[Image: Arhes & Nall at White Dragon altar] In the end, how would everyone rate the game?

STORY

Many gave favorable reviews to the "expansive story and volumes of text" so highly touted pre-release. On the other hand, many of the same players expressed dissatisfaction that the game ended so quickly.

Reader Voices

I enjoyed it; a lot of care was put into the game. But it just ended so quickly - I just wanted a little more for my money.
- Ichirou Mijima, Aichi Prefecture

It's not the most original story, but the concepts behind the towns and world were well-thought-out, and the twists and turns the story took were dramatic and intriguing!
- Masashi Mitsumichi, Osaka Prefecture

Creator Comments

"I'm surprised no one spoke up for more more bathing scenes, or wanted to see more skin. But we hear what's been left unsaid loud and clear. Our characters are game, too, so look forward to even better bathing scenes and drama in the future!"

[Image: Arhes in Vheen: "But even without a Dragonmaster, we have plenty of magicians in Vheen!"] Perhaps the sweet & simple story was too simple...

MUSIC & SONGS

BGM - the in-game music, the opening theme song - is a matter of personal preference, but Lunar's BGM seems to have received high marks for its content and technical accomplishments. When readers did complain, it was because they wanted more tracks - the score is unrelenting in its extravagance (?).

[Image: Arhes & Luhna perform at the spring] Kiyoko Inoue as Luhna was also quite popular with readers.

Reader Voices

I was particularly impressed by the battle music in-game and how the opening had an anime-style theme song.
- Hiroe Miyano, Miyagi Prefecture

The BGM changes really frequently according to the area you're in, and it really added to the atmosphere. I wish Nall or someone had had a theme song.
- Shingen Nomura, Tottori Prefecture

Creator Comments

"The sound is one of the big advantages to the huge capacity of CD-ROMs, so I want to do a lot more with it next time! More voice-acting in-game, sure - but I think we can do even more awesome stuff."

[Image:]

Arhes doesn't speak a single word the entire game. ...Would it have killed him to crack a joke once in a while?

CHARACTERS

Our readers were firmly behind Toshiyuki Kubooka's charming characters. But that no one but the main characters had a speaking role in the game was the single biggest point of dissatisfaction with Lunar - particularly compared to Tengai Makyo II for the PC-Engine.

Reader Viewpoints

I really enjoyed how whenever an event happened in-game, the characters in the party always had a lot to say about it. That was really fun.
- Kazuo Takahashi, Shizuoka Prefecture

I hated how, even though there were a lot of characters, only a few of them spoke.
- Hideki Aoki, Gunma Prefecture

I was disappointed that there wasn't any animation at all.
- Yoshinori Kido, Toyama Prefecture

Creator Comments

"The charm of the characters was the one facet of LUNAR that we really wanted to shine, so I'm glad it came through for the players. The monster animations were also fun, I think."

[Image: "Arhes, right? It's me, Laike!"] With recent CD games, apparently, there's the natural expectation that "the characters should speak and be animated!".

BATTLE

The way the characters' personalities came out on the battlefield received more praise than the battle system itself. According to our readers, though, even that bright spot suffered under the AI system.

Reader Viewpoints

I enjoyed how the game spaced its enemy encounters so that you didn't have to stop to fight for experience points.
- Nobuo Akai, Tokyo Prefecture

I enjoyed the AI feature. The characters would come to life and move around by themselves, and it really made me more attached to them.
- Takahiro Umeda, Kyoto Prefecture

Whenever I broke down and used the AI feature, no one ever cast any magic - the characters and enemies would just hack away at each other. It was so boring.
- Ben Sakamaki, Hokkaido

I wanted Nall to join in the battle.
- Masaharu Shimada, Tochigi Prefecture

Creator Comments

There was a lot this time around that we tried to do but just weren't able to pull off. In particular, there's a lot of stuff we wish we could've done with the AI and the enemies. I think we did manage to accomplish our goal of bringing out the characters' individuality in battle.

[Image: battle scene] The AI feature in battle would've been better-received if it had more practical use, huh? [Perhaps this comment is unfair, as this article was published in 1992, but: SHUT UP ABOUT THE FREAKING AI. It is like parsley. It is a nonfunctional garnish added to the plate to make the composition look complete. It is not ever expected to serve a functional role. STOP USING THE AI.]

[Image:]

OTHER/OVERALL TAKE

Lunar was delayed and released almost half a year after its initial release date, but what are your thoughts on the game, readers? From the responses to our postcard survey, most everyone thought that "there were problems, but it was good." Some voices were critical, of course, but it deserves to be recognized as a shining light in the sparse Mega-CD market. There aren't any plans as of yet for the sequel to Lunar we all want to see. Maybe if players like those who weighed in here make their interest known, that game will move one step closer to being a reality!

Creator Comments

I'm thrilled that we received so much valuable feedback. We really will take your issues into consideration here on the production side, so if there is a "next time," we'll certainly make the according adjustments in our quest for perfection.

[Image: TSS title screen] In the end, how will the Mega-CD market be affected by the release of Lunar?

[Image: chara art of Luhna & Arhes] We'll take a break now, until the day of our new adventure arrives.

Blah blah translated by R. Capowski 4/14/12 blah blah property of Game Arts Working Designs Ubisoft XSEED that iPhone game company that's doing the smartphone port or not doing the smartphone port or whatever blah Arhes = Alex, Luhna = Luna blah not mine.