Earthboundology 1.2
First of all, a brief pause for a joyous exclamation with respect to THE NEWS: YAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, second, despite the very real possibility that the previous article was not going to pass muster and get published, it did, leading me to the potentially terrifying decision of (cue ominous music)--writing another article. That said, I am now happy to bring another installment of Earthboundology, which (contrary to my original idea) is going to have no connection to 1.1 other than being about Earthbound and containing at least one use of the word "bludgeon." Today's topic is: the construction of Saturn Valley.
Due to the limited size of character sprites in Earthbound, it is difficult for the game designers to give a perfect picture of the comparative sizes of various characters. Small children in Polestar Preschool are nearly as tall as many adults. One particularly remarkable point regarding this fact is that it is difficult to gauge any real details about the anatomy of a Mr. Saturn beyond the obvious pink bow, whiskers, and theoretically impossible nose. Despite these limitations, however, a simple study of Mr. Saturn's in their normal routine as well as an examination of Super Smash Brothers: Melee reveals that the Mr. Saturn described above is a pretty fair representation of the creature. Thus, to the point of this article (you were wondering if I'd ever get there): how were the buildings and infrastructure of Saturn Valley constructed?
It is quickly obvious that the Mr. Saturn's did not build their homes and ladders in the same manner that humans build homes and ladders; they lack arms, hands, and opposable thumbs. It is possible that either their whiskers or even their nose is capable to some sort of gripping power; the fact that they can support a pink ribbon a quarter their size on a single strand of hair speaks to either incredible toughness or incredible hair spray. However, excluding this idea, one then wonders how the Mr. Saturn's could build anything, or even do much of anything.
One possibility is that the Mr. Saturns possess psychokinetic powers that allow them to maneuver objects and possibly even themselves. This would make it very possible for them to build the huts and ladders of Saturn Valley, and also make their head gear more credible. The game, too, clearly allows for the mind to be a powerful tool in shaping the physical world: ask any enemy that "went back to normal" as a result of PSI Freeze or Fire, and they'll tell you it was just as painful (if not more so) than being bludgeoned by a baseball bat.
Another interesting theory is that there is more to the Mr. Saturn race than meets the eye; that is, their are other members of their race that may possess different appendages and we simply never see them during the adventure. These Mr. Neptunes, as I will call them because I am the first person in this article to think of them, could have been gone while Ness and company were passing through, or they may have abandoned the Mr. Saturns to their own devices (or lack thereof) for reasons unknown. Perhaps they built Saturn Valley and left it in the care of the Mr. Saturns, while the Mr. Neptunes left for some more interesting place.
I'm inclined to go with a mix of the two theories. The Mr. Saturns we meet must posses some talents; they contribute to the construction of the Phase Distorter enough that it is crafted in the shape of their bodies, and their culinary talents are second to none (Peanut Cheese Bar). On the other hand, they also seem to live in a very small place with little if any interaction with the outside world. One wonders where they get food and the necessary supplies to produce good for their shop. Thus, I think they must have some contacts beyond Eagleland, and perhaps even beyond Earth (Buzz Buzz implies that their are other intelligent worlds when he states that Giygas is going after the entire universe and that he thinks the plan was set in motion on Earth). Therefore, the construction of the buildings in Saturn Valley (which, if you may remember, as I clearly didn't, is the topic of this article) was likely the work of both talented Mr. Saturns and benevolent "Mr. Neptunes."
I will now conclude this article with another brief word regarding THE NEWS: WHHHHAAAAAA-HOOOOOOO!!!!!
First of all, a brief pause for a joyous exclamation with respect to THE NEWS: YAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, second, despite the very real possibility that the previous article was not going to pass muster and get published, it did, leading me to the potentially terrifying decision of (cue ominous music)--writing another article. That said, I am now happy to bring another installment of Earthboundology, which (contrary to my original idea) is going to have no connection to 1.1 other than being about Earthbound and containing at least one use of the word "bludgeon." Today's topic is: the construction of Saturn Valley.
Due to the limited size of character sprites in Earthbound, it is difficult for the game designers to give a perfect picture of the comparative sizes of various characters. Small children in Polestar Preschool are nearly as tall as many adults. One particularly remarkable point regarding this fact is that it is difficult to gauge any real details about the anatomy of a Mr. Saturn beyond the obvious pink bow, whiskers, and theoretically impossible nose. Despite these limitations, however, a simple study of Mr. Saturn's in their normal routine as well as an examination of Super Smash Brothers: Melee reveals that the Mr. Saturn described above is a pretty fair representation of the creature. Thus, to the point of this article (you were wondering if I'd ever get there): how were the buildings and infrastructure of Saturn Valley constructed?
It is quickly obvious that the Mr. Saturn's did not build their homes and ladders in the same manner that humans build homes and ladders; they lack arms, hands, and opposable thumbs. It is possible that either their whiskers or even their nose is capable to some sort of gripping power; the fact that they can support a pink ribbon a quarter their size on a single strand of hair speaks to either incredible toughness or incredible hair spray. However, excluding this idea, one then wonders how the Mr. Saturn's could build anything, or even do much of anything.
One possibility is that the Mr. Saturns possess psychokinetic powers that allow them to maneuver objects and possibly even themselves. This would make it very possible for them to build the huts and ladders of Saturn Valley, and also make their head gear more credible. The game, too, clearly allows for the mind to be a powerful tool in shaping the physical world: ask any enemy that "went back to normal" as a result of PSI Freeze or Fire, and they'll tell you it was just as painful (if not more so) than being bludgeoned by a baseball bat.
Another interesting theory is that there is more to the Mr. Saturn race than meets the eye; that is, their are other members of their race that may possess different appendages and we simply never see them during the adventure. These Mr. Neptunes, as I will call them because I am the first person in this article to think of them, could have been gone while Ness and company were passing through, or they may have abandoned the Mr. Saturns to their own devices (or lack thereof) for reasons unknown. Perhaps they built Saturn Valley and left it in the care of the Mr. Saturns, while the Mr. Neptunes left for some more interesting place.
I'm inclined to go with a mix of the two theories. The Mr. Saturns we meet must posses some talents; they contribute to the construction of the Phase Distorter enough that it is crafted in the shape of their bodies, and their culinary talents are second to none (Peanut Cheese Bar). On the other hand, they also seem to live in a very small place with little if any interaction with the outside world. One wonders where they get food and the necessary supplies to produce good for their shop. Thus, I think they must have some contacts beyond Eagleland, and perhaps even beyond Earth (Buzz Buzz implies that their are other intelligent worlds when he states that Giygas is going after the entire universe and that he thinks the plan was set in motion on Earth). Therefore, the construction of the buildings in Saturn Valley (which, if you may remember, as I clearly didn't, is the topic of this article) was likely the work of both talented Mr. Saturns and benevolent "Mr. Neptunes."
I will now conclude this article with another brief word regarding THE NEWS: WHHHHAAAAAA-HOOOOOOO!!!!!
