RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Reviews > Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
The story of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue takes place 1000 years after the events in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and is a true sequel, but you don't have to play Lunar: SSSC to understand and enjoy Lunar 2: EB. We join brave Hiro and his sidekick, Ruby the baby dragon, as they look for adventure and find it in the person of Lucia, a mysterious young woman on a mission to find the goddess, Althena. Together they search the world and discover an evil plot to destroy Lunar! So far it sounds like typical RPG fare, but thanks to the witty and up-to-date dialogue from the translators at Working Designs, there is a freshness and cheekiness that keeps you laughing and wondering what's going to happen next. I especially liked the skillful way that the writers enabled Lucia to grow and mature over the course of the adventure by subtly changing the manner in which she spoke and fought. Overall the story is much more of a love story and less of a quest than Lunar: SSSC. There is more substance here and deeper character exploration. In truth, the creators of Lunar 2 wanted this story to be more "mature" than its predecessor and appeal to a larger audience of gamers. They succeeded. Even the characters themselves were more mature. For example, the character of Ronfar is hardly the drooling pervert that Kyle the barbarian was in Lunar: SSSC, so there is considerably less vulgarity in Lunar 2. Thanks to the time taken to flesh out the characters and the unique ways in which standard RPG formula elements are handled, Lunar 2 comes across as highly original and has some of the most finely crafted and poignant plot twists ever to be employed in a video game. I'll say no more. This is one game that shouldn't be spoiled so that players may fully savor the richness and depth of it's story.
The battle system and gameplay is identical to that in Lunar: SSSC: turn based battling that uses physical and magic attacks which characters learn as they gain experience. Gaining levels in both Lunar games has always been difficult and nothing has changed here. Fortunately, the bosses have levels that are based on Hiro's level, so there's always a challenging fight, but the characters are never completely outmatched (providing you don't wander into a dungeon before its time with regard to the story line). There is also the option to set 4 battle strategies ahead of time so that by choosing a certain strategy in the battle menu the characters will go into a pre-determined attack sequence. I found this very useful and it kept button mashing to a minimum. The battling is fun but standard.
The music by composer Noriyuki Iwadare is very nice though for myself I found several themes to be trite and annoying in their standard MIDI sound, and especially given that sometimes I had to listen to them repeating over and over for a full 15 minutes until I completed a scenario. Still, you leave this game humming the tunes whether you want to or not, and that's a sign of a good piece of music - simple and singable. My favorite would have to be the silly but lovable theme from "Taben's Peak" which perfectly conveyed the feel of the area and the characters therein.
The replay value is certainly here since you can get different dialogue depending on who is in your party. The townspeople change what they say from scenario to scenario, so returning to a place often yields completely different dialogue! And it can be hilarious! If you're the kind of gamer that needs plenty of eye candy and state of the art graphics, I still encourage you to take a look at this game. Despite it's archaic graphics, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is an RPG well worth playing simply for its story, and that's what role playing games are all about, aren't they? And for a sweeping and engrossing video game experience, I recommend playing Lunar: Silver Star Story and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue back to back. I'm always looking for a gaming experience that gives me a good solid 80 hours of gameplay and this combination has come the closest.
