Kweh…
I know that the gaming community is still in mourning over the departure of Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo. It only seems appropriate to dedicate this #ThrowbackThursday post to him, specifically a beloved game that he worked on: EarthBound.
https://youtu.be/zwHZwvTdnPI
EarthBound is a JRPG created for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was actually called Mother 2 in Japan and is a part of the Mother series. The first Mother game was created for the older Famicom or Nintendo Entertainment System.
Though the initial US port of the game did not sell very well, those who played the game rallied and attested to its greatness. This caused the game to slowly gain popularity and become one of the most talked about JRPGs that not many people have heard of or played (including me =p). Nintendo took notice and decided to re-release it on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2013.
Smiles and Tears plays during the game credits. It is a little unclear who actually composed this song as there are two names attached to the game as composers: Keiichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Tanaka. The song also appears on the latest Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS.
As I listen to the song while writing this, it is hard not to get teary eyed; the title seems to fit the untimely departure of Iwata while remembering his achievements and personality.
Digging deeper, I found out that there are lyrics written by Shigesato Itoi, the game director and writer. I was able to obtain the lyrics from EarthBoundCentral:
I haven’t lived even half as long as adults have,
but I do have plenty of memories in my backpack
My favorite baseball cap, my sneakers with worn-out heels
Deep in my pocket is my worn-down guitar pick
There were some things sad enough to make tears come out,
but you were always by my side
I thought of the two of us as just friends the whole time
I probably loved you without ever realizing it
We walked while we laughed, played, and got hurt
I realized it as we took shortcuts and went in circles:
that even if you can’t believe in everyone
you can’t cast aside a heart you do believe in
You made me stronger just being who you are
Like a gentle wind blowing and swaying the grass
you always walked with a smile
Yes, the two who shared smiles and tears one after the other…..
(I miss you)
…..are now far apart…..
Satoru Iwata, thank you very much for all you have done.
Sources: Wikipedia, EarthBound wikia and EarthBoundCentral
Big thank you to our supporters
From their continous support, we are able to pay our team for their time and hard work on the site.
We have a Thank-You page dedicated to those who help us continue the work that we’ve been doing.
See our thank you page
