But you did hear about this crazy thing that Nintendo had done. I did not play this when it was new, though it would be shocking if I had. The English-language print-run for Earthbound was small, and it was a collector's item WAY before the bullish collector-driven market that has emerged over the last decade. To my knowledge, there is no other game that approaches this one in terms of the cultural and critical journey it went on for 25+ years (against a backdrop of physical scarcity). There are some huge shortcuts hidden within the design for example, a "friendly monsters" sidequest that catapults you through your list of yet-unlearned abilities. Characters have some strengths that are out of your hands, but you also have the flexibility to 'respec' each character to each boss-fight by toggling abilities (I spend a lot of time finessing configurations here, and I love it). The game is a boss gauntlet first and foremost: the more you minimize the noise of random encounters, the more interesting it is.
Ability points matter way more than experience points. The light and dark in this game are more affecting and unsettling than usual for the series.Īt the level of strategy, FFIX checks some boxes that I, personally, like to see checked. But it is not known for these moments because its characters have a vibrant buoyancy to them. There are moments where Final Fantasy IX goes right up to the edge of the abyss. The way the game wades into a grim allegory of Nuclear Annihilation. The way he feels like a fluke, a defective instrument of war. The way Vivi grapples with sobering questions about personhood, self-determination, and death. First, there is such a striking contrast between the innocence of its characters and the existential dread of its themes. I'm drawn to it primarily for two 'big picture' reasons. The best handheld Castlevania, and an underrated gem. But later you can play as a mage with very high magic stats, or a fighter with high combat stats, or even a thief with ludicrous luck stats to help find otherwise very rare equipment. On a first playthrough, Nathan is decent-enough at everything (magic, combat, etc). After beating the game, you unlock D&D style character classes with pronounced strengths and weaknesses. I suspect, but haven't yet confirmed for myself, the CotM is among the most replayable games in the series. Circle of the Moon has a much stronger main character and supporting cast. Circle of the Moon blends the old and the new - Nathan uses the vampire killer whip, and only the whip, but the attack can be enchanted and improved in a variety of ways (think: ice beam in Metroid, etc). Aria of Sorrow embraces the new-school of CV combat, with a wide range of equipable weapons (giant two-handed axes alongside short daggers, etc).