| Game Stats | |
|---|---|
| Genre | RPG |
| Platform | PlayStation |
| Format | CD-ROM |
| # of Players | 1 |
| Released Jap | 05.27.1999 |
| Released US | 12.14.2000 |
| Released EU | N/A |
| Aprox. Length | 40-50 hrs. |
| Reviewer Rankings | |
| Battle System | 8.0 |
| Gameplay | 7.0 |
| Music | 7.0 |
| Originality | 9.0 |
| Plot | 10.0 |
| Replay Value | 8.0 |
| Sound | 7.0 |
| Visuals | 7.0 |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Overall | |
| 7.9 | |
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue
By: Working DesignsReviewed By: Avenzatha
The re-release of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue for PlayStation is one that any die-hard RPG'er should pick up if you didn't have the fortune to play it in its original Sega version which, sad to say, I did not. The packaging helps make the price of this enjoyable game less painful overall though it's still pretty steep at $65. There are five discs: 3 games discs, 1 music CD, and 1 "Making of Lunar 2" CD. It also comes with a hardcover strategy guide/art book and a little "omake" (treasure) box containing a heavy gold pendant, a map, and over one dozen character standees. If you pre-ordered it as I did, you could also get a Ghaleon punching puppet, but...good luck finding that now. Add to that enhanced 16-bit graphics and newly added anime/CG scenes and you're looking at a game that's not only a pleasure to play, it's just fun to play with the "stuff" that comes with it!The story of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue takes place 1000 years after the events in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and is a true sequel, but you don't have to play Lunar: SSSC to understand and enjoy Lunar 2: EB. We join brave Hiro and his sidekick, Ruby the baby dragon, as they look for adventure and find it in the person of Lucia, a mysterious young woman on a mission to find the goddess, Althena. Together they search the world and discover an evil plot to destroy Lunar! So far it sounds like typical RPG fare, but thanks to the witty and up-to-date dialogue from the translators at Working Designs, there is a freshness and cheekiness that keeps you laughing and wondering what's going to happen next. I especially liked the skillful way that the writers enabled Lucia to grow and mature over the course of the adventure by subtly changing the manner in which she spoke and fought. Overall the story is much more of a love story and less of a quest than Lunar: SSSC. There is more substance here and deeper character exploration. In truth, the creators of Lunar 2 wanted this story to be more "mature" than its predecessor and appeal to a larger audience of gamers. They succeeded. Even the characters themselves were more mature. For example, the character of Ronfar is hardly the drooling pervert that Kyle the barbarian was in Lunar: SSSC, so there is considerably less vulgarity in Lunar 2. Thanks to the time taken to flesh out the characters and the unique ways in which standard RPG formula elements are handled, Lunar 2 comes across as highly original and has some of the most finely crafted and poignant plot twists ever to be employed in a video game. I'll say no more. This is one game that shouldn't be spoiled so that players may fully savor the richness and depth of it's story.
The battle system and gameplay is identical to that in Lunar: SSSC: turn based battling that uses physical and magic attacks which characters learn as they gain experience. Gaining levels in both Lunar games has always been difficult and nothing has changed here. Fortunately, the bosses have levels that are based on Hiro's level, so there's always a challenging fight, but the characters are never completely outmatched (providing you don't wander into a dungeon before its time with regard to the story line). There is also the option to set 4 battle strategies ahead of time so that by choosing a certain strategy in the battle menu the characters will go into a pre-determined attack sequence. I found this very useful and it kept button mashing to a minimum. The battling is fun but standard.
The music by composer Noriyuki Iwadare is very nice though for myself I found several themes to be trite and annoying in their standard MIDI sound, and especially given that sometimes I had to listen to them repeating over and over for a full 15 minutes until I completed a scenario. Still, you leave this game humming the tunes whether you want to or not, and that's a sign of a good piece of music - simple and singable. My favorite would have to be the silly but lovable theme from "Taben's Peak" which perfectly conveyed the feel of the area and the characters therein.
The replay value is certainly here since you can get different dialogue depending on who is in your party. The townspeople change what they say from scenario to scenario, so returning to a place often yields completely different dialogue! And it can be hilarious! If you're the kind of gamer that needs plenty of eye candy and state of the art graphics, I still encourage you to take a look at this game. Despite it's archaic graphics, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue is an RPG well worth playing simply for its story, and that's what role playing games are all about, aren't they? And for a sweeping and engrossing video game experience, I recommend playing Lunar: Silver Star Story and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue back to back. I'm always looking for a gaming experience that gives me a good solid 80 hours of gameplay and this combination has come the closest.
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