Lunar babble and conjecture.

[SoupCandy]

Since I -never- bump into any Lunar fans, I'll bring this to you guys.

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?
Favorite scene?
Favorite character(s)?
What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?
What would you like to see more of?
Reactions? Theories?
(Etc.)

I'll go into mine some time, but I'm real interested in everyone's thoughts.

[Alunissage]

Oh, gosh. It's tempting just to tell you to read the boards, but that could take quite a while. Still, I'll try to throw a thing or two out there.

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?

Generally, probably the music. In particular, the use of the relatively limited number of pieces in the very first Lunar game to convey drama.

Favorite scene?

Contentwise, probably Laike's revelation in the first game (TSS, on SegaCD, if you're not familiar with all of the games), in part for the reason above -- the use of music. I also really like the music in the fortress-raising in SSSC and the fact that we actually see song being used to wield power, but in many ways the scene itself takes the easy way out for drama, so it's kind of weak overall. I'm sure others will come to mind later.

Favorite character(s)?

Althena, as shown in my avatar, but we don't have a lot to concretely go on about her. Fresca and Jessica, for being strong and mostly resisting being cubbyholed. Leo, for facing a true challenge to everything he'd believed and becoming stronger for it.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?

In the later games, forcing religion into a quasi-Christian mold, complete with stained-glass windows and organs in cathedrals and statues. And most other changes from the original SegaCD games to the remakes, but listing those would take way too long. I think many of these tended to conventionalize the story and its characters and dilute them.

What would you like to see more of?

Actual female protagonists, not just supporting characters. Say, a beastwoman Dragonmaster.

Reactions? Theories?

Too many to go into here, but probably my favorite one is that the priestess Serak, for whom Serak Palace in EB is named, was an incarnation of Althena. And that Emma, nurse at the Magic School, was another. Who says she only has to be around when the world is in danger?

[AlexofBurg]

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?
The dialogue. The localization by Working Designs is absolutely perfect. Every character is brimming with personality and everything is so memorable and well-written.

Favorite scene?
Probably the whole reveal of the Magic Emperor in Silver Star Story Complete. The music in combination with John Truitt's great voice acting makes it a really powerful moment.

Favorite character(s)?
Probably Nall in SSSC and either Hiro or Ronfar in EBC.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?
While pretty much perfect in every other aspect, I do think that the boss fights in SSSC suffer from a lot of sameyness. They do rectify it a bit with bosses having more varied attacks and the addition of crests in EBC, but it's still fairly repetitive. It's not what I play the games for, though.

What would you like to see more of?
More than anything, I'd love SSSC and EBC to be released on the Playstation Network.

[Dark_Fairy]

Favorite scene?
Probably the opening scene of Lunar 2 EBC. Since that was my first Lunar game, and I had never seen anime cutscenes in a game before, it had a huge impact on me.

Favorite character(s)?
Nall, Ruby, Ghaleon, Jean, Jessica

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?
Hmmm...I can't think of too much, really. Except the battle system in Lunar Dragon Song. If we're not counting that, then I don't really have much else.

What would you like to see more of?
I would like to at least one more remake of Lunar 2. I love Lunar TSS/SSS/LL/SSH, but Lunar 2 hasn't seen a remake since 2000. I'd love to see Lunar 2 remade like SSH. Oh, and I'd like to know more about the Star Dragon from Lunar 2.

[LuNaRtIc]

I don't have a lot of time to respond at the moment, so I'm just going to brush over this really quick.

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?
The engaging story. The cast of characters and the vast world they inhabit are unforgettable.
To this day, every time I play a Lunar game it feels like I'm visiting old friends. For me, the nostalgia factor of these games are huge.

Favorite scene?
It's difficult to choose just one. Off the top of my head, I'm just going to say the opening to SSSC and Luna at the Springs.
I remember very vividly seeing those scenes for the first time and the impact they had on me.

Favorite character(s)?
Nall, Jessica and Tempest.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?
I adore Alex, so I would have loved him to be a little more vocal. He's a little better in SSH though.
Overworld exploration in TSS was amazing. It was disappointing to see the maps diminish in each remake of the game.
Going into EBC, I was under the impression that Nall was going to join the party at some point. The fact that he didn't was an immense disappointment to me.

What would you like to see more of?
Nall
As I mentioned above, I think it would be awesome to have Nall as a fighting member of the party. I would like to learn more of his origins/background story. I'm especially curious about his life during the 1,000 years between TSS & EB/SSSC & EBC. (I think there are hints and mini-stories about his adventures that are mentioned in the games/mangas/novels.)

