The Earthbound Challange

[NeoCracker]

Greed is good Challange

- NO money may be used, except for hotels, hospitals, and instances where it is required to advance. (Bubble gum for bubble monkey, and possibly the monkey cave, though I think I can pull it off without needing to buy any items.)

- Normally this challenge would only be that difficult for the first while, since I could get equipment drops later. So for purpose of increasing the challenge, I am forbidding myself from using any equipment that monster is drop. Meaning I can only use Equipment found in presents or obtained from npcs, such as Mr. Baseball Cap.

- Next, I am also banning use of non-food and drink Items. This includes stat increasing capsules. The exception here is Jeff, though I will be using ONLY items of his that Cannot be sold. Meaning no Bottle Rockets. I do this because many enemies, including the Mook you fight in Fourside Mall, will fall in no time to the Bottle Rockets. This will severely limit Jeff's Usefulness, and limiting him to a support role, with minor offensive abilities for a major portion of the game. Here is a list of Jeff's Items that are usable under these restraints:

Counter-PSI Unit
Defense Shower
Heavy Bazooka
Hungry HP Sucker (I'll confirm once I find out if I can sell it or not)
Nuetralizer (See Above)
Shield Killer
Slime Generator

True, this isn't going to be the grand daddy of all game challanges, but it isn't intended to be.

I feel Jeff and Paula are going to be hurt most in this challange, but meh. I'll leave this challange open a bit before starting, to see if anyone has some niffty suggestions for me to add.

Edit: I forgot to mention Money may also be used to sleep in order to recover. Like hell am I going through the tedious act of keeping health up via butterflies.

[Momiji]

I haven't even finished a normal round of Earthbound to do this. I can never find the time for RPGs anymore.

[Moon Rabbits]

You make me want to do an Earthbound challenge.


I'm already in the middle of a Chrono Trigger challenge though ; - ; . . .

[NeoCracker]

Alright, the Challange has begun.

Of course up through Starman Jr. wasn't effected by the chllange, as shops aren't even avaliable yet.

Of course as soon as I got to Onett, I aquired the only piece of equipment I could. Mr. Baseball Cap.


Things got surpisingly difficult though. It wsn't so bad, I'm just not use to having to watch my HP closer and as a result died a couple times.


Frank would have went down my first attempt at level 6, but I didn't realize that without the Cheap Bracelt I normally had he did 35 damage when he tears into you, and went down. I just farmed a couple burgers from Pogo Punks, which inadvertantly got me to level 7, then proceeded to kick franks ass. B)

NExt I got the Travel Charm of course, not that it really does much good for conqureing Giants step.



The first real challange came from fighting The Titanic Ant.

Level 11 this is how it went.

"Titanic Ant bites Ness! SMASH!"
"Ness attacks with Psi Rockin"
"Black ant A and B defeated"
"Titanic atn bites NEss!"
And I was defeated.

So, without Cheap bracelet, it is possible to die after 2 attacks from Titanic ant at 11.
I just farmed a couple leves and tried again. Took me a bit, but keeping close eyes on my life and making use of Shield, I beat him without to much difficulty. Though I had to hope I didn't get hit with a Smash again.

I had no real choice but to open with Psi Rockin, cause if I used Shield, the ants would beat on me as well, and if I got smashed even with the shield, it would spell another defeat if those ants could hit me too.

Overall, this challange isn't so bad yet.

The Titanic ant fell to my bat, and Giant step became mine.



Edit: Later pictures won't have the ugly white spots in them, promise. :P

And they will probably be snapped at a better time too. XD

[Karellen]

I keep forgetting how well Earthbound's graphics have aged.

[NeoCracker]

Alright. Next update.

Happy rest valley killed me a few times. Though I smurfed up and used a cold rememdy. Though a Butterfly was nearby, and since I had the first healing ability, I figured it really didn't change anything since I could have just used it and fully recovered my PP.

Anyway, It took a bit, but Happy Rest was beaten, and then I fought off a few clansmen with ease. HEll, even Cult leader was a piece of cake.

Though I think that Carpenter is a Catholic...


Anyway, the real problem came when I realized how screwed Paula was right now. And if I died, there was no free phone here, so I would have to go back through Happy Rest to get here.

I took some time to kill the mole at the beginning of the cave a few times to speed level Paula, as usual. Though that was the easy part.

Without armor, Paula died a few times, but finally made it through the cave, without Paula of course, and beat the second Guardian after a somewhat long tedius fight with only Ness alive at the start of the battle. (Compared to normal anyway. )



Currently, Ness is Level 24, and Paula 16.

I'm having a bad feeling Department store Mook in Fourside is going to cause some problems.


Though I have realized a major issue. I CAN"T use Horns of Life.

The only life restoring items I have available are Cup of Life Noodles, which are quite limited. However I fully intend to tough it out and pray to god I can keep my guys alive even with their crap armor. XD

[theundeadhero]

Good luck, man. At least you can savestate to make it easier.

[NeoCracker]

Wow, I never thought of using Save States. XD

Anyway, I made it out of happy rest without issue. Made it to threed, and had little trouble with getting through the trash cans of death and evil little bees to see the Zombie who "Stares into your soul". So far it's easy sailing.

Though really, I can't help but wonder, WHY would a young child like next follow one who clearly looks like a prostitute into a hotel room? Bad things are doomed to happen.

I told you so.

Anyway, I got Jeff, got all the equipment from the lockers, yadda yadda yadda. Really Jeff isn't effected by this challange so early, as you pick up all his equipment, A gun, a broken gun, and a stun Gun for weapons, then the Holmes hat and Cheap Bracelet.

Anyway, I get to the Lab and then I fly high into the sky.


I think this thing was bought from Jeffs Discount Death Traps. (Not to be confused with Actual Air Ships)


Anyway, moving on. I moved Jeffs Holmes Hat onto Paula, cause she needs the defense more then he does, leaving Jeff the Mangnum Air Gun he fixed, and the Cheap Bracelet.
Mind you, I have now allowed money to be used for the Express, cause like hell am I going through the tedius act of tracking back to Onett whenver I need . xD

Anyway, got Zombie paper, trapped Zombies, and am now on my way to Saturn Valley. Though really, Zombies eat brains. So logically, wouldn't Zombie paper be laced with brains to attract the Zombies? What else could it be made out of?



Apple Kids a sic, sick boy...

[Freya]

Here I am listening to my musics, I kissed a girl, and I get a phone call. Mister neocracker had his interweb shut off and would like me, lekana, the most amazing person ever, to tell you he wont be back till like the 16th.