Lunar: The Silver Star

"A Classic That Will Never Die"

I have been a huge fan of the Lunar series ever since I first laid eyes on Lunar: The Silver Star when I was 6 years old (I would watch my older siblings play it). Since then, I have played this entire series in every single form it has ever taken (I played the original for the SCD, Saturn, PSX, and GBA - I have played the second for the SCD, Saturn, and PSX). That being said - this review is obviously going to be heavily biased. You have been warned ^.~

My ratings will be on a base 10 scale (1 - worst, 10 - best)

GRAPHICS: 8/10

For its time (and the limited system it ran on), Lunar: TSS has very nice graphics. The battle sprites are small but they are all drawn well and give a clear image of each character in the game. The dungeon graphics are a bit plain and repetitive but not unbearably so (what did you expect from a game over 10 years old?).

The battle sprites and the enemies are fully animated (something which was completely unheard of in the days of Lunar: TSS) which helps to make up for the fact that they are at times a bit bland in the color department (but once again, what can one expect from a game this old?).

The anime cutscenes are nicely drawn but not entirely animated - they are usually more or less still pictures where the character's mouth just moves a bit and perhaps their eyes blink a few times. These cutscenes add a lot to the game and allow the player to become involved in the story very quickly.

The only reason I took off a few points for the graphics is because though they are nice, they aren't perfect and they aren't quite all they could be (this is quite evident by the game's graphically superior sequel Lunar: Eternal Blue).

STORY: 9/10

Lunar's story is what makes it so incredible, especially in an age where video game storylines have been reduced to "go through that building, blow up that alien, steal that car, beat up that old lady..." (I mean no offense to fans of action games, I'm just making a point).

Lunar: The Silver Star is the story of a young boy named Alex who visits the grave of his favorite deceased hero Dragonmaster Dyne every single day wishing that one day he will be able to experience adventures like that of Dyne. Soon after he begins a simple journey with his best friend and his childhood love to recover a great treasure from a local cavern which erupts into an epic quest to save the world from the Magic Emperor.

To say anything more would ruin your enjoyment of this game's magical plot which features enough plot twists and surprises to keep it interesting and fun.

As much as I love the story, I just had to take off a point because I'm not entirely impressed with the way it was presented. Events sometimes seem to happen randomly and without a lot of explanation which tends to create plot holes and confusion. Also, there are many points where the game has you run off and perform seemingly meaningless tasks which just delay story progression.

(NOTE: The game was later remade for the Saturn and then the PSX which I truly believe preserved the great story but presented it in a much clearer and coherent way.)

CHARACTERS: 9/10

The characters in Lunar: TSS are absolutely wonderful. Each character you meet along your journey has a very distinct personality which grows as you progress through the game. Character development is great as you watch each character mature before your eyes and accept the tasks set before them.

Fans of love stories will especially enjoy this game because Lunar really has three of them in it and each one has a unique aspect to it. One of the most entertaining parts of Lunar: TSS is watching the characters grow to love each other.

Besides just the main characters, Lunar gives even the NPCs (non-playable characters) that one meets in towns a distinct personality. The townspeople are all very colorful ranging from the snobby wizards of the magical city of Vane to the hillbillies of small, hick-town Meryod. Many of them have humorous things to say and they really give you a reason to want to save the world.

The only thing that stops me from giving this category a perfect '10' is the fact that the game's main hero and heroine are a bit lacking in personality. For most of the game, Alex remains silent and when he does have dialogue he just seems rather two-dimensional. GameArts spent a lot of time making sure that the supporting characters (especially the villain) had plenty of angles to their character but spent little time developing the main characters. Perhaps the idea was to allow the player to connect with the hero of the game but unfortunately this will most likely not work with female gamers (who make up a sizable portion of Lunar's fanbase).

Despite the flaws with the main character, most players will have a hard time stopping themselves from falling in love with every character in their party and caring about each one individually.

SOUND/MUSIC: 9/10

I personally love the music in Lunar: TSS. Composed by the brilliant Iwadare, the music is not lacking in any department (especially considering the time the game was conceived). There are a few tracks in particular which stand out in my mind as being particularly cool (the opening theme, the battle music, the 2nd World Map theme) but they are all good with one exception. There is this rather annoying carnival music that plays each time you are introduced to a new character that I think could have been better - but this is a minor flaw and luckily the music is only heard a few times throughout the game.

The dungeon music serves its purpose, the "uh-oh here come the evil people" music gives an extra sense of identity to the villains of the game, and the music in general helps to create an atmosphere of adventure and magic which is unrivaled by any game of its day.

The sound effects are pretty much just average (but I can't think of a single RPG where the sound of a 'sword slash' would be considered totally awesome) and they nicely simulate the sounds of a sword or a magic spell (that is...if magic spells could be cast in real-life ^^). Although there is actually one sound which almost hurts my ears it annoys me so much and that is the little "wooshing" that an enemy makes as it is dying, but that's probably just me.

GAMEPLAY: 8/10

Gameplay in Lunar: TSS is rather simple - each character has the option of attacking, casting a spell, using an item, defending, or running from battle. As the characters gain levels, they learn new spells and abilities that they can use. At the end of battles characters gain experience points which are used to gain levels and they also earn silver which is used to purchase better equipment and items: pretty standard RPG fare.

I've heard people complain that the gameplay in Lunar is "too simple" or "boring" because it consists of so little - but at the time Lunar was made, that was all RPGs were all about! Your characters fought battles, leveled up, bought new equipment, learned new spells, and repeated the process until the game was won. Compared to the RPGs of today which feature advanced and sometimes complicated systems of character customization, Lunar is indeed a simplistic game - but it's hardly fair to judge a game that is over a decade old by modern standards is it?

Dungeon design is nothing special but it's hardly below average. Most dungeons require a fair bit of exploration as they are rather maze-like but can be completed rather easily. Enemy encounters are random, of course, and seem to be sporadic. There are times where you can walk through half a dungeon without entering a single fight and then there are times where it seems as though you're fighting a monster with every 5 steps you take. It never really seemed overwhelming to me, but it may bother some gamers.

The world map is pretty expansive especially compared to other games of its day such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior - the towns and dungeons are rather far apart and random encounters will occur as you traverse it. Scattered across the map are various statues which will heal HP or MP and if you're really lucky, you'll find a shrine to the Goddess Althena which will heal both.

All in all, the gameplay is rather typical of RPGs of the time although I personally think it offers more options as far as magic is concerned than most older games (granted, you won't use half the spells in your inventory...). Gamers who are picking this game up for the first time are likely to find it bland but fans of old-school RPGs will feel right at home.

CHALLENGE: 5/10

Ack! To think that I have to give a score so low to an aspect of my favorite RPG of all time...but I want to be as honest as possible. Lunar is not a very challenging game, with the required patience it takes to level your characters up, most gamers will find themselves able to complete this game with little struggle within a few weeks time. Bosses aren't overly difficult and most of the enemies that are met in random encounters will fall quickly before your main hero's powerful blade.

OVERALL: 9/10

Lunar: TSS is an amazing RPG that will live on forever it the hearts of its many fans. It has developed a cult following that will treasure it forever despite the criticism of some jaded modern gamers. For anyone who has never been introduced to the world of Lunar, I might actually suggest playing the PSX remake Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete first and maybe coming back to play this later. This game evokes a wonderful sense of nostalgia for those of us who fell to its charm years ago but it may turn away modern gamers.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/04