Reactions? Theories?
I always find theories of Lucia's origins and what she "is" to be interesting.

And I always held the notion that characters with red eyes meant they were intensely magical beings. This was always a small theory I wanted to mention here on the boards, but never got around to it. It seems that characters with red eyes are either part/fully mazoku or a dragon. I always liked to believe that if a character had high levels of magic in their systems, it would effect their eye color, giving them red eyes.
 A bit of proof to back my lame theory: When Luna is under Ghaleon's influence and he releases Althena's power within her, her eyes turn red. They even glow when she is raising the Goddess Tower, a feat that no doubt takes immense magical power. The face on Zophar's fortress has bright red eyes too. A place powered by magic to stay in the air? If Vane had eyes, perhaps they would be red too.

But then Gabriel came along in DS and destroyed that theory of mine.
So is there any truth to this wild theory? I doubt it. Still, I think it's fun to look at it that way rather than accepting red eyes as simply being part of character design.

Too many to go into here, but probably my favorite one is that the priestess Serak, for whom Serak Palace in EB is named, was an incarnation of Althena.

This is the first time I heard of this, Alun!
I'm interested now. I'll have to look into it.

[Alunissage]

The Serak bit is from several years ago -- I just checked my notes and the thread here was in 2007. I'll edit in the link when I find it again, since for some reason I didn't save the link when I saved the text from the thread.

[GhaleonOne]

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?

I'm going to second Shannon with this and say the story and characters. I'm replaying EBC right now for the first time in years and it's making me remember why I loved this series so much. (to the extent that it's got me considering a redesign of LunarNET for the 15 anniversary this December just to drum up a little interest again).

In addition to the story and characters is just the general history of the world of Lunar. There was nothing cooler than seeing Vane still in existence in EB the first time. And I don't know how many times I stayed up late when I was younger talking with other Lunar fans about what the Mystic Ruins actually were. Or where on the TSS world map that the Blue Spire was hidden.

Favorite scene?

Spoilerific:

 When Ghaleon returned in EB/EBC. I can never decide which version I like more. Honorable mentions go to the EB scene with Ghaleon and Lucia when she's chained to the wall in Pentagulia and the EB-only scene where Ghaleon crystalized Hiro forcing Lucia into a decision. If I had to choose a moment in Lunar 1, probably when Laike is revealed as Dyne in TSS. For mostly the same reason as Alun mentioned earlier. The music made it that much more memorable.


Favorite character(s)?

Ghaleon, obviously. I'm also partial to Nall, Leo and Lucia.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?

Mostly the changes they made to the remakes. Dumbing down the world maps (like Shannon said), not using the TSS soundtrack in SSSC. I still always get excited to visit Vane in TSS to hear it's unique music. It fits the town so well.

What would you like to see more of?

Everything. There's so much history built up with the two main games that could be told. Stories of the ancient Dragonmasters. Or the destruction of the Blue Star. Or a sequel to Lunar 2. Althena, Lucia and Zophar's origins. The backstory of the Four Heroes. So much could still be explained in future stories.

Reactions? Theories?

I'm curious about the Serak thing too now.

[DevNall]

And I don't know how many times I stayed up late when I was younger talking with other Lunar fans about what the Mystic Ruins actually were. Or where on the TSS world map that the Blue Spire was hidden.

Any good/interesting theories?

[SoupCandy]

Thanks for your responses, guys!

Because I said I would, here's my answers.

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?
In order from greatest to least: The characters and lore (which includes continuity), richly drawn backgrounds in battle, and of course the music.

Favorite scene?
 A good handful. Damon's Spire in SSSC, only because if you read his tomes, it explains the coming of Zophar in EB, which is nothing short of fantastic. And Ghaleon's death in EBC because I cried like a b.

Favorite character(s)?
Jessica, Jean, Ghaleon, Leooooo.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?
I felt that, sometimes the motivations of characters were understated. Other times, I feel that, while appropriate in the years the games originally came out, some of the events  like hunting a fluffy bug actually detracted from the games a lot.

Reactions? Theories?
I always thought Lucia was Althena's sister.

A lot of the ancient stuff in EB didn't exist in SSSC, which is cool because they wanted new content, but also weird, because where were these things on Lunar? The landscape did change a lot in a thousand years,  and with Althena's magic becoming part of Lunar itself, the frontier was erased. So maybe that's where the Blue Spire was? After all, you don't spend long in the frontier.

The only thing I know for certain is that Pentagulia is Althena's tower, Taben's peak is the grindery, and some of the four dragons still reside where they always did (maybe?). I just realized that I never thought about it until now, you might actually play the majority of EB in what was the frontier, because the general shape of the map between TSS/SSS and EB/EBC stays recognizable, but it's the upper left corner of the map (which is a pretty small area, honestly)... And they don't show how large the frontier is in TSS/SSS, really. Holy crap! Fridge brilliace!

