Earthbound Beginnings Remake

This is that fan remake of Mother in the form of an Earthbound hack, and the SNES presentation makes it feel very contemporary, maybe more so than Earthbound even. It's not just that the aesthetics of these games are foundational to so much indie effort at this point, it's Mother's particular attitude toward the RPG as a set of conventions. It isn't irreverent--there are a few fourth-wall-breaking jokes, but never that kind of cringe-inducing "aren't RPG tropes stupid?" self-flagellation that developers of $35 throwbacks lean on sometimes. It reminds me more of RPGMaker or other hobbyist developers who like old turn-based RPGs, feel no need to appease the market by ironing all the friction out of them, and enthusiastically focus on a preferred set of hyper-specific mechanics and quirks. Mother treats Dragon Quest conventions not as inconveniences, but as a source of humor and a set of writing constraints. As long as the game logic works out, you can slot anything into the role of…