Why You Can't Run in EarthBound

you can't catch me, i'm the gINGERBREAD MAN

Music:
Tessie Has Been Sighted! - EarthBound
Saturn Valley Caverns - EarthBound
Happy Town? - Mother 3
Hotel aka Overpriced Luxury - Mother (Mother Encore arrangement by McThrillington)
Super Dry Dance - EarthBound
The Tendas' Cave - EarthBound
Beneath the Mask - Persona 5
Homely Yado Inn - Mother 3 (Restoration by Irikachana)
The Heroes Return (Part 1) - EarthBound
Anti-Hero - Taylor Swift (acoustic arrangement by Iqbal Gumilar)

1 OF 4 OF THE MICHEAL SESSIONS

[BananaFaceDude]

Let’s not forget that Mother 1 didn’t have a run button. It was added in EarthBound Beginnings, and even then it wouldn’t see an actual release until mother 1 + 2 included the changes made for Beginnings. Also the fact that the run buttons doubles everything’s speed on the overworld, seeming more like a debug feature than an actual run button.

[Wattson-ston]

I honestly think it adds to the idea that these are kids they aren't super heroes or athletics and the slow walking kinda makes you take things easier your not always in a hurry.

[PK_Miracle]

"You don't give something extremely helpful to players at the every end, or else you'll rob them from it's usefulness."


*Casually throws shade at PK Starstorm Omega*

[swagar]

As someone who speedruns EarthBound and actively tries to avoid enemies, I'm glad there isn't a run button. That would take the challenge away. At that point, you might as well make a patch that turns spawns off entirely and makes Jeff's regular attack hit for 2000 HP so you never need bottle rockets.

[BeeSquared]

Rick Rubin in his book, "The Creative Act" spotlights a really cool insight about art.

In paraphrasing, he says that sometimes the imperfect version of the art resonates more than the version with all its problems fixed. And in the end, the imperfect version is the best version.

I was reminded of that quote from this video and I really appreciate it. The lesson of us accepting and changing our views on imperfections in our favorite games is really wonderful to consider and practice in our lives. Finding ways to feel more connected because of the imperfection can lead us to appreciate the games we love even more.

I wish I cared as much about games when I made videos on them. I've been binging your videos a lot recently and rewatching the ones I've already seen because I really enjoy listening to you talk about what you love without any of the inauthentic filler and fake excitement that 99% of the creators today do. I love it man, excellently done!!!

[KajiCarson]

Kinda funny how I've completed this game three times and never even thought of yearning for a 'run button'. Walking whimsically around and taking your sweet time talking to people and examining things are such a significant part of this game.

[foxxarie]

I never wanted a run button in EarthBound because I thought the game functioned very well without it, but hearing your more in-depth take on it with your empowering and motivational speech is so moving! Lovely content as always!

[ortherner]

A run button would be useful because im impatient.


But seriously, i never really saw Earthbound not having a run button as a big issue as others did. Walking speed is good enough.

[TheCollector]

0:34 Mother actually doesn't have a run button, it has a speed the entire game up button. This feature was first added in the unreleased US version of Mother (eventually released as Earthbound Beginnings) and later Mother 1 + 2. Unfortunately you could not run in the original Famicom release of Mother.

[KagamineRinLavemu]

Honestly i think it makes it better, really lets you soak up the area!

[KnownAsKenji]

Slightly off-topic, but I wanted to mention a neat thing Deltarune Chapter 1 does that's sorta a reference to this and some of the sentiments from the comments here. There's a run button in that game, doesn't really need it but it's there. Anyway, my first time through I wanted to take it slow and comfy, vibe to the song Field of Hopes and Dreams, have a good time. Then I'm suddenly stopped by my party member Ralsei who reminds me that there is a run button and is curious why I'm not using it. He does eventually conclude that I'm enjoying my time and accepts that as the reason. I liked that the game noticed, felt like a very Toby-like thing for it to have.

