Lunar: The Silver Star
Encyclopedia
is a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts
and Studio Alex
for the Mega-CD console. Originally released in Japan on June 16, 1992 to critical acclaim, the game was translated and released in English by Working Designs
the following year. Designed as a "different kind of RPG", Lunar: The Silver Star made use of the up-and-coming disc format by featuring CD-quality audio, video playback, and voice acting to narrate a fantasy
story set in a magical world. As the number one selling Sega CD title in Japan, the game sold nearly as many copies as the system itself, and remains the second highest-selling Mega-CD title of all time. The first game in the Lunar series, it set the standard for other follow-up titles, and was followed by a direct sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue
in 1994
.
The game centers on the exploits of Alex, a young boy from a small town who dreams of one day becoming a great hero like his idol, Dragonmaster Dyne. When a childish adventure later turns to discovering an ancient dragon
, Alex and his friends must journey across the world to gather the necessary power to become the next Dragonmaster, and save the world in the process. Since the game's original release, three enhanced remakes have been produced for various systems: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
in 1996
, Lunar Legend in 2002
, and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony in 2009
.
sound files. Players record their progress by saving to either the Sega CD's internal RAM, or a separately purchased RAM cartridge
that fit into the accompanying Mega Drive/Genesis.
While traveling in the game's world, players randomly encounter enemy monsters that must be defeated or avoided to progress. Battle sequences utilize a turn-based
approach, with the player and enemies acting in accordance with their "speed" rating. The player issues commands to each controlled character in their party, which are then carried out in sequence until the battle ends. While on the battlefield, players may choose to move their characters to attack the enemy, retreat into a corner, stand their ground, or flee the battle entirely, with characters only able to strike enemies if they are close enough to their target or use a ranged attack. Nall, a supporting character not directly involved in combat, is present throughout the game to analyze enemies before battles begin, gauging their relative strength to the player's group. Players may find weapons, equipment, and assorted items during gameplay that increase the effectiveness of characters in battle, such as causing more damage to opponents and increasing their stamina. Winning battles grant experience points that go towards making characters stronger and able to battle progressively more difficult enemies. Upon defeat, a player may choose to load a previous save file, or re-start their game at an automatically saved checkpoint.
land of Lunar, a small habitable world orbiting the massive, barren Blue Star, forming a loose parallel between the game's world and the Earth
and its moon
. Centuries before the start of the game, the Blue Star was rendered unlivable by years of war.. The powerful and benevolent goddess
Althena relocated humanity to the Silver Star, the world of Lunar, and entrusted four dragon
s to safeguard the elements of the new world. From this point on, those who would use the power of the dragons to serve the goddess and protect the world were known as "Dragonmasters", and no such Dragonmaster was more revered than Dyne, a legendary hero who defended the goddess and succumbed to an unknown fate. The stories surrounding Dyne's exploits would form the life model for a young boy named Alex, the game's protagonist
and central character, who also aspires to become a Dragonmaster himself. Many of the locations of Lunar: The Silver Star were given a deliberate "northern" feel to present an environment that was cooler than the settings of most role-playing games, if only to allow the characters to wear more clothing. Many towns and locations were based on areas of Russia and Medieval Europe.
and manga
artist Toshiyuki Kubooka
. The main characters include Alex and his companions, each of which have their own reasons for joining his quest:
Major supporting characters include the three surviving members of the Four Heroes, a legendary band of adventurers who aided Dragonmaster Dyne in protecting the Goddess Althena years before the game's story, whose ranks include:
The party is aided by:
Many of the character's original Japanese names were altered for the game's North American release, such as Killy to Kyle, Faidy to Quark, Temzin to Tempest, and Pilya to Fresca; Mel's original epitaph, "Hell" Mel, was changed to "Deadly" for censorship reasons. A witch named Xenobia serves as a secondary antagonist and Ghaleon's right hand servant.
and with emphasis on folklore and legend. The game begins in the small mountain town of Burg, where a young Alex frequently visits the monument to the fallen hero Dyne, his idol. At the behest of Ramus, eager son of the town mayor, Alex embarks on his first real adventure with his friends Nall and Luna to the mysterious Dragon's Cave in search of a valuable diamond. Making their way through the cavern, the group meets Quark, an aged dragon who senses great potential in Alex, and urges him to complete the trials of other dragons to become the next Dragonmaster, champion of the Goddess Althena, and protector of the world. Quark shows an interest in Luna as well, remarking that she has a familiar aura about her. Obtaining the diamond from Quark, Ramus finds he cannot sell it in Burg, and must travel to the major trade city of Meribia to claim his fortune. The group then makes their way to Saith, a small port town to the south, where Luna leaves the group to stay with Alex's family.
