! I wanted to avoid them since I felt strong enough already, but they were just too big, they kept blocking my path. It's actually so huge here that I had to look up a map. I also got lost in the first five minutes and was walking in circles, so a map helped a lot.

I feel like this should be a bigger moment, but didn't Buzz Buzz already say something about being in a prophecy? I guess it's good to remember the scale of our journey. Welp, time for the last Sanctuary Location!

Well, that was a fever dream...

The Fire Spring wasn't too hard to go through, the Psychic Psychos were more so just annoying. The final Sanctuary Boss felt like a good final boss, though, that fight was lots of fun.

As for all the melodies playing together, they sounded very pretty. I feel like they fit together better than Mother 1, but I hope there is, or will be, an orchestrated version like Mother 1 has.

The sequence afterward of Straw going through his home and seeing how much his parents loved him... Man, that hit me right in the feels. At the end of Mother 1, I came to the conclusion that this series is about love. Spoiler: I come to the same conclusion with Earthbound.

MAGICANT?! How is Magicant here! I thought it was Mary's dreamscape and it faded when she accepted death. Is... Is Mary still around? Is that why the melodies are back?

I think I like the aesthetic of this Magicant more. The old one was pretty, but this one feels more peaceful, and the color shifting adds to the magic/dream aspect.

Plus all the veggies remind me of my Mother 1 characters: Carrot, Onion, Potato, and Beet.

Is this true or is this what Straw thinks is happening with Pokey? Is he really, truly a bad guy?

Rest in peace, Buzz Buzz. We'll win this war for you.

The Flying Men! It's good to see them again! Oh no, wait, I don't want them to die

Interesting... My personal explanation for this is that the statue brought out the worst in people, so it uses the evil part of your brain; but I also think Straw just views it as the worst evil he's fought so far.

Hi, I'm back here. I died to the statue. This seemed impossible, just like Belch, so I looked up some tips and a map. I found that I just needed a bunch of Dragonite, so I got some from storage. I also got an extra Earth Pendant for Apple (Jeff)

Wow! Dragonite is strong! I got lucky though, he didn't heal in this second attempt. If he would have, I might have lost.

Like how Grape (Poo) had his training that, to me, like he was reaching his personal enlightenment, I feel the same for this moment. It feels like Straw is taking everything that's happened to him and learning a great lesson that's left up for interpretation, whether it's a lesson on Love, Determination, Destiny, overcoming Evil, or all of the above.

This also makes me think that Magicant is a by-product of the Melodies, meaning Mary must have been in Magicant for decades, waiting for Carrot(NinTen) to restore peace to her and help her move on.

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Week 2 Update

Hello!

Anyone who's keeping up with this is sure to assume that this week must have been lots of work done. Sadly, it wasn't. Due to things like work, distractions, and trying to do one thing in the game that took forever, I didn't get much done. Enough stalling though, what did I finish?

I left off at Dungeon Man. As promised, I tried to leave to get some items I missed in Scaraba, but I wanted to try getting back inside first. Turns out, I can't. I think this is because you can only go into him at certain moments and if I leave him before I complete the dungeon, then I've soft-locked myself. There might be a way around this, but I reloaded my save.

Of course, I had to read all the signs.

I'm happy for his transition, but I'm also terrified. I'm getting elements of body horror.

After completing his dungeon, he walked with us around the desert. Nowhere else to go, we went South.

I had to go through him again, but it was easier the second time. I didn't expect I needed a submarine to get to The Deep Darkness, though, I thought it was just in the forest on the left.

After arriving, I teleported back to Scaraba to get a broken item and the Piggy Nose. Getting back on track in Deep Darkness, I stalked up on items, organized my inventory, and got the new Multi-Bottle Rocket. Feeling ready, I went into the swamp.

Imma be honest, I don't like the swamp. The slow movement combined with drowning in the deeper parts makes the whole thing annoying. I think if they removed the drowning aspect, that'd make this area a lot better.

Oh, and I found a few Magic Truffles. They were a bit hard to find; I wish the nose gave better directions.

Deeper in the swamp, I found the reincarnated Belch, Puke. I'm happy for his transition, but I don't like him so he's gonna die now. At first, I was worried because a Spy didn't reveal any weaknesses, but on my second or third turn, I used the Multi-Bottle Rocket. After that, Grape came back and finished him off with his new move!

It was a cool scene, but I feel like it'd be cooler if I didn't defeat him so easily with the rocket.

We won the Casey Bat, the strongest in the game, but with horrible accuracy. I did some research into other weapons so I can see what's worth keeping. I didn't equip this, I already miss enough. Instead, my endgame weapon for Straw is the Gutsy Bat, so I'll be looking out for that.

I healed up at the shy village, but they were too shy to help progress the plot, so I had to leave. I figured I'd just backtrack to Summers or something, but that's when Red Apple Kid called me. Mid conversation, he was kidnapped! He was last seen at Dr. Andonut's Lab, so I ran there!

Winters had new enemies, but it wasn't too bad. What was bad was that Tony was kidnapped too! With Bubble Monkey's help, we went across the lake. I had to take the long way because I forgot the Pencil Eraser. But once we got to the lab, we found that the doctor was kidnapped too! With the new Eraser Eraser, the only thing to do was go to Stonehedge.

Lots of dangerous and annoying enemies were in my way! It took me a bit to find my way to the Exit Mice, immediately leaving because I was Homesick, low on PP, and wanted to get better items.

After doing some research, I got a map to use as a reference so I could more easily get through the first maze. I also found out the Starmen Super had a rare chance of dropping Grape's only weapon, the Sword of the Kings. Since his attack had been lacking and it's literally his ONLY weapon, it seemed worth it to me.

This search is what took me so long.

The sword has a 1/128 (0.78%) chance of dropping. Bad, but I've had worse. I've even gotten a few of these rare drops from other enemies in the game already!

What made it harder were the Atomic Power Robots and Starmen. They both spawned in the same area as the Starman Super. The Atomic Power Robots explode upon defeat, making them annoying at best and terrifying at worst. To avoid them, I went up and down the long ladder or hid in the corner to reload the room's enemies.

The Starmen weren't as bad, but their overworld sprite looked the exact same as the Starmen Super, meaning I had to fight both before deciding if it was worth it.

Combined with the fact this was in the middle of a dungeon, it was very draining. I'd leave occasionally to heal up or reorganize my items. When I wanted a break, I'd go a bit deeper into the dungeon to get all the items. I couldn't defeat the boss though, as a walkthrough told me that when the boss is defeated, all the enemies disappear. This was my ONLY chance.

Yes, I used a walkthrough, only for the map and for tips on how to get the sword.

An extra punch in the face that happened during this was that I found a DIFFERENT 1/128 item! The Starmen have a chance of dropping the Brain Food Lunch. It's a great item, but it felt like the game was laughing at me.

In the end, I started using the switch's save state feature to RNG manipulate and save scum. I pinned a Starman Super into the corner and battled him over and over. This was much faster than the previous option of reloading the room to get a good enemy group, defeating them all, and then doing it all again. However, it still took me around 30 minutes of just this.

The walkthrough tells you you should have a team average of 55 before trying this dungeon. When I started, my team average was 52. By the time I finished this grind, our average was 75. Straw, my highest leveled member, was at 79.

After a break to eat some food and drink some water, I felt good enough to fight the boss. First, I had to walk through this room. It reminded me of Mt. Itoi from Mother 1, giving me the same disturbed feeling. Red Apple Kid, Tony, Dr. Andonuts, and Dr. Saturn...

The boss was easy, not just because of the sword and our high levels, but mainly due to the Multi-Bottle Rocket. It's a great item, but maybe they should have introduced it AFTER this boss.

With everyone saved, I talked to the crowd and got the Saturn Ribbon. I was just wanting to read some flavor text, but this was great! Due to its luck boost, I wanted this as Bana's endgame armor.

Red Apple Kid said he returned the book to the library in Onett. While I was in town, I visited Mom and bought the old house. I have so much money now!

The book was annoying to find. I got confused because of the guy who ran into the bathroom. I thought he was hoarding it or something. The masked guy told me it was on the bookshelves, but I checked before and couldn't find it. I even talked to the Hint Guy. I almost gave up but decided to do a comb-over of the bookshelves. At the very end, I finally found it!

