It’s that middle of February time and love is in the air. What does that have to do with video games? Everything. Well, everything depending on what game you’re playing. In the spirit of the holiday I want to take a look at an RPG series that focuses on the theme of love: The Lunar series.
The series made its debut with Lunar: The Silver Star in 1992 on the Mega CD in Japan followed by a late 1993 release for the Sega CD in the US. It was developed by Game Arts who had previously produced Silpheed, Thexder, and the often forgotten NES RPG Faria. Lunar is one of their more famous games, along with the Grandia series. In Japan it’s often regarded as the first “killer-app” for the Mega CD and was it’s number one selling title throughout the add-on’s lifetime. The US version, published by Working Designs met with similar praise.
This might have been the first time your Sega CD seemed worth it.
What I always felt set Lunar apart from the other RPGs of it’s era was the rich story and characters. Most other RPGs had more of a focus on the battle system and exploration. While they still told stories, Lunar unfolded more like a book, which was what drove me to move forward in the game more than anything else. That’s not to say the battle system and exploration were lacking, in fact they were fantastic as well.
Lunar is filled with tons of lore which fills in a lot of the backstory. A lot of this is told through NPCs and books as you progress through the game. You’ll learn about the floating Magic City of Vane. You’ll visit shrines and hear tales about Althena and her four heroes. There’s also dragons, and a Magic Emperor causing chaos throughout the land, kidnapping women who are talented singers. Oh yeah, isn’t Luna a talented singer?
Come on, Alex. This isn’t Sewer Shark. Don’t look so bored.
The story starts out in the backwoods town of Burg where we’re introduced to our ginger haired, green eyed hero, Alex. Every day Alex goes to the monument for Dragonmaster Dyne and daydreams about having his own adventures. We also meet Luna, your adoptive sister and main squeeze. I always thought that it was a little odd that she’s your lover and your sister, but whatever, let’s roll with it. You’re also accompanied by Nall, who claims to be a baby white dragon, but resembles a flying cat more than anything. Expect a lot of jokes about that throughout the game. Your best friend Ramus rambles on about going on adventure of your own seeking out the Dragon Diamond, which ends up blossoming into a more in depth undertaking than originally thought. Alex leaves behind Burg and Luna to seek out adventure on the new continent and learn about becoming a Dragonmaster himself.
Alex stands at Dyne’s monument. Sometimes it’s good to daydream.
Along the way Alex meets some companions: Nash, who’s quite annoying and you will probably hope dies along the way but nonetheless a powerful magic user. Mia: Junior Premier of the Magic Guild of Vane and Daughter of Lemia, one of the Four Heroes of Althena. Jessica, the wild tomboy beast girl and daughter of “Hell Mel” another of the Four Heroes of Althena. Kyle, thief and all around womanizer and badass who’s in charge of the Nanza Barrier.
There’s plenty of other interesting characters, such as the iconic Ghaleon, Taben the flatulent inventor, and Laike, the adventurer who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. There’s some M. Night Shyamalan-ey twists along the way too.
Who else were you expecting to jump out of the bushes at you?
As I said, the main theme throughout the game is love. Incidentally, all of the main characters are all couples. Of course we have Alex and Luna. It’s his love for her that drives him to become a Dragonmaster to not only save Lunar, but save the love of his life as well. We also have Nash and Mia who are sort of off-again on-again, and have to deal with their own issues to overcome the Magic Emperor. Kyle and Jessica have a similar situation going on as well except they’re distinctly broken up when you first encounter them.
The music in the game is absolutely fantastic. Taking advantage of the technology, all of the music is CD-Audio based. The tracks range from industrial to orchestrated pieces with a fast paced opening theme complete with lyrics.
Attack the demons? Everything’s a good idea when you’re levels are this high!
The gameplay is what you expect from a JRPG from the early 90’s. You’ve got your random battles in dungeons and on the world map. The difficulty level isn’t too high, but it’s not a cakewalk either. You’re going to want to do some grinding towards the end, but not so much that it seems like a chore or you get lost in it. As your levels go up, the characters learn more and more spells and special attacks. The battle system is turn based but has a bit more strategy to it than most other RPGs of the era. It looks like Final Fantasy at first glance, but the characters actually move around on the battlefield, and their placement actually matters. Certain spells you use have an area of effect around you, as do the enemies.
But wait, there’s more!