Review – Lunar: Silver Star Harmony

Publisher: XSEED Games
Developer: GAME ARTS
Platform(s): Sony PSP
Genre: Role-Playing Game (RPG)

Rating: Teen
ESRB Content Descriptors: Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Partial Nudity, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol

The Scoop: Born on the Sega CD and remastered and ported numerous times, Lunar has been marked as one of the most classic and memorable RPG’s to grace the gaming world.  With reworked and enhanced graphics, added content, and a very awesome remastered soundtrack, XSEED Games and GAME ARTS bring the latest, and maybe the best, Lunar remake to the Sony PSP.

The Setup: The core story of Lunar: Silver Star Harmony hasn’t really changed much from when it was first released on the Sega CD in the early 90′s. Playing as  a young boy named Alex, you dream of becoming an adventurer and warrior, just like your idol, the late Dragonmaster Dyne.  Shortly into the game, Alex and his group of hometown  friends realize his dream could very well turn into reality after an encounter with a Legendary Dragon.  And so begins the story and adventure of Alex and his friends on a quest to grow stronger, explore dangerous areas, and rid the world of an evil force.  You want to be a hero Alex? You got it!

What’s Hot:

• A new prologue section has been added to the beginning of the game which offers some insights to the story’s background.
• The turn-based battle system works out pretty well as gamers have the option of selecting each characters actions or choosing an auto-pilot option.  Battles are fairly fast and never feel like they “drag on” like traditional turned-based battle systems are known for.
• In battle, both characters and enemies move to certain locations on the field as they attack.  This adds a very strategic layer to combat and plays an important role in how combat flows.
• All enemies will appear on the screen as you explore each dungeon which means there are no random enemy encounters.
• The ability to use super-powered attacks and abilities via the Art Gauge System, which fills up as you battle enemies.
• Original anime cut-scenes have been included and are just as engaging as ever.
• From the hand drawn characters to the vibrant and lively towns and environments, the new visuals are stunningly beautiful and are the best the series has seen.
• There are no “Save Points”, so players can save their progress at anytime.
• Simply one of the most amazing stories ever told in an RPG.  The characters are pretty likable and interesting and compliment the story well.

What’s Not:

• If you leave an area and come back to it all of the enemies in that area will reappear.  Perfect for level-grinders, but other gamers may feel that the extra battles are unnecessary or tedious.
• As JRPG’s go, the story/characters are pretty much a standard affair.

Final Verdict: From beginning to end, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is a traditional JRPG which implements some interesting and cool features to the battle systems.  But even being a traditional JRPG, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony draws players in with an engaging story that’s very well paced and a battle system that doesn’t drag on or feel tedious.   The Lunar series is a perfect example of how a classic game survives the test of time and why it has so many remakes.  Lunar: Silver Star Harmony offers a complete package and is a great place to start for newcomers of the series.  And even for long time fans of the series, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is a beautiful remake that stays true to the original story while giving the classic a modern and up-to-date look and feel.