[MapleMilk]

I love channels like this that have extremely niche topics

One time on a replay, I replayed Earthbound with some slight improvement patch that added a run button and maybe some other small things

Besides making the skip sandwich literally useless, I barely remember what it did

Anyway, trying to remember back to it, don't even think there was a difference in how many battles I got into

It was MAYBE like 10 battles through the whole game
I specifically remember avoiding those robots in the Fourside Tower and that was cool but otherwise not much.

This pissed me off when I was in the Pyramid and I couldn't avoid the annoying battles there.

My point is that the run button is like a placebo.
It makes you think it's better but it's not.

I think that pacing is underrated in games.
Film, TV, Books, critics of these all mention pacing at one point or another.

In games like Earthbound, the pacing is deliberately slow.
It's captures the feeling of a road trip better than any Road 96 or Final Fantasy 15 could (still like those games btw).

It's like a peanuts comic.
It feels very deliberate in having the walking speed of a slow Sunday afternoon.

I feel like every RPG wants to be as fast as possible, adding numerous quality of life improvements to avoid anything that would slow down pacing.

Quicker battles, optional battles, less grinding, as little backtracking as humanly possible, adjustable difficulty etc.

I love these accessibility options, they definitely make the player experience better for most

But I will admit that one of Earthbound's charms, and one that I think
that alot of Indie Games that got inspired by it try to replicate is that it's a very deep experiential game.

It's more like a Murakami novel that I read than like other RPGs I've played.

It doesn't have any action setpieces, it doesn't have any particularly dramatic scenes.

It's just about wandering and exploring with a vague general goal.

Aside from the game design, adding a run button would ruin this vibe I get from the game.

Mother 3 HAS those dramatic moments that you would want to rush to.
EB Zero is a game with less dialogue altogether, so you'd want to run to finish the game or at least get into more battles.

Earthbound is 100% about chilling.

Besides like, Va-11 Hall-a, it's the most chill game I've ever played.
Even more than Minecraft or like indie games that are designed to be chill.

It's absolutely a game that doesn't demand your attention.

Let's say an Earthbound remake changed the game design of the game to facilitate a run button, just because they see it as a QOL improvement.

I think it would be missing the point of Earthbound.

Honestly, I could make a video about Earthbound's pacing from this comment.

But basically, it would change the fundamental appeal of the game, yeah.

[Ninjacat]

This was beautiful. It honestly really hit home and made me think about myself and how I approach things. Thanks, man.

[mistereagleman]

Okay first off: amazing video as always!
For me I've never really considered a run button making the game "better", it's more of a tactile game-feel sort of thing. Part of the reason I like running in RPGs is just because it gives me another little thing to do while exploring the overworld. In Mother 3 I'd literally activate the run just to run in circles around random NPCs and whatnot. That little extra sense of interactivity can just make game worlds more fun to mess around in - but I really don't think Earthbound suffers in any way not having it.

[starbutter]

Still playing through Earthbound but this was an awesome video. I really do agree that the run button definitely isnt needed, I really like taking my time in all the games I play and just enjoying the journey. Thanks for still doing what you do MonkeyNess, youre inspiring and amazing❤

[minermole]

MonkeyNess coming in with the hot takes, but with valid points.

[gothikus]

Well... there is a part were a run button IS nice,
the monkey cave.
I hate to be that person... but is a maze,
Plus you may say, "Just buy the right items dummy!"
yea... how can a new player know?
a new play is constantly running back and forth getting the right items
and going back.
plus it might be me,
but all the rooms look the same!
so you may go down the wrong door without realizing
And when you realize,
YOU NEED TO WALK ALL THE WAY BACK!
This is where a run button is really nice!

[azumars]

wanting a run is a game reviewer mindset ngl

[sweetypuss]

the quality of your videos has shot WAY up since the 1/128 run. glad to finally have a good consistent content creator focused on mother (and similar things)

[LilacMonarch]

We want a run button for the same reason we walk backwards in Ocarina of Time