Lunar: The Silver Star

"The best games come straight from the heart"

I've been playing video games for almost 15 years now. I'm an old-school gamer with old-school roots. I've beaten Final Fantasy X and played all of the newest games, but Lunar's emmotion and story have yet to come close to anything that has come out in the past three years.
Gameplay 9/10
Some people might not enjoy the fighting style of Lunar or the lack of customization, and maybe a job system would have been a nice touch; but the fighting system fits the game perfectly. All the battles are quickly over and aren't frustrating. You don't get killed randomly by easy monsters right after you fight a boss like Phantasy Star, but you also don't get a free ride. It actually provides once of the hardest boss fights in any RPG ever.
Sound 9/10
Music surrounds the world of Lunar. It provides a key element in the story, and ties the characters and events nicely together. All of the music is very fitting to the scene you're in. Upbeat music in a moving city, and solemn music when things turn for the worst. It really never gets old and you'll never need to play different music in the background.
Story 10/10
I've played almost every RPG I possible could, and I'm not joking. I absolutely love them, and Lunar is definitely in the top 5. Not because of great CGs or amazing weapons, but because the story is by far one of the best, maybe the best ever created. I'm not going to give the story away, but Alex, a small boy from a town of Burg, dreams of becoming a Dragonmaster just like his idol, Dyne. And eventually, certain situations and events force Alex to go on his adventure and collect the powers of the four dragons around the world.
Replay 8/10
RPGs really don't provide too much replay value a lot of the time, unless you really enjoyed the story and connected to all the characters. One way to really enjoy this game is go into it with an open mind, and not always saying ''that wouldn't happen'' or ''this is stupid.''

Overall 10/10
This is a great RPG by GameArts, and even a greater translation by Working Designs. I'm happy to say this game competes with the best games, such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy III, and Secret of Mana. Graphics make a game better I guess, but it just can't compete with an old-fashion RPG straight from the heart.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/04