Sega CD #2: Lunar: The Silver Star

It took me a long time to track down the original Lunar. First I had to get a Sega CD which isn't the easiest thing to do in the 21st century. Then I waited around until I found an affordable copy of it. Luckily I was able to pick one up right here in Lansing. Finally, in 2015 I was able to play a game that had intrigued me for so many years. So why do I always go the long way around when finding games? It is hard to say. I do get more pleasure out of a game if I am playing it on the original system with the original controller. It also excites me finding games like this in an actual store. I always keep my lists, usually mental ones, as I go to used game stores. Finding games like Lunar pleases me to no end. It is probably something I won't be able to do forever. There keep being new systems to replace the old ones so space is limited. How much longer are they going to keep selling Sega CD games? So I was happy to get a copy of Lunar on Sega CD although there are probably easier ways to find it. In the end though it would turn out to be a bit problematic. I will get back to that.

If you know anything about Sega CD than you probably know it has Sonic CD, a bunch of goofy FMV games starring dead people, and a few expensive high quality RPGs. Lunar is  one of the most well known of the latter category as it has been remade several times over the years. I can understand why it has such a strong legacy. It is one of the earlier RPGs that relies more on story than on gameplay. It has a cast of interesting characters who interact with each other and give the game much more definition. Also, it is very funny.

(Nash is such a cad)

The humor is what this game is most remembered for, but it still took me a little by surprise. Just about everyone has something funny to say even as the story gets more and more serious. Sometimes it made me laugh out loud. There were so many references to early 90s pop culture that it does run the risk of being dated. Was Wayne's World really that much of a cultural phenomenon? They sure reference it enough. I am assuming the funny parts came from the translators. They brag about their "improvements" in the poorly written instruction manual going so far as to show off their less romantic lyrics to the theme song. On more recent ports have they left the funny dialogue the same? Would modern gamers even get them? It's a translation that is certainly a product of its time.

(A typical battle scene. You do fight a bunch of shrubs in this game)

The gameplay has its ups and downs. The leveling is well balanced which is always a major plus. I never felt too strong nor too far away from gaining another level. It moves at a fairly quick pace for a game with so much dialogue, and the world is quite large. It can be a bit awkward at times though. The battles are a bit odd in that you can move around the battlefield, but this doesn't seem to help things very much. It's mostly going to be your strong fighters attacking and everyone else casting spells from far away until the monster gets too close. I also wish the instructions had done a better job explaining what the items do. Most of them have to be equipped to be used in battle and with such little inventory space I never knew what to do with anything. I guess I should've just used the internet, but that still feels like cheating to me even if it's just for looking up inventory items.  I do have to keep in mind that this game is from 1992 and there weren't that many well built console RPGs out there. The good far outweighs the bad in this one.

(Another timeless reference)

Because I was playing this on such old technology I almost got stuck at the end. I kept getting into the final battle only to have the game freeze on me. This is one of those games where you can save just about anywhere, so it didn't take me too long to get back to the end again, but it sure made me nervous. No matter what I did the game kept freezing. I could always tell in the middle of a battle because the sound would suddenly cut out. I was able to finish the final battle, but not see the ending. Finally I broke down and watched it on Youtube. I would say this still counts because I finished all the playable parts. Sometimes I am glad I live in the 21st Century. I was able to finish the game even though it kept freezing. I am still glad about all those hours spent on the Sega CD even with the error at the end. It's all about the experience! So that's my experience with Lunar. I am still thrilled that I finally got to play this game. It makes me a little sad though because when am I going to be able to write about Sega CD again. How hard is Ecco the Dolphin?