Earthbound 12: Return of Jafar

Japanese standard edition box cover.

*Earthbound 12: Return of Jafar* (known as ***Earthbound le Retour de Jafar*** in Japan) is a role-playing game by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. The thirteenth entry in the *Mother* series, it was first released in Japan in April 2019 and internationally in May 2019. As Ness and his party of five, the player explores the ruined country of Scaraba following a magical disaster in order to defeat the evil genie Jafar.

*Earthbound 12: Return of Jafar* has an original score written by returning composer Toru Minegishi. Shigesato Itoi did not oversee development or the writing process for the title, but gave his blessing to lead writer/director Hidemaro Fujibayashi.

Unlike previous titles in the series, *Earthbound 12: Return of Jafar* does not take place in the main continent of Eagleland, and instead takes influence from the arid deserts of the Sahara and the Middle East. Fujibayashi chose to break away from the typical idiosyncratic portrayal of American culture in order to appeal to aging young adult population of previous *Earthbound* fans.

## Plot

*This section contains spoilers for the main story of Earthbound 12: Return of Jafar.*

The player, as Ness, begins the journey in Ness' new home of Neo Tokyo, in 2041. Ness is able to talk to the people of Neo Tokyo to learn of the changes that happened between *Earthbound 11: Dream Drop Distance* and *Earthbound 12: Return of Jafar*. During the two year period, a meteor shower was predicted to occur on the exact date of the game's opening: October 25th, 2041. Ness is urged by his neighbor, Jeff Andonuts, to enter the local observatory and view the meteor shower come nightfall.

When the meteor shower begins, a loud crash is heard outside the observatory. Small chunks of space rock fall from the sky, and massive amounts of damage befalls the nearby buildings. A larger, deadly meteor is stopped by Ness' PSI just seconds before it impacts with Neo Tokyo. After several seconds of holding the meteor, Ness collapses, and the meteor cracks open. From the debris rises the genie Jafar, who proclaims that he wishes nothing more than to take over Scaraba and destroy everyone inside the city. After Jafar flies off, Jeff Andonuts appears from the meteor's remains and agrees to help Ness defeat the genie, but only when the time comes.

Ness arrives at the Neo Tokyo International Airport, and is greeted by Jeff. Jeff leads Ness to the metal detectors, which immediately detect contraband on Jeff's person, and he is killed by the TSA guard Benson. Benson then attacks Ness, initiating the first boss fight of the game. Players will notice that their actions are limited, and PSI moves are not available. After subduing (not defeating) Benson, Ness boards the plane and arrives in Scaraba a few hours later.

Upon arrival, Ness sees Jafar casting a powerful hurricane spell in the Market Square. As Ness tries to approach, high water pushes sand, people, and objects in the opposite direction of Jafar. Ness struggles to wade through the water, and is soon swept up in the flood. After blacking out, Ness awakens next to a muddy trash can which houses a boy his age, who he soon learns is Lucas. Lucas informs Ness that he lost his PSI during a meteor shower, and urges Ness to try to cast PSI. The two distraught boys are approached by a hooded man, who refers to himself as The Janitor. He offers to reawaken Ness and Lucas' PSI powers in exchange for "six trinkets that were stolen from [him]." As incentive, he restores Ness' *PSI* *Lifeup α* and Lucas' *PSI* *Offense/Defense Up α* abilities. Handing the boys a marked map of Scaraba, The Janitor instructs them to sneak into the Sietch City and return each of the "trinkets" individually.

### Events in the Present

#### One-Star Orb

> *"Every poop is so fantastic." - Baby Kata while killing Aerith*
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The closest mark is found due south of Market Square, in the Kanda district. Ness and Lucas traverse the ruins of Kanda, eventually reaching the district center. There they find a cluster of survivors being harassed by Orthrus. After an intense fight, the boys defeat the beast and approach the group. They introduce themselves as travelers from Winters in Foggyland, and they ask Ness and Lucas to travel deeper into Kanda to find others who may have been swept away in the flood. In the Kanda District Center, the boys encounter Aerith. She explains that she was spiritually attracted to the area following the amount of dead in the disaster, and came to assist the souls seeking to enter the afterlife. She asks the boys to help her pray for the dead, and in their prayers she reveals that she is the God of Death. Upon revealing this, she is killed by a hooded figure using the Mop. The figure picks up the One-Star Orb that falls as she fades into dust, and then attacks Ness and Lucas. During the battle, the figure claims that he is Baby Kata, and becomes angered when Lucas mentions his resemblance to the Janitor. Baby Kata is unable to be defeated by the boys, but they are successful in wounding him before he retreats. He drops the One-Star Orb, which the boys take back to Sietch City. The Janitor is perplexed when Ness informs him of the impostor, but nevertheless grants the boys β-level powers.

#### Two-Star Orb

> *"I wish each of these shorts finds themselves an owner in the afterlife. After all, they're comfy and easy to wear. We wouldn't want that to go to waste." - Child during the prayer ritual.*
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Northwest of Market Square is the location of the second district, Aerugo. Like in Kanda, Ness and Lucas travel through the area working ever closer to the district center, where they encounter a group of survivors. This time, the group encourages the boys to backtrack and check the Textile Factory, which serves as the second mini-dungeon. Inside are various machines running haywire which attack the two. As they progress, they are approached by Sam, a recurring character in previous *Earthbound* games. She explains that she had been working abroad in the Textile Factory when the disaster happened, and she was trapped by the crazed robots. She then joins the party as the third member. Traversing deeper into the factory with their new friend, the party reaches the CEO office, where they find Child. Child explains that he came to this region of Scaraba because of the high amounts of denim product being tarnished by water damage. He asks Ness and co. to pray for the wasted denim pants that will be forgotten in this disaster. After the prayer, Child becomes enraged when he sees that Sam has no denim articles on her person. He attacks, and is defeated after a relatively short battle. After fading into dust, he drops the Two-Star Orb, which Ness and co. can return to The Janitor for new β-level powerups.

#### Three-Star Orb

> *"I think you figured it out by now, but this timeline isn't going to end well. For my sake --for all us, the whole world, go back and fix this. I give you my blessing." - Goku*
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Ness and Co. are confronted by a wild Arrow Lizard, which tells them to return to Market Square and descend into one of the hidden Sietch City entrances from there. Upon descending into what is likely the deepest part of the sietch, the party enters a location known internally as "Deathstill." This location marker was likely removed due to the implications. As the party enters the threshold of the Deathstill chamber, they encounter a middle-aged man, Goku, standing next to a complex capsule-machine. He explains that the present timeline is crumbling, and the heroes must travel in his time machine to try to reclaim the future. He asks Ness and co. to pray for the future, and then asks them to battle him one last time. After this boss fight, Goku comments on the strength of the main characters, and promises them that their commitment to saving the people of Scaraba will not be a waste. When the time machine successfully travels into the past, Goku fades into dust, and the party is awarded the Three-Star Orb. At this point in the story, Ness and co. cannot receive power-ups for this.