Third Strongest Podcast

First we must hike over to the Milky Well, to consider the nature of "Your Sanctuary" and questions of where milk comes from. Then we can enjoy a hero's welcome in Threed, where a dog may have been imprisoned without cause. Then we will pass through an empty space. Then, at last, we can explore the desert, which is full of all sorts of neat little things.

In this episode, we take a coffee break. We slow down and take some time to remember some of the topics we've missed. Not quite all of them, of course.

Friend, this is the episode with Saturn Valley and Master Belch. You're in for a treat.

Zach has played the prequel to EarthBound, and he has the scoop on the localization, the difficulty, the mysterious nature of Magicant, and the tie-in gamebook starring Doug Halloway.

The stakes are raised, so to speak, as we enter Threed and fall victim to its various autumnal perils. And then we go to Winters, to experience the Sublime, and to meet Brick Road. We did not say enough about Brick Road in this episode. We will say more later.

As we explore Happy Happy Village, the word "dungeon" gets a real workout. The specter of Twin Peaks raises its head, as does the specter of backtracking all the way to Onett to check on Lier X. Agerate's dig site. And Zach finally sees the 1980 film The Blues Brothers for the first time. They sure blowed up a lot of stuff in that movie. Blowed up real good.

At long last we venture to the Next Town, which is Twoson. There are jokes in the hospital; there are jokes in the flea market. There is a man who jumps off the roof of his house and bites you. But is he really a bad guy? What is a "bad guy," exactly? Exactly.

It is time to go to the hospital, to go to City Hall, to buy a house. And it is time to fight a big ant. It is time to discuss the tuba.

As our journey begins and we amble around the town of Onett, we notice how much of this game is fuzzy, indistinct, un-Paper Mario-like. We notice an astonishing lack of efficiency. And we face the dreaded criminal kingpin Frank, whose hairstyle Ryan will inexplicably describe as an "afro."

It's time to talk about EarthBound. It's time to reveal our favorite thing. It's time to try casting a spell. This is the third strongest podcast.