Across the ocean, Alex, Nall, and Ramus enter Meribia, where they meet one of the legendary Four Heroes, Mel. Attempting to sell his diamond, Ramus is swindled by a jewel dealer who flees into the sewers. After reclaiming it, Ramus slyly bargains the owner's life for his entire shop, and leaves the group to pursue his dream of becoming rich. Alex and Nash depart for the city of Vane where they meet Mia, daughter of the city's ruler and Nash's love interest, who informs them of Ghaleon, head of the guild and former great hero who fought with Dyne years ago. Seemingly intrigued by Alex's quest, Ghaleon sends Alex on a mission to investigate the appearance of a false Dragonmaster in a faraway town. Upon arrival, Alex meets Jessica, daughter of Mel and aspiring priestess, who helps him locate the imposter before returning to Vane. Pleased with his success, Ghaleon accompanies Alex back to his hometown to meet Quark and discuss Alex's future, when he suddenly attacks and kills Quark in a fit of rage. Citing the loss of his friend Dyne, who died protecting the Goddess, Ghaleon swears revenge on both she and her dragons and departs after kidnapping Luna. Distraught, Alex and Nall return to Meribia to find it under attack by a band of monsters under Ghaleon's command. Regrouping with Jessica, the group fights back a wave of invaders before witnessing Mel turn to stone from a dark spell of Xenobia, Ghaleon's top general. Wanting revenge, Jessica accompanies Alex to Vane, also under siege, and assists Nash and Mia with a similar invasion before they too join the group.
Realizing they must make Alex a Dragonmaster to confront Ghaleon and save Luna, the team heads to the border town of Nanza to enlist Kyle, Jessica's boyfriend, in letting them cross into foreign land. After traveling to a town of inventors, the group obtains a floating device that leads them to the lair of the Red Dragon, who is destroyed by Ghaleon just before they arrive. The dragon grants Alex her power before disappearing, and the group departs for the Blue Dragon's cave behind a musical town. Again, the dragon is defeated before their arrival, and the team must travel to the distant and barren Frontier to seek the final trial. Meeting the black dragon, it attacks the team in a mad rage induced by Ghaleon, who defeat it in defense. With the final dragon's blessing, Alex and his companions make their way to the fabled Goddess Tower to face the final trial, where Alex finally becomes Dragon Master, Nall learns he is in fact a juvenile dragon, and Luna is revealed to be a reincarnation of the Goddess Althena.
Making their way to Ghaleon's mobile fortress, The Grindery, the team is attacked by a brainwashed Luna and retreats to a nearby town to recover. Laike appears after the team recuperates and tells them that he is in fact Dyne, and that Alex must defeat Ghaleon to save the world and Luna. Making their way back to Grindery, the team forces their way inside, making their way into the fortress's inter sanctum where they defeat Xenobia and face Ghaleon, who transforms into a more powerful form before being destroyed by Alex. Confronting an insane Luna, Alex makes his way to her alone, braving her lightning bolts while playing a song on his harp which sparks her memories. Coming to her senses, she re-unites with the group as they leave the tower, with peace restored.
in an attempt to create a role-playing game that would both primarily focus on animation and storytelling. The team turned to scenario writer and novelist Kei Shigema to craft a story that would break away from "hum-drum 'model'" games that "had stories, but had no story-telling". Using the Sega CD's video playback capabilities, animator and artist Toshiyuki Kubooka
oversaw the planning of several video sequences that would be coupled with voice-overs to better tell the story of the Lunar world. Settling on an overall fantasy
approach as opposed to the popular role-playing alternative of science fiction
, the team wanted to explore the mythos and history of a fictional world that would gradually reveal itself to the player over time. Having mostly developed side-scrollers and scrolling shooters for the Mega Drive and PC Engine
, Game Arts formed its subsidiary company, Studio Alex
, named for the main character of this title, to oversee most of the game's development. Due to time constraints, nearly one-third of the Lunar project was scrapped by the game's release.
Lunars English version was handled by Working Designs
, a small California-based publisher who had previously localized smaller games for the TurboGrafx-16
and TurboDuo
. Their biggest project yet, the team, headed by company vice president and chief writer Victor Ireland, took to the project seriously, often collaborating with the original Japanese team themselves. New gameplay elements were often added at Ireland's request, including new sequences such as playing Alex's harp to awaken Luna near the end of the game. Working Designs also put extra effort into the game's packaging, giving the instruction booklet embossed lettering, and having seven separate stamps, each with different artwork, produced for the front of the game discs to increase collection value.
