I am an active member of the EARTHBOUND fan site, STARMEN.NET. One of the things I enjoy doing on STARMEN.NET is checking out the new and latest EARTHBOUND hacks that have been made or are a work in progress.

One of the hacks that has grabbed my attention has been Holiday Hex. It was a collaborative creation by STARMEN.NET members Mr. Tenda and H.S. as an entry for the 2012 STARMEN.NET Holiday Funfest - as well as being the winner of the Funfest, mind you.

So, what is it about this hack that makes it so fun? Well, allow me to explain it as best as I can.

Graphics:
Holiday Hex's graphics are similar to that of its "parent" game, EARTHBOUND. The game's sprites, animation, and enemy battle sprites - though slightly altered to fit the hack - gives about the same nostalgia as you would expect from playing EARTHBOUND.

Sound:
The sound effects and music of Holiday Hex is the same as you would hear from EARTHBOUND. This adds more to the nostalgia that you feel while playing its "parent" game.

Addictiveness:
Though the game is quick to finish, for those who are hardcore fans of EARTHBOUND, it remains to be an addictive game. With hidden "easter" eggs and references to popular shows at the time of its creation, it remains to be a game to come back to again and again.

Story:
The story portrayed in the game is an interesting one, to say the least. You play as two kids, Tina and Kyle, who go out to save Christmas. Now before you go all "(snore) This is boring.", allow me to explain why. You see, the town that the two live in is in a time loop where every day - until their great adventure - is Christmas Eve. Therefore, the two set out to find the cause of the problem and to fix it before there is no Christmas...ever.

I could go into more detail, but that would be spoiling it. If you want to know more, play the game.

Depth:
As fun and enjoyable the game is, there really inst much depth to it. The game is quick to finish, and the storyline - though interesting to see unfold - is somewhat fast-pace.

Difficulty:
If you are not a novice to EARTHBOUND, this game is relatively easy to play and easy to complete. There are, however, a few curveballs that the game throws at you. I found myself dying a couple of times due to some unexpected enemies that I ran into.

LET'S WRAP THIS UP!
In short, Holiday Hex is a great EARTHBOUND hack to play. It brings about the nostalgic feel of its "parent" game, and is still fun to go back and play again and again. Despite the ratings I am giving for Depth and Difficulty, I still give this game a 9.5/10.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this review. If you ever get the chance to, I highly recommend playing this game.

As always, "Stay Retro, my friends." This is the RetroGamer9000, signing off.

I read your review and it's a great start.  

A little more specific detail to each of the categories would have been appreciated, so that I really know what the game is about (without having played Earthbound). I don't like spoilers, but I still felt like I learned only a little about the game during the review.

Plus, I might be focused on only one category, so a single sentence may not be very helpful.  Also, I found the capitalization of earthbound somewhat distracting. 

But that's it. I enjoyed reading your review and I hope to see more in the future!

EideticMemory :

I understand how you feel about the lack of information. My review was written the way it was on account of two reasons:

1. I was afraid that if I said even a little bit about the game itself - story and depth especially - I might reveal too many spoilers.

2. I wanted to give the reader enough information that might make said reader want to play the game. [This I feel I have accomplished.]

RetroGamer9000 : I do enjoy your concise wording that provides relevant information. You say in a few words what could have taken paragraphs to say, which I really like.

As an outsider to the game, however, I felt a little deprived. While this game is similar to the parent game, it would be nice to know a few of the positives and negatives that entails (glitches, quality, 3D/2D, etc). Just a tip for future ones.  

However, looking at the review with fresh eyes, I'll bump up my rating by a point.

EideticMemory :

I am working on a sister channel specifically for EARTHBOUND hacks and fan games. One of my videos for the channel will be a in-depth review of Holiday Hex. As soon as it is uploaded, I will put a link in this thread so it can be seen.