Earthbound and Earthbound Beginnings are now on Nintendo Switch. Nintendo announced the news during the February Nintendo Direct and made the two classics available for Nintendo Switch Online subscribers immediately after.
Earthbound Beginnings was first made available outside Japan on the Wii U Virtual Console. It skipped the New 3DS Virtual Console, making it only the second time English-speaking audiences have a chance to experience it.
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Earthbound is On(ett) Nintendo Switch Now
Here's how Nintendo describes it:
The Year is 198X. As Ninten, a young boy from Podunk with psychic powers, you must locate the eight melodies to aid the Queen of Magicant. Armed with your trusty baseball bat, you’ll fight crazed hippies, zombies… and the occasional Magic Snail? Find out what’s causing these strange phenomena in the first-ever US release of the EarthBound Beginnings game!
Robots are everywhere, and Ninten can’t beat them alone. You’ll have to team up with a colorful cast of unexpected characters—including Lloyd, Ana, and Teddy—to win intense battles with psychic attacks. PK Fire! PK Thunder! PK Freeze! Sound familiar? Well, Ninten isn’t the only one with psychic powers—his companion Ana also uses offensive PSI attacks to help out in battle. But that’s just the beginning of your epic team-ups. On Ninten’s journey between Magicant and Earth, you’ll join forces with the Flying Men too! Have a blast exploring an abandoned zoo, saving the world, and more!
Earthbound, the SNES classic starring Ness and his quirky friends, became something of a cult classic and had several re-releases, most recently on the New 3DS Virtual Console. Here's what to expect from it:
Intergalactic terror strikes the small town of Onett as a blazing extraterrestrial object crashes in the night! The Earth now faces imminent destruction by the universal evil threat, Giygas. A courageous boy named Ness and his three friends vow to save the planet from hideous destruction. Battle hundreds of off-the-wall monsters, roaming dinosaurs, and alien enemies. Explore exotic locations like Saturn Valley, Dusty Dunes Desert, and Deep Darkness. The ultimate test lies in the impending encounter with the all-powerful Giygas!