The English script was nearly four megabyte
s in size, yet Working Designs completed the translation in only eight weeks after a marathon programming session. During translation, the developers did find time to inject some of their own humor in to the game's text, dropping in sentences such as Have you ever tried swimming in lemon jello?, and numerous light-hearted pop culture references not seen in the original version, including allusions to American commercials, celebrities, colloquialisms, products, and role-playing game clichés.
, Hiroshi Fujioka
, Isao Mizoguchi, and Yoshiaki Kubodera, who utilized the Sega CD's sound capabilities to create CD-quality redbook audio. The game features the opening theme "Lunar", performed by Mayumi Sudou in the original Japanese version. The untitled English version is a slightly arranged piece performed by vocalist Shiya Almeda which features new lyrics by Victor Ireland, who intended the song to sound less "lovey-dovie" with a greater "sense of urgency".
On April 22, 1992, the Lunar: The Silver Star Original Soundtrack was released exclusively in Japan by Toshiba-EMI Records, two months before the actual release of the game. The album features full versions of the Japanese opening and ending themes, as well as karaoke arrangements. Most of the game's background themes are presented as multi-song medleys rather than separate tracks. Although an official North American version was never released, many of the songs present on the album were featured as special arrangements on the bonus soundtrack found in the Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete collector's edition, including the English opening theme.
as both Alex and Luna, Rei Sakuma
as Nall, Kōichi Kitamura
as the white dragon Quark, and Rokurō Naya
as Ghaleon. The English version comprised mostly new talent and associates of Working Designs' staff, such as a young Ashley Parker Angel as Alex, Rhonda Gibson as Luna, Jackie Powers as Nall, Hal Delahousse as Quark, and John Truitt as Ghaleon. While the entire Japanese cast was replaced for the game's remake
on the PlayStation, all of the original English cast would return to reprise their roles.
itself. It is considered the Mega-CD's first hit game, which Sega credits solely for pushing the system's sales in that region. The game remains the best-selling Sega CD title of all time in Japan, and second highest selling worldwide behind Sonic the Hedgehog CD
. Readers of Japanese magazine Megadrive Beep voted it the number one Mega Drive role-playing game for seventeen straight months before being trumped by Shining Force II.
The English version released the following year met with a similar response, with Skid of GameFan magazine calling it "far and away the best RPG I have ever played in English", praising the game's graphics, sound, and story as "well conceived and executed". The magazine's editors would later name it as the greatest role-playing game of 1993. GamePro
similarly reviewed it as "not just the best Sega CD RPG ever, but one of the best on any Sega system", giving particular merit to the game's translation. Game Players
described it as a "solid RPG, and well worth your time" but found fault in the game's small character graphics that "look like every other RPG" and the virtually non-existent replay value. Electronic Gaming Monthly
granted the game an average 7.6 or "worthy" rating, commending the game's background music but dismissing its battle sequences as "dull". In 2006, Lunar ranked 113th in EGM and 1UP.com
's "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time", celebrating the two-hundred games that were considered the best during their original release.
in 1994
, a direct sequel that takes place one thousand years in The Silver Stars future, and contains many references to the original title. Other follow-ups, including Lunar: Walking School
in 1996 and Lunar: Dragon Song
in 2005 would act as the game's prequels, taking place many hundred years before the game's story.
Lunar: The Silver Star has been re-released several times for a number of consoles, often with graphic and sound enhancements as well as an expanded script. The first such remake, Lunar: Silver Star Story
, originally appeared on the Sega Saturn
in Japan on October 15, 1996, and featured redrawn graphics, a polished script, and new music by Noriyuki Iwadare
. This version was soon expanded in July 1997 with the addition of an MPEG expansion card that allowed full-motion animated video playback interspersed throughout gameplay. The updated MPEG version was later ported to the PlayStation
in 1998, and was eventually translated into English by Working Designs
for a North American release in May 1999 under the title Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
. A Windows PC
version was released the same year exclusively for Japanese and Korean audiences, with the North American version later cancelled for "technical issues".
's Game Boy Advance
developed by Japan Art Media
and published internationally by Ubisoft
, who also provided the translation. It is in the Lunar series
of games and is a re-telling of the events of The Silver Star. However, like Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, the game contains deviations from the original. All the characters from the original game re-appear, yet the dialog and situations they find themselves in are often different. For example, Nash now joins the party at the start of the game. Also, the game lacks voice acting and full motion videos, although it features stills from the FMVs in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Originally released in Japan in March 2002, Lunar Legend made its way to North America the following year. However, since Working Designs
, the company that originally published the Lunar series outside of Japan, was not involved in this project, the game's dialog and character interaction is different from that in all other versions of Lunar: The Silver Star. The localization of previous games was known for its very American and kitsch
y humor whereas Ubisoft
presented it a little differently in this title, without all the pop-culture references added. This game was also available on Sega.
announced Lunar: Silver Star Harmony for North America; originally set to be released on February 12, 2010, the game was later delayed until Feb. 23, then March 2. At release, a limited edition of the game was also available, which includes a soundtrack CD and full set of bromides
featuring the female characters.