The last thing I did was go back to Tenda Village and cure their shyness, getting some weird conversations, food, and a bag of Dragonite as a reward. Next up, I plan on getting some horns to trade.

I'm surprised how little I finished this week, but I'm glad I was able to find the Sword of the Kings. That was a pain and I hope I never have to do something like that again. Honestly, it's my most hated part of this game so far.

Aside from that, I'm loving this game! I can't wait to see what happens next week. See y'all down the road!

[roadtodeltarune]

(PART 4)

I swear this is the last one! I got like 5 pics left!

I made it to the next spot, finally! Scaraba! Obviously, I beat the Kraken. He wasn't that bad, maybe I'm starting to be over-leveled, but I don't think that's a bad thing, not in the Mother Series.

Yeah more heat stroke, woo hoo...

The Pyramid was a mix of easy and hard. The entrance puzzle was easy. I forgot I had the clue and just using the music and I guess that it'd be star-shaped was enough. The enemies were too bad. Those big golem guys I had to use a lot of Big Bottle Rockets for, however; making the boss harder. As for the rest of the enemies, I found out I could pretty much just Smash them all and win, plus I could Magnet off some of them. However, it was hard because I still ran out of PP fast. That butterfly room was well-needed.

After I left the pyramid, Grape left the team to do training alone. Sad, because he was barely on the team. I remind you, I did all this within a week!

Now, I'm at Dungeon Man, heading for the Deep Darkness or whatever it's called. However, the pyramid leveled up Apple enough to repair some new items, and I forgot to nab some broken items, so I'm thinking of backtracking. I hope I can go through the pyramid again to get back here... I'll make a save just in case. If not, Apple will be a little weak for a bit.

Well, that's all I've done this week. I'll try to summarize it better with fewer pictures so I don't have to break it up into parts again. But with my pace, who knows? Maybe I'll beat the game? Doubt it, but I gotta be close.

I'll see y'all later down the road.

Earthbound Week 1 Update

(PART 1)

I'm back! It took a couple days longer than I would have liked. I got sick and then had a power outage. However, this gave me plenty of time to play Earthbound. And aside from the power outage, I played a lot.

I'm going to do lots of comparisons to Mother 1 today, it's hard not to. I'll start off by saying my pace is incredible. I'm moving at lightning-fast speeds! I've gotten six out of eight melodies and have every party member. That's not even mentioning levels. Right now I'm in the high 40s-low 50s. In Mother 1, these would be end-game levels, but it's late middle game in Earthbound! (At least I assume I'm in the late mid-game)

Rewinding a bit, let me go over just how far I am. Last time, I ended off with the second melody. After that, I returned Bana(Paula) back to her home and talked to Everdred.

He gave me 10,000 dollars! At first, I tried putting it in the ATM, but that didn't work. So, I walked around Twoson, trying to figure out how to use the money. Going to the theatre, I talked to the Runaway Five, who recognized Bana and gave us tickets.

I watched the show and then talked to the Runaway Five again. They said they were in debt but when I used the money, they didn't take it. I went to the manager and gave it to him, paying their debt. Then, they offered to drive us to Threed to avoid the ghosts. This was all a happy accident. I forgot about the theatre while I was saving Bana and I hadn't tried going south yet.

In Threed, I talked to everyone. This gave me lots of info on the ghost issue, but I did this because Bana said we'd meet a new friend here. However, I couldn't find them!

Out of options, I decided to just continue the plot and went to the far end of the cemetery. I triggered a cut scene and...

I got kidnapped.

Bana tried calling out for help with her telepathy.

This was so cool! I got to play as Apple(Jeff)! It's such an interesting way to make the world feel bigger, the adventure feel grander, and build a stronger connection to the characters. I figured it would be like Mother 1, where I went to different towns and convinced a kid to join my team, like with Bana. I like this much more, however. Even though he starts at level 1, this gives me time to test him out and grow attached.

Compared to Onion(Lloyd), he's both lacking and better. I think it'd be better if he had more specific items like Onion's Laser and Plasma Beams, but he makes up for it by fixing broken junk. And he essentially does have Laser/Plasma Beam equivalents, but they're equipable now.

I soon got Bubble Monkey, a great addition to the team. Until proven otherwise, he's this game's EVE. Not because of his power, but because he's only in the game for a short time and I already love him. With him, I leveled up Apple a few.

I made my way to Dr. Andonut's lab. The journey wasn't too bad, it was actually pretty fun. But really? He hasn't seen Apple in ten years? He's like what, 11? Father of the decade award.

I took his saucer for a ride, going to save-

Ouch- Well, now Apple saves Bana and Straw(Ness)!

I explored a bit more, but it seemed like the only thing to do was battle this tent. Luckily, I saved Apple's Big Bottle Rocket for a boss fight, so the tent was gone fast.

Side note: I'd like to mention Apple's "Spy" ability is very useful, helping me know the weaknesses of enemies. When fighting bosses, my first turn with Apple is either Big Bottle Rocket or Spy.

After that, I was able to go down the grave, well, thing in the cemetery. It was a long, treacherous path. Lots of opportunities for leveling up, but not much for healing. I made it out though.

I found Saturn Valley, and I love these guys. The way they talk is funny and they're so nice. I feel like it's basically this game's version of Magicant. It's a funny place full of helpful guys where you feel safe.

Okay, I was going to stop this Belch-guy, because he's the leader of the zombies and ghosts; but after seeing him enslave the Saturns, I was mad, I wanted justice.

So the first attempt didn't go so great...

At first, I tried using the Fly Honey, because they kept saying how it's his favorite food, but that made him belch in our faces and take a bunch of damage, so I rewinded and fought normally.

Apple told me he was weak to hypnosis, so I kept putting him to sleep and wailing on him, again and again. It was only when I was about to die that I realized maybe I should hypnosis and then use the Fly Honey, so he couldn't burp. But it was too late.

On attempt 2, my plan worked. Nothing beats the Psi Juice, PK Freeze, and Big Bottle Rocket combo

After fighting barf incarnate, I washed up, drank some spiked coffee, found the 3rd melody, and visited the purified Threed. Time for the desert!

[roadtodeltarune]

(Part 3)

Holy cow! There's a text limit on reblogs?! Guess I'll start cutting the fluff.

After my time at the mines, I left to let them dig. I was empty-handed, but they promised to call me soon.

That was fast. They gave me a diamond and I was able to pay their debt! I don't like making the rich richer, but hey, progress! They even gave me a thank you show and promised to help me meet Monotoli!

After the show, I noticed the mall was open for business. I went in and geared up, getting some weapons and armor and healing items, all good stuff.

The amount of shock, fear, and rage I felt when they kidnapped Bana. I just saved her and they do it again! This guy was going down and I was getting Bana back!

I wasn't prepared enough. Reloading, I moved some items out of Bana's inventory and prepared myself. I even got Apple more Big Bottle Rockets. And with a few turns, I won.

Bana wasn't back, however. My only guess? Monotoli.

I went back to his favorite cafe and talked to everyone a second time, hoping for clues. That triggered a cut scene with Everdred. He told me the secret of where to go next.

Moonside is a trip.

I love this place's aesthetic. It's so dream-like and strange. The enemies aren't bad either, so it's some nice leveling. I did get worried Bana would be under-leveled when I saved her, though.

Maybe I was over-leveled, but this hunk of junk was easy to beat. At least the nightmare is over, no more kidnappings.

I then got several messengers and decided to head to Monkey Cave first, thinking they might have gear that would help me against Monotoli. And I did get a Pokemon, so that's pretty sweet. Oh, and the teleport spell.

Once I was ready, I stormed Monotoli's building and saved Bana. She was actually really calm. Even though she told me Monotoli was a nice guy and he was clearly saddened by his actions, I still don't like him.

I swear, he'll get his... I'm gonna PK Juice+PK Freeze+Big Bottle Rocket Combo his face.

Luckily, the Runaway Five come in clutch again. They drove us back to Threed and I was confused about what to do there, but then it clicked. The saucer!

It's Summer time! I thought I'd have to save the people here from the evils of money or something but no, they're just like that.

