EarthBound Beginnings: Difference between revisions

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== Development ==
== Development ==


Development for the game commenced in the late 80s, after [[Shigesato Itoi]] pitched the idea of a modern-day RPG game to [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. Beforehand, Itoi was well-known for his copywriting career in Japan, although he habitually played the Nintendo [[Famicom]] to "a degree that most would consider obsession". He was not skilled at Shigeru Miyamoto's [https://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_Bros. Super Mario Bros.], but he became an avid fan of Enix's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest Dragon Quest] franchise. While playing the [https://dragonquest.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Quest#Videos first game] late at night, he pondered the changes he would make to the RPG formula if he were in charge, as RPG games at the time primarily consisted of knights and princesses in a fantasy medieval-european setting. While they were flourishing in Japan, he didn't know anything about medieval Europe, and he started to imagine an RPG game set in contemporary times as he found a modern-day setting far more investing and interesting. He continued developing the idea, and, later on, while he was at Nintendo for a minor business matter, saw the perfect opportunity to propose his ideas for the project to Nintendo themselves. Having brought along some game design plans he had created himself, he fretted over when he could show them his plans while he was on his business matter. When he finally showed them, the people there were surprised, with Miyamoto himself agreeing to meet with Itoi about the project. At the meeting, Itoi stated how the modern-day setting would be unique because it conflicted with the standard RPG formula, as real life did not support magical powers and the children could not simply brandish firearms. He also enthusiastically suggested ways for how these natural limitations could be overcome to produce a distinctive and exceptional game.  
Development for the game commenced in the late 80s, after [[Shigesato Itoi]] pitched the idea of a modern-day RPG game to [[Shigeru Miyamoto]]. Beforehand, Itoi was well-known for his copywriting career in Japan, although he habitually played the Nintendo [[Famicom]] to "a degree that most would consider obsession". He was not skilled at Shigeru Miyamoto's [https://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_Bros. Super Mario Bros.], but he became an avid fan of Enix's [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Quest Dragon Quest] franchise. While playing the [https://dragonquest.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Quest#Videos first game] late at night, he pondered the changes he would make to the RPG formula if he were in charge, as RPG games at the time primarily consisted of knights and princesses in a fantasy medieval-european setting. While they were flourishing in Japan, he didn't know anything about medieval Europe, and he started to imagine an RPG game set in contemporary times as he found a modern-day setting far more investing and interesting. As he did not know how to develop a game, he wondered whether he would be able to find a company to make the game for him, calling up a friend and asking if the concepts he had in mind would make for a good title. In the meantime, he continued developing the idea, and, later on, when Nintendo happened to call Itoi over for a minor business matter entirely by coincidence, he saw the perfect opportunity to propose his ideas for the project to Nintendo themselves. Having brought along some game design plans he had created himself, he fretted over when he could show them his plans while he was on his business matter. When he finally did show them, the people there were surprised, with Miyamoto himself agreeing to meet with Itoi about the project. At the meeting, Itoi stated how the modern-day setting would be unique because it conflicted with the standard RPG formula, as real life did not support magical powers and the children could not simply brandish firearms. He also enthusiastically suggested ways for how these natural limitations could be overcome to produce a distinctive and exceptional game.  