[Alunissage]

Yeah, I know we've talked about a lot of the area in EB actually being the Frontier in TSS. Certainly it's what came to my mind when I first played the game because really, what else could it be? Frontiers stop being frontiers once they're colonized, and it looked rather deserty anyway.

My conclusion about the Mystic Ruins was that they were Taben's tower, as that's the only possible place the recording of the Grindery could have been made from with that vantage.

You can also add that Meribia is Meribia and Vane is Vane to your list, unless you think these are uncertain.

Lucia's pretty clearly stated to be NOT Althena's sister, by the way, though their exact relationship is never spelled out.

I finally found the thread mentioning Serak:
http://www.lunarthreads.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=2791

[SoupCandy]

Sure, Mystic Ruin could be Taben's tower leading to the grindery. The only problem with that, for me, is that Taben's tower is mechanical, while the mystic ruins are magical and very different.. Though I figure, maybe the tower was altered by inhabitants.

Of course Vane and Meribia. No doubt about that. (Though, all of this means that every little town you've been to in 1 is long gone, which is a little sad.)

Althena and Lucia may be familial in an old mythologic way or even that Lucia is a piece of Althena that was split into its own entity. Lucia may even be her daughter (though I'm skeptical of that). I wish they did address it.

[Sonic#]

What's your favorite thing about Lunar? Lunar is a good story told well. It has the world-wonder that I'll always associate with early RPGs, that sense of an expansive and diverse world. The characters are often loved, often hated, and often remembered. It takes itself lightly while still taking itself seriously.
Favorite scene? Laike's revelation that he is Dyne, or the flashbacks in Eternal Blue. This may seem odd, but today I like the scene when the Saline Slimer attacks the ship. Sailors are running, there's a big panic, and then it turns out to be this giant blue goo, who looks so happily angry. The slimer was quirky, funny, and (as it turned out) difficult.
Favorite character(s)? Mia, Tempest, Jean, and Mystere.
What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark? Mostly little things, like the world map. Lunar's stories are youthful, but it would be nice to see some variety in age with the characters. Also, the game has a battle system that I enjoy, but the spells end up being repetitive, especially in the first game. Status effect magic could be more useful.
What would you like to see more of? Airships?
Reactions? Theories? I used to have lots of them, but today I prefer keeping a lot of the workings behind the power of Lunar unknown, almost like a mythology. Discovering it is interesting, as are the adventures that go on within Lunar. Escaping its bounds, by going with Hiro and Lucia to the Blue Star, is like an ascension, removing them both from human concern.

So I guess I have a desire that a (however unlikely) third Lunar game still take place on Lunar. My hunch is that there's still so much to explore there, and what was once a place of exile has now turned into a home with a rich history.

[Alunissage]

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark? Mostly little things, like the world map. Lunar's stories are youthful, but it would be nice to see some variety in age with the characters. Also, the game has a battle system that I enjoy, but the spells end up being repetitive, especially in the first game. Status effect magic could be more useful.

Just to clarify, I assume you're referring to SSSC as the first game, since my recollection is that you haven't played the SegaCD games. (We need to fix that.) TSS had quite a variety of spells -- not necessarily huge variety of effect in the attack spells due to the limitations of the game engine (no elemental effects), but the idea was there. Mia alone had more spells than the entire party of SSSC did put together.

Also, I was surprised at how useful status effects actually could be in SSSC, all things considered. Nash's confusion and sleep spells were the only way I made it through the forest to the bathing spring in that game before going to Lyton.

[Sonic#]

Just to clarify, I assume you're referring to SSSC as the first game, since my recollection is that you haven't played the SegaCD games. (We need to fix that.)

I've now played TSS, but not EB. Of course, in a botched dorm move I lost the TSS disc, so now I only have the case. You're right though - I was mainly talking about SSSC.

[SoupCandy]

Also, I was surprised at how useful status effects actually could be in SSSC, all things considered. Nash's confusion and sleep spells were the only way I made it through the forest to the bathing spring in that game before going to Lyton.

Especially when compared to other rpgs. I've played games that, you can cast sleep spells all you want, but not a single enemy is affected by it. (Why did your character learn it, then? That drives me nuts.)

I lost the TSS disc

*Blood curdling scream!*

[jay_are]

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?
Everything!
From TSS to SSH. The graphics, music, gameplay, storyline, characters...
But the most important thing is the dialogue and music.
As for the graphics, I myself am just very fond of old school and simpler stuff! And in Lunar, it just feels very natural and perfect.