What was in that cake!

He's a prince?!

Well, after being shocked by that reveal, I went and did Grape's(Poo's) training.

After a very disturbing "fight" that I'm still not quite sure what it means, Grape teleported away to fulfill his destiny!

I was a little frustrated that Grape couldn't use any armor or weapons, meaning his stats were lacking compared to the rest. His best attacks were spells, but he's not on Bana's level yet, though I can see he has potential. He also has Mirror, though I don't know how to use it yet.

That wasn't the only reason I was here there. The Summer Museum talked to the Fourside Museum, and I was able to get another melody! After going through a dangerous sewer system, but still!

Side note: I've been abusing the butterflies. Every time I find a Butterfly room, I use a bunch of Heal Ups and repeatedly respawn the butterfly until I max out everyone's HP and PP. I know this is probably their intended use, but I felt I should mention it. I did this in Belch's factory, Fourside sewers, and I'll do it later.

Not sure what to do next, I went back to Dalaam to just take some pics with the whole gang. But turns out the Carrot Key was for the Bunny Statues! It makes a lot of sense, but I wasn't thinking that far. Good thing I stumbled into it.

Melody 6! Oh yeah, I went back to get the melody in the cave when I visited Dr. Andonuts, forgot to mention that. I didn't forget!

Earthbound Week 1 Update

(PART 1)

I'm back! It took a couple days longer than I would have liked. I got sick and then had a power outage. However, this gave me plenty of time to play Earthbound. And aside from the power outage, I played a lot.

I'm going to do lots of comparisons to Mother 1 today, it's hard not to. I'll start off by saying my pace is incredible. I'm moving at lightning-fast speeds! I've gotten six out of eight melodies and have every party member. That's not even mentioning levels. Right now I'm in the high 40s-low 50s. In Mother 1, these would be end-game levels, but it's late middle game in Earthbound! (At least I assume I'm in the late mid-game)

Rewinding a bit, let me go over just how far I am. Last time, I ended off with the second melody. After that, I returned Bana(Paula) back to her home and talked to Everdred.

He gave me 10,000 dollars! At first, I tried putting it in the ATM, but that didn't work. So, I walked around Twoson, trying to figure out how to use the money. Going to the theatre, I talked to the Runaway Five, who recognized Bana and gave us tickets.

I watched the show and then talked to the Runaway Five again. They said they were in debt but when I used the money, they didn't take it. I went to the manager and gave it to him, paying their debt. Then, they offered to drive us to Threed to avoid the ghosts. This was all a happy accident. I forgot about the theatre while I was saving Bana and I hadn't tried going south yet.

In Threed, I talked to everyone. This gave me lots of info on the ghost issue, but I did this because Bana said we'd meet a new friend here. However, I couldn't find them!

Out of options, I decided to just continue the plot and went to the far end of the cemetery. I triggered a cut scene and...

I got kidnapped.

Bana tried calling out for help with her telepathy.

This was so cool! I got to play as Apple(Jeff)! It's such an interesting way to make the world feel bigger, the adventure feel grander, and build a stronger connection to the characters. I figured it would be like Mother 1, where I went to different towns and convinced a kid to join my team, like with Bana. I like this much more, however. Even though he starts at level 1, this gives me time to test him out and grow attached.

Compared to Onion(Lloyd), he's both lacking and better. I think it'd be better if he had more specific items like Onion's Laser and Plasma Beams, but he makes up for it by fixing broken junk. And he essentially does have Laser/Plasma Beam equivalents, but they're equipable now.

I soon got Bubble Monkey, a great addition to the team. Until proven otherwise, he's this game's EVE. Not because of his power, but because he's only in the game for a short time and I already love him. With him, I leveled up Apple a few.

I made my way to Dr. Andonut's lab. The journey wasn't too bad, it was actually pretty fun. But really? He hasn't seen Apple in ten years? He's like what, 11? Father of the decade award.

I took his saucer for a ride, going to save-

Ouch- Well, now Apple saves Bana and Straw(Ness)!

I explored a bit more, but it seemed like the only thing to do was battle this tent. Luckily, I saved Apple's Big Bottle Rocket for a boss fight, so the tent was gone fast.

Side note: I'd like to mention Apple's "Spy" ability is very useful, helping me know the weaknesses of enemies. When fighting bosses, my first turn with Apple is either Big Bottle Rocket or Spy.

After that, I was able to go down the grave, well, thing in the cemetery. It was a long, treacherous path. Lots of opportunities for leveling up, but not much for healing. I made it out though.

I found Saturn Valley, and I love these guys. The way they talk is funny and they're so nice. I feel like it's basically this game's version of Magicant. It's a funny place full of helpful guys where you feel safe.

Okay, I was going to stop this Belch-guy, because he's the leader of the zombies and ghosts; but after seeing him enslave the Saturns, I was mad, I wanted justice.

So the first attempt didn't go so great...

At first, I tried using the Fly Honey, because they kept saying how it's his favorite food, but that made him belch in our faces and take a bunch of damage, so I rewinded and fought normally.

Apple told me he was weak to hypnosis, so I kept putting him to sleep and wailing on him, again and again. It was only when I was about to die that I realized maybe I should hypnosis and then use the Fly Honey, so he couldn't burp. But it was too late.

On attempt 2, my plan worked. Nothing beats the Psi Juice, PK Freeze, and Big Bottle Rocket combo

After fighting barf incarnate, I washed up, drank some spiked coffee, found the 3rd melody, and visited the purified Threed. Time for the desert!

[roadtodeltarune]

(PART 2)

I didn't realize there was an image limit! I just did so much!

Anyway, the desert!

I didn't explore much. I found the Monkey Cave and helped out the treasure hunter, but I made it out of there fast! Heat stroke sucks!

Now in the big city, I was just wandering around like usual, getting info about Monotoli. Then they started assuming I was trying to get the hot goss and snoop around, but I didn't care about this Macaroni man. Is he Giygas? No.

Wait what's that?

Pokey's working for him? And the statue is involved? And they're all working for Giygas? Welp... Now it's my problem.

Sidenote: This elevator animation is so creative. Usually in games, the elevator stays in place and just kinda shakes around to indicate movement. But moving it up off the screen and then wrapping around to the other side? Amazing. Funny. I love it.

With no more leads on Monotoli, I decided to check out the Runaway Five show. They said their tour would bring them to Fourside next, so it's about time I saw them. And of course, they need me to help their dept.

Their manager said they'd need actual gold to help their debt? Well, luckily I know a certain gold hunter in the desert.

I spent a good while here, leveling up, finding items, fighting bosses, all so I could clear out the cave and they could keep mining for gold.

Earthbound Week 1 Update

(PART 1)

I'm back! It took a couple days longer than I would have liked. I got sick and then had a power outage. However, this gave me plenty of time to play Earthbound. And aside from the power outage, I played a lot.

I'm going to do lots of comparisons to Mother 1 today, it's hard not to. I'll start off by saying my pace is incredible. I'm moving at lightning-fast speeds! I've gotten six out of eight melodies and have every party member. That's not even mentioning levels. Right now I'm in the high 40s-low 50s. In Mother 1, these would be end-game levels, but it's late middle game in Earthbound! (At least I assume I'm in the late mid-game)

Rewinding a bit, let me go over just how far I am. Last time, I ended off with the second melody. After that, I returned Bana(Paula) back to her home and talked to Everdred.

He gave me 10,000 dollars! At first, I tried putting it in the ATM, but that didn't work. So, I walked around Twoson, trying to figure out how to use the money. Going to the theatre, I talked to the Runaway Five, who recognized Bana and gave us tickets.

I watched the show and then talked to the Runaway Five again. They said they were in debt but when I used the money, they didn't take it. I went to the manager and gave it to him, paying their debt. Then, they offered to drive us to Threed to avoid the ghosts. This was all a happy accident. I forgot about the theatre while I was saving Bana and I hadn't tried going south yet.

In Threed, I talked to everyone. This gave me lots of info on the ghost issue, but I did this because Bana said we'd meet a new friend here. However, I couldn't find them!

Out of options, I decided to just continue the plot and went to the far end of the cemetery. I triggered a cut scene and...

