Giygas (EarthBound)
5 NOPE Moments That Ruined Our Childhood
Hoo boy. To say that EarthBound is unlike other Nintendo games would be something of an understatement. It’s quirky and optimistic in some ways, but there lies a sinister kind of wickedness underneath it all; the morality of the people, the inner turmoil of Ness’ fears and self-doubting, the utter creep factor of the cameraman following your every move, and constant references to the wetting of pants, among others. It all comes to a head in the final battle against Pokey Minch, when he deactivates the Devil’s Machine and reveals the true form of the ultimate evil.
This is about as close as you’ll get to hell in a Nintendo game without it being said outright. Surrounded by the visage of Giygas, who himself is in a great deal of suffering, under a constant barrage of attacks that defy comprehension, your whole party will be wiped out if you’re not careful. All the while, Giygas will tell you how much it hurts, and how he is filled with misery and dread. There’s some seriously bad vibes going on here, and the only way to quell this dark power is to pray into the abyss. Considering the grim things we’ve seen in gaming over the years (ever wonder what it would be like to be a fly on the wall of a Mortal Kombat fatality brainstorming session?) this boss fight may not sound quite so bad, but note when this game was made, and who it was predominantly marketed towards. The battle against Giygas was jarring – were you doing the right thing here? Could it be that this creature was ultimately a puppet being exploited by the greed and temptation of man? There are so many mysteries surrounding this bizarre adversary, very few of which will ever be fully explained. At the very least, Giygas doesn’t want to eat you alive, which is a refreshing change. He does, however, want to consume all of humanity, which is arguably a fair bit worse.
