Somewhat Unusual Answers to Prayer Quiz

Answer: "heavy air"

"EarthBound," known in Japan as "Mother 2," was the sequel to "Mother," a game whose planned NES release was shelved when the team decided to focus instead on adapting "Mother 2" for a U.S. release, on the Super NES. When the localization team set out to translate the game into English, they generally tried to maintain much of the "tone" and content of the original text, though some parts were substantially rewritten. Interestingly, the "battle dialogue" text of the various prayer outcomes was largely unchanged.

For example, with this prayer effect, the English translation says, "Some heavy air flowed into the area!" In the original Japanese, the heavy air is described as having "poured down upon" the area. The "heavy air" effect results in all characters having their "Defense" number lowered, thus making attacks cause more damage than they normally would.

(As a side note, those who have played the game know that in the endgame battle, the "prayer mechanic" functions rather differently, particularly in its programming, as well as how praying impacts the fight itself. This quiz deliberately avoids discussion of prayer in relation to the final confrontation.)

Answer: "heaven-rending sound"

In English, the full line says, "A terrible, heaven rending sound echoed in the area!" The original Japanese text is a little more difficult; a literal translation would be, "The sound as it cut through [that is, pierced] the air echoed in the area!" A slightly less direct, but also less awkward, rendering might be, "The horrible sound [or 'scream'] echoed in the area!"

When this prayer effect occurs, it afflicts all characters with the "Feeling Strange" status, which increases the chance that any given action will be "misdirected" and target the wrong character. Confused characters may attack one of their companions (or even themselves), or heal an opponent. Amusingly, a few people have actually uploaded videos to YouTube of this prayer result in action, showing how the unpredictable nature of "Feeling Strange" can be either beneficial or hilariously catastrophic.

Aside: "EarthBound" was decidedly less than successful when it was released for the Super Nintendo. Sales were lacking ... criticism wasn't. A lot of folks haven't even heard of the game, and many have vague-at-best memories of it: "It's one of those games I played eons ago, when I was a kid." Still, it's developed quite a cult following over the years. Despite being an older, "niche" game, its fans know that its simplistic appearance belies its brilliant storytelling and thought-provoking themes.

Answer: "very subtle light"

The English text says, "A very subtle light engulfed Ness and his friends!" In Japanese, it says, "Ness and his friends were wrapped in the soft light!" This prayer outcome, the most common one, has a fairly weak effect, restoring only a small fraction of the characters' health.

A Web site dedicated to all things "EarthBound," Starmen.net, includes in its content a fascinating breakdown of how various formulae and equations are used by the game to determine the effect of various actions and items. The discussion explains that the "very subtle light" is calculated, per character, as restoring to them 1/16 of their total hit points (HP).

Answer: "mysterious aroma"

This text says in English, "A mysterious aroma wafted into the area!" In Japanese, it says, "The pleasing scent poured down upon the area!" It causes everyone to fall asleep for a few turns (during which time, of course, they can do nothing), though how long it takes for each character to wake up is somewhat random-a 1-in-4 chance per turn, per the aforementioned "Technical Info" page.

To make an enemy fall asleep, a player can use the "PSI Hypnosis" special ability; in similar fashion, "PSI Brainshock" causes the "Feeling Strange" status. But many foes are programmed to be unaffected by said special abilities. As the Starmen.net page proceeds to note, both the "mysterious aroma" and the "heaven-rending sound" prayer outcomes will affect characters who are otherwise resistant to the "Sleep" and "Feeling Strange" statuses.

Just to make sure it's clarified for everyone, in EarthBound, "PSI," short for "psionics" (or "PK," for "psychokinesis," in the Japanese), refers to characters' special moves. These are basically the same as "magic" or "spells" seen in most other RPGs.

Answer: "golden light"

Not much to say about the translation; in English it says: "A golden light poured over the area!" The Japanese is almost verbatim: "The golden light poured down upon the area!"

Many people assume the golden light means an instant and complete HP recovery for one ally, and in most cases, this is the end result. As the "Technical Info" discussion explains, however, a full healing is not guaranteed; rather, the game determines how much HP you recover by calculating "the difference between [the character's] maximum HP and Paula's current HP."

Answer: "rainbow-colored light"

Once again the translation difference is minor: In English, the text reads, "Rainbow-colored light shone into the area!" In Japanese, it translates to, "The seven colors of light [i.e., 'a rainbow light'] poured down upon the area!"

Almost like starting a battle from square one, the rainbow light revives all who've been defeated, enemies and allies alike. (This does not apply to "temporary," non-playable-character [NPC] allies, such as the Flying Man.) Characters who are injured but alive, however, are not healed. Also of note: Whenever you win a battle, you receive a certain amount of experience points for each enemy that was in the fight. If one or more foes has to be defeated twice due to the rainbow light, the game will award twice as much experience for each such enemy.

In some cases, this prayer result is very helpful, though at times it can actually make things more difficult, particularly if powerful enemies are brought back into the battle before it's over.

Answer: "mysterious light"

The dialogue says in the English version, "A mysterious light enveloped Ness and his friends!" In Japanese, it says, "Ness and his friends were wrapped in the mystic light!"

When this effect occurs, all allies receive between 3-8 PP ("psychic points," or what characters expend in order to use the special PSI moves). Jeff is the one ally of the four who never has any psychic powers, so the mysterious light doesn't affect him. Overall, even for the other three, this effect's helpfulness is nominal except in rare circumstances, as the vast majority of "PSI" abilities require at least 10 PP to use.

Answer: "dazzling light" (enveloping)

The English line reads slightly erroneously: "A dazzling light enveloped Ness and his friends!" In Japanese it simply says, "The dazzling light poured down upon the area!"

There are two prayer outcomes that result in a "dazzling light." Contrary to how the English text reads, the light affects all characters, not just the heroes. This form of "dazzling light," the Starmen.net article points out, has the "same effect as [PSI ability] Flash alpha." This is the weakest form of the "Flash" ability, and will inflict the "Crying" ailment on most everyone-those who aren't susceptible will not be affected. Anyway, "Crying" increases the chance that an attack will miss and not hit anyone.

Answer: "warm light"

"A warm light surrounded Ness and his friends!" is the English translation; the original Japanese is practically identical: "Ness and his friends were wrapped in the warm light!"

This semi-common prayer effect is, simply put, double that of the "very subtle light"; all allies are given back 1/8 of their maximum HP, thus making it decidedly more helpful.

Answer: "dazzling light" (chasing)

Somewhat surprisingly, in this case there isn't a single word changed between the English and Japanese. Both say, "The dazzling light chased the enemy!"

As noted, there are two kinds of "dazzling light," one of which surrounds the entire area and causes all combatants to start crying, reducing the accuracy of their aim when they attack. The second form, however, is unique in that it's the only prayer result (of ten) that directly damages the enemy. Starmen.net's article states that it is the equivalent of [PSI ability] "Rockin' beta" (see below).

"Rockin" is Ness's strongest and primary PSI ability. ("Beta" refers to its strength: PSI moves have two to four different "power levels," with alpha being the weakest and omega being the strongest.) Anyway, "Rockin" is actually a default name for Ness's attack; at the start of the game, the player may choose any name they wish. In the Japanese, the default name translates to "fighting spirit." Using the "Rockin" attack targets all enemies, whereas the "dazzling light" strikes just one foe, chosen at random.