Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

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Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by jay_are »

Someone warn me if I make too many threads :lol:

So I was reading wikipedia, and I read an interesting bit on reviews for Lunar 2 (Sega CD).
It seems that people felt a little disappointed, if only A LITTLE, by the fact that Lunar 2 had many things done different than Lunar 1.
The first time I played Lunar 2, I did feel the same too, honestly. I thought "wow what happened? this feels like a completely different game". And I was a little sad.
I missed Alex. I missed Nall. I missed that snowy island in the beginning of the game with lots of trees.
I missed the sillyness of Ramus asking you to come adventure. Instead, we had a fully adventurous seemingly lone-wolf adventurer in a desert with his energetic fire version of Nall.

But the thing is I was very ignorant and young! (aged 12) And had only seen the beginning of the game. So unfamiliar with things. I was unfamiliar with RPG sequels, period! Today, I wouldnt say anything like that because it's gonna be misunderstood. It's obvious we all fell in love with how different and new Lunar 2 felt, so after like... 1 or 2 hours into the game, it was no longer worthy to mention that at all as something that the game had "lost", and you could see how brilliantly this new adventure was developing!
It doesn't have to be the same game to be just as enjoyable! Here's the quote from wikipedia:
Game Players found the game's larger scope and expanded features made it less enjoyable than its predecessor, saying "it's a better game, it's just not quite as much fun. [We] still liked it, a lot, and it's definitely recommended, but it feels like something's been lost."[30] Next Generation Magazine echoed this sentiment, remarking that "overall it's a much stronger game, but you can't help feeling something missing", yet maintained that the game's storyline was "decidedly less goofy, with more of an emphasis on drama and storyline."
So yeah! I'm just shocked that these reviewers, who I assume are experienced gamers and understand sequels, would actually go and say that it was LESS enjoyable, in their reviews.

So what do you guys think?
What is it that's "missing" to you?
Should Lunar 3, 4, 5 and 6 all have the same flavor as Lunar 1, like New Super Mario platformers want to be just like the original?

Or would you like it if Lunar 3, 4, 5 and 6 all had a different personality, AS LONG as it is done like Lunar 2 did it? (Think Final Fantasy 4 to 6. Or Dragon Quest 3 to 8. Not going to mention Magic School or Dragon Song because those went in a totally different route.)

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by AkagisWhiteComet »

I actually remember reading a lot of reviews for Eternal Blue when it was "new," and I remember similar sentiments being felt across most of the reviews of the title. I'm going to try to word my feelings very carefully between the two. I don't think necessarily something was inadvertently "lost" so to speak between the two, but rather that's actually the point.

If you really read between the lines of what is going on in LUNAR Eternal Blue you realize that the overall scope of the world is in a much more dismal shape than it was in LUNAR Silver Star. Althena is still worshiped, yet many who live on the silver star are unsure of her status. There hasn't been a Dragon Master since Alex, further troubling individuals as they do not know if there ever will be another (and which as we find out there never will be, as Althena no longer exists). Vane is no longer the magical power house it was in the Silver Star, and common individuals question their magic ability (think Ronfar) whereas magic in the Silver Star was a heirarchal status symbol. The deterioration of society has lead to a religious power house, Althena's Cult, using a now non-existent deity to instill fear and control into society. People have seemingly forgotten history that has occurred not so long ago or having difficulties grasping what is going on (largely tied into the fall of Vane, and Althena's Cult influence). And even Gwyn and Hiro themselves are largely secluded from society in their archeology works. Also think of the ultimate message of Eternal Blue; the power of the human spirit, separate from Althena's influence. Much different from the message conveyed in the Silver Star, where magic seemingly is king (Ghaleon's magic, Althena's magic, Alex's Dragon magics, etc).

Additionally just think of the overall progression of the game. In Silver Star, you mainly traverse caves that serve as passages and some special dungeons like the Grindery and that spire in Vane that I've conveniently forgotten the name of, for example. In Eternal Blue, you fight primarily through ancient ruins and forgotten caves. Again I'm probably not wording everything to the optimum here but really you can compare just dungeons from each game and see this progression to forgotten realms and ruins.

