Play Earthbound (Proto) Online

Earthbound (Proto) was an early version of the game developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System, though it was never officially released. It was created by Ape and HAL Laboratory, with Nintendo as the publisher, and it represents a very different, more primitive take on the quirky RPG that would later find a home on the Super Nintendo. This prototype feels distinctly of its 8-bit era, with simpler visuals and a rougher structure than the finished product.

You control a young boy with psychic abilities, navigating the world from an overhead perspective, screen by screen. Your main goal is to explore your hometown and the surrounding areas, fighting off strange enemies like hostile mailboxes and runaway cars. Combat is turn-based, but your health meter rolls down slowly after a hit, giving you a chance to heal or finish the fight before you're defeated. You collect money from defeated foes to buy new gear, like yo-yos and frying pans, and the game's pacing is slow, almost meandering, with a difficulty that spikes unexpectedly. Playing it feels like wandering through a half-finished dream where the rules are still being written.