"EarthBound Beginnings, originally titled Mother in Japan, is a unique role-playing game that marked the start of the famed Mother series. Developed by Ape and Pax Softnica, and published by Nintendo, this 1989 game takes players on an extraordinary journey with Ninten, a young boy who harnesses his great-grandfather's psychic studies to combat enemies.Venture through the late 20th-century United States, a setting that distinguishes EarthBound Beginnings from its fantasy genre contemporaries. The game employs a menu-based, first-person perspective battle system, enriched by random encounters with hostile objects and foes.The game's quirky yet compelling narrative, penned by Shigesato Itoi, met with initial resistance from Shigeru Miyamoto, but eventually secured a development team. Despite its initial commercial non-viability in North America, EarthBound Beginnings later found global recognition with its release on Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online.The game's unique setting, narrative, and gameplay mechanics earned it the sixth best-selling game title of 1989 in Japan, selling around 400,000 copies. In addition, it received a 'Silver Hall of Fame' score from Famitsu magazine. Despite its high difficulty level and balance issues, EarthBound Beginnings paved the way for its sequel, Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū, known outside of Japan as EarthBound, which further refined the gameplay ideas introduced in the original Mother.