I got kidnapped.

Bana tried calling out for help with her telepathy.

This was so cool! I got to play as Apple(Jeff)! It's such an interesting way to make the world feel bigger, the adventure feel grander, and build a stronger connection to the characters. I figured it would be like Mother 1, where I went to different towns and convinced a kid to join my team, like with Bana. I like this much more, however. Even though he starts at level 1, this gives me time to test him out and grow attached.

Compared to Onion(Lloyd), he's both lacking and better. I think it'd be better if he had more specific items like Onion's Laser and Plasma Beams, but he makes up for it by fixing broken junk. And he essentially does have Laser/Plasma Beam equivalents, but they're equipable now.

I soon got Bubble Monkey, a great addition to the team. Until proven otherwise, he's this game's EVE. Not because of his power, but because he's only in the game for a short time and I already love him. With him, I leveled up Apple a few.

I made my way to Dr. Andonut's lab. The journey wasn't too bad, it was actually pretty fun. But really? He hasn't seen Apple in ten years? He's like what, 11? Father of the decade award.

I took his saucer for a ride, going to save-

Ouch- Well, now Apple saves Bana and Straw(Ness)!

I explored a bit more, but it seemed like the only thing to do was battle this tent. Luckily, I saved Apple's Big Bottle Rocket for a boss fight, so the tent was gone fast.

Side note: I'd like to mention Apple's "Spy" ability is very useful, helping me know the weaknesses of enemies. When fighting bosses, my first turn with Apple is either Big Bottle Rocket or Spy.

After that, I was able to go down the grave, well, thing in the cemetery. It was a long, treacherous path. Lots of opportunities for leveling up, but not much for healing. I made it out though.

I found Saturn Valley, and I love these guys. The way they talk is funny and they're so nice. I feel like it's basically this game's version of Magicant. It's a funny place full of helpful guys where you feel safe.

Okay, I was going to stop this Belch-guy, because he's the leader of the zombies and ghosts; but after seeing him enslave the Saturns, I was mad, I wanted justice.

So the first attempt didn't go so great...

At first, I tried using the Fly Honey, because they kept saying how it's his favorite food, but that made him belch in our faces and take a bunch of damage, so I rewinded and fought normally.

Apple told me he was weak to hypnosis, so I kept putting him to sleep and wailing on him, again and again. It was only when I was about to die that I realized maybe I should hypnosis and then use the Fly Honey, so he couldn't burp. But it was too late.

On attempt 2, my plan worked. Nothing beats the Psi Juice, PK Freeze, and Big Bottle Rocket combo

After fighting barf incarnate, I washed up, drank some spiked coffee, found the 3rd melody, and visited the purified Threed. Time for the desert!

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Week 1 Update

(PART 1/4)

I'm back! It took a couple days longer than I would have liked. I got sick and then had a power outage. However, this gave me plenty of time to play Earthbound. And aside from the power outage, I played a lot.

I'm going to do lots of comparisons to Mother 1 today, it's hard not to. I'll start off by saying my pace is incredible. I'm moving at lightning-fast speeds! I've gotten six out of eight melodies and have every party member. That's not even mentioning levels. Right now I'm in the high 40s-low 50s. In Mother 1, these would be end-game levels, but it's late middle game in Earthbound! (At least I assume I'm in the late mid-game)

Rewinding a bit, let me go over just how far I am. Last time, I ended off with the second melody. After that, I returned Bana(Paula) back to her home and talked to Everdred.

He gave me 10,000 dollars! At first, I tried putting it in the ATM, but that didn't work. So, I walked around Twoson, trying to figure out how to use the money. Going to the theatre, I talked to the Runaway Five, who recognized Bana and gave us tickets.

I watched the show and then talked to the Runaway Five again. They said they were in debt but when I used the money, they didn't take it. I went to the manager and gave it to him, paying their debt. Then, they offered to drive us to Threed to avoid the ghosts. This was all a happy accident. I forgot about the theatre while I was saving Bana and I hadn't tried going south yet.

In Threed, I talked to everyone. This gave me lots of info on the ghost issue, but I did this because Bana said we'd meet a new friend here. However, I couldn't find them!

Out of options, I decided to just continue the plot and went to the far end of the cemetery. I triggered a cut scene and...

I got kidnapped.

Bana tried calling out for help with her telepathy.

This was so cool! I got to play as Apple(Jeff)! It's such an interesting way to make the world feel bigger, the adventure feel grander, and build a stronger connection to the characters. I figured it would be like Mother 1, where I went to different towns and convinced a kid to join my team, like with Bana. I like this much more, however. Even though he starts at level 1, this gives me time to test him out and grow attached.

Compared to Onion(Lloyd), he's both lacking and better. I think it'd be better if he had more specific items like Onion's Laser and Plasma Beams, but he makes up for it by fixing broken junk. And he essentially does have Laser/Plasma Beam equivalents, but they're equipable now.

I soon got Bubble Monkey, a great addition to the team. Until proven otherwise, he's this game's EVE. Not because of his power, but because he's only in the game for a short time and I already love him. With him, I leveled up Apple a few.

I made my way to Dr. Andonut's lab. The journey wasn't too bad, it was actually pretty fun. But really? He hasn't seen Apple in ten years? He's like what, 11? Father of the decade award.

I took his saucer for a ride, going to save-

Ouch- Well, now Apple saves Bana and Straw(Ness)!

I explored a bit more, but it seemed like the only thing to do was battle this tent. Luckily, I saved Apple's Big Bottle Rocket for a boss fight, so the tent was gone fast.

Side note: I'd like to mention Apple's "Spy" ability is very useful, helping me know the weaknesses of enemies. When fighting bosses, my first turn with Apple is either Big Bottle Rocket or Spy.

After that, I was able to go down the grave, well, thing in the cemetery. It was a long, treacherous path. Lots of opportunities for leveling up, but not much for healing. I made it out though.

I found Saturn Valley, and I love these guys. The way they talk is funny and they're so nice. I feel like it's basically this game's version of Magicant. It's a funny place full of helpful guys where you feel safe.

Okay, I was going to stop this Belch-guy, because he's the leader of the zombies and ghosts; but after seeing him enslave the Saturns, I was mad, I wanted justice.

So the first attempt didn't go so great...

At first, I tried using the Fly Honey, because they kept saying how it's his favorite food, but that made him belch in our faces and take a bunch of damage, so I rewinded and fought normally.

Apple told me he was weak to hypnosis, so I kept putting him to sleep and wailing on him, again and again. It was only when I was about to die that I realized maybe I should hypnosis and then use the Fly Honey, so he couldn't burp. But it was too late.

On attempt 2, my plan worked. Nothing beats the Psi Juice, PK Freeze, and Big Bottle Rocket combo

After fighting barf incarnate, I washed up, drank some spiked coffee, found the 3rd melody, and visited the purified Threed. Time for the desert!

[roadtodeltarune]

Oopsies- forgot to put which retrospectives I've been watching. I wanted to watch as many as I could, but I'm sure I missed some. Keep in mind, that these are only for Earthbound Beginnings/Mother 1. I'm holding off on full Series breakdowns until I finish Mother 3.

Also, there's the Earthbound USA documentory, but I couldn't find it, only trailers.

Plus, the last video had a link to a manga adaptation of an interview with Shigesato Itoi, the creator of the Mother Series. I did read that whole manga and will link that too.

Earthbound Start!

Howdy, y'all! I'm back with another week's update! Though, this is more like a day 1 update.

For the past week, I've been relaxing, fighting a cold, and working. But how far have I gone with the project? Not far. I decided to spend this week watching retrospectives on Mother 1, learning more about its creation, impact, and interpretations. I've also been letting my thoughts on Mother 1 settle into something more concrete. In short: I stand by my earlier thoughts, and you can see those in my other posts.

Today, I have big news! I started Earthbound! Yesterday, I couldn't help myself and decided to start up the game. I stayed up playing it for a long time. I almost got sucked back in this morning but pulled myself out to give the week's update.

