videogame, Gameboy Advance
reviewed by Kevin
Before I start, I should probably make it clear that I do not like most new videogames. I personally believe videogames were at their best in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the Nintendo and Super Nintendo were considered cutting edge technology. Perhaps this is why I enjoy my Gameboy Advance so much – it’s a taste of the old skool.
Lunar Legend is the first game I picked up for my GBA and I’d like to congratulate the woman at Electronics Boutique who recommended it to me for her very good taste in a most excellent role playing game. As far as the story goes, it’s nothing all that original. It’s the typical hero sets out on a quest with his friends to fulfill his dream and eventually save the world, but there are enough surprise plot twists to keep the story interesting and the characters are likable enough that I didn’t really care. While many RPGs suffer from a lack of development in the characters, the characters are actually the best part of the game. The main character, Alex, is a little stereotypical, but the others all have interesting little quirks and eccentricities. Even the villains have more to them than your standard evil-for-the-sake-of-being-evil RPG villains.
As far as the graphics go, Lunar Legend is a very pretty game. The graphics are similar in quality to Chrono Trigger, sometimes better. There are anime style pictures throughout the game as new characters are introduced and some of the more influential turning points in the plot are unveiled. The sound effects are pretty dull and not all that exciting, but by no means are they bad. They’re just very standard, run of the mill blips and bleeps. The music while not bad, is not great either; unlike while I played Final Fantasy 7, I can actually bear to listen to my MP3 list while playing Lunar Legend.
The puzzles in the game are a little on the easy side – enough to make you stop and think but not enough to frustrate you. It’s a game that’s very easy to beat without a walkthrough. One very nice thing about this game is the "auto" option for battles. RPGs that use the random encounter idea for battling often get annoying with the number of random encounters, especially after you’ve been in an area for awhile and are leveled up enough that the monsters aren’t really threats anymore but you still have to plug through the battle. With Lunar Legend you have the option of selecting "auto" and your characters will automatically fight the enemies leaving you free to do other more necessary things like that troublesome eating habit we humans seem to require to sustain our existence.
The characters don’t have a lot of customizability in that they learn the same technique no matter how you modify them, although you can choose which stats to strengthen by equipping different armors and weapons. Still, Nash will always be a Thor magician and Jessica will always be a White Mage no matter how much you change them. Each character has its own special secret technique move that you can use by filling their power bars up during battle. The skills all have their own different strategic uses. Not all that unique of an idea, but it was a nice addition.
I guess the only complaint I really have with this game is how easy it is. I only had a tough time with two of the bosses in the game, and one of them was the final enemy, which I guess is appropriate. Overall, Lunar Legend is a lot of fun, even if it is extremely short (about 20 hours long) and a little lacking in difficulty. Likable characters, enjoyable story, and colorful vibrant artwork. You can’t fight that.