Favorite scene?
All of them.
But if I had to pick... the ending of Lunar2. Or the bath scenes!

Favorite character(s)?
ALL!
Well maybe Lemina was the one I was always paying most attention to.
Kyle was awesome and fun too.
And I feel most identified with Alex and Hiro.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?
NONE!!!!!
A lack of sequels is whats wrong with Lunar...
Ok seriously... the only times I felt a little uncomfortable was when some girls started singing when you talk to them.
Or maybe a baby crying. But since these are only a thing of a minute or two, I cant count this as weakness.

What would you like to see more of?
That is for example assuming that there will be a next game?
I want to see more items with unique cool icons, more funny townspeople, more plot twists and Gods who are fond of them,
more magic spells or skills, more monsters, more changes to the Lunar world after Lunar 2, more lovely music (Lunar DS did great here!), more awesome places to visit, more bromides, more secret chests, and more bath scenes.
And yeah, a remake of Lunar2.

[Aaron]

What's your favorite thing about Lunar?

I think the whole fiction is the best part. I would spend hours, just visiting towns and talking to npcs. It was a very rich and rewarding experience

Favorite scene?

I have 2

I really liked the scene in SSSC where Alex rescues Luna and tells her we were meant to be together. Its destiny. When I heard that, I felt really good. I felt like I had accomplished my task. It wasn't when I killed Ghaleon that I felt like I beat the game. It was only until I got Alex to save Luna.

The other scene is similar. I really liked the scene where Lucia returns to the Blue Star after defeating Zophar. It really made me feel like there was a whole lot more to the game. I was so disappointed when I didn't get to control Hiro on the Blue Star.

Favorite character(s)?

I really like Ghaleon because his character really evolves throughout the games.
Similarly I liked Lucia a lot for the same reasons.
I always liked Kyle and Ronfar a lot. But to be honest I think its the mixture of all the characters that made the game so good.

What weaknesses does Lunar have/what missed the mark?

All the remakes really killed the series. Not sticking to the basics/originals that made Lunar great. People liked 90s and early 2000s JRPGs for a reason. They excelled at storytelling and were usually challenging. Currently Lunar is very easy to beat.

What would you like to see more of?

There are some things I would like to see in future Lunar games:
Sprites changing appearance with armor
More optional dungeons
Free DLC
More spells/attacks

Reactions? Theories?

What the heck is the Star Dragon? Is he a 5th Dragon? Where is Lunar 3?

Why haven't we had an original story in 7 years. And the previous one was really unpolished. Obviously someone dropped the ball.

What happened to all the Beastmen and the Vile Tribe?

[SoupCandy]

And I always held the notion that characters with red eyes meant they were intensely magical beings. This was always a small theory I wanted to mention here on the boards, but never got around to it. It seems that characters with red eyes are either part/fully mazoku or a dragon. I always liked to believe that if a character had high levels of magic in their systems, it would effect their eye color, giving them red eyes.

I forgot to respond to this. That's actually a pretty good theory. Only certain characters break away from that, but otherwise, it stands.

What the heck is the Star Dragon? Is he a 5th Dragon? Where is Lunar 3?

Why haven't we had an original story in 7 years. And the previous one was really unpolished. Obviously someone dropped the ball.

What happened to all the Beastmen and the Vile Tribe?

First, it's weird. My name is also Aaron, so this is kind of hysterical, like I'm talking to myself.

I thought the Star Dragon is the dragon of the universe itself. Canonically, they're meant to protect the bridge between Lunar and the Blue Star.

The beastmen are just fine and dandy. There don't seem to be as many, but Leo and Mauri prove there are a few. As for the vile tribe, I don't know if they address it in anything other than EBC, but there's a little note in the Vane library from Phacia that states the vile tribe blended into society. It's always been my pet theory that Hiro is a member of the vile tribe. Though I regard the Childhood's End comic as non-canon, the character, Alice, is a member of the vile tribe.

[Alunissage]

Yes, the Beastmen are very obviously still around in EB. In addition to Leo and Mauri, Gwyn is a beastman.

I know the idea that Hiro is descended from the Vile Tribe has been discussed here but I don't remember if there's anything official supporting this idea. Don't remember if there's anything other than that book in EBC about them becoming integrated with humans. (Fun fact: in the Japanese script, it's Alice who leaves the note in the book, not Phacia -- although this is obviously anachronistic since Childhood's End takes place after Hiro would have first gone to Vane.)

[DevNall]

Free DLC

I'm curious, what kind of DLC would you expect?