Game Arts
is a Japanese video game software developer located in Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1985 as a computer software company, they have since expanded their enterprise to produce for a number of game console and handheld systems...
and Studio Alex
Studio Alex
Studio Alex was a Japanese video game development firm. It was founded by respected programmer Kazunari Tomi, a former employee of Nihon Falcom whose credits include Sorcerian, Star Trader, and Dinosaur...
for the Mega-CD console. Originally released in Japan on June 16, 1992 to critical acclaim, the game was translated and released in English by Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
the following year. Designed as a "different kind of RPG", Lunar: The Silver Star made use of the up-and-coming disc format by featuring CD-quality audio, video playback, and voice acting to narrate a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
story set in a magical world. As the number one selling Sega CD title in Japan, the game sold nearly as many copies as the system itself, and remains the second highest-selling Mega-CD title of all time. The first game in the Lunar series, it set the standard for other follow-up titles, and was followed by a direct sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue
Lunar: Eternal Blue
is a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts and Studio Alex for the Mega-CD as the sequel to Lunar: The Silver Star. The game was originally released in December 1994 in Japan, and later in North America in September 1995 by Working Designs...
in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
.
The game centers on the exploits of Alex, a young boy from a small town who dreams of one day becoming a great hero like his idol, Dragonmaster Dyne. When a childish adventure later turns to discovering an ancient dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
, Alex and his friends must journey across the world to gather the necessary power to become the next Dragonmaster, and save the world in the process. Since the game's original release, three enhanced remakes have been produced for various systems: Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, originally released in Japan as simply , is a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and Japan Art Media as a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star...
in 1996
1996 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
, Lunar Legend in 2002
2002 in video gaming
The year 2002 in video gaming saw the release of many games to sixth-generation video game consoles, predominately, the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox.-Events:...
, and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony in 2009
2009 in video gaming
The year 2009 saw the release of many video games, including several sequels.-Events:-Scheduled releases:List of games scheduled for release in 2009 in North America....
.
Gameplay
Lunar: The Silver Star is a traditional, top-down role-playing game featuring two-dimensional characters and environments. The player must navigate towns, fields, and harsh environments to complete story-based objectives that move the plot forward, as well as interact with non-player characters to expand the script and gain various rewards. Making use of the Sega CD's disc hardware capabilities, short video and audio interludes accompany the game's narrative, including full or quarter-screen animated images and redbook audioRed Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
sound files. Players record their progress by saving to either the Sega CD's internal RAM, or a separately purchased RAM cartridge
ROM cartridge
A ROM cartridge, sometimes referred to as a cart, is a removable enclosure containing read-only memory devices designed to be connected to a computer or games console....
that fit into the accompanying Mega Drive/Genesis.
While traveling in the game's world, players randomly encounter enemy monsters that must be defeated or avoided to progress. Battle sequences utilize a turn-based
Turn-based strategy
A turn-based strategy game is a strategy game where players take turns when playing...
approach, with the player and enemies acting in accordance with their "speed" rating. The player issues commands to each controlled character in their party, which are then carried out in sequence until the battle ends. While on the battlefield, players may choose to move their characters to attack the enemy, retreat into a corner, stand their ground, or flee the battle entirely, with characters only able to strike enemies if they are close enough to their target or use a ranged attack. Nall, a supporting character not directly involved in combat, is present throughout the game to analyze enemies before battles begin, gauging their relative strength to the player's group. Players may find weapons, equipment, and assorted items during gameplay that increase the effectiveness of characters in battle, such as causing more damage to opponents and increasing their stamina. Winning battles grant experience points that go towards making characters stronger and able to battle progressively more difficult enemies. Upon defeat, a player may choose to load a previous save file, or re-start their game at an automatically saved checkpoint.
Plot and setting
The game takes place in the fantasyFantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
land of Lunar, a small habitable world orbiting the massive, barren Blue Star, forming a loose parallel between the game's world and the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and its moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. Centuries before the start of the game, the Blue Star was rendered unlivable by years of war.. The powerful and benevolent goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
Althena relocated humanity to the Silver Star, the world of Lunar, and entrusted four dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
s to safeguard the elements of the new world. From this point on, those who would use the power of the dragons to serve the goddess and protect the world were known as "Dragonmasters", and no such Dragonmaster was more revered than Dyne, a legendary hero who defended the goddess and succumbed to an unknown fate. The stories surrounding Dyne's exploits would form the life model for a young boy named Alex, the game's protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
and central character, who also aspires to become a Dragonmaster himself. Many of the locations of Lunar: The Silver Star were given a deliberate "northern" feel to present an environment that was cooler than the settings of most role-playing games, if only to allow the characters to wear more clothing. Many towns and locations were based on areas of Russia and Medieval Europe.
