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It wins way more duels than its rank suggests it should, which tells me the ranking system undervalues older turn-based games against newer open-world stuff
Game entry
EarthBound
1994 · JRPG, Action RPG, Action-adventure, Strategy · Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U · Nintendo
After 451 duels settled by the community, EarthBound stands no. 529 among the best video games of all time on GameForever, with 1,685 ELO points and 67% of wins. Of the 5 duels that pitted it against Red Dead Redemption 2, it has won 4 and lost 1. Its best rank by family puts it at no. 8 out of 69 (1994).
World rank
no. 529
ELO score
1,685
Wins
67%
Duels played
451
About EarthBound
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to the then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters, and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.
ELO progression
Score moved from 1,500 to 1,685 ELO points over the last 215 days.
Head-to-head
Direct record on the most played match-ups.
- against Red Dead Redemption 2 80% 5 duels played · 186 points behind
- against The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 40% 5 duels played · 115 points behind
- against Dark Souls 25% 4 duels played · 210 points behind
- against NieR: Automata 50% 4 duels played · 137 points behind
- against Dragon Age: Origins 50% 4 duels played · 72 points behind
In the same genre
All JRPG games →
Keep exploring
Best JRPG games
All-time best Nintendo games
Best games on Super Nintendo
Top games on Game Boy Advance
Ranking of Nintendo 3DS games
Best games on Wii U
The best 1990s games
Ranking of 1994 games
EarthBound series ranking
Around this spot
The games EarthBound sits between in the world ranking.
More games from Nintendo
The standing
Where EarthBound ranks
The world rank mixes every family of games. Here is where EarthBound stands in each of the ones it belongs to. Its best standing, all families considered: 8 out of 69 (1994).
| Ranking | Position | Games competing |
|---|---|---|
| World ranking | 529 | 5,110 |
| JRPG | 40 | 232 |
| 1990s | 105 | 655 |
| 1994 | 8 | 69 |
The community
The debate
39 comments
SilentHunter2
It wins way more duels than its rank suggests it should, which tells me the ranking system undervalues older turn-based games against newer open-world stuff
Élodie_44
Je comprends l'argument sur le rythme, mais réduire tout l'intérêt du jeu à sa vitesse me semble un peu court quand même
bdickinson
my brother rage quit twice against Skyrim fans, wins argument itself
TurboSamurai2007
I've only put in maybe eight or nine hours total, spread out over a long time, and I get why people love the tone but is the combat system actually good or are we all just forgiving it because the writing is charming? genuinely asking
NeonDragon
genuinely asking is fair, but genuine answer, the combat is basic and that's fine by me
GarlandWolf
Similar hours here, though I'd call it closer to ten. Does the tone hold up more for you now than it did back then?
Elmer_2002
Replying to NeonDragon
And that's exactly why it works, basic combat with great writing beats flashy combat with nothing to say
VinylByte
Borrowed a friend's copy for a summer and never touched Skyrim until years later, and the jump in scale still didn't erase how much I remembered every little town from this one (still remember the pizza guy, no idea why)
barton_alaina
What gets me is how it never takes itself seriously and then hits you with something genuinely unsettling out of nowhere, it's a weird balance and I still think about it years later
frida_sawayn
(kids didn't even laugh at the jokes everyone praises, honestly)
Save_Waters
It does that shift out of nowhere, deffinitely, though not every joke lands as hard now
CoopRider
The battle system is really just basic turn-based menus dressed up with personality, and once the novelty of the dialogue wears off there's not much mechanical depth keeping you engaged for the whole runtime