Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete

"A beautiful game."

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is the sequel to Lunar: Silver Star Story. Having never played Lunar: Silver Star Story, I didn't know what to expect from this game. Although I knew not what to expect, I had read that this was a great RPG; with this in mind, I bought Lunar 2. After having spent hours upon hours of my life on this game, I am glad to say that Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is one of the best RPGs I have ever played.
To start with, Working Designs went all out on this game. If you purchase this game, you are getting this:

- 3 Game CDS, 1 Music CD, and 1 “Making of Lunar 2” CD.
- 100+ Page Leatherette Hardbound Artbook/Instruction Manual
- Full-Size Lucia’s Pendant
- Character Mini-Standees
(Info taken from game box)

That, in itself, is enough reason to buy the game in my opinion. Still, that alone shouldn't be the only reason you would consider buying or renting this game. The story, gameplay, visuals, music, control, and the overall fun factor of this game are top notch. Very few games come this close to perfection.

Story - 10/10

Lunar 2’s storyline is a fantastic storyline. The story starts off with a man named Hiro, and his companion, a “flying cat” named Ruby. These two are fascinated by the history of their planet, and love to search the ancient towers that hold keys to the past that are near their house. These two meet up with Lucia, who comes from another planet. After meeting her shortly into the game, our heroes, Hiro, Ruby, and Lucia are thrown into an adventure unlike any other. They meet a variety of people along the way; some good, some bad, and some whose motives are unknown to you. In other words, are they good? Are they bad? You decide. Throw in an enemy who wants to destroy the world, and you have a classic RPG storyline; one that will not be forgotten as the years go by.
The overall story isn’t the only fantastic thing about Lunar 2. The game contains humors moments, and very serious moments. The humor doesn't take away from the game, but adds to the overall game experience. Also, during the course of the game, you will get attached to the characters, and will want to proceed with the game just to see what happens to them. There is character interaction in this game I have never seen before in another game. The characters together work well, and relate to each other. Best of all, the characters can relate to the people playing this game, something that doesn’t happen often in a videogame. So, you may feel an important part of the game inside you, and understand what the characters are going through. Top notch storyline and character interaction.

Gameplay – 10/10

The gameplay of Lunar 2 is also fantastic. The game is your standard RPG fare – talk to people, explore an area, fight enemies, fight boss, proceed with story, etc. This makes the game so wonderful, though. The gameplay consists of old school RPG action, with a little twist in it. Your characters can be placed in different positions on the battlefield. However you choose them to be arranged will be how they are presented on the battlefield. When arranged, characters can be placed far back, in the middle, or up close near enemies. This makes the game more strategic, as if your characters are up close, they can attack the enemies faster. If they are far back, they can’t attack them as fast, as your characters have a certain range, or how far they can travel to attack somebody. The same goes for enemies as well. This adds to the overall strategy of battles, and how to place your party. Should you place them spread out, some in front, some in the middle, and some in back? Or should you place them all together at the front line, so they can attack faster? You decide all of this. Added to this is the amount of times characters can strike an enemy. Each weapon a person in your party has a certain amount of times you can hit an enemy. Some weapons only strike once, some can strike four times. Do you get a powerful weapon that can only strike a couple of times, or do you get a weapon that strikes a lot, for less damage to the enemies? You decide.
The only downfall to the gameplay is the amount of battles you fight, but that was no biggy for me. If you are a fan of classic RPGs, then you know all about the battle after battles that you will fight. Some are challenging (especially some of the later bosses), and that just adds to the fun of the game. One of the plusses to the battles is the fact that you can see the enemies on screen. With this in mind, if you don’t want to fight an enemy, just run away from it!

Video/Sound – 10/10

The in game graphics of Lunar 2 are its biggest downfall to many people. There aren’t quite as many animations to the characters as there are to newer RPGs, and the graphics have a dated feel to them. Although many people would find this to be a big downfall in the game, I actually love it. For some strange reason, the graphics of this game remind me of Final Fantasy VI’s graphics. I guess the whole classic RPG feel of the game carried over to the graphics, and maybe that’s why I love them. You may not, it just depends.
If the in game graphics don’t please you, then maybe the cut scenes will. The FMV in the game is anime and computer animation, something that isn’t seen very often in a videogame. The video looks great, and has a classic anime theme to it. Add to the video (and there is a lot of video) great voice-overs, and you have one masterpiece when it comes to the FMV of the game.
What about the sound, though? Surely, there can be good voice-overs, but not good music, right? Wrong. The music in the game is great. After playing this game about an hour, I knew that this game had one of the best videogame soundtracks I had heard in years. The music fits each area of the game nicely, and it was great that Working Design’s included the videogame soundtrack with the game.
Propelled by great music, lots of voices, and FMV scenes, the video and sound of Lunar 2 are some of the best of any RPG I have played.

Control – 10/10

There isn't much to say about the control of Lunar 2. The control is good, and responsive. You can play with the Analog or the standard D-pad if you like. There aren’t many menus you will have to dive through, so there is no hassle there with the control. Top notch.

Overall Fun Factor – 10/10

If you can, purchase Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete for the Playstation before it is too late. The reason I never played Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete for the Playstation was because Working Design’s only offered Lunar: Silver Star Story for a limited time, as they are doing with Eternal Blue. I waited, and I lost out on the chance to play the first game. So, if you are even considering this game, buy it. You won’t regret it. If buying it is not an option, at least give it a rental. You will be playing a magical, classic RPG. One of the best ever.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/01, Updated 04/13/01