If you're a fan of role-playing on the Sega CD, then boy do I have great news for you! This week we learned that the Lunar Remastered Collection would be hitting PlayStation 4 and 5 next spring. This compilation will include Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue, giving both updated graphics, improved sound and other quality-of-life improvements. That's exciting news, but are either of these role-playing games worth playing? And what about the Nintendo DS game that won't be included in the package, is that any fun? To answer these questions, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Mean Machines Sega, Die Hard Game Fan and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. I sure hope you don't mind random battles, because it's all about Lunar in this episode of Review Crew!


While Sega was spending way too much money and focus on a multimedia studio designed to make CD titles that appealed to American gamers, Working Designs was doing what the fans actually wanted by bringing Japanese role-playing games to the United States. Lunar: The Silver Star was their first Sega CD game, bringing one of Game Arts' best games to the United States a year after its successful launch in Japan. This was a lengthy adventure full of amazing boss fights, memorable characters and a killer soundtrack, but it was the localization job that set it apart from the more straight-forward role-playing games of that era. At first, both critics and consumers liked the pop-culture references and stabs at humor, but as tastes and expectations changed, many turned on the localization. Keep that in mind as we look at what the critics said back in 1993.

Let's kick things off with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who was a little mixed on this Sega CD release. They gave Lunar an average score of 7.6 out of 10 and raved about the CD soundtrack: “Just love that title song! RPG fans will definitely want to check out this adventure game that has some absolutely beautiful music, absent in some RPGs. The fighting sequences are a bit dull, though.”

If EGM's score seemed a bit low, it's probably because it was. While Game Players ended up giving the game a slightly lower 75%, it was Edge who gave Lunar the worst marks. Scoring a mere 6 out of 10, Edge didn't feel that the game was, ahem, next-generation enough. “Compared to the beautiful cut scenes and professional speech, the crude backdrops and tiny sprites do little to fire the imagination. Sadly, the gameplay suffers, too. Lunar fits cozily into the old school of Japanese role-playing where combat is completely random. As soon as you leave a village, it's pure luck whether you get attacked or not, and sometimes there can be several battles in the space of a few paces. Lunar's trimmings make good use of the Mega CD, but as a game, it falls short of the likes of Landstalker and Secret of Mana.”

Now that we've been to the bottom, let's work our way up. EGM's sister publication Mega Play liked the game a lot more than the flagship magazine, giving Lunar a score of 83%. Game Informer went a little bit higher, showing up with an 8.5 out of 10. And then there's Mean Machines Sega, which may have given the RPG an 86%, but their actual review suggests that they liked it even less than Edge. “The one thing Lunar has in its favor is that similar games for the Mega CD are rarer than Take That fans at a Mensa meeting. That said, there are plenty of similar games on cartridge, and to be honest, Lunar doesn't really offer that much extra. The CD medium allows for real adventuring potential, but this effort falls a little short of the mark. A nice try, but no cigar.”

Don't worry, Lunar fans, there were magazines that not only liked the game, but loved it. The stupidly named VideoGames: The Ultimate Gaming Magazine gave The Silver Star a score of 9 out of 10, while Sega Power went a bit higher with a 91%. However, the real story here is Die Hard Game Fan, who were smitten for this Sega CD release. Skid said that “Lunar is far and away the best RPG I have ever played in English. Everything is perfect, the graphics, the fighting engine, the music and the story. Working Designs knows how to translate RPGs, and has converted this game so well that it is better than the original. Set aside a week this Christmas and escape with Lunar.” Kid Fan also loved the game: “Working Designs has translated the greatest RPG of all time for the Sega CD and it is truly amazing. Imagine Final Fantasy on the Sega CD, but with better graphics, music and one of the greatest stories ever told, and you have Lunar. It is also one of the longest RPGs that I have ever played on CD. If you're a lucky owner of a Sega CD, buy it, and prepare to be blown away to RPG heaven.” Die Hard Game Fan gave Lunar an average score of 97%.

I'll admit, their enthusiasm for the game was infectious. I ran out and bought the game based on those reviews, and I loved every second of it. Even those pesky random battles. Can't wait to revisit this classic when it's remastered next year.

Released two years after the first Lunar, Eternal Blue jumps a thousand years and tells the story of a new batch of adventurers. This was an even bigger and more polished role-playing game that not only expanded on the story and lore, but also offered a variety of improvements, including more detailed graphics, longer cinemas and even more voice acting. It still suffered from many of the RPG cliches that critics complained about in 1993, but Sega CD owners didn't mind. They were just happy to be getting anything in 1995.

When it comes to the critics, most seemed to like this sequel as much as the original, if not a little more. Let's once again start with Electronic Gaming Monthly, who gave Lunar 2 the lowest score of the major magazines – 7.75 out of 10. Sushi-X summed it up this way: “This may not be Final Fantasy III, but it's still a good game in its own right. One of the strongest points is the cool cinemas. The overall graphics are decent and the sounds are good. It has a very simplified control using one button for pretty much everything. I kind of liked the simplicity and don't think it subtracted from the gameplay. It may not be the best, but it's a good choice for Sega CD.” Al wasn't as kind: “Compared to other RPGs out there, this one simply doesn't stack up. It does not have superb graphics, sound or even music, but it does have a story. Of course, the all-important, usually absent ingredient is there: Fun. Imagine that, a fun game. There are no zippy spells and plot twists from Hell, but there is enjoyment.”

