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LUNAR - SILVER STAR STORY COMPLETE
SLUS-00628/00899
Copyright © 1992 GameArts/Studio Alex
Copyright © 1998 GameArts/Kadokawa Shoten
Copyright © 1998/1999 Working Designs
Sony Playstation, 1 Player
RPG
Dual Shock compatible
Available now in the USA
$59.99
Where to buy
FAQ
—by Keith Rhee
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Ask any self-respecting RPG fan what the most important aspect of a console
RPG is, and he will no doubt answer that it is the story that matters.
Indeed, all the eye candy and special effects amounts to little if the story
fails to draw you into a world of magic and wonder. Despite the inevitable
comparisons to the FINAL FANTASY series (mostly from a visual standpoint), a
lot of RPGs hold their own when it comes to telling a good tale.
LUNAR - SILVER STAR STORY, by GameArts/ESP, is one of these games.
The first thing you notice is the amount of effort that went into the
packaging. LUNAR was a labor of love for Working Designs, and it shows: The
deluxe box contains the two game discs, a music CD, and a "making of" disc,
along with a hardcover booklet and a cloth map. It is easily one of the
better domestic packaging jobs this reviewer has seen in a while.
Before judging LUNAR, one has to take into consideration its origins as a
Sega CD title. The game was released back in 1992, and though the visuals
have been updated to take advantage of the larger palettes of modern
consoles, it essentially remains 16-bit in look and feel. While the graphics are
vivid and pleasing to the eye, it's hardly spectacular either. The real
treat is the added anime cut scenes, which are used for dramatic effect
within the game and nicely done. There's a lot of it too, clocking in at an
hour's worth total.
The combat system is a strictly turn-based affair, which was par for the
course in 1992 but is now showing its age in an era of Active Time Battle
and other refinements. Nevertheless, many of the battles are far from a
pushover, and it often becomes necessary to plan your resources and
formation ahead of time to improve your odds in battle. The AI option to
automate routine battles is a nice touch, though you'll want to calculate
every move manually for boss encounters.
If the other aspects of the story are somewhat dated and evoke feelings
of nostalgia rather than wonder, the story has weathered the passage of time
mostly intact, and this is where the SILVER STAR really shines. Our
protagonists Alex and Luna struggle with real-life issues and face hard
choices as they set out to fulfill their destinies, and the thoughts and
convictions of the characters are handled rather credibly. The overall
optimistic and determined nature of our heroes also makes them more
endearing to the player than the brooding and apathy of many RPG characters
that has become fashionable as of late.
As with Working Designs' other works, the translation is well done, and
oftentimes hilarious to read. Unfortunately, LUNAR also comes with a
surprisingly large amount of sexual innuendo, a lot of which this reviewer
suspects wasn't in the original Japanese release. In a story that deals with
the wonders of exploration and fulfilling one's dreams, the sexual humor
feels more like a distraction than a welcome addition, one that the
otherwise excellent story could have easily done without.
In terms of graphics and gameplay, LUNAR - SILVER STAR STORY COMPLETE
feels more like a walk down memory lane than a spectacular event. But it is
a very pleasant sort of nostalgia, and the story is well worth the while.
Kudos to Working Designs for bringing this title to millions of PlayStation
owners in the USA, thus finally giving LUNAR the kind of audience and
exposure it rightfully deserves.
Rating: 7.9 / 10 |
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