Miyamoto's reception was lukewarm at best; while he praised Itoi's ideas, he calmly and gently told Itoi that his project proposal was in no way an indication that he could actually pull it off. Itoi's work in the advertising industry had not prepared him for the game development of the game industry; while he was used to fleshing out concepts and ideas and executing them with a team, even if they didn't quite achieve their original vision, the development of a video game was significantly different: the plan to create something, no matter how impressive it was, was meaningless unless it could actually be achieved. Itoi would have to be an active participant in the development of the game, something that he had no experience with, since he was a complete amateur with the game industry. The proposal stage of the project wasn't the part that impressed everyone, like he had originally thought: he was no different from anyone else who presented their ideas to other game companies (aside from his fame). Miyamoto then reluctantly asked: "I know it's a lot of work, but...how about starting over from the beginning and making it simpler?"
Miyamoto's reception was lukewarm at best; while he praised Itoi's ideas, he calmly and gently told Itoi that his project proposal was in no way an indication that he could actually pull it off. Itoi's work in the advertising industry had not prepared him for the game development of the game industry; while he was used to fleshing out concepts and ideas and executing them with a team, even if they didn't quite achieve their original vision, the development of a video game was significantly different: the plan to create something, no matter how impressive it was, was meaningless unless it could actually be achieved. Itoi would have to be an active participant in the development of the game, something that he had no experience with, since he was a complete amateur with the game industry. The proposal stage of the project wasn't the part that impressed everyone, like he had originally thought: he was no different from anyone else who presented their ideas to other game companies (aside from his fame). Miyamoto then reluctantly asked: "I know it's a lot of work, but...how about starting over from the beginning and making it simpler?"
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Earlier on in development, Itoi had mentioned that he favored work atmospheres that felt like an extracurricular club consisting of volunteers who worked out of an apartment, which Miyamoto tried to accommodate for the project. Miyamoto himself also received criticism from some to consenting towards a celebrity and hiring a copywriter (Itoi) who might not have been up for the task. Later on, Miyamoto stated that his decision to move forward with the project was based on his confidence in Itoi.
Earlier on in development, Itoi had mentioned that he favored work atmospheres that felt like an extracurricular club consisting of volunteers who worked out of an apartment, which Miyamoto tried to accommodate for the project. Miyamoto himself also received criticism from some to consenting towards a celebrity and hiring a copywriter (Itoi) who might not have been up for the task. Later on, Miyamoto stated that his decision to move forward with the project was based on his confidence in Itoi.
While typical RPG titles made the protagonist work from a zero to being a grand hero, Itoi had the [[Ninten|main protagonist]] work from a "negative number" to 'zero hero' to better reflect real life. Some NPC characters are condescending towards Ninten, which was purposely designed by Itoi to evoke feelings of rebelliousness and frustration within the player character, so the emotions supposedly felt by Ninten actually came from the real world ([[The Player|you]]) and not just the game world.


During development, Itoi drew upon multiple sources for inspiration, including the iconic Stanley Kubrick film [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film) 2001: A Space Odyssey], which can be seen with ''Mother'''s extraterrestrial themes and the importance of [[Eight Melodies|monkeys]] within the game's plot. To provide a fantastical element in the game, the city of [[Magicant]] was created, in which [[Maria|its ruler]] is critical to the story's progression. One inspiration led to another when forming ''Mother'', which Itoi himself calls a "blending of genres". This principle applied to the music as well, with the composers Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki drawing from the works of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician) Prince], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa Frank Zappa], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles The Beatles], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bloody_Valentine_(band) My Bloody Valentine] for inspiration. Tanaka was also the engineer for the Famicom's sound chip, and he pushed the limits of what types of sounds he could create on the system.
During development, Itoi drew upon multiple sources for inspiration, including the iconic Stanley Kubrick film [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film) 2001: A Space Odyssey], which can be seen with ''Mother'''s extraterrestrial themes and the importance of [[Eight Melodies|monkeys]] within the game's plot. To provide a fantastical element in the game, the city of [[Magicant]] was created, in which [[Maria|its ruler]] is critical to the story's progression. One inspiration led to another when forming ''Mother'', which Itoi himself calls a "blending of genres". This principle applied to the music as well, with the composers Hirokazu Tanaka and Keiichi Suzuki drawing from the works of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_(musician) Prince], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa Frank Zappa], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles The Beatles], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Bloody_Valentine_(band) My Bloody Valentine] for inspiration. Tanaka was also the engineer for the Famicom's sound chip, and he pushed the limits of what types of sounds he could create on the system.
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