#15

Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete (Originally released on the PS1 in 1999.)

Love stories aren't my cup of tea. I don't like sappy love dramas filled with love triangles or other romantic plot devices. It is just not my thing, but with Lunar: SSSC I was given an entire new perspective on the genre. At its core, Lunar is a rpg about the relationship between its main characters. You are introduced to Alex and Luna early on. Both are young and naive about their feelings for each other. Alex is an aspiring adventurer who wants to one day become a Dragonmaster. Luna is his childhood best friend with a golden voice.

Lunar is a very old rpg. It predates the PlayStation by quite a bit. Since I never owned a Saturn or played the original, I finally had the chance to play this masterpiece when Working Designs decided to re release it. The newer game came with more cut scenes more voice acting and a bunch of bonus content outside of the game. All that way nice, but I was much more entertained by what was inside the game itself. Lunar has he feels of a very polished old school game, because at its core it is an old school game. The game is mostly 2D sprites who look deformed, but still retain that charm that I love so very much. Fighting is very tedious in this game and randoms can beat you to a bloody pulp. You will often run out of resources and have to back track to a town or a save spot to replenish your characters stats.

This was the start of the voice acting boom and after games like this were released, voice acting became the norm in almost all rpgs henceforth. Lunar does display some of the better voice acting in rpgs though, and for the most part I fell in love with Luna's voice actress. There are a couple of scenes where she sings and her voice fills the room with a poetic grace that is very soothing and calming. It always sends a chill down my back when I hear those pieces. I suggest you take some time and listen to them if you enjoy sweet, relaxing sounds.

The game centers around Alex's journey to grow into a hero like his idol, Dyne. In order to do that he must venture out and pass the four dragon trials. At his side for the entire game is an annoying little white dragon whelp by the name of Nall who acts as the comic relief, along with the narcissistic magician Nash.  The game has a very light hearted feel to it. The supporting cast is very well done, and the game is littered with colorful cut scenes to let you know when a major story arc is approaching. Hidden around the world are Bromides (which are pictures), of all the characters. These bromides don't add anything to the game, but act as trophies to an extent.

As you wrap up the game, you notice similarities between Alex and Dyne's stories. Both fought for love and both gave up something extremely valuable in the name of love. That's the main focus of this game. It acts as one of the last games of the old school era and it focuses on the power of the human emotion. It has a charm that is one of a kind. A true classic.

Oh, and be sure to check out the bath scenes too. You won't want to miss those!