It's not necessarily to the point of a dystopian society as that would be extreme, but you can for sure see a large hint of a "dark age" going on. I think this is where that whole idea of something being "lost" really comes into play. A whole lot is going on that is different - a whole lot. However, for some younger people at the time seeing between those lines may be difficult to dissect. And it may have been difficult to do so just on a whole, considering that not too many RPGs in North America during that time worked as direct sequels or prequels (Lufia is the only major one I can think of, but that one was done beautifully.).

I'll have to be honest though. I think a lot of these reviews tried to focus more on actual story aspects that somehow were lost, but even though I really love the Silver Star I really feel like Eternal Blue had a much better story and for sure much better character development. When I played through the Silver Star on Sega CD the first time, I'll be honest; I really did not feel for Luna as a character and even the game's heroine. The fact that she doesn't accompany Alex to the mainland and is only seen two times later in the game just didn't make me feel anything for her. Nothing that occurred in the overall story really surprised me, but when I did beat the game I just kinda of "meh'ed" at the ending. Luna was saved, but really what did any of the other characters feel for Luna? The only person in the party that actually met her up to that point was Nash when he helped them on Caldor Isle. All Jessica, Mia, and Kyle knew was that it was imperative that they save her, since Ghaleon had bended her for his will and was intent on ruling (or destroying) the world.

I think thus the remakes did a much better job of bridging the gap of anything that may have been potentially "lost" between the two. Since Luna accompanies the party and adventures with the other primary characters other than Kyle, her character really develops more than it did in the Sega CD game. The other thing that really bridged it for me in the remake was Hiro and party coming across the Vane destruction recording in the ruin, and seeing Luna as an old woman. Althena/Luna in Eternal Blue on the Sega CD appears largely as she would look like as Althena. In the remake there is real gravity to her decision to choose mortality, and I think it really makes Lucia's expressions and actions much more believable when everything goes down.

It made me re-think back to the Silver Star remake's epilogue and ending, thinking of what all the other characters did or may have did leading up to Althena's/Luna's demise from old age, and with it sending the world into the situation it is in during Eternal Blue. But with all of this happening it really enforces that message more that is focused on in Eternal Blue of the power of the human spirit. In the original Eternal Blue you're kind of like "meh, here comes and goes the plot line," but knowing the real gravity of the situation it makes Lucia's actions and that of Hiro and party really special in regards to the story rather than it just being more of like a plot device to push you towards the end of the game.

So I guess in a very twisted way, you could probably take my words and come up with what I feel was missing was Luna's character development :mrgreen: no, but in all seriousness I think really analyzing Eternal Blue's story brings one more towards those answers.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by jay_are »

Really impressed at how you described the dark age! :mrgreen:
But yeah, I think I understand now. Most gamers at the time just didn't expect it.
It's all in the story and setting then. I guess it was kind of a gamble for the creators to make the game like that!
Is this really what Lunar fans who played TSS want for a sequel? A world that has evolved so much?
I started with SSSC and then EBC, and still felt the big difference.
Last edited by jay_are on Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by AkagisWhiteComet »

I don't think it was more of what the fans wanted between the two games, but more again that the remakes did more to bridge the stories together. Even looking at games like LUNAR Legend where Nash is in Burg proclaiming he is there to become Dragon Master at the beginning more not only work to correlate the story of LUNAR Silver Star and LUNAR Eternal Blue together, but also focus more on the original creator's intents.

Then again though, if we went literal how the original story of LUNAR was written, we'd have Kyle as a swash-buckling pirate sailing the high seas.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

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AkagisWhiteComet wrote: if we went literal how the original story of LUNAR was written, we'd have Kyle as a swash-buckling pirate sailing the high seas.
.............................................................

I demand that we see that in the next remake.

