Topic: Miyamoto on Earthbound and RPGs (Famitsu, 1994)

http://earthboundcentral.com/2010/02/miyamotos-thoughts-on-mo...

Earthbound Central has a translation of an old interview with Miyamoto about Earthbound in Famitsu (this is the Japanese gaming magazine, for those not in the know, though it was called something else at the time), and a little about RPGs in general. I remember reading a long time ago that Miyamoto was not at all a fan of the JRPG, so I was surprised that he spoke mostly positively here, as he does not seem like the kind of guy who would praise the game just because Nintendo published it.

Some highlights include:

• Earthbound (Mother 2) is the first RPG he ever beat, unless you count Mother 1, which he beat using the debug menu. (Hah! What a wuss!)
• He brings up Twin Peaks in comparison with the game, praising its focus on character interaction rather than an event-driven plot. Apparently everyone at Nintendo loved this show.
• He thought the battle system is boring (I'm not surprised), but he mentioned wanting to help improve it for Mother 3. I wonder if he might have given some indirect inspiration for the sound battle system, then?

For those who don't care about Earthbound, here's word for word the only question that was not about Earthbound specifically:

Interesting as always to get a small glimpse into the creative minds at Nintendo. That last quote of his begins a bit oddly. I wonder if he could not have chosen a less disturbing metaphor. Maybe he really does hate RPGs.

Christ that's a good quote. I know exactly what he's saying there

I think he just dislikes the battle systems in RPGs. That explains why Mario RPG fights are so immersive. More emphasis on action without lacking any in story. :3

Think you for sharing this article with us. It was an good read.

Nintendo (and thus, Miyamoto) didn't develop the Mario RPGs.

I disagree with that quote, entirely. For one thing, the point of an RPG is not to "make people happy". Miyamoto has that philosophy to his game design, and for the most part, I find it admirable and charming - like the video game version or Walt Disney. However, that's not the be-all to games, and RPGs in particular are about experiences and understanding characters. They're a literal interpretation of the basic narrative structure - Introduction, Conflict, Resolution.

Beinig happy from the start and finishing even happier applies to platformers and Wii Music, but an RPG can't really exist (with the odd exception) under Miyamoto's philosophy.

@WaltzElf: Yes, i'm aware of this. However, Mario is the property of Nintendo, and as such, they are involved in overseeing the production of each game. I'm sure they wouldn't just hand off their greatest asset to someone without giving a large amount of creative input. :3

Well, I can certainly say that I agree on Miyamoto's thoughts on Earthbound's battle system - easily the weakest aspect of the entire game, IMO. Thank G-d Mother 3 did in fact improve upon it, and actually made it a tad more involving.

It's funny that Earthbound has that effect on people, even people who usually don't like JRPG's. Yatzee of Zero Punctuation fame doesn't care for JRPG's either, with the exceptions of Earthbound and Mario RPG's. Interesting, isn't it?

I have no doubt whatsoever that Miyamoto is responsible for the timed button pressing systems in the Mario RPG's. It just seems like his sort of thing. It does work very well, too.

I agree with WaltzElf that not all video games need to follow his (superb) design philosophy to be enjoyable. I'm a fan of JRPG's in general, including the ones with "boring" battle systems. It's just a matter of personal taste, after all.

IMO, a game doesn't need to require skill to be fun. I love how RPGs are slower-paced and generally rely on strategy and stat/equipment management, and reward you for the time you invest in the game rather than your skill. It provides a nice change of pace over the usual action game, and also makes them the only game I can be good at without putting in any genuine effort.