Beneath its gaudy visuals and wacky encounters, Earthbound has some fairly serious things to say about having trust in those around you. While you never see your Dad in person, hes a constant companion as he acts as your stat tracker, bank account and game saver thanks to the games many telephones. And while Mum seems like shes been consigned to the stay-at-home role of video gaming mothers everywhere, it wont be long before Ness starts feeling homesick. If you dont make a point of phoning your Mum regularly, sooner or later, loneliness is going to strike possibly in the middle of battle. Your friends, too, each have their own unique role in the party. Paulas the only character capable of magic for attacks or healing, at least at first, while Jeff will never learn any magic but is able to craft weapons out of inventory junk. Warrior Prince Poo is the first to learn teleport, but he wont get healed by any of the western food items in your inventory. Party members with particular abilities are nothing new, of course, but Earthbounds main cast is introduced so slowly that each new friend feels like a reinvigoration. The games ultimate expression of faith comes near the games climax, in a touching scene thats far too impactful to talk about here suffice to say that it uses a very simple trick to great effect. There are no Shakespearian betrays in Earthbound, no enemies masquerading as allies good is good, evil is evil and faith in the people you love can be absolute.