EDIT

btw...
(Lufia is the only major one I can think of, but that one was done beautifully.).
What did you mean by this exactly?
This can be misinterpreted!
You make it sound as if Lufia had a sequel more or as beautifully done as Lunar.
Or do you just mean that the world still had the same beauty as the first game?...
In my opinion I loved the games, but when it came to differences between 1 and 2, they just seemed like 2 different games tied only by the characters and places, swords, etc. that they had in common.
I can't remember much, but I remember almost everything being the same in the second game as it was in the first. Everything that they had in common, at least!
I reaaaaaaaally liked Lufia 2 on SNES and DS!
I almost think that Lufia 1 can't even be remade because Lufia 2 made it obsolete.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by AkagisWhiteComet »

I was more going off of what you mentioned here in terms of gaming sequels (although **technically** Lufia 2 is a prequel, but game-wise it is a sequel). I was making a general observation of how probably LUNAR Silver Star and LUNAR Eternal Blue was not as effective as a set of games as maybe another title like Lufia and Lufia 2:
jay_are wrote:Should Lunar 3, 4, 5 and 6 all have the same flavor as Lunar 1, like New Super Mario platformers want to be just like the original?

Or would you like it if Lunar 3, 4, 5 and 6 all had a different personality, AS LONG as it is done like Lunar 2 did it? (Think Final Fantasy 4 to 6. Or Dragon Quest 3 to 8. Not going to mention Magic School or Dragon Song because those went in a totally different route.)
It's actually kind of astounded me that Game Arts did not take LUNAR 2 into more of a prequel direction. I know that many love Eternal Blue as is, but considering how much of a narrative focus in Silver Star there is on the Four Heroes that left such a BIIIIIIGGGG opening to create a sequel to the Silver Star as a prequel. Even in the PSP remake there is the opening gameplay that allows you to play as the Four Heroes, but there was such an opportunity to create a Four Heroes specific game.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

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^ The sequel direction is also appropriate though. Phantasy Star is the exemplar for this, with each game representing the consequences of the world of the previous game in various ways - Phantasy Star II with Mota being super developed and regulated, Phantasy Star IV with Mota reduced again to a dry planet. In Lunar 2, one of the key developments was seeing how things changed: Vane fallen in altitude and prestige, Pentagulia turned into a container for a more widespread and dogmatic religion, the Grindery turned into a refuge for orphaned children.
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by AkagisWhiteComet »

Yeah I pretty much completely forgot about the Phantasy Star. I really need to play through them again. The 'Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection' on the PS3 has all four games and I got it some years ago but haven't set the time aside to play through them all.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

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AkagisWhiteComet wrote:Then again though, if we went literal how the original story of LUNAR was written, we'd have Kyle as a swash-buckling pirate sailing the high seas.
Eh? That's the case in the SSS novels, but those were written years after TSS, I'm pretty sure.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by ilovemyguitar »

I've always thought that the genius of EB came in how it subverted the player's expectation of what to expect from a video game sequel.

One thing to remember is that video games are a unique medium in that unlike with movies or novels, often times sequels will become more popular than their predecessors, so it's generally considered important to make sure that sequels are user-friendly for first time players. However, the original Lunar game is a special case. It was the best-selling Mega CD game in Japan, and worldwide it was only outsold by Sonic CD. If I remember correctly, in Japan the ratio of copies of TSS sold to Mega CD consoles sold was pretty damn close to 1:1. That, combined with the fact that the add-on was puttering towards the end of its relatively short lifespan (and thus there wasn't a constant stream of new Sega/Mega CD owners), meant that GameArts could be reasonably sure that anybody who sat down to play EB had already played TSS and thus were familiar with its story, characters, locations, etc.

So EB opens with what seems to be a brand new, completely unrelated story to TSS, in more or less the same vein as a Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game. There is some cursory lip service paid to TSS in Hiro's opening monologue, but we're quickly introduced to a whole new cast of characters complete with a new villain and a new mission to save the Goddess Althena. There are no returning characters mentioned by name at first or even in the instruction manual except for Althena herself, and her description is full of misdirection as to what her fate was after the events of TSS.

And then... things eventually start tying back to TSS in surprising ways. The first bomb to drop is a one-two punch in the Mystic Ruins, where the party finds an actual cutscene from the end of TSS when Vane is shot out of the sky, and then we're reintroduced to Ghaleon. This is the first time the player should start to realize that this is actually a direct sequel to TSS, despite its initial appearances of being an unrelated story, and it doesn't happen until maybe a third of the way into the game. That moment is incredibly powerful narrative-wise, and GameArts was able to drop the twist out of nowhere specifically because they could be sure that players would be familiar with Ghaleon. Compare that to if, say, Squaresoft had written Kefka into Final Fantasy VII; a large portion of players would have just scratched their heads and said, "Who the hell is Kefka?"

