Episode 40
Ep.40 – This Game Stinks: The Scratch-and-Sniff Legacy of EarthBound
A Trip Down Memory Card Lane · David Kassin and Robert Kassin
June 3, 20211h 2mExplicit
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Show Notes
In 1995, EarthBound hit the Super Nintendo with a bizarre ad campaign that declared “this game stinks,” complete with scratch-and-sniff inserts. The marketing may have turned players away, but those who tried it discovered one of the quirkiest RPGs ever made. Our conversation traces the story back to Shigesato Itoi, a Japanese copywriter turned designer, and the founding of Ape, Inc. We explore its long, troubled development, the role of HAL Laboratory and Satoru Iwata in saving it, and the final product: a contemporary, offbeat RPG set in Eagleland. Along the way, we highlight its oblique perspective, ATM-based economy, and eccentric cast—from the Runaway Five to the Mr. Saturns. We revisit its mixed reviews, cult revival through Starmen.net, and influence on games like Undertale on today’s trip down Memory Card Lane.