Bound to the Dark World

So, imagine you took the whole first chapter of DELTARUNE, every single bit, from the classroom to the Dark World to that wild ending back in Kris's house, and somehow crammed it into the engine of EarthBound. That’s basically what Bound to the Dark World is, and honestly, it's kinda mindblowing how well it works.

The whole vibe is a perfect mashup of both worlds. Walking through Hometown and the Dark World with that classic EarthBound aesthetic, all chunky pixels and that specific color palette feels so familiar, like you're right at home. It's all here, complete with the original enemies, characters, and even the music, which has been rearranged to sound straight from the SNES soundchip. Exploring every corner feels rewarding because they've packed in so many little details and dialogue exchanges straight from the source material.

Gameplay-wise, it's a fascinating shift. Since it's built on EarthBound, the combat is now a traditional turn based RPG system. You'll be navigating menus to Attack, use PSI abilities which stand in for ACTs and spells, or use items. It takes a minute to get used to if you're coming from DELTARUNE's bullet heart action, but they've done a solid job translating the feel of the fights. You still have to figure out how to pacify enemies and the game encourages you to be clever rather than just attacking everything.

A huge plus is the inclusion of JEVIL, which is recreated here with all its challenge intact. Finding all the key pieces and taking him on is just as tough and rewarding as you'd hope. It's little touches like that which show how much love went into making this more than just a surface level port.

Hark, Lightner! The Dark Fountain's been opened, and a new chapter is beginning. Scan the QR code lurking below. The second that progress bar fills up, your vessel will be complete and your party will be waiting. So get ready, grab your items, and don't forget, I'm with you in the dark. Now...