Characters
The characters of Lunar: The Silver Star were designed by animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
artist Toshiyuki Kubooka
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Toshiyuki Kubooka is a Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator. He is particularly known for his work on games of the Lunar series.-Anime:*Batman: Gotham Knight...
. The main characters include Alex and his companions, each of which have their own reasons for joining his quest:
- Alex - a fifteen-year-old boy from a small town with dreams of becoming an adventurer. Alex for the most part is a silent protagonist, only speaking at a few points in the game.
- Nall - a small, winged creature resembling a white cat who has been with him since birth
- Luna - Alex's childhood friend and love interest who has the unique ability to heal with music
- Ramus - son of the town mayor who dreams of one day opening his own shop, and begins Alex's adventuring career by having him fetch a priceless diamond from a dragon's cave.
- Nash - a junior premier of the floating city of Vane, often prone to rash decisions and occasionally despair
- Mia - another junior premier of Vane, though much more reserved than Nash
- Kyle - a headstrong and womanizing bandit
- Jessica - a tomboyish daughter of a famous hero who is training to be a priestess
Major supporting characters include the three surviving members of the Four Heroes, a legendary band of adventurers who aided Dragonmaster Dyne in protecting the Goddess Althena years before the game's story, whose ranks include:
- "Deadly" Mel D'Alkirk, father of Jessica and mayor of the bustling city of Meribia
- Lemia Ausa, mother of Mia and head of Vane
- Ghaleon, powerful sorcerer and teacher of Nash who becomes the primary antagonistAntagonistAn antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
after assuming his alter ego, the evil Emperor.
The party is aided by:
- Laike, a powerful swordsman and expert adventurer who acts as a mentor to Alex and is later revealed to be Dragonmaster Dyne after losing his powers
- Tempest and Fresca, plains-dwelling fighters who have their own reasons for helping Alex and his group.
Many of the character's original Japanese names were altered for the game's North American release, such as Killy to Kyle, Faidy to Quark, Temzin to Tempest, and Pilya to Fresca; Mel's original epitaph, "Hell" Mel, was changed to "Deadly" for censorship reasons. A witch named Xenobia serves as a secondary antagonist and Ghaleon's right hand servant.
Story
Much of the plot of Lunar: The Silver Star was written by novelist Kei Shigema, and involves a world of high fantasyHigh fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
and with emphasis on folklore and legend. The game begins in the small mountain town of Burg, where a young Alex frequently visits the monument to the fallen hero Dyne, his idol. At the behest of Ramus, eager son of the town mayor, Alex embarks on his first real adventure with his friends Nall and Luna to the mysterious Dragon's Cave in search of a valuable diamond. Making their way through the cavern, the group meets Quark, an aged dragon who senses great potential in Alex, and urges him to complete the trials of other dragons to become the next Dragonmaster, champion of the Goddess Althena, and protector of the world. Quark shows an interest in Luna as well, remarking that she has a familiar aura about her. Obtaining the diamond from Quark, Ramus finds he cannot sell it in Burg, and must travel to the major trade city of Meribia to claim his fortune. The group then makes their way to Saith, a small port town to the south, where Luna leaves the group to stay with Alex's family.
Realizing they must make Alex a Dragonmaster to confront Ghaleon and save Luna, the team heads to the border town of Nanza to enlist Kyle, Jessica's boyfriend, in letting them cross into foreign land. After traveling to a town of inventors, the group obtains a floating device that leads them to the lair of the Red Dragon, who is destroyed by Ghaleon just before they arrive. The dragon grants Alex her power before disappearing, and the group departs for the Blue Dragon's cave behind a musical town. Again, the dragon is defeated before their arrival, and the team must travel to the distant and barren Frontier to seek the final trial. Meeting the black dragon, it attacks the team in a mad rage induced by Ghaleon, who defeat it in defense. With the final dragon's blessing, Alex and his companions make their way to the fabled Goddess Tower to face the final trial, where Alex finally becomes Dragon Master, Nall learns he is in fact a juvenile dragon, and Luna is revealed to be a reincarnation of the Goddess Althena.