From there the story is a slow progression of discovering just how deeply the events of TSS effected the world of Lunar, and how the new set of heroes has to deal with it. The unnamed outlaw with a "master plan" described in the manual is revealed to be Nall disguised as a human and living in the remains of the Grindery, Vane is shown still dealing with the repercussions of being grounded, the Church of Althena proves to be corrupted with a false prophet leading it, and eventually it all culminates in the revelation that the entire story was made possible because Althena's experiences as Luna in TSS led her to choose a human life and eventual human death in favor of continuing to act as a Goddess. In fact, this revelation retroactively gives Alex and Luna a happy ending, tying up whatever loose ends may have been hanging in TSS's abrupt ending that never actually reconciles the dual nature of Luna and Althena. Hell, they even give the TSS villain a happy ending by redeeming Ghaleon and giving him an honorable, heroic death.

Really, EB does a masterful job of misdirecting the player in ways that only work because of the position GameArts was in when they developed it. So if people want to think it's "missing something" because of its cursory differences from TSS, I think it's all the better for how they continued the story in a unique and subversive way. It's honestly kind of sad that we'll likely never see another Lunar game that continues this story in a similar way, because so much time has passed since any Lunar game has been particularly successful that if a Lunar 3 were to be developed it would by necessity have to be a more typical video game sequel in which the story has little to no ties to previous entries.
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by Leo »

Lunar 1 feels different because Alex barely speaks. When you play the first one, it's like Alex is you and you're on an adventure. When you play Lunar 2, it's like a really great story that you're observing rather than being in.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by jay_are »

Leo wrote:Lunar 1 feels different because Alex barely speaks. When you play the first one, it's like Alex is you and you're on an adventure. When you play Lunar 2, it's like a really great story that you're observing rather than being in.
We need more main characters like Hiro!! So if there were was a new Lunar, one thing I'd like to see is a main character with a deeper personality.
ilovemyguitar wrote:Compare that to if, say, Squaresoft had written Kefka into Final Fantasy VII; a large portion of players would have just scratched their heads and said, "Who the hell is Kefka?"
Looooooooooooooooool. The sad truth is that over 20 years later, there are still people out there who wouldn't know Kefka if he was mentioned in a new Final Fantasy, yet they have played FF7.
ilovemyguitar wrote:It's honestly kind of sad that we'll likely never see another Lunar game that continues this story in a similar way, because so much time has passed since any Lunar game has been particularly successful that if a Lunar 3 were to be developed it would by necessity have to be a more typical video game sequel in which the story has little to no ties to previous entries.
You know, not necessarily AT ALL!
Of course, it is the likely thing to happen that if GameArts would attempt a new Lunar, they would do slightly less than decent job of it.
But think about it. It doesnt have to relate that much to the originals to be a good game.
Right now, think of all the RPGs you've played... try to pick your 3 favorites excluding any Lunar... actually, Action RPGs count too.
Let me pick 3 random games I like: Dragon Quest IV, Alundra, Suikoden 1
(Just random picks, I have a lot more games in mind)

If Lunar 3 was anything like those games, it would feel very unlike what we expect, but would that be bad? Not at all! The game would still be amazing, just set in a totally different direction. Which is probably what would happen anyway cause Lunar 2 kinda closed the whole story. Unless a disaster would happen that disrupts the plan of how Lunar 2 ended... It doesnt have to be a huge chore like Lunar DS.
Anyway, my point is, it doesnt have to be some generic game. As long as the game has strong content, and is at least visually similar to Lunar, then it would be great. Something that would appeal today (in before FPS). Look at Half Minute Hero. That game is based on generic old RPGs, but it does it in new amazing ways that had never been seen before. And it's not even that difficult to produce.
There are tons of good RPGs and Action RPGs. Something similar to those that already exist, would be a lot more welcome than nothing.

