Lunar: Dragon Song

"Disappointing, Overpriced, and Generic"

Introduction:
I really wanted to play this game. I've been playing Lunar games since Sega CD. I can't count how many times I've purchased remakes of the same game. I waited 10 years for a new Lunar title, and this is what GameArts gives me.

DS Implementation:
My DS has been aching for an RPG. I've been aching for a new Lunar game. When I heard both were going to be solved in one package I was excited. Oh the possibilities... Two screens were implemented in a decent way I suppose. Basically acting as one big screen during battles, and a split approach for traveling/inventory. This feature did not disappoint me. Touch screen seemed like an after thought and as such I never used it as it was a pain to do so. The mic is used to run from battles. Neat, but pointless. Overall, not a bad job, but could easily work on any portable system.

Translation/Localization:
Ouch. Ubisoft dropped the ball in a big way. Spelling, grammar, and continuity stack up. In a quest a person might be named Jacob, and in the town they are referred to as Jakob. Other townsfolk might talk about Jakeb and it's all the same guy apparently. Petty, but there really is enough in there to make this quite a legitimate complaint.

Gameplay:
What, in the name of Althena, is this? I am already annoyed at the title screen. For a role playing game, 99% of the time, you are going to be loading your saved game when you start it up. It has been common practice for years now, that RPGs default selection on the title screen is "Load", not "New Game". This is one of many minor complaints that will lead this game into being a sloppy bore-fest.
I'll start off with the battle system. From the looks of it, we've got some pretty standard fare going on. Enemies on one side, party on the other, and some options for Attack, Spell, Item, etc. It has the Lunar staple of an "Automatic" mode. So far, so good. Now for some reason, these battle animations run REALLY slowly. To bring them up to a bearable pace, you'll need to hold down a shoulder button. Fine, I'll let that one go. "Automatic" mode translates into "Every party member does melee attack, regardless of health, strength, magic, etc." Okay, not the best, but who's to complain when you've got manual mode right? Wrong. Because, if you decide to attack a group of enemies, you don't have the luxury of choosing which enemy you'd like to attack. That's right. You want to cast a poison spell on that really strong monster while you kill the others with standard melee attacks? Better cross your fingers because the game decides what attacks go where, and apparently with ZERO A.I. It just goes in order. So, if you wanted to implement even the SLIGHTEST strategy into your battles, you'll have to look elsewhere. In fact, the ONLY time you can choose your target, is if you are spending a turn on something with your party, i.e. using a healing item. This will obviously drag out the already snails pace battles, because your biggest attacks always end up on the smallest of enemies. Not to worry though, due to the fact that you can't choose who you hit, that atrocity called "Automatic" mode becomes your main method of attack. Yup, just put it on Auto and hold down the L button to fast forward so you can get on with your life. Don't worry, the battles become ridiculously one-sided (in your favor) after about level 15 or so.
Speaking of which, my next big complaint is the leveling up system. I really feel like the only reason this was designed this way, was to forcibly extend your play time. When in battle, you can either gain experience, or collect items. Never can you get both. Never will you get money. What does this mean? Well, in short it means you have to go through a dungeon fighting for items so you can sell them to be able to buy weapon/armor upgrades. Then you have to go through the same dungeon again to gain experience to level up. Oh, by the way, your stats changes after leveling up is kept a secret, you'll have to compare for yourself. They also didn't find it important to inform you when you learn new spells. Anyway, this either/or system really slows down the process of keeping up with levels and armor. And the items themselves sell for nothing, you'll have to find jobs that request the items you already have.
Another thing that slows the pace of the game down (man, they really drag 30+ hours out) is the fact that you lose HP when you run while on the map. Now, I like the "realism" this adds, but it should take away from stamina, not HP. So, if you feel like running through a dungeon, it will drag your HP down to 33% before it forces you to walk the rest of the way. Gee, thanks.

Story:
Notice I haven't mentioned the storyline yet? That's because I don't know what to say. I mean, you could easily go 10 hours into this game without even TALKING about a dragon. The storyline is more about racism than anything else. Humans are hated by beastmen, but oh wait this human is powerful too? Amazing, so aren't we all the same inside? Maybe not. Blah blah blah. You're on a quest to prove yourself worthy as a human. This drags on forever, and is in no way compelling. I never cared about anyone in my party.

Graphics/Sound:
Great looking game. Animations are fluid, and detailed. Sprites are large and colorful. I really enjoyed the look of this game. The sound is fitting although a bit repetitive in the music department. A nice job overall, thankfully.

Play Time/Replay Value:
Well... considering they took every avenue possible to stretch this game out, and then created a few new ways to stretch it out, it lasts about 30+ hours. 40+ if you like to have the best equipment at all times.
Replay value is about zero. I did not bother with the multiplayer mode.

Rent/Buy:
MSRP of $39.99? The only reason this price tag worked on me is because I love the Lunar franchise. It should've been $29, or maybe even $19. Even still I would not recommend this as a purchase. No matter how slim your DS library might be.
Not even sure if it's worth a rent. Fans of the series will want to try it but anyone who isn't lying to themselves will be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 10/31/05