Earthbound is art
On that we agree
On this
The Halloween season
And if you experienced it
Only recently
Upon playing Super Smash Bros.
And wondering
Who is this child in the cap?
Then I’m sorry
But you missed something grand
Earthbound is art because it speaks to you
It doesn’t scream, hoot, holler
Desperate for a response
It doesn’t shove, bully, command
Desperate for you to follow
It sits across from you
Patiently
Like a wise friend
Who is good at telling stories
And if you played the game as a child
	So many dead leaves ago
Perhaps with your older brother
And your mother
Like I did
It stands alongside
The Hobbit
And Watership Down
And Narnia
And all the great stories of youth
And it is in no way the runt
Of that sacred faction
I remember it well
This story I only experienced once to completion
Because even when played as a youth
It is so simple and powerful
That before you’re old enough to theorize
And analyze
And cage your feelings in a pen without food
You know
You are experiencing something beautiful
Because when daytime begins in Onett
You feel something
When you come to Twoson for the first time
You feel something
And when you see the Runaway Five
(All six of them)
Perform as best as all their sixteen bits will allow
The game has you
Through the introduction of Jeff
And his flight to Threed
Your pilgrimage to Saturn Valley
With its funny people
The liberation of Threed
Thanks to Fly Honey
And of course
The coffee break
When the wise friend telling this story
Puts down the book for a few moments
And speaks just to you
Or Ness
Or you
No difference
Not anymore
But the thing about Halloween in particular
For it seems I’ve been driven off point
That brings to mind Earthbound
Which is art
As we’ve established
Is that it can make you feel
A child’s fear
Threed, Moonside
The department store
Magicant
All the way to Onett under attack
(Even your home is not safe!)
It makes you feel
The gentle fear
You felt when you woke up
In the middle of the night
To drink a glass of water
Nothing truly means you harm
As you sit playing the game
But a child experiences
A child’s fear
The fear is kind
Not mean-spirited in the least
That fear is Halloween
A parent dressed up in a scary costume
Who spooks you
But you know
It’s only a mask
But the story doesn’t end
Before reaching the burden of its moral
And before the finale
The wise friend
The beloved narrator of this tale
Asks you if you’re ready to hear the end
You’re a child, so
Of course you’re ready
Stories are exciting
And no story can hurt you
Not really
So you tell the friend to finish
The friend says of course
But excuse him for just one moment
He places the book down on the table
And leaves the room for a while
But wait as long as you want
He’s not coming back anymore
The narrative lays there unread
On that table where it was placed
And you know now
That your friend is gone
So you must finish it alone
The Cave of Past is strange
There is no joy or warmth
The storyteller’s gone
The story’s all that’s left
You’re not yourself anymore
You’re in a weird new body
But you continue on
Continue on
Needing to see this through
Finally you reach it
The thing the story called Giygas
It’s an eyeball
Or something
That seems to have your face
Creepy, kinda
You suppose
But you know it’s just a mask
Held up by a story you trust
So you fight Giygas
You fight Pokey
(Who’s really kind of funny)
And as the music builds
Into rock and roll
You enjoy yourself
Until Pokey turns off a machine
And the mask falls of
And it’s not your friend anymore
You’re in the dark with a stranger
Who seems to mean you harm
Things are wrong
And this is not right
It’s supposed to be
That you hit a boss
And then it dies
And then you move merrily on
Bowser’s bridge had an axe behind it
But Giygas will not submit
Your attacks land on phantoms
It’s a boss you can’t beat
And the game has betrayed your trust
As your characters die
And the screen turns redder
And all you can do is wonder
Why Giygas looks like he does
And why he says those things
And you will not find out
Until you are twenty years old
So you have no option
As a child
You have no choice
All you can do
Is pray
And pray
And with that prayer
You find the axe behind his bridge
You pray and pray and pray
Each miracle a bullet in his head
You call in all the favors
That you’ve earned throughout your quest
The karma that’s trailed behind you
Whipping forward to strike your foe
But then
Oh wait
The magic’s done
And the fire’s not yet out
And that inky soup
The darkness
Has begun to swallow your prayers
And they cannot escape to the light
What can you do
But keep on trying
At least it used to work
And finally
As you gaze into your television screen
Which may as well be a window to hell
You feel your living room haunted
By something not meant to be with you
He screams the name of the hero
He says it hurts
He says it feels good
You don’t wish to draw connections
And finally
As the Game Over screen
Is ready to pounce upon you
Almost a mercy
An escape as it is from Giygas
Your final prayers penetrates
To the one soul who wishes to see Giygas ended
More than anyone else
And like a self-fulfilling prophecy
A boy growing up to be his own hero
The one who answers your most desperate prayer
Is you
Sitting right there
	Your mouth hanging open
		In awe of art
And with that masterstroke
Evil dies from your vision
Giygas collapses away
Like a haunted house
In a nightmare you once had
	But only now remember
And then the wise friend
Is back in the room
Congratulating you on a job well done
And the world is then your oyster once more
Brighter than it’s ever been
You can ride your bike once again
Cheerful music is playing
Everyone’s dialogue’s changed
Play for as long as you want
And then turn in for the night
Yes
Earthbound is art
That much is true
Because it speaks directly to you
And it makes other’s attempts
You have to admit
Seem rather bombastic and shallow
Autumn is the season of Earthbound for me
Nostalgic and faded and sweet
And it is Halloween
Where fear comes wrapped
In safety gauze
And means you no real harm
But it’s also Giygas
The trauma
That no childhood can escape
And the game admits this to you
Your life will be hurt
And you will suffer a horror
But pray to your friends
And pray to yourself
And you will be back to yourself once again
Riding a bike
Through a strong and kind world
So here’s to you, Earthbound
And to you, Mr. Itoi
Happy Halloween to you both