Playstation update of
Sega Mega CD classic
Lunar: The Silver Star, created by
Game Arts and translated/localized by
Working Designs.
Lunar: The Silver Star told the story of a fantasy world based on the Moon (The Silver Star), with Earth (The Blue Star) a frozen ball of
ice after some great calamity. The plot follows a boy called
Alex in his quest to become a
Dragonmaster, protector of the
Goddess Althena. Aided by his friends, Alex must defeat the threat of the
Magic Emperor and save the world of Lunar, etc cliché tricycle. This simple plot actually benefits the game, and is certainly a refreshing break from text-em-ups like
Xenogears.
This game is largely identical to the Mega CD original, with the graphics and sound
tarted up. Gameplay has changed in a small, but significant way -
random encounters have been removed completely, with the game using a
Chrono Trigger style system of enemy avoidance, with no enemies on the world map.
Bliss. Asides from this, the
FMV has been totally re-worked, re-recorded an expanded, leading to many a fantastic
anime sequence to advance the plot. A few
fanboy-pleasing sequences were added too, including the infamous hot-springs
skinny dipping. Lastly, the game's vocal songs were re-recorded, with a new song and anime sequence added early in the game.
OH YEAH AND THEY ADDED
lower case letters, so reading the in-game text doesn't give you a headache anymore.
Plot-wise, the game remains much the same. The characters have been made slightly older (sixteenish, I presume), Luna travels with you for a longer time, and there are now three enemy witches (sisters) to battle against instead of just one.
Working Design's distinctive
localisation style is here in full effect, with roughly every line of
dialogue in the game re-written from the
Japanese original. This means that the characters speak much more naturally than those in any other
RPG, but dissenters say that WD's translation is
unfaithful to elements of the original plot. It also leaves the text rather
littered with
pop-culture references, many of which are quite
US-centric. At any rate, the script is occasionally hilarious and handles the
sensitive moments well.
Purchasing the game gains you a decorated cardboard box with velcro cover, which contains a 4CD jewel case, a bound leatherette manual/guide/making-of book, and a cloth map of the Lunar world, which curiously smells strongly of urine. The jewel case contains the two game CDs, a Making Of CD featuring interviews with both Working Designs and Game Arts staff, and a full OST audio CD. The price you pay for this opulence is around $59.99, but it's arguably worth it.
Always intended for a
limited release, the game was techincally pulled from the shelves in
December 2000, but can still be found if you look hard (in the US) or for an extortionate price on
Ebay, if you're a
UK based importer such as myself.