Meridian Arc (Day 319)

Lunar 2 has been finished! This one only took me 9 days, but I feel I definitely could have finished it in a much shorter period of time if I'd really buckled down. Alpha Gaiden took a month and a half by comparison, but I feel that was actually completely warranted not only due to the sheer number of missions but because it was reasonably challenging as well. The final two missions alone took me several days to get through. But anyway, I'm sick of talking about that game. Let's wrap up on Lunar 2.

That must be so rough for you

Lunar 2 follows in the tradition of RPGs like Breath of Fire and Grandia in that it features simple but likable characters, traditional turn-based combat, and a light, adventurous tone. I could see how someone might consider these traits trite and uninteresting, but I really enjoy it when it's done well. In the case of Lunar 2, it's done quite well. I would consider it a worthy successor to the original game, although I must admit I probably liked it a little more. It's been many years since I last played it, but I have fond memories.

It is a game not without its share of flaws, of course. The artwork is good, although inconsistent. The quality of the animated sequences leaves much to be desired, although I think technological limitations play a large role there--and I'm sure the original Lunar had the same issue. Still, it's painful to be assaulted by glaring compression artifacts when playing on a large 46" HDTV. This is really part of the curse of playing much older games on newer televisions, especially when it comes to early polygonal graphics. Lunar 2 is almost entirely 2D and it looks pretty good for the most part, but the video sequences were definitely not optimized well. Despite their poor quality, the game sprawls over three discs despite taking less than 30 hours to finish.

Determined Lucia

I just can't deny the charm of Lunar 2 though. It is bright and cheerful and tells a very well-trod story, but it does so in an engaging way. Each character has their own story and personality and is meaningful to the plot in some way. I can't make the case that Lunar 2 is a game of stunning depth, but it definitely works for me. The very fact that I can remember details about each character and that they stick in my mind is testament enough to that.

Ronfar is a former priest turned gambler, whose lover Mauri was corrupted by Zophar thanks in no small part to a potion administered by Ronfar himself in an effort to cure a mortal illness. Jean is a dancer who was abducted as a child by a cult who taught her a deadly martial art that she vowed never to use once she grew up. Inevitably, she learns to hone her art into something more pure and use it to conquer evil. Lemina is a mage from the legendary city of Vane who has little else on her mind but the acquisition of money--for herself and for her city.

Jean in her dancin' clothes

If the characters in Lunar 2 are examined, it's pretty clear that the story's protagonist is its least interesting character. Hiro's primary trait is a desire for adventure and the only real plot point relevant to him is his interest in the enigmatic Lucia of the Blue Star, whose entire purpose in the story is to harness the power of Althena and destroy Zophar. She is interesting because she is unfamiliar with normal human customs and there are some funny segments of dialogue because of that. Hiro himself is unfortunately rather boring!

 Zophar himself ended up being pretty challenging, but he only took me a few tries. I can certainly thing of more difficult final bosses. In fact, the boss of the original Lunar was probably harder than this. I recall it taking me no fewer than six tries. Other bosses have been very difficult but also extremely time consuming. In this case, it was over relatively quickly, but I did have to rely on luck in a few instances to get through it.

His final form was a pushover, though

Overall, Lunar 2 is a great classic RPG, one of few that I'd never played all the way through before. I can't help but make comparisons to Grandia, which is very similar in theme, although it is much, much longer. Once I've polished off my backlog, I might consider looking into some other PS1-era RPGs that I haven't played. Wild Arms springs immediately to mind because it's a series I haven't tried at all. There's also Dragon Quest VII, but it's intimidating length scares me a bit and I'd also like to go back and finish the older titles in that series. If I follow through with my plans, though, it'll be a long time before I can start looking around. I do so have problems with sticking to my plans, however.