As promised, we're doing a fruit theme, matching the veggie theme from last time. A few things about their names: I regret not naming Ness "Strawb" instead, but "Straw" has grown on me. Plus with his dog, it's team StrawBerry. "Bana" is obviously named after a banana, but I like pronouncing it the same as "Launa". "Apple" I named 'cause of his apple-green suit. I had no clue that there was an inventor kid in this game also named Apple. Maybe they're brothers or cousins? Lastly, Grape, I was running out of fruit ideas. I was tempted to name him "Cherry" after the shape of his head, but most of my internet handles are "CherryKeri" or something similar, so I went for Grape. No particular reason, but I do like grapes.

Now for the elephant in the room: Giygas is back. Y'know, I figured he'd be in this game, but he got here faster than I thought. After making him have an emotional breakdown from hearing the song of his dead mom, I wonder how he's doing and what made him think it would be a good idea to come back.

As for Pokey, I had hopes for him at first. He's a bit of a jerk, but I could see a change arc for him in the future. Maybe... He kinda sucks, especially after he kidnapped Bana and said his honest apology was a lie. I wanna hit him with my baseball bat, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

When Buzz Buzz died, I felt so many emotions. Anger and sadness obviously, laughter at the funny dialogue, a sense of purpose and bravery to continue my journey, and confusion at how that all happened so fast and from the mix of feelings.

Speaking of the dialogue, this game is hilarious. The tombstone ad in the hospital had me cracking up, and there are a bunch of little things like that all over the game! It really helps to make me want to explore and read every sign.

After Buzz Buzz told me about how Giygas returned and it was my destiny to find some friends and kick his butt, I set out for Onett.

The city was fun, but I kept noticing these trucks. It's funny how they used to be a serious enemy and now they're normal. A weird thing about them: I think they have set spawn locations. I was running around a lot and kept seeing them flicker on the edge of the screen. It's a very minor thing, my ADHD just kept focusing on it.

While I was in Onett, I also found out a bunch of new features that are a huge improvement over Mother 1. First off, when I find items in the wild, it lets me have the option of dropping an item from my bag; in the first game, the random encounters would just not drop things if my bag was full. Second, when I buy armor or weapons and equip them at the store, it instantly gives me the option to sell my old items. It's such a small thing, but it makes the whole game smoother and faster pace.

A difference that I wish they kept is the run button, walking is a bit too slow for me. I think I'm getting used to it, but the run button made backtracking a lot better.

Since I was in town, I decided to defeat an evil gang. They had a key needed to get the first melody, and they were causing trouble for everyone. So I fought Franky and his Battle Franky Mark II. It was actually not too bad of a fight; I two-shot him with a SMASH and a regular bash.

Going into the caves, I unlocked my signature move: PSI Juice! I didn't think this was how they'd use my "Favorite Thing" but I think it fits pretty well! I like to imagine I'm hitting them with so much power, that I'm wringing the juice out of them, like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. I mostly used the move for big hits and for crowd control.

First Melody nabbed, and I think I'll mention it now. The plot of this game, so far, is very similar to Mother 1. Mother 1: Collect the melodies and some friends to defeat Giygas. Mother 2: Collect the melodies and some friends to defeat Giygas. It's the same, except the details were changed. Mother 1: Queen Mary lost her memory and only the melodies can restore it, but the melodies are being used by aliens to do evil deeds like restoring the dead. By making friends and doing good deeds, you gain the magic music of love, and with this, you restore Queen Mary's memories and then face the one behind it all: Giygas. So far, there is no Queen Mary in this game. In Mother 2: Giygas has returned and Buzz Buzz goes back in time to stop him before it's too late. He asks for your help and you go out to make friends and collect the melodies, the magic music that can defeat Giygas. The only things that are similar in these plots are the melodies and Giygas being the big baddie, but I think that makes sense. Only love can defeat evil. Though, I am curious about one thing: how are the melodies here? Is it the same song?

Anyway, back on the road. I got more funny dialogue with the cops and man, these guys suck. I know this game is from Japan and made in the 90s, but I can't tell if this is pro-cop or anti-cop. I wanna say anti-cop, cause they fight you and everything, but the game doesn't treat them like full-blown antagonists.

On my way to Twoson, I got mushroomed. It was fine at first cause I didn't have any party members to accidentally hit, but then my controls got weird. Luckily, I was in town already when that started, so it became a fun little challenge to get to the hospital.

Hey so quick question: What's with the blue guys? No, not the cult, the guys that attack you in cities? Are they zombies? Drunks? Crazy people? All of the above? They're really weird. I kinda wish they weren't here, cause it makes the cities, a plan of safety in the first game, not so safe anymore.

As for those other blue guys, I don't like them. They kidnapped Bana to sacrifice? Wtf? I got geared up and went over there- I got stopped by a pencil... Well, I went back and got a Hint. I love these by the way, I think I'll be using hints when I get stuck from now on. In Mother 1, I had to use a walkthrough, but they risked spoiling me or making it too easy.

Okay, so the hint told me about the inventor kids. Other people told me about them, but I didn't think they were important and their inventions seemed expensive. I bit the bullet and donated 400 dollars and a cookie to them. Orange gave me his item and I went back- It didn't work...

When I got back through the cave, Red Apple called me and told me to meet with him. I don't know if it was a timed event after paying him, or if I accidently did the right thing by going to the pencil and trying Orange's bomb. Either way, I ran to Red Apple and got the Eraser. NOW, I made the trek.

This area was scary, with all sorts of dangerous enemies, colds, and twists and turns. Somehow, I made my way through even though the Blue Cult broke the first bridge.

In Happy Village, I fixed up my gear and did a little leveling up. This town is a little weird though. I mean in how they treat you at first, it's kind of the perfect representation of a cult. Most members are welcoming and subtly trying to make you join. The more extreme members notice you're a stranger who doesn't want to join, so they attack you. It's creepy. There's paint in their river, and even the cow was convinced!

Worse yet, I was getting homesick. That status condition wasn't in Mother 1, so it's brand new to me. It's very annoying, but I guess I just gotta call Mom regularly now? I thought it was cause there was something in the paint, but I think it's just a timed thing.

What a SHOCKING fight! It was actually pretty fun! Most of his attacks didn't hurt me much, so I just wailed at him with Bashes and Juices. A small detail upped the creepy factor though: the statue. Earlier in the game, I went to X. Agerate's house and he took me to the statue he found. I think this might be the same one! How did it get here? These people know it's dangerous now, but it's not destroyed, so what'll happen to it? I want to break it to bits just to be safe!

Two gangs down and I rescued Bana! She had been sending messages in my dreams. The people of Twoson missed her so much, but the cult had treated her horribly. Of course, I had to save her after all that! It's clear to me that she'll be like Potato(Ana) from Mother 1, but I wonder if her Bashes will be stronger or if she'll get even greater spells. Her learning set and how much damage her spells do are different from Potato, so I have some learning and training to do.

I thought I'd go through the cave while I was there, so I used it as a place to level up Bana. She's now level 15 while Straw is level 21, so the gap is shrinking! Her Teddy Bear helped a lot, it's a great tool for training! I also learned a neat change from Mother 1 that I love!

Say you were fighting two Mega Borg in Mother 1 and you target everyone on the first, leaving the second free from damage on that turn. You'd do that because they're tough so you know you need to take it down with multiple hits. But surprised! Someone landed a SMASH, so it goes down easy. Now your party is wasting PP and time just attacking the air while the second Mega Borg is completely fine! Quite the hypothetical, but it happened to me a lot in Mother 1. Well, they fixed that! Now, if an enemy fails, your characters will instantly target the other one. This is a feature that Pokemon also has. It's very convenient and makes the fights faster-paced.

We'll end this week's update with the Second Melody! I'm not sure what this is supposed to be, a Hat Trail?

So far, I'm loving this game! I had a great time with Mother 1 and this is so much better! I can't forget to mention the amazing music and sprite art, a huge improvement that many might not notice right away. I found myself a few times just walking around, looking at how pretty everything is.

I'm shocked at how much I've done in just a day! This was all last night! All I did this morning before stopping to make this post was leave Happy Village and get back to Twoson. Next, we'll be going to Threed. I'm not sure what my journey has in store, but I'll see you down the road.

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Start!

Howdy, y'all! I'm back with another week's update! Though, this is more like a day 1 update.

