Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete

"A great RPG deserves a great follow-up!"

Intro
One of my all time favorite RPG's has got to be Lunar. I never played any of the Sega version since I don't own any of the appropriate systems (at least not at the time the games were easier to get). When I heard that Working Design was working on re-releasing (the US version) Lunar in the form of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, I was a bit excited. After playing it, I fell in love with the storyline and the great anime placed all throughout the game. I knew before I got the game that Working Design was also working on a US version of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (another re-release). After playing the first, I was even more excited for the second. This one is even more worth the $60 you shell out than the first was (the first was worth it, but the second is even more so, in my opinion).

After Alex and Nall...
1000 years have passed since the last Lunar game. A strange light appears at a place called Blue Spire. The main character, Hiro, and his baby dragon friend, Ruby, set out with Hiro's grandfather to find out exactly what is with the light. After examining Blue Spire, they discover a girl named Lucia. Lucia claims that she is from the Blue Star and that she has a mission to complete on Lunar that involves stopping an ancient evil known as Zophar. She, Hiro, and Ruby set out on the adventure working toward Lucia's goal. On the way, they meet many people and fight many battles.

Playing the Game
If you've played the first Lunar, you can easily get the gist of the second one. Everything works on a 2D environment like the original. You have a main map screen which allows you to go from location to location. In some locations, you can walk at a regular speed. This is mostly set for towns and any place that has no monsters. However, any place that does have monsters restricts your walking to a slower pace. You have a dash ability, but it only works temporarily. You have to wait for a few seconds before you can dash again.

Battle
Battle is a lot like the first Lunar as well. You can have up to five people in your group plus Ruby (who may attack a random enemy at the end of the round). You pick all the commands for everyone at the beginning of the round. Then, battle commences and all the moves are played out. You also get spells and skills like the first one. Each character has their own personalized set of spells and skills. The cool thing about this one is that some spells and skills can morph into stronger ones when you gain a high enough level.

Anime FMV's
Throughout different sections of the game are different anime FMV sequences. Unfortunately, this game did suffer one casualty there. The resolution on the FMV's can be a bit bothersome at times. They aren't as crisp as the first one.

Comes With All You See Here!
This game comes with: 3 game CD's, a ''Making of...'' CD, a soundtrack (a full(er) one this time, not a bunch of crappy remixes), Lucia's pendent collector's item, paper standees, hard bound instruction booklet, and a map.

Game Elements
The graphics are beautifully done for 2D (also to consider that they are dated graphics). The FMV's suffered some bad resolution, but that was about it. They still exhibited some excellent CG animation thrown in with the anime. The controls work as good as you would expect, considering this is an RPG. The storyline is great. A much better central storyline than the original, however, I personally liked how the first one ended instead. One major up-factor to this game is that after you've finished it you can save after the ''THE END'' screen and play the epilogue, which opens several different hidden dungeons. The gameplay seems to be a bit more fun and not as frustrating as the original. Honestly, if you made me pick between the two, however, I'd say they're dead center equal.

FINAL JUDGMENT
Graphics: Nice touch of 2D graphics, albeit how old they are. The anime could've used some better resolution, though. 8/10
Sounds: Great soundtrack and excellent voice acting 10/10
Controls: Work just great, no complexities 10/10
Plot/Storyline: Riveting 10/10
Gameplay: Fun, addictive, and not as frustrating as the first (at least I didn't find it very frustrating) 9/10
All Together: 10/10

Perks
*Comes with a lot of stuff!
*...Including a great game!
*Great voice acting
*Awesome soundtrack
*...Which is also included in the package!
*Great storyline
*Fun and addictive

Downers
*Low Res FMV's

Recommendations
Fans of the Lunar series and old school RPG'ers should really enjoy this game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/01, Updated 10/06/01