EarthBound
In the era of Donkey Kong Country and Chrono Trigger, EarthBound looked “dated” by the time it came out for the SNES in 1995. But its simplistic kid heroes and generic save-the-world plot were underpinned by razor-sharp satirical writing. Yes, it’s full of barf and fart jokes, but EarthBound isn’t afraid to criticize well-worn game tropes, corrupt police, or the societal harm wrought by capitalism—no small feat in an era when Nintendo was turning Mortal Kombat’s blood blue. It’s no wonder, then, that EarthBound went on to inspire a bunch of sharp, satirical pixel-art indies like Undertale and Lisa once those ‘90s kids who were wowed by it grew up and started making their own games. — Jen Glennon, Editor in Chief
