From what I've played, the majority of Earthbound's entertainment value is derived from reading quirky NPC dialogue. Unfortunately, this only applies to those who enjoy reading in JRPGs.[/joke]
The gameplay is exactly as you say, unspectacular, yet I did appreciate the little twists to the vanilla Dragon Quest-style battle system: scrolling health, back attacks, instant-win battles against much lesser foes, and my personal favorite, no random battles. Nothing that competes with the best RPG battle systems of the time, but with such an overabundance of charm, I guess it didn't to. I feel the same way about the Dragon Quest series, though I really like Dragon Quest V.
3DS Friend Code: 0645 - 5827 - 5788
WayForward Kickstarter is best kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero
