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July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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How It Works • Games & Tech

EarthBound

EarthBound is a 1994 role-playing video game developed by Ape Inc.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

EarthBound is a 1994 role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It follows Ness and his friends as they collect melodies to stop the cosmic destroyer Giygas.

What is EarthBound?

EarthBound is the second game in Nintendo’s Mother series, developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory. It was released in Japan as Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back and in North America as EarthBound in 1995. The game takes place in a modern, suburban setting, a departure from typical fantasy RPGs.

How does it play?

The game is a turn-based RPG with menu-based commands. Players control a party of four characters: Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo. The objective is to travel to eight Sanctuaries across the world, collect melodies, and ultimately confront the antagonist Giygas.

Release and legacy

EarthBound first appeared in Japan in 1994 and in North America in 1995. It later received rereleases on digital platforms like Virtual Console. The game gained a cult following and is noted for its quirky humour, unique setting, and memorable soundtrack.

In short

  • Second entry in the Mother series
  • Developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory
  • Released for SNES in 1994 (Japan) and 1995 (North America)
  • Follows Ness and friends collecting melodies to stop Giygas
Canadian angle

EarthBound was officially released in North America and became well known among Canadian players through the SNES and later re-releases.

Quick questions

What is EarthBound?
EarthBound is a 1994 role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo.
What is EarthBound called in Japan?
It was originally released in Japan as Mother 2: Gyiyg Strikes Back.
Who are the main characters?
The main playable characters are Ness, Paula, Jeff, and Poo.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthBound
    Supports: Developer, publisher, platform, series position, plot premise, and original/English titles
  2. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_(video_game_series)
    Supports: Series context and EarthBound’s place as the second Mother game
  3. Wikipedia (Spanish) — https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthBound
    Supports: Japanese and North American release dates and later Virtual Console rerelease information