Making their way to Ghaleon's mobile fortress, The Grindery, the team is attacked by a brainwashed Luna and retreats to a nearby town to recover. Laike appears after the team recuperates and tells them that he is in fact Dyne, and that Alex must defeat Ghaleon to save the world and Luna. Making their way back to Grindery, the team forces their way inside, making their way into the fortress's inter sanctum where they defeat Xenobia and face Ghaleon, who transforms into a more powerful form before being destroyed by Alex. Confronting an insane Luna, Alex makes his way to her alone, braving her lightning bolts while playing a song on his harp which sparks her memories. Coming to her senses, she re-unites with the group as they leave the tower, with peace restored.
Development
Lunar: The Silver Star was developed by Game ArtsGame Arts
is a Japanese video game software developer located in Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1985 as a computer software company, they have since expanded their enterprise to produce for a number of game console and handheld systems...
in an attempt to create a role-playing game that would both primarily focus on animation and storytelling. The team turned to scenario writer and novelist Kei Shigema to craft a story that would break away from "hum-drum 'model'" games that "had stories, but had no story-telling". Using the Sega CD's video playback capabilities, animator and artist Toshiyuki Kubooka
Toshiyuki Kubooka
Toshiyuki Kubooka is a Japanese animator, character designer, and illustrator. He is particularly known for his work on games of the Lunar series.-Anime:*Batman: Gotham Knight...
oversaw the planning of several video sequences that would be coupled with voice-overs to better tell the story of the Lunar world. Settling on an overall fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
approach as opposed to the popular role-playing alternative of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, the team wanted to explore the mythos and history of a fictional world that would gradually reveal itself to the player over time. Having mostly developed side-scrollers and scrolling shooters for the Mega Drive and PC Engine
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
, Game Arts formed its subsidiary company, Studio Alex
Studio Alex
Studio Alex was a Japanese video game development firm. It was founded by respected programmer Kazunari Tomi, a former employee of Nihon Falcom whose credits include Sorcerian, Star Trader, and Dinosaur...
, named for the main character of this title, to oversee most of the game's development. Due to time constraints, nearly one-third of the Lunar project was scrapped by the game's release.
Lunars English version was handled by Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
, a small California-based publisher who had previously localized smaller games for the TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
and TurboDuo
TurboDuo
The TurboDuo was a video game console released in the United States. It was released on October 10, 1992 by 'Turbo Technologies Incorporated', a Los Angeles-based corporation consisting of NEC and Hudson Soft employees, established to market NEC consoles in North America after NEC Home Electronics...
. Their biggest project yet, the team, headed by company vice president and chief writer Victor Ireland, took to the project seriously, often collaborating with the original Japanese team themselves. New gameplay elements were often added at Ireland's request, including new sequences such as playing Alex's harp to awaken Luna near the end of the game. Working Designs also put extra effort into the game's packaging, giving the instruction booklet embossed lettering, and having seven separate stamps, each with different artwork, produced for the front of the game discs to increase collection value.
The English script was nearly four megabyte
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
s in size, yet Working Designs completed the translation in only eight weeks after a marathon programming session. During translation, the developers did find time to inject some of their own humor in to the game's text, dropping in sentences such as Have you ever tried swimming in lemon jello?, and numerous light-hearted pop culture references not seen in the original version, including allusions to American commercials, celebrities, colloquialisms, products, and role-playing game clichés.
Audio
The music for Lunar: The Silver Star was composed by Noriyuki IwadareNoriyuki Iwadare
is a Japanese video game composer.-Biography:He was born in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. He began to compose video game music after years of being involved with university bands. The first award he won the Best Game Music award, the Mega Drive/Genesis category for Lunar: The Silver...
, Hiroshi Fujioka
Hiroshi Fujioka
, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor known for playing the hero Takeshi Hongo in the tokusatsu superhero series Kamen Rider, and later the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro. Fujioka is a cultural icon in Japan, even having the minor planet 12408 Fujioka, discovered by Akimasa...
, Isao Mizoguchi, and Yoshiaki Kubodera, who utilized the Sega CD's sound capabilities to create CD-quality redbook audio. The game features the opening theme "Lunar", performed by Mayumi Sudou in the original Japanese version. The untitled English version is a slightly arranged piece performed by vocalist Shiya Almeda which features new lyrics by Victor Ireland, who intended the song to sound less "lovey-dovie" with a greater "sense of urgency".
On April 22, 1992, the Lunar: The Silver Star Original Soundtrack was released exclusively in Japan by Toshiba-EMI Records, two months before the actual release of the game. The album features full versions of the Japanese opening and ending themes, as well as karaoke arrangements. Most of the game's background themes are presented as multi-song medleys rather than separate tracks. Although an official North American version was never released, many of the songs present on the album were featured as special arrangements on the bonus soundtrack found in the Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete collector's edition, including the English opening theme.
