{"product_id":"earthbound-1","title":"EarthBound","description":"\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.25em;font-weight:700;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.5em;\"\u003eItem Condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis copy of EarthBound is complete in box, including the cartridge, original box, and manual. Please refer to the provided photos for the exact details of the item's condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 style=\"font-size:1.25em;font-weight:700;margin-top:1em;margin-bottom:0.5em;\"\u003eItem Description\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFew games in the Super Nintendo library carry the cultural weight of EarthBound. Released in North America in 1995, this RPG from HAL Laboratory and Nintendo — directed by Shigesato Itoi — arrived with one of the most audacious marketing campaigns in gaming history (\"This game stinks\" scratch-and-sniff ads and all) and sold modestly at launch. What happened next is the stuff of collector legend. Word of mouth kept the game alive long after the SNES era ended, and EarthBound quietly transformed from a slow-moving retail curiosity into one of the most beloved and sought-after titles the platform ever produced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe game follows Ness, a bat-wielding kid from the suburb of Onett, on a journey to save the world from the cosmic evil known as Giygas — and it does all of this with a tone unlike anything else in the RPG genre. Where its contemporaries leaned into high fantasy or science fiction, EarthBound planted itself firmly in the weird, wonderful mundanity of suburban America. You fight taxi cabs, hippies, and cult members. You rest at hotels and call your dad to save your progress. The humor is sharp, the writing genuinely touching, and beneath all the quirk sits a battle system and structure that rewards patience and curiosity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe soundtrack alone is worth the price of admission. Composed by Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka alongside Itoi, the score pulls from blues, jazz, psychedelia, and rock in ways that feel completely original even decades later. Certain tracks — the eerie drone of Giygas's final form, the warm bounce of Onett's theme — are permanently lodged in the memory of anyone who has played through to the end. This is one of those rare games where the music does as much narrative work as the script.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOwning a complete copy with the original box and manual is the way to experience EarthBound the way it was meant to be presented. The box art, the player's guide (sold separately at the time but often bundled with original retail copies), and the manual all contribute to an artifact that feels like a time capsule from a genuinely strange and special moment in game design history. A loose cartridge tells part of the story — a complete in box copy tells all of it. The cartridge has been tested and was playing as expected, though as with any vintage SNES cartridge, performance can vary depending on the hardware it's paired with.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an essential piece for any serious Super Nintendo collector, a grail-level item for RPG enthusiasts, and a dream find for fans of Ness who've known him only through his Super Smash Bros. appearances and want to finally meet him on his home turf.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Coolection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56703366693030,"sku":"PCQ-6910-CIB","price":2454.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0651\/7404\/4838\/files\/PCQ-6910-CIB-1.webp?v=1782478211","url":"https:\/\/coolection.com\/products\/earthbound-1","provider":"Coolection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}