Its inventory management system may be clunky and the battles may be brutal, but Earthbound was surprisingly forward-thinking in other ways, making use of concepts that would later become genre staples. Where most RPGs would use an overworld map for traversal, snapping the players into random battles at any given moment, Earthbound melded its towns, fields and dungeons together with a single unified engine. Within this single perspective, enemies and characters could be shown roaming the map, allowing players to more easily anticipate and even avoid a fight if they needed to. That said, although the enemies were tough, death returned you to a previous save point but unlike most RPGs you kept the experience and items youd accrued. The only penalty was that half the money you had on you would be gone, but you could drop your cash back into a bank account before heading into danger. Money, in fact, was key to Earthbounds accessibility. Provided in abundance by your distant Dad (an unseen voice on the telephone) every time you defeated an enemy, money allowed players to stock up on items and go grinding with little penance for failure. Skilled players might be able to beat a dungeon more swiftly, but even novice players could get there in the end. Your Dad even advised you to take rest breaks if youd been playing too long in a single sitting, although thats one innovation few gamers appreciate.
