Heavy stuff for a PSX game, but it's handled masterfully through beautiful art direction and some extremely impressive localization. Dropped into a haunted city in the middle of a civil war, you must contend with religious zealots, cult leaders, and all manners of ghosts and monsters as you unravel the mysteries of Leá Monde and uncover the truth behind the murder of a Duke. You play as Ashley Riot, a member of the elite "Riskbreaker" unit of the Valendia Knights of Peace. But somehow, we got to experience Yasumi Matsuno's dungeon crawling masterpiece mere months before the PS2's US launch. The sheer volume of systems interacting with each other and the top notch graphics should have crippled the Sony's little system. EarthBound is a truly special, exceptionally funny game that stands out even among Super Nintendo’s gigantic library of other great RPGs.įor all intents and purposes, Vagrant Story should not have been a PlayStation game.
Underneath its goofy jokes and pop culture references is a genuinely great, sweet story about a group of kids who are risking a lot to make the world a better place, and the final battle is an extremely clever, moving way to incorporate the people our heroes meet along their journey. Most of all, EarthBound has a tremendous amount of heart. EarthBound has a great turn-based battle system and weird enemies that fully embrace the game’s eccentric sense of humor, plus unique twists on the RPG formula like homesickness as a status ailment and calling your dad to save your game. That modern setting mixed with bizarre, offbeat humor makes it a unique experience and has helped it maintain its cult status as something special and very different from its contemporaries. Early proof that not all RPGs need fantasy settings, EarthBound is one of the best turn-based RPGs of the 16-bit era and takes place in a town that feels like it could be anywhere in middle America. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queenĭragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly BrideĮarthBound is a weird, wonderful game about four kids who save the world. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King