LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete

What can I say about LUNAR: Compete? This game is a masterpiece, hands down. While originally made in 1993, this game has been updated to fit more modern times, and the job was done beautifully.

In 1993, Game Arts created a game for the SEGA CD called LUNAR: The Silver Star. This game, and its sequel, LUNAR 2: Eternal Blue, became the best-selling games on the SEGA CD for its short life span. Game Arts took note of this, and remade the games for the SEGA Saturn system a few years back. Now, Game Arts has remade the games over again for the PlayStation, and Working Designs is porting both of them. LUNAR: The Silver Star, now called LUNAR: Silver Star Story Complete, was released in May of 1999 in America on the PlayStation.

Graphics:

Seeing how this game was originally made on the SEGA CD, I can't complain about the graphics. I happen to be a fan of 2-D, and I loved LUNAR's colorful backgrounds and sprites. Some call them "super-deformed", I call them "cool". ^_^ There is also an hour of anime scenes throughout the game, and they are the highest quality I've ever seen in a game. They're excellent, and I love watching them again and again, especially with the nifty item that allows just that.  I think the graphics are excellent, especially since they come from the SEGA CD to begin with.

Storyline:

Another excellent part of LUNAR. Although seemingly simple on the outside, the story of LUNAR is actually quite complex. It begins with the game's hero, Alex, who dreams of becoming a Dragonmaster like his deceased hero, Dyne. Accompanying Alex is his talkative "pet", Nall, who looks like a flying white cat. What is he really? .....  
Alex's two best friends are Luna, his childhood sweetheart, and Ramus, son of the mayor of Burg, where Alex lives. One day, Ramus asks Alex to accompany him on a journey to the White Dragon Cave to retrieve a diamond, and Alex can't resist going on a great adventure like Dyne. So the adventuure begins....
The story has many surprising plot twists, and is quite complex for such an old game, even though it has been updated somewhat.

Characters:

This is where LUNAR shines the most. The cast of characters in LUNAR is quite large (many NPCs who add to the story, as well as your party members), and each character is -extremely- well developed. In my opinion, this game has more character development than any other RPG I can think of. In the end, even the characters you love-to-hate will touch you. From the beautiful songstress Luna to the cunning Kyle, you'll fall in love with the characters by the end of your journey.

Gameplay:

The Gameplay is LUNAR is like an old-school RPG, with a traditional turn-based battle system. The only commands you will encounter on the battlefield are the basic commands in most RPGS, such as: Fight, Run, Item, Magic, and Defend. It doesn't get much more complicated than that. While some people think this is bad, and that RPGs always have to have a complicated battle system to be fun, LUNAR proves them all wrong. Although simple, battles in LUNAR are fun, and also require some strategy. Depending on where you place your characters (You can access a grid on the menu that allows you to position your characters in different places during battle), it can save you from certain spells or attacks, if positioned right. It's better than you'd expect for a 6-year-old RPG. I love it.

Music:

Music has always been very important to me in an RPG. If the music isn't good, I won't like the game as much. It's a good thing LUNAR has such great music. While I can't say it has the best soundtrack for an RPG I've ever heard, I can say that some of the tunes won't leave your head for days - they're memorable. Many of the tunes are remix's of the games two vocal songs, and while some people don't like it, I think they're great that way.

Another added feature to LUNAR is the fact that there are two vocal songs (a third one encompasses nothing but the words, :"la la la", but I like it ^_^), which is not completely commonplace in RPGs, especially during the game. Other RPGs, like Breath of Fire III and Final Fantasy VIII have songs during th ending credits, but I can't recall any that have songs during the actual game. It's a great feature. Although there are mixed opinions on the three songs, I love them all - even the one with only "la la la" in the words. After all, it's sung by the lucious Luna. ^_^

Length and Replay Value:

While not the longest RPG in the world, LUNAR will take you between 30 and 40 hours to complete, assuming you take your time to beat it. I rushed through it the first time, and it took me around 27 hours. There are quite a few secrets in the game, including two bathing springs (one male, one female), 13 bromides featuring pictures of the beautiful women of LUNAR (hubba hubba, hehe), and four "secret items" which are definately worth getting. Finding all of these will take more than one time through the game for certain, unless you're using a guide of some sort.  This adds to both the length and the replay value.

Difficulty:

One of the best things about LUNAR. While not ridiculously easy, like most RPGs, and not incredibly hard, LUNAR has a medium difficulty level which I find a good thing. There are times in the game where you will have to fight a boss two or three times to beat it, which is -very- rare to find in an RPG, which are usually easier than pie. ^_^ The difficulty level in LUNAR is perfect.

Fun Factor:

I'm not sure exactly why I enjoyed this RPG so much. Maybe it was the incredible anticipation I had for it. Maybe it was the beautiful translation, cast of characters, and touching storyline. Maybe it was the simple-yet-fun gameplay system. I don't know; but one thing is for certain - LUNAR: Complete is one of my favorite RPGs on any system. My suggestion to everyone is, give it a chance - LUNAR is certain to grow on you. I was charmed from the start.

Final Breakdown

Wandering Prophet's Reviews
Lunar: Silver Star Story Reviews


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