>>95840537Gladly. I think EBB presents an arguably richer, more compelling narrative, starting with its prologue:
>In the early 1900's, a darkshadow covered a small
country town in rural
America. At that time, a
young married couple
vanished mysteriously from
their home.
>The man's name was George,the woman's name was Maria.
>Two years later, as suddenly
as he left, George returned.
He never told anyone where
he had been or what he had
done. But, he began an odd
study, all by himself.
>As for Maria, his wife...
She never returned.
80 years have passed
since then.
As the story unfolds, we learn that George and Maria were abducted by the alien race that Giegue, the game's antagonist, belonged to, and that Maria was tasked with caring for the infant Giegue. However, George betrayed their abductors by stealing information from them and made his escape back to Earth alone. It can be inferred that Maria either died or is in a coma. Either way, the kingdom of Magicant that Ninten travels to and from at various points of the game is a product of his wife's lingering consciousness.
Before Maria finally "lets go" of Magicant and fades away, she cries about how much she misses Giegue and what a sweet little boy he was. Then she teaches you final part of the melody you've collected pieces of throughout the game; you learn that it was the lullaby she sang to baby Giegue. Ninten and his friends then sing that lullaby to a Giegue, and it torments him to the point that flees the battle.
Now, what do we get in EarthBound? Lots of fun, interesting, if loosely connected, bits and bobs of story. But there's a good reason that, as compelling as some of the characters (like Pokey) may be, only the first game was novelized. When all is said and done, EarthBound's story is a fun episodic adventure with some seriously poignant moments, but the story is disjointed and the villain's (both Giygas and Pokey) motivations are left mostly to the imagination. Not so with EBB.
