Classical, Classy RPG Action, delivered the Working Designs Way

This has been one the most anticipated titles around here. I'd gotten a Sega CD just to play the game, but by that time I was too late. The game had come and gone and depressed I felt. When I heard about the Saturn version, I became depressed. One again, our hero would miss out on one the pinnacle moments of Working Designs. Or would he? Fortunately, no. I had a time waiting for this game to reach the Playstation, but when it did, I merely did not meet my expectations, but exceeded them.

A Boy and His Cat, and his Love.

Lunar:SSSC follows the adventures of Alex, who wants to become a Dragonmaster, like his idol, Dragon Master Dyne. But will he succeed or will he become something greater...

As Alex travels about, he meets up with several other characters, each teeming with personality.

First there's the arrogant Nash. Apprentice to Ghaleon, Nash has a small ego problem. Also has the hots for Mia.

Then there's Mia Ausa. She's noticed that her mother, Lemia has been acting very weird lately.

Jessica is the daughter of Hell Mel. She's a tomboy, but a pretty good looking one though. However, she would never let her father see that side of her and almost would appear to have MPD.

Jessica's old flame Kyle, has been entrusted to guard the Nanza barrier. Providing "escort" services for the locals, he is also a flirt, and loves a good brew every once in a while.

A strange man one day gave Alex a winged catlike creature when he was young. Unfortunately this little thing would grow into Nall, Alex's wisecracking sidekick.

A little tubby, but Alex's best friend Ramus wants nothing more in life than to be filthy rich. Honestly, who could blame him?

Finally, Alex's childhood friend, Luna has the best voice in Burg. When combined with his ocarina, the music is nothing short of mesmerizing. But what changes are taking place within her own self?

A Tale Spanning the Ages

Lunar may have a simplistic story line on the surface, however, deep characterization combined with WD's trademark dialog creates one of the more vibrant tales in the history of console RPGs. Rarely if ever does the game, feel like a chore. It has that old school, playing to see the revelations in the story line is what drives one to make it past those difficult bosses.

What Lunar delivers to the table is solid game play action. The game's menu interface is more streamlined than the Sega CD original, using icons in place of text. Fact is, Lunar's menu interface is more simpler than most current RPGs. Pick a character, then choose whether to manage equipment, items, spells or stats. Pick Nall to adjust game settings, save, load data and manage his item inventory. More time spent playing the game, not wading through menus. However, analog control is so touchy, it's almost useless. But it is more of a novelty than anything else.

But one tweak really worth mentioning is the Dual Shock system. Working Designs has created a system where the vibrations correlates to action on the screen and I mean really correlates. To describe in mere words, it simply could not do it justice. You have to feel the slight rumblings at the onset of a spell turn into a trembling mess when the enemies receive your full fury. Out of all the RPGs that support this, only Lunar does it this good.

Visual Appeal

Graphics in Lunar, however, could use a little spit polish in combat scenes. Spell effects are plain and perhaps, you've seen better in some Super NES RPGs. Fortunately, over world pix slightly disappoint, that is if all you've played is FF7 and Legend of Legaia. Otherwise, scenery is very beautiful, a tad on the repetitive side, but beautiful nonetheless. What steals Lunar's visual appeal are the cinemas. Of course, you know they're already top quality, incorporating cel animation and some cool CG. But the fact that they appear regularly and unexpectedly really takes the cake.

Sonically, Lunar's sound are a mixed bag. When compared with the original, there are times when the tunes coming out of the Playstation seems rushed. The music has a less epic feel than the Sega CD version, lacking the vibrancy and emotion. It's not bad, mind you, but while you listen to the soundtrack, you can't help but to think: "This is all I get?" Fortunately, in game voices are to the sounds as the anime is to the graphics. Voices ring clear from the Playstation and each actor and actress puts some serious emotion behind the characters, whether it be for comedy or tension. Best of all, the synching is second to none.

Final Analysis

It's hard not to pass up on Lunar, especially since now, the game is cheaper. The extras that come packaged with the game is some of the best Working Designs has come up with. However, even without the packaging, you'd still do well to get this game. It delivers solid old school RPG action without looking too old school and has some of the most memorable characters to grace a console role playing game. It gets my highest recommendation.