Voice
Both the Japanese and English adaptations of Lunar: The Silver Star contain roughly fifteen minutes of spoken dialogue from a number of prominent voice actors. Though the game has a number of main and supporting characters, only five are actually voiced during specific story sequences. The Japanese version features Kikuko InoueKikuko Inoue
is a popular Japanese voice actress and singer. She has been part of the singing groups DoCo and Goddess Family Club, among others, and is the manager of her voice-acting company, Office Anemone. Inoue tends to play the "perfect girlfriend" or "motherly" role in many series, but she has also played...
as both Alex and Luna, Rei Sakuma
Rei Sakuma
is a Japanese voice actress employed by 81 Produce. She is best known in Japan for her voice work in the long running children's series Soreike! Anpanman; her most famous role in the English-speaking world, however, is probably as the Chinese Amazon Shampoo in Ranma ½.-Notable voice roles:*Akabon...
as Nall, Kōichi Kitamura
Koichi Kitamura
, real name was a Japanese voice actor born in Osaka, Japan. Kitamura was employed by the talent management agency Mausu Promotion. He died on October 2, 2007 of pneumonia.-TV:*April to Sandman *Dragon Ball GT *Esper Mami...
as the white dragon Quark, and Rokurō Naya
Rokuro Naya
is a Japanese voice actor. He is the brother of voice actor Gorō Naya. A lifetime resident of Tokyo, he is affiliated with Mausu Promotion.-Anime:*Aquarius Camus in Saint Seiya*Sensui Shinobu in Yu Yu Hakusho*Enchou in Crayon Shin-chan...
as Ghaleon. The English version comprised mostly new talent and associates of Working Designs' staff, such as a young Ashley Parker Angel as Alex, Rhonda Gibson as Luna, Jackie Powers as Nall, Hal Delahousse as Quark, and John Truitt as Ghaleon. While the entire Japanese cast was replaced for the game's remake
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, originally released in Japan as simply , is a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and Japan Art Media as a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star...
on the PlayStation, all of the original English cast would return to reprise their roles.
Reception
Lunar: The Silver Star was well received in Japan, selling an estimated 100,000 copies, its entire production run, in its first year after release, nearly as much as the Mega CDSega Mega-CD
The is an add-on device for the Mega Drive video game console, designed and produced by Sega and released in Japan, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The device was also released in North America under the name Sega CD, for the Sega Genesis...
itself. It is considered the Mega-CD's first hit game, which Sega credits solely for pushing the system's sales in that region. The game remains the best-selling Sega CD title of all time in Japan, and second highest selling worldwide behind Sonic the Hedgehog CD
Sonic the Hedgehog CD
, or Sonic CD, is a critically acclaimed 1993 platform video game in the Sonic the Hedgehog series, developed by Sonic Team for the Mega-CD/Sega CD. It marked the first official appearance of the characters Metal Sonic and Amy Rose...
. Readers of Japanese magazine Megadrive Beep voted it the number one Mega Drive role-playing game for seventeen straight months before being trumped by Shining Force II.
The English version released the following year met with a similar response, with Skid of GameFan magazine calling it "far and away the best RPG I have ever played in English", praising the game's graphics, sound, and story as "well conceived and executed". The magazine's editors would later name it as the greatest role-playing game of 1993. GamePro
GamePro
GamePro Media was a United States gaming media company publishing online and print content on the video game industry, video game hardware, and video game software developed for a video game console , a computer, and/or a mobile device . GamePro Media properties include GamePro magazine and...
similarly reviewed it as "not just the best Sega CD RPG ever, but one of the best on any Sega system", giving particular merit to the game's translation. Game Players
Game Players
Game Players was a monthly video game magazine founded by Robert C. Lock and published by Signal Research, in Greensboro, North Carolina. The original publication was titled Game Players Strategy to Nintendo Games...
described it as a "solid RPG, and well worth your time" but found fault in the game's small character graphics that "look like every other RPG" and the virtually non-existent replay value. Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
granted the game an average 7.6 or "worthy" rating, commending the game's background music but dismissing its battle sequences as "dull". In 2006, Lunar ranked 113th in EGM and 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's "The Greatest 200 Videogames of Their Time", celebrating the two-hundred games that were considered the best during their original release.
Legacy
As the first game in the Lunar series, The Silver Star established many of the themes and characters that would be seen in later installments. The game was followed by Lunar: Eternal BlueLunar: Eternal Blue
is a role-playing video game developed by Game Arts and Studio Alex for the Mega-CD as the sequel to Lunar: The Silver Star. The game was originally released in December 1994 in Japan, and later in North America in September 1995 by Working Designs...
in 1994
1994 in video gaming
-Events:*Nintendo calls this year "1994: The Year of the Cartridge".*Nintendo Australia Pty. Ltd, the Australian subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd is established and opened by Hiroshi Yamauchi and effectively ends Mattel Australia's distribution of Nintendo's products throughout Australia.*"Project...
