LUNAR Remastered Collection review

Former Working Designs present Victor Ireland has been routinely criticized for his decision to revise role-playing scripts. But beyond the blemish of injecting a few topical jokes, Ireland is an industry pioneer. During the early 1990s, many large publishers mistakenly assumed that Western audiences wouldn’t be interested in anything but action games.

But Working Designs’ releases of Vay, Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean, as well as Lunar: The Silver Star and its sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue, steadily converted stateside gamers into turn-based enthusiasts. JRPGs would have eventually arrived here, but undoubtedly Ireland advanced the timetable.

Preservation, Rather Than Transformation

Once prohibitively expensive to purchase, the LUNAR Remastered Collection bundles the PlayStation versions of Silver Star and Eternal Blue. Each title in the anthology offers two ways to play. Purists might opt to start with Classic mode, which preserves the resolution and 4:3 aspect ratio of the original release. The only contentious change is new English voice acting, which diminishes some of the playfulness of the original performances. Fortunately, the Japanese-language track remains the same.

But once you experience the higher resolution and widescreen support of Remastered mode, backtracking might prove difficult. Here, the numerous FMVs of both games are no longer blemished by unsightly compression and Noriyuki Iwadare’s soundtracks have been given a welcome renovation. Although the upgrade isn’t as lavish as Square Enix’s remasters of Live A Live or Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D, a bit of optional blurring simulates the post-processing technique. Mirroring the trend of many modern updates, you can also increase the speed of battle animations. Just know that if you revert to Classic Mode, LUNAR Remastered Collection can share its save file across both modes, allowing for uncomplicated comparison.

An Ode to JRPG Traditions

Given the age of the source material, Silver Star, and to a lesser extent, Eternal Blue might feel a bit antiquated. But, like one of yesteryear’s classic films, that doesn’t mean that the works aren’t thoroughly enjoyable. Over the last two decades, there’s been a push toward player autonomy. As such, qualities like assigning skills at specific character levels can seem simplistic.

But treks that lean on linearity undoubtedly have their strengths. Here, processions through NPC-filled towns and monster filled dungeons almost feel episodic – elevated by well-scripted storytelling. Likewise, many boss battles are built around the timeless strategies of purchasing the best gear available, vigilant healing, and hitting them hard as you can with magic. As both titles materialized in the 1990s, expect high fight frequencies and a compulsion to grind before some of the big showdowns.

Silver Star Still Shines

As you know, the two Lunar games weren’t the first titles to deliver teams of young, optimistic characters undertaking a hero’s quest that propels them into adulthood. But they undoubtedly helped to popularize this adored role-playing formula. Silver Star begins as Alex, the game’s protagonist, makes his routine pilgrimage to the grave of his idol, Dragonmaster Dyne.

Motivated by his money-chasing friend Ramus, Alex’s sweetheart Luna, and a cat-like companion named Nell, the party decide to explore Dragon’s Cave. Whether it’s becoming a protector of the world, making a bit of money, guarding the one you love, of merely self-discovery, Silver Star’s character motivations might be unsophisticated. But years on, it’s still satisfying to watch this compassionate group chase their ambitions. Revisiting some of role-playing’s early accomplishments can help you appreciate contemporary titles.

Eternally Comforting

Set one thousand years after its predecessor, Eternal Blue follows an aspiring archaeologist and explorer named Hiro. Teaming up with Lucia, an emotionally-inhibited magic user, the pair aspire to protect Lunar – the inhibited moon that circles Lucia’s home planet. While there’s a similar sidekick (Ruby in this instance) and a few returning cast members, Blue builds on the foundations establishes by Silver. For one, witnessing the emotional development of Lucia might be one of the better character arcs of the era. Likewise, there’s a key antagonist who’s far more complicated than most role-playing villains. Likely, you’ll mull over their motivations after Blue’s credit scroll.

When Role-Playing Matured

The two titles found on LUNAR Remastered Collection were the result of technological advancement, where optical media allowed verbose scripts, FMV clips, and voiced acting. Two decades later, Silver Star and Eternal Blue might lack the sophistication of modern titles. But for console role-playing fans, this anthology represents a crucial moment in role-playing history.

LUNAR Remastered Collection was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.