For the past week, I've been relaxing, fighting a cold, and working. But how far have I gone with the project? Not far. I decided to spend this week watching retrospectives on Mother 1, learning more about its creation, impact, and interpretations. I've also been letting my thoughts on Mother 1 settle into something more concrete. In short: I stand by my earlier thoughts, and you can see those in my other posts.

Today, I have big news! I started Earthbound! Yesterday, I couldn't help myself and decided to start up the game. I stayed up playing it for a long time. I almost got sucked back in this morning but pulled myself out to give the week's update.

As promised, we're doing a fruit theme, matching the veggie theme from last time. A few things about their names: I regret not naming Ness "Strawb" instead, but "Straw" has grown on me. Plus with his dog, it's team StrawBerry. "Bana" is obviously named after a banana, but I like pronouncing it the same as "Launa". "Apple" I named 'cause of his apple-green suit. I had no clue that there was an inventor kid in this game also named Apple. Maybe they're brothers or cousins? Lastly, Grape, I was running out of fruit ideas. I was tempted to name him "Cherry" after the shape of his head, but most of my internet handles are "CherryKeri" or something similar, so I went for Grape. No particular reason, but I do like grapes.

Now for the elephant in the room: Giygas is back. Y'know, I figured he'd be in this game, but he got here faster than I thought. After making him have an emotional breakdown from hearing the song of his dead mom, I wonder how he's doing and what made him think it would be a good idea to come back.

As for Pokey, I had hopes for him at first. He's a bit of a jerk, but I could see a change arc for him in the future. Maybe... He kinda sucks, especially after he kidnapped Bana and said his honest apology was a lie. I wanna hit him with my baseball bat, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

When Buzz Buzz died, I felt so many emotions. Anger and sadness obviously, laughter at the funny dialogue, a sense of purpose and bravery to continue my journey, and confusion at how that all happened so fast and from the mix of feelings.

Speaking of the dialogue, this game is hilarious. The tombstone ad in the hospital had me cracking up, and there are a bunch of little things like that all over the game! It really helps to make me want to explore and read every sign.

After Buzz Buzz told me about how Giygas returned and it was my destiny to find some friends and kick his butt, I set out for Onett.

The city was fun, but I kept noticing these trucks. It's funny how they used to be a serious enemy and now they're normal. A weird thing about them: I think they have set spawn locations. I was running around a lot and kept seeing them flicker on the edge of the screen. It's a very minor thing, my ADHD just kept focusing on it.

While I was in Onett, I also found out a bunch of new features that are a huge improvement over Mother 1. First off, when I find items in the wild, it lets me have the option of dropping an item from my bag; in the first game, the random encounters would just not drop things if my bag was full. Second, when I buy armor or weapons and equip them at the store, it instantly gives me the option to sell my old items. It's such a small thing, but it makes the whole game smoother and faster pace.

A difference that I wish they kept is the run button, walking is a bit too slow for me. I think I'm getting used to it, but the run button made backtracking a lot better.

Since I was in town, I decided to defeat an evil gang. They had a key needed to get the first melody, and they were causing trouble for everyone. So I fought Franky and his Battle Franky Mark II. It was actually not too bad of a fight; I two-shot him with a SMASH and a regular bash.

Going into the caves, I unlocked my signature move: PSI Juice! I didn't think this was how they'd use my "Favorite Thing" but I think it fits pretty well! I like to imagine I'm hitting them with so much power, that I'm wringing the juice out of them, like in a Tom and Jerry cartoon. I mostly used the move for big hits and for crowd control.

First Melody nabbed, and I think I'll mention it now. The plot of this game, so far, is very similar to Mother 1. Mother 1: Collect the melodies and some friends to defeat Giygas. Mother 2: Collect the melodies and some friends to defeat Giygas. It's the same, except the details were changed. Mother 1: Queen Mary lost her memory and only the melodies can restore it, but the melodies are being used by aliens to do evil deeds like restoring the dead. By making friends and doing good deeds, you gain the magic music of love, and with this, you restore Queen Mary's memories and then face the one behind it all: Giygas. So far, there is no Queen Mary in this game. In Mother 2: Giygas has returned and Buzz Buzz goes back in time to stop him before it's too late. He asks for your help and you go out to make friends and collect the melodies, the magic music that can defeat Giygas. The only things that are similar in these plots are the melodies and Giygas being the big baddie, but I think that makes sense. Only love can defeat evil. Though, I am curious about one thing: how are the melodies here? Is it the same song?

Anyway, back on the road. I got more funny dialogue with the cops and man, these guys suck. I know this game is from Japan and made in the 90s, but I can't tell if this is pro-cop or anti-cop. I wanna say anti-cop, cause they fight you and everything, but the game doesn't treat them like full-blown antagonists.

On my way to Twoson, I got mushroomed. It was fine at first cause I didn't have any party members to accidentally hit, but then my controls got weird. Luckily, I was in town already when that started, so it became a fun little challenge to get to the hospital.

Hey so quick question: What's with the blue guys? No, not the cult, the guys that attack you in cities? Are they zombies? Drunks? Crazy people? All of the above? They're really weird. I kinda wish they weren't here, cause it makes the cities, a plan of safety in the first game, not so safe anymore.

As for those other blue guys, I don't like them. They kidnapped Bana to sacrifice? Wtf? I got geared up and went over there- I got stopped by a pencil... Well, I went back and got a Hint. I love these by the way, I think I'll be using hints when I get stuck from now on. In Mother 1, I had to use a walkthrough, but they risked spoiling me or making it too easy.

Okay, so the hint told me about the inventor kids. Other people told me about them, but I didn't think they were important and their inventions seemed expensive. I bit the bullet and donated 400 dollars and a cookie to them. Orange gave me his item and I went back- It didn't work...

When I got back through the cave, Red Apple called me and told me to meet with him. I don't know if it was a timed event after paying him, or if I accidently did the right thing by going to the pencil and trying Orange's bomb. Either way, I ran to Red Apple and got the Eraser. NOW, I made the trek.

This area was scary, with all sorts of dangerous enemies, colds, and twists and turns. Somehow, I made my way through even though the Blue Cult broke the first bridge.

In Happy Village, I fixed up my gear and did a little leveling up. This town is a little weird though. I mean in how they treat you at first, it's kind of the perfect representation of a cult. Most members are welcoming and subtly trying to make you join. The more extreme members notice you're a stranger who doesn't want to join, so they attack you. It's creepy. There's paint in their river, and even the cow was convinced!

Worse yet, I was getting homesick. That status condition wasn't in Mother 1, so it's brand new to me. It's very annoying, but I guess I just gotta call Mom regularly now? I thought it was cause there was something in the paint, but I think it's just a timed thing.

What a SHOCKING fight! It was actually pretty fun! Most of his attacks didn't hurt me much, so I just wailed at him with Bashes and Juices. A small detail upped the creepy factor though: the statue. Earlier in the game, I went to X. Agerate's house and he took me to the statue he found. I think this might be the same one! How did it get here? These people know it's dangerous now, but it's not destroyed, so what'll happen to it? I want to break it to bits just to be safe!

Two gangs down and I rescued Bana! She had been sending messages in my dreams. The people of Twoson missed her so much, but the cult had treated her horribly. Of course, I had to save her after all that! It's clear to me that she'll be like Potato(Ana) from Mother 1, but I wonder if her Bashes will be stronger or if she'll get even greater spells. Her learning set and how much damage her spells do are different from Potato, so I have some learning and training to do.

I thought I'd go through the cave while I was there, so I used it as a place to level up Bana. She's now level 15 while Straw is level 21, so the gap is shrinking! Her Teddy Bear helped a lot, it's a great tool for training! I also learned a neat change from Mother 1 that I love!

Say you were fighting two Mega Borg in Mother 1 and you target everyone on the first, leaving the second free from damage on that turn. You'd do that because they're tough so you know you need to take it down with multiple hits. But surprised! Someone landed a SMASH, so it goes down easy. Now your party is wasting PP and time just attacking the air while the second Mega Borg is completely fine! Quite the hypothetical, but it happened to me a lot in Mother 1. Well, they fixed that! Now, if an enemy fails, your characters will instantly target the other one. This is a feature that Pokemon also has. It's very convenient and makes the fights faster-paced.

