“There’s a doctor in the rainforest. On your first trip through, when the enemies are relentless, you’ll no doubt be pretty beat-up. The doctor there will treat you; however, he won’t do it for free. At this point, you’re pretty far from civilization, and an attempted walk back isn’t possible due to your physical condition. Here’s where the man snorkeling in the river comes into play. He’ll loan you some money, acting as an ATM. He’ll also charge you a five-hundred-dollar fee for each transaction. Somehow, you end up owing this guy money. You have to pay him back at some point in the future, or he assures you he’ll track you down.

Well, most people forget to pay him back. This results in your father calling your house after the credits to tell you that some man from the rainforest called him about some money owed. He informs you that he paid him back, and then hangs up, and that’s how the game ends.”

– Large Prime Numbers on Mother 2/Earthbound.

I didn’t know this until just now, and it’s one of a handful of great things I learned about my favorite video game of all time from this review. I’ve probably beaten it ten times over the past 14 years, and it never once occurred to me to borrow money from that guy.