GameArts thought that by remaking Lunar 1 on PSP they would get a new big audience before continuing with the series, and I'm glad they thought so, cause now we have a beautiful Lunar1 =D but that luxury was at the expense of having low sales.
It was too early for another remake of that game. They should have done something that seemed new to the audience, something that seemed a little more radical and never seen before. Like any new, great game that you see being made these days! Look at how Link can paint himself on the walls in the new Zelda. You may call that a gimmick, or a silly looking ability, but that game far exceeded anyone's expectations and it's also kind of a sequel to a 1992 game >__> and that's coming from Nintendo, the company that rehashes New Super Mario Bros games, and/or doesn't make quality Metroid games anymore. It doesn't need to have long loading times or black bars on the sides of the screen appearing when you talk to people, or respawning enemies. Or super forgiving difficulty. Imagine this...
New 3DS game: Lunar 2 + Super Mario Bros. 3 Ambition :lol:
Lunar could even work as a side scrolling action game with dialogue in between like Castlevania Sotn, and we would love it to death.

:lol: You made many great points, but I can't quote them all. Thanks!

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

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jay_are wrote:
Game Players found the game's larger scope and expanded features made it less enjoyable than its predecessor, saying "it's a better game, it's just not quite as much fun. [We] still liked it, a lot, and it's definitely recommended, but it feels like something's been lost."[30]
Game Players magazine is actually the first place I ever heard about the Lunar series. Specifically, that very review plus the ads that Working Designs had taken out in a couple of issues around that time. I had pretty much exclusively been a Nintendo person before then and mostly read Nintendo Power (as a side note, I miss the "old" Nintendo Power. It was basically the Pravda of gaming magazines but that gave it a certain charm). I had played Genesis games some at friends' houses but I don't remember any of them owning a Sega CD, and I wasn't really that aware of what was going on with that system. I remember reading the review and thinking the game looked kind of neat but the review itself was just kind of bizarre, the tone was almost that it wasn't as much fun specifically because it was a better game.

For what it's worth (and keep in mind this is coming from someone who has only played the remakes) while I greatly enjoyed both games and would be inclined to list both as among my favorites, I find the first to be a lot more memorable. It might just be sequels never having quite the same impact as the original, but for whatever reason, when I think of "Lunar" I think of Silver Star, not Eternal Blue.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by jay_are »

Imperial Knight wrote:but for whatever reason, when I think of "Lunar" I think of Silver Star, not Eternal Blue.
I used to have trouble choosing which one was my favorite. It was a tough impossible battle in my head, so I just decided that both stories are just inside the same game! Similar to when an RPG allows you to play as more than 1 character's story... or how some games change completely after the first half, kinda like FF6, but of course more deep.
Though even in FF6, a certain amount of people hate the second half.... so I think of both games when I think of Lunar, kinda like how I think about both halves of FF6.

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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by LunarRaptor »

I might not be as elegant in my manner of "speaking" as some of you other guys, but I can think of a couple things that make me leant owards LUNAR 1 over 2 (but I love both). Yes, the scope of LUNAR 2 is great, yes there is more character development, yes a number of the tropes from the first game are deconstructed, analyzed, and then reconstructed, yes we get to see how things turned out after Ghaleon was defeated, yes the story is more complex, yes the villain is a lot scarier this time around, and YES we see the downside of the decisions of the heroes from the first game almost as much as we do the upside, but...

There's just this... innocence to LUNAR 1 that attracts me time and again. I enjoyed the simplicity of it. I loved how straightforward characters were, and how they weren't all dark and troubled pasts and angst (you have me discovering the series after playing too many Final Fantasy games for that. After Cloud and Squall, I needed to see characters who were capable of smiling). I enjoyed the light-hearted feel of adventure that felt like it came from the imagination of a child (not in a bad way. I'm thinking of Earthbound/Mother 2 when I say that). I liked the upbeat music, the colorful designs, the simple-to-master gameplay, and the feeling that I could just explore the world of LUNAR until the end of days. I hope my little ramblings made sense. I didbn't exactly organize them.
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by Kizyr »