We'll end this week's update with the Second Melody! I'm not sure what this is supposed to be, a Hat Trail?

So far, I'm loving this game! I had a great time with Mother 1 and this is so much better! I can't forget to mention the amazing music and sprite art, a huge improvement that many might not notice right away. I found myself a few times just walking around, looking at how pretty everything is.

I'm shocked at how much I've done in just a day! This was all last night! All I did this morning before stopping to make this post was leave Happy Village and get back to Twoson. Next, we'll be going to Threed. I'm not sure what my journey has in store, but I'll see you down the road.

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Beginnings: Final Week

It's surreal to make this post, but I finished Earthbound Beginnings! I knew I only had an hour left in the story, but with all the grinding and leveling up, I thought I wouldn't finish in time. Especially when you consider it took me 3 weeks overall to play the game, plus me getting distracted by the Pokemon DLC.

Well, to continue my experience, play through, review, whatever you'd call this post: I last left off right before Mt. Itoi.

I heard tales of Mt. Itoi and how difficult it was. In some ways, it was easier than I thought but also harder. First, I leveled up Carrot (NinTen) to the low 30s with Beet (Teddy), then I went through the cave, got our new weapons, and went to the mountain house.

Several things happened there I want to touch on. First, I love Potato (Ana) and Carrot's relationship development, from friends at first sight to admitting their love and dancing, it was all very sweet. Then, we were attacked by a giant robot. Onion (Lloyd) came to our rescue, but Beet was too injured to continue. This made me a bit annoyed. While I loved having Onion back, Beet's time on the team was too short, and I feel like his section was a bit of a waste of time.

Anywho, with Onion back, I started leveling him up. In fact, my goal was to get Carrot to level 36 and Onion/Potato to at least 32. It took me a long while. I had to heal lots at the house cause of all the strong enemies, but Potato's Beam Y helped a lot, especially with the Grizzly Bears. I also decided to go back to Ellay to fight the BB Gang. I got 3 Flame Throwers for Onion, one to use, one for backup in our inventory, and one at home in the closet. Since they can break, I wanted to be prepared.

Once we were strong enough, I pushed on toward the lake. Thanks to the leveling, we weren't in much danger. I found the whirlpool in the lake and decided to jump in. Luckily, that's what I was supposed to do. In the submarine, I was worried it would be another Duncan's Factory, but it was peaceful. Then I found EVE.

Eve was a great addition to the team, reminding me much of Beet. I figured that maybe this meant Beet would rejoin at some point? With Eve, we leveled up a couple more times and then found the Sea Pendant- I gave it to Potato. But then, we fought another robot.

I'll admit, I knew EVE would die, that was spoiled for me by wal throughs, but I didn't expect to get so emotionally detached to her. She was so powerful and so helpful, and all she wanted was to protect us. And she was powered by a melody.

After EVE fell, I figured surely Beet would appear and join the team again, but he didn't. And with EVE gone, the mountain was much worse. Up until now, the mountain has been hard, but I have been able to fight back. Even against Grizzly Bears, strong enough to one-shot my party members, I was starting to outspeed them and survive their attacks, but now it was crazy. The peak of Mt. Itoi was horrible, and I'm glad I never had to climb it again.

I got the final melody from the grave and then went to Magicant. I reorganized my items and went to the Queen.

The scene with Queen Mary was beautiful. She finally regained her memories, revealed the truth to me, and accepted her death. Just like Beet and EVE, another ally is gone. It's up to us now to stop Giygas.

We returned to Mt. Itoi and went into the cave, to find the parents. It was a little disturbing, but it hardened my resolve.

Now, it was time for the last battle...

I didn't look up this fight, wanting to do this on my own. I figured it would be like a normal fight, but it wasn't. Potato went down, then Onion, then Carrot. And at that last turn, I realized I had a new option in my menu: "Sing".

My second attempt wasn't much better. On my third turn, I realized I should have set up my defenses on the first turn. Everything was out of order, so I reset.

My third attempt was the final attempt.

I started by having Carrot use Defense Up B and Potato use Psi Shield B and I had Onion guard. This combo buffed us up enough to tank his hits for a few turns without guarding. I then went on a cycle of guarding, Singing, and healing when needed.

The first few turns were mostly healing. I learned from my second attempt that singing wouldn't work until he finished his monologue.

My method worked, however; and I was able to beat Giygas, sending him back to his home!

It was in this final battle and while watching the epilogue I realized something. Beet and EVE are all about dealing damage, but Beet and Queen Mary said it themselves, we need to believe in our friends and use the power of love. The melodies were her memories of love, broken into eight parts. Most were twisted for evil by those who rejected love, like Giygas, but some were used for love like EVE and the Canary Village. When put together, the full song is the power of love, the love of a mother, of friends, of family, and even the romance between Carrot and Potato. This love Giygas rejected, turning him into a creature of hate.

"When you think about it, this series is all about love. And those who understand it, and those who don't." - Mswordx23 from the YouTube comment section

One more thing though. I have an issue and it's that I had to name Beet at the beginning of the game. He was barely in this game! If they ever do a Link's Awakening-style remake, I'd love it if Beet was introduced earlier in the story. I used to think the same about Onion, and my idea was to have him replace Pippi, but I think Pippi should stay. Instead, I think It'd be fun if we got to name NinTen, Pippi, Lloyd, Ana, Teddy, and EVE since they're all party members.

Thanks to anyone who's been reading this. I might just be talking to the void right now, but this journey is something I've really wanted to do, so I ain't stopping here.

Before I leave this game behind and put it back on the shelf, I'm going to walk some retrospectives, reviews, and the sort, get some community feedback, as well as see if there's anything I left out that I want to touch on. I don't know if I'll make that a separate post. I plan on it, but there might not be enough for me to work off of. We'll just see. So expect either that or an update once I start Earthbound/Mother 2.

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Beginning Week 2

What a week! Luckily, I had lots of free time, so I spent much of it playing Mother 1. Since last week, I've made my way out of Magicant! The maze was fun, instead of looking up a map, I wrote down the correct rooms as I explored, making me more interested. Since then, I've been using a notebook to write notes and make maps.

I made it to Merrysville! Took me a while to figure out how to get to the roof of the school, so I went to Sweet Little Factory first and got some gear, either storing it away with the sword from Magicant or selling it. But, I went to the school again and found Lloyd! (Or Onion for my playthrough)

Onion has really grown on me, though not because of his story. He's actually great in battle, despite being so weak. Since he's your first party member, he stays close to your levels. Plus, if you give him a Plasma Beam, he is unstoppable. However, when I found out those could break, I decided to get him two so we'd have a backup. I am a little ashamed to admit though, that I have been using the rewind feature in battle to help prevent the beam from breaking. Yes, it's cheating, but I feel like it also adds some strategy, cause I have to make everyone reroll attacks, so it can make things worse for me in the end.

Next, we tackled Duncan's Factory. I already visited this place when I couldn't get on the roof -oops!- but I didn't make it far. Even with Onion, I was so lost. It was so bad, I had to look up a map! The layout of this factory is honestly awful, it's a good thing the enemies weren't too bad. Except for the ones that explode when you beat them, I just ran from those. This was also the first type I used the crumbs and man, those will be helpful later.

After clearing the railroad, we hopped on a train to the closest place with the cheapest tickets. I didn't want to walk, because I went in the tunnel already and I was still scared of Starman, so I ran out of there fast.

At Reindeer, we got Ana's hat -Potato as I named her- and went to Snowman to deliver it. Potato told us of a dream she had that had me in it. I guess psychic dreams and hat deliveries make you fast friends? Well I'm not complaining, I was happy to have a new party member.

We went to Magicant and started grinding. The enemies in Snowman were too much for us! I got everyone a Gold Ring and H20 Pendant. I also got Potato the Boomerang. I quickly learned she was more useful as a mage, but I figured the strongest weapon I had would still help her.

After that, we went to Youngtown to find her missing mom! But the bridge was out, so I went back to Reindeer instead since the tickets were so cheap. Most of the people there either talked about Spookane or Youngtown. I made my way to Spookane, found the ghost house, and ran from a lot of fights. We finally got another melody there! It had been so long!