The good news is that it's only up from here. Next Generation ended up giving the game a score of 4 out of 5, while Game Players went one tick higher with an 81%. Game Informer liked it even more than that, giving it an average score of 8.8 out of 10. Andy, the Game Hombre, called Eternal Blue “a great follow-up to the original Lunar.” “Although the characters' voices are a little hokey and the on-screen character icons are a little small, the game is still great. I really like how you have to purchase your saves and magic upgrades, so the play is riskier. However, if you like hardcore RPGs, all I have to say is that this game takes a long time to finish, and then it has a six-hour epilogue with another mini-quest. Need I say more?”

Going up the scale, we see GamePro weigh in with a 4.5 out of 5. However, once again, the real story is Die Hard Game Fan. After giving the first game an average score of 97%, they have come down a bit on Lunar 2. E. Storm explains that “Lunar marks a fond farewell to the Sega CD. I actually waited for the translated version this time rather than playing through the import as I normally do. Eternal Blue is as good a 16-bit RPG as you'll ever play, if you can look past the drama-draining modern day jokes that really break the mood. I don't know who Lunar 2 is aimed at, but I felt a tad insulted at times. That's why I play imports. RPGs are my escape, and should be commercial free.” Nick Rox liked it a bit more, but also took issue with the localization: “Reviewing this undeniably almighty RPG is painful for me, as I am faced with the greatest of Game Arts' staff of ultra-talented artists, musicians, game designers and scenario writers, and the pain of Working Designs' writers. The Japanese Eternal Blue ranks as one of the best games ever made, yet Working Designs broke the magic experience point system and ruined the translation with cute playground jokes aplenty. But even after all the injustice Eternal Blue has been put through, you still HAVE to buy this game if you consider yourself at all infatuated with RPGs.” Die Hard Game Fan gave Lunar 2 an average score of 91%.

It's interesting that Die Hard Game Fan was among the first critics to sound the alarm about Working Designs' localization, something that fans would eventually turn on. That said, Eternal Blue is a strong follow-up, unlike the next game we're about to talk about.

A full decade after the release of Eternal Blue, Lunar returned with Dragon Song on the Nintendo DS. While fans were initially excited, that enthusiasm would prove to be short-lived. Dragon Song ended up scrapping the things people loved about the franchise (including cinema scenes and voice acting), all while keeping most of the outdated RPG elements from the 1990s. What's more, this DS game actually added a few gimmicks, including touch screen gameplay, battles spread across multiple screens and voice commands using the built-in microphone. Longtime fans were not impressed, and, as it turns out, neither were the critics.

Once again, Electronic Gaming Monthly is at the bottom with the lowest score. Greg is absolutely dumbfounded by this game, asking this important question: “How could they have screwed up Lunar this badly? I don't mind the developers messing with one of my favorite role-playing game series, but when they go so far backwards as to make the game feel archaic, it's really upsetting. Throw your intricate strategies right out the window, because all targets will be chosen at random. And I hope you like menus, because even the most basic action in the overworld involve dozens of them. But maybe that's just to keep the overall theme of quiet frustration going, since movement is agonizingly slow and commanding your party to run from place to place actually costs you hit points. When its fundamentals are botched this badly, not even Dragon Song's semi-decent story can save it.” Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game an average score of 4.7 out of 10.

Game Informer was equally baffled, though ended up giving the game an average score of 5.1 out of 10. Here are some more questions: “How about the great plan that one can get either experience or items in battle (but never both), meaning players have little indication of what kind of experience level they should be at for a new zone? Can you imagine if it cost you hit points when you ran? And what if, when you're in battle, all you can do is attack ... and you can't pick your target? What! Let's make a secondary character with neither combat power nor magic points – she's not any good at all until level 10! I don't know what they were thinking, but even freaking dragons are missing until a dozen hours in. Most of the time I was playing Lunar, I just couldn't figure out why a game would try to do this to fans. I don't use this example lightly, but think back to Grabbed by the Ghoulies, a similarly good-looking, but unfun and almost unplayable nightmare of gameplay design missteps.”

Now, it's worth mentioning that there were magazines that liked Dragon Song a it more, including NGC Magazine, who gave it a 59% and Hardcore Gamer Magazine, who gave it a so-so 3 out of 5. Believe it or not, Nintendo Power was the magazine that liked Lunar the most. They agreed with the other critics about some of the shortcomings, but ultimately gave it a 7 out of 10 and concluded that “despite falling short of expectations, Lunar: Dragon Song ultimately delivers a worthwhile adventure. The story has its moments, the music is quite good and for longtime fans, Toshiyuki Kubooka's character designs lend the game a warm familiarity. The series deserves better than Dragon Song, though. Hopefully Game Arts will hand the reigns back to the original development team and recapture that lost magic.”

That's not exactly a full-throated recommendation, but it's way more than you're getting from EGM or Game Informer. Look, this game is bad and probably won't even be included in the upcoming remastered collection. Let Dragon Song stay in 2005, where it belongs.