EarthBound is a turn-based JRPG developed by Creatures Inc. and released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, with later availability on platforms including the Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, and Game Boy Advance. A sequel to the Japan-exclusive Earthbound Beginnings (1989), the game follows Ness, a young boy living in a setting modeled on the United States, as he ventures away from home through an assortment of eccentric locations. Along the way he encounters an unusual cast of characters and ultimately confronts a mysterious alien entity known as Giygas. Beneath its comedic surface, the game engages with themes of adolescence and the process of engaging with the wider world. Combat is handled through a menu-driven, turn-based system typical of the JRPG genre, while the overall tone and setting distinguish it from more conventional fantasy contemporaries.
The story begins when Ness is awakened by a meteor that has plummeted to the earth near his home, whereupon he proceeds to investigate the crash site. When Ness gets to the crash site he discovers a police roadblock and Pokey Minch, his friend and neighbor, who tells him to go home. Later, Ness is woken up again by Pokey knocking at his door, demanding help to find his brother Picky. They find him near the meteor sleeping behind a tree and wake him up. Then the three encounter an insect from the meteor named Buzz Buzz who informs Ness that he is from the future where the "universal cosmic destroyer", Giygas, dominates the planet. Buzz Buzz senses great potential in Ness and instructs him to embark on a journey to seek out and record the melodies of eight "sanctuaries," unite his own powers with the Earth's and gain the strength required to confront Giygas.
