EarthBound is one of Nintendo's lesser-known titles, but one that has gained a decent following after many years since its release. It is certainly unique, especially in its narrative and gameplay as a JRPG, and it warrants the attention it has garnered after being in the realm of obscurity for so long.
Aside from its bizarre aspects, it does do a few things that make it more interesting than other games of its kind. One of them is how the game handles the health of player-controlled characters. Typically, in JRPGs, it is expected that as soon as an enemy attacks, the damage received is instantly reflected in the target's health pool.
However, EarthBound does it differently, as it subtracts slowly instead of immediately calculating it. This is the game's rolling HP mechanic, and after experiencing it, I can confidently say that it deserves a revisit in more modern titles.
Whether it's an RPG, JRPG, or any other genre involving turn-based battles between two teams, the mechanic has the potential to make them more exciting and enjoyable. As for how it would do so, one reason is that it creates a sense of urgency and panic unlike any other.
In other games with a similar battle system to EarthBound, when an opponent deals enough damage to kill a controllable character, it usually just results in frustration since it means the following turn has to be wasted on reviving whoever died. It can cause anxiety in certain situations, but most of the time, it's more of an annoyance.
However, with the rolling HP mechanic, the story is different. A character only dies if its health drops to zero, so while it ticks down slowly, the player has an opportunity to prevent that by using either healing spells or items. This means that even the strongest attacks can be survived, which I can attest to as I've used Ness' Lifeup spells to stay alive in situations that would normally mean game over in other titles. So long as one is quick enough in choosing the options, a battle can never be lost, which makes every turn feel important and anxiety-inducing.
This leads me to the other reason why EarthBound's rolling HP mechanic should make a return in more modern titles: it keeps players fully engaged during fights. Because of enemies potentially using a move that could kill an ally on any turn, it forces one to keep a watchful eye to see if it happens.
When it does, it results in having to quickly choose the right options before health drops to zero or to a number that the player would rather not see. With all of that, it means always having to pay attention to act accordingly, ensuring that every fight is never boring, which is crucial in gameplay that involves participating in many of them.
Given what it managed to do for EarthBound and its battle system, there is a warrant in bringing back the rolling HP mechanic. Perhaps Nintendo could be the one to do it with a new entry in the Mother series, or maybe another developer can bring it back via a brand-new title. Regardless, so long as it comes back, it's likely to result in the creation of an amazing game.
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