There's a lot to love and a lot to hate, but it basically breaks down to this: if you are in a town and interacting with NPCs, it's a blast. If you are in a dungeon fighting obnoxious enemies for all of eternity, you are not having fun. The world, music, characters, and dialogue is great and there is a charming story to be enjoyed. I really like the first half of this game. I love the short focused stories that revolve the main areas. The first four towns are super neat. But as I got more and more tired of the gameplay, the experience started to wear on me. Not to mention, the final three to four hours of Earthbound being straight up garbage save a few moments and the ending cutscenes and credits.