With this done, I came to the conclusion that either the melodies can be used to bring the dead to life, or ghosts are using the melodies to gain their power. Either way, songs are magical.

We then made the long trek north. Yes, I walked the whole way. After Spookane, I thought we needed levels! Plus, I wanted to find secrets. This also meant we had to fight through the whole tunnel, and that was awful.

We got to the bridge again, but it was still out! Figuring there had to be a way around, I searched South then North, finding the desert. This is where I looked up a walkthrough, which told me to be prepared before the Desert. So, I got Super Spray for Onion, some levels for Potato, and gave everyone some Life Up Cream.

Our desert adventure was luckily short, finding a pilot at an oasis very quickly. I wanted the tank, cause who wouldn't, and took some flights to get the tickets for it. We mostly flew over the desert, seeing a strange cactus. Then we went over Ellay and some desert ruins, telling me where to go next.

Before the tank, I talked to the cactus, getting another melody! Then, we hopped in the tank and went for the ruins, fighting a giant robot! This is honestly a very fun section of the game; especially when we get in the Money Hideout! The monkeys were all funny, some even giving tips and foreshadowing events. My favorite was the penguin.

Going through the monkey area, we came to Magicant again. I was wondering what this meant, but the only answer was the sleeping dragon I couldn't wake before. I healed up, geared up, and went to fight the dragon. I did look up a walkthrough again, cause I was honestly not sure if I should fight it now, but it said I should and to use PSI-Block, so I did! This was my first time using Block. While the fight was still tough, we were able to defeat it with many Beams and Thunders. Carrot mostly just healed or gave the party Defense buffs.

I was worried that we'd be back in Merrysville after that, but I was pleasantly surprised when we popped out by the train tracks. Following them, we came to Youngtown, finally!

Youngtown thickened the plot, revealing aliens were kidnapping all the adults and taking them to Mt. Itoi. Though, are they aliens or robots, because the Starmen seem a lot like robots. It didn't matter, what mattered was that we had to save Potato's mom!

With the power to teleport, something I wish I had had sooner, we headed into the swamp. It was dangerous, sure, but mostly just a maze. We found Onion's dad and Pippi in a house! It was a wonderful surprise seeing Pippi again. From there, I trained up a few more levels and then headed for Ellay.

I got the plot rolling fast in Ellay, getting a ticket for the show, and going to the show. I barely realized this was the plot, I thought I was still exploring.

After a lovely dance and song, I met and fought Teddy(Beet). I heard of the BB Gang from a couple people, but I didn't expect to fight Beet so soon! It was actually pretty fast though. After bonding with Beet through battle, he joined our party! However, this put Onion on the bench. I really wish Onion could have just stayed as part of the team, especially since the armor doesn't even transfer to Beet.

Going back to Magicant, we got Beet his armor, and his sword, and gave everyone a Magic Coin. I could have sworn the coins and rings couldn't stack when I was researching them last week, but hey, more defense!

Beet is already so strong! It's amazing to have someone so useful immediately. The only down side is now Carrot doesn't feel useful. Potato handles the spells, Beet hits hard and takes hits like a sponge, and Carrot isn't amazing at either. Not to mention my item handler, Onion, is benched. I miss my nerd.

Well, that aside, we set off on our final quest, presumably. Mt. Itoi is where Beet's parents died. All the parents are being conducted and taken to the peak by aliens. These aliens are using the melodies for evil, driving animals crazy and summoning the dead! Not it all comes together.

Thus, this ends my Week 2 update. I expect to finish the game next week, but now the Pokemon DLC is out, so I'll be distracted more than before. Currently, I left off just before Mt. Itoi's cave entrance. I've just been leveling up to be ready. I looked up what spells will be best to use and one I want we don't get until level 27-ish, so I'll be getting Potato to that, then heading up. From what I see though, I have only about an hour left if you remove the grinding. I'm excited to get to the climax!

See you next week!

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Beginnings: Week 1

Wow! I missed the first-week update, my bad! Good thing I never promised frequent updates. It's kinda strange though, I feel like I'm deep in the game but also not far in at all.

So far I've named my characters. I think I'll go for a vegetable theme this playthrough. Maybe Earthbound/Mother 2 will be fruits?

I went through the tutorial easily enough, leveled up on some early overworld encounters, and made it to Poduk. The cemetery quest was a little scary, but then I had enough to buy the wooden bat and felt super strong! I also bought the Canary Chick. After that, I went to the zoo. It sucked there! So glad that's done with. I did forget to get the badge, so that made it worse before I looked up a walkthrough.

I should note I'm doing this mostly blind. I only looked up a walkthrough for the zoo and for later when I was walking in circles.

While on the said walkthrough, however; I found out I missed the Canary Village, which was a cute little side quest.

Done with everything there, I went exploring, found out I needed to head NorthEast, and made my way into the mountains

The enemies in this part of the game are getting stranger and stranger!

Not deterred, I found the cave and went to Magicant! I will say I feel proud of myself for making my way there without a guide. They did a good job on that part!

So far, I've done some exploring. I am sad to say, three Birdmen have fallen. I didn't know they couldn't be revived until the first was gone. The other two I used to help me explore, level up, and get money!

I also didn't know about the present trick in the castle, so I'm stuck with a ruler. But, I did get enough money to buy armor! Now I'm feeling much stronger! I plan on trying to find an exit from here so I can get more melodies for the queen.

Before I go, I want to say a few things that bother me as I feel I might forget about them later.

First, the movement is clunky. Sometimes it's smooth, other times I'm stuck and need to move the joystick far to start walking again. Everything needs big turns! Also, the power creep is a bit crazy! But it's easy to level up so I guess it's not that bad. However, StarManJr was awful! I needed an optional item to be safe from his one-hit-KO move? And it was super strong with lots of defense on top of that? Insane! I hope this isn't a pattern for the bosses.

Well, that's all from me. Until next time! I don't know if I'll get a week update out, cause I'll be focused with the Pokemon DLC; but I'll be playing as much as I can! Maybe I'll even play Undertale: Yellow down this road!

[roadtodeltarune]

Earthbound Beginnings

Mother 1 is where I'll be starting my journey. But why the Mother Series? Well, Toby Fox once made a Halloween rom-hack for Earthbound and later cited the series as one of his inspirations. Since it serves as a sequel to Mother 1, I'd like to start there.

A little backstory first:

Mother 1 is a Japanese Famicom game from the late 1980s- 1989 actually. Though it takes inspiration from the Dragon Quest series, I won't be looking into those as that starts going beyond my original scope. Made in the future I'll revisit Dragon Quest, but for now I set my sights on Earthbound Beginnings.

Speaking of, let's get back on topic. Mother 1 was originally going to be localized and distributed in the US in 1991, matching the story's setting of "Late 20th Century US". However, Nintendo wanting to be more thorough with localization ended up cancelling the release. It wasn't brought over until 2015, under the title "Earthbound Beginnings".

But now, with the game in my language, my switch in working order, and internet access, my adventure begins!

Sources:

[roadtodeltarune]

What is "The Road to Delta Rune?"

In this blog, I'm hoping to achieve a rather large project; finding out what inspired Toby Fox and pushed him to create Delta Rune.

Through this blog, I'll be following his path. We'll be going over Earthbound, Homestuck, Undertale, and finally Delta Rune. Think of this like a Youtube documentary on the creation of Delta Rune, but with a play-by-play as I share my own opinions, reactions, theories, and predictions.

However, it's not that simple. Earthbound is a sequel to Mother 1, and it has a sequel in Mother 3, that I speculate inspired Toby Fox, though that's just a theory for now. On top of that, Homestuck is massive. Plus, I also want to dive into the Undertale fandom, covering some of the AUs.

Why Toby Fox though? Why Focus on him? Well, he's inspired me and others. I love his work and think taking a deeper look into inspirations will be very insightful.

How long will this take? In short, a while. In long, I don't know. I thought of this project forever ago and played some of Mother 1, but never finished. But I think it's time to put this idea to paper- or net.

So, please join me down this road! It'll be a long journey and I could use the company.