3. Break Time
Usually games try to keep you on the edge of your seat and aim to make you play the game incessantly until it is finished. EarthBound does that at times, but at other times, it operates like a sort of friend/video game hybrid that cares about you. You save the game by calling your Dad from a telephone, and he encourages you during every conversation to take a break and not work too hard, like your mother does. There is even a part of EarthBound that forces you to sit back and relax for a few minutes. In order to further the plot by entering Belchs Factory, you have to stand still in the middle of a waterfall for a full 3 minutes. During this time you cannot touch any buttons on the controller, or else youll have to start the 3 minutes over again. Finally, in Saturn Valley, you drink some coffee that causes Ness to get trippy and have a vision of a summary of his journey so far, as well as a foretelling of the future. During the scene, inactivity is encouraged. Read along or grab a beer to fuel the second part of the adventure.