EARTHBOUND: Hyperbound is a fan-developed ROM hack for the Super Nintendo that follows an amnesiac protagonist navigating a surreal world. It employs glitches to symbolize memory decay, with key challenges set in the character's mind. The narrative emphasizes non-linear storytelling and has been recognized in gaming culture, notably in various media festivals and publications.
HyperBound is a game hack project that follows the trials and tribulations of an unnamed amnesiac, who is thrust into a world that is completely unknown to him. Playing with the affordances of the Super Nintendo game EarthBound, HyperBound explores ideas associated with videogames such as non-linear narratives and spacial storytelling.
The hack’s core game-play mechanic is the use of glitches as a metaphor for the deterioration of memory, with one of the central trials of the game’s story takes place inside the protagonist’s mind. Failing this challenge causes the game world to crumble in a videogame-like way: garbage blocks muck up the screen, dialogue becomes scrambled, and some of the hack’s content can even become completely inaccessible.
HyperBound was featured in Auntie Pixelante’s book, Rise of the Video Game Zinesters, the 2007 Axis New Media Festival, and the second annual Toronto Nuit Blanche Festival.
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