, a direct sequel that takes place one thousand years in The Silver Stars future, and contains many references to the original title. Other follow-ups, including Lunar: Walking School
Lunar: Walking School
Lunar: Walking School is a console role-playing game in the Lunar series released for the Sega Game Gear in Japan in 1995. Since then, no international versions or translations have officially been released, though an unofficial English translation was released in 2009...
in 1996 and Lunar: Dragon Song
Lunar: Dragon Song
Lunar: Dragon Song, known in Japan and Europe as , is a role-playing video game developed by Japan Art Media for the Nintendo DS handheld console...
in 2005 would act as the game's prequels, taking place many hundred years before the game's story.
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: The Silver Star has been re-released several times for a number of consoles, often with graphic and sound enhancements as well as an expanded script. The first such remake, Lunar: Silver Star Story
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, originally released in Japan as simply , is a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and Japan Art Media as a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star...
, originally appeared on the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
in Japan on October 15, 1996, and featured redrawn graphics, a polished script, and new music by Noriyuki Iwadare
Noriyuki Iwadare
is a Japanese video game composer.-Biography:He was born in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. He began to compose video game music after years of being involved with university bands. The first award he won the Best Game Music award, the Mega Drive/Genesis category for Lunar: The Silver...
. This version was soon expanded in July 1997 with the addition of an MPEG expansion card that allowed full-motion animated video playback interspersed throughout gameplay. The updated MPEG version was later ported to the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
in 1998, and was eventually translated into English by Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
for a North American release in May 1999 under the title Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, originally released in Japan as simply , is a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and Japan Art Media as a remake of Lunar: The Silver Star...
. A Windows PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version was released the same year exclusively for Japanese and Korean audiences, with the North American version later cancelled for "technical issues".
Lunar Legend
Lunar Legend is an RPG for NintendoNintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
developed by Japan Art Media
Japan Art Media
Japan Art Media, or JAM, is a Japanese video game development studio founded in 1989. The studio began developing games for the Game Boy, but soon branched out to develop games on many other platforms, mainly Super Nintendo and PlayStation...
and published internationally by Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, who also provided the translation. It is in the Lunar series
Lunar series
The Lunar games, made by Game Arts and published in the United States by Working Designs, and later, Ubisoft and Xseed Games, are a series of console RPGs...
of games and is a re-telling of the events of The Silver Star. However, like Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, the game contains deviations from the original. All the characters from the original game re-appear, yet the dialog and situations they find themselves in are often different. For example, Nash now joins the party at the start of the game. Also, the game lacks voice acting and full motion videos, although it features stills from the FMVs in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Originally released in Japan in March 2002, Lunar Legend made its way to North America the following year. However, since Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
, the company that originally published the Lunar series outside of Japan, was not involved in this project, the game's dialog and character interaction is different from that in all other versions of Lunar: The Silver Star. The localization of previous games was known for its very American and kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
y humor whereas Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
presented it a little differently in this title, without all the pop-culture references added. This game was also available on Sega.
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony
Lunar: Silver Star Harmony ( in Japan) is a remake for the PSP, which has been released in Japan and North America. The game was featured in the Japanese game magazine Famitsu, with a two-page spread highlighting some of the game's upgrades over past releases. Along with a new isometric view, the game also features a hand-drawn style for the characters and backgrounds, a talking lead character (Alex), as well as new music and an expanded story. On May 29, 2009, Xseed GamesXSEED Games
XSEED redirects here. For the proposed supertall structure see X-Seed 4000.Xseed Games is a video game publisher and distributor founded by former members of Square Enix USA. Their goal is to bring high-quality interactive entertainment to the North American market...
announced Lunar: Silver Star Harmony for North America; originally set to be released on February 12, 2010, the game was later delayed until Feb. 23, then March 2. At release, a limited edition of the game was also available, which includes a soundtrack CD and full set of bromides
Bromide (Japanese culture)
In Japan, bromide , or promide refers to a category of commercial photographic portraits of celebrities including geisha, singers, actors and actresses of both stage and film, and sports stars...
featuring the female characters.
External links
- Official website at Working DesignsWorking DesignsWorking Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
(archivedInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
) - Lunar: The Silver Star at LunarNET
- Lunar: Silver Star Story Shrine at RPGClassics.com Sega CD Details, maps, walkthrough, etc.
- http://www.2d-x.com/lunar-silver-star-harmony/ 2D-X interviews XSEED Games regrading Lunar Silver Star Harmony