LunarRaptor wrote:There's just this... innocence to LUNAR 1 that attracts me time and again. I enjoyed the simplicity of it. I loved how straightforward characters were, and how they weren't all dark and troubled pasts and angst (you have me discovering the series after playing too many Final Fantasy games for that. After Cloud and Squall, I needed to see characters who were capable of smiling). I enjoyed the light-hearted feel of adventure that felt like it came from the imagination of a child (not in a bad way. I'm thinking of Earthbound/Mother 2 when I say that). I liked the upbeat music, the colorful designs, the simple-to-master gameplay, and the feeling that I could just explore the world of LUNAR until the end of days. I hope my little ramblings made sense. I didbn't exactly organize them.
No that makes plenty of sense, really. Sometimes, delving deep into a basic story and doing it really well works a lot better in terms of getting someone engrossed in it than, say, developing a complex and intricate plot that someone needs to take footnotes to follow. Those are two extremes (and I don't think EB falls into the latter), but it goes towards showing how sometimes less is more in a story. ...sometimes.

Like, I really love Eternal Blue more than The Silver Star, for many reasons. But I have to admit that TSS is just really engaging at a deeper level that's hard to explain by just the bare facts or a simple plot summary.

At the end of it all, I prefer to rate games based on a gut instinct of how much I enjoyed playing it. After that, maybe I'll dissect the reasons why. It might not even come out until months later after I've been able to discuss the plot or characters with other people, either (in some cases -- like with Final Fantasy Tactics -- I didn't even like the game until someone else gave me reasons why they liked it so much). KF
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by LunarRaptor »

Thanks. Actually, now that you mention dissecting your reasons for liking EB more, you have me curious. What is your take on what makes EB more enjoyable?
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by Kizyr »

It's hard to pinpoint all the reasons, but the main one is that Eternal Blue feels much more epic to me. The stakes are higher (a dark god manipulating humanity, rather than a hero-turned-tyrant imposing his will), the characters are deeper (each person has an almost equally-fleshed-out backstory, and has a chance to confront the demons of their past), and the world seems to have much more going on in it (mysterious cults/religious orders, ancient ruins, old cities and new cities, etc.). Plus, you get to find out much more about the entire world of Lunar -- not just how the world is organized now, but where everyone comes from and what the future may hold for Lunar and the Blue Star.

With all of that, I found EB much more immersive, and I've enjoyed it more on subsequent playthroughs. The challenge factor is another thing, too -- there were more circumstances where I felt like I was close to death and needed to get inventive with positioning, magic use, and turn order, to survive. KF
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by Alunissage »

I still liked the feel of the world better in TSS, somehow. Part of it was that I didn't like the corrupt religion/dark god atmosphere as much, since it was kind of depressing, and the world felt emptier to me (maybe because there weren't little shrines scattered around). Also, as I've mentioned, I didn't warm to the characters much. However, I do think EB's gameplay (not EBC's) is the best in the series. I loved the magic system, especially the M Exp, and the refinements to the battle system. And all the weapons and such that would confer spells and affect stats other than just attack and defense. And the structure of the world that let you get some places with the Destiny and some only on foot. Etc.

SSSC's gameplay felt like a step backward after EB, with the paucity of spells and smaller world map, although it kept the battle refinements. EBC was an improvement, but somehow still not as good to my mind as EB. Liked the crests and the elemental combinations, but the latter was underutilized. Seemed to me like most enemies were either resistant to all elemental magic or vulnerable to all elemental magic, with not much of being weak to some elements and strong against others besides the obvious water/fire things.

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Kizyr
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Re: Lunar 2: something got lost from Lunar 1?

Post by Kizyr »

Alunissage wrote:I still liked the feel of the world better in TSS, somehow. Part of it was that I didn't like the corrupt religion/dark god atmosphere as much, since it was kind of depressing, and the world felt emptier to me (maybe because there weren't little shrines scattered around).
I definitely see all your points. More on this one that stands out... While the corrupt religion part didn't bother me so much in EB, the one change that I dislike the most in going from TSS to SSS was that they ported over part of the whole corrupt religion motif. The entire tone of their worship (...Althenaism?) had an almost pure/innocent/genuine feel in TSS, and the contrast in EB where it takes on a rigid hierarchy was fascinating precisely because it was a contrast. When they backed up and put the same elements in SSS, the contrast was gone, and that aspect of the games' context was just lost.

...that being said, I do think the battle gameplay and many other specific plot points were done better in SSS (especially relationships between the characters). But that one change always bugged me the most. KF
~Kizyr (they|them)
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