Collection essentials #290: Lunar: Eternal Blue (SCD)

After the success of the first Lunar game, it should be no surprise that a sequel was made. Eternal Blue takes place in the same world as the first game, but 1,000 years in the future. It is actually a direct sequel, though, as there are tie-ins with the first game that obviously I’m not going to spoil in a post like this.


Lunar: Eternal Blue places the player in control of Hiro, a young explorer who you first meet treasure hunting in a cave with his friend Ruby who is a baby dragon. He soon meets a mysterious and powerful young woman named Lucia who appears in a nearby tower and has mysterious incredible powers…until they are taken away by a big bad evil being known as Zophar. Lucia informs that she must meet with the Goddess Althena and is determined to travel by herself if necessary to do so. Hiro decides to follow and aid her, and the group meets a variety of friends on the journey. 


It seems to me like the first Lunar game is the one that is most remembered (maybe because the Sega CD was on its last legs when Eternal Blue came out), but I think Eternal Blue is an improvement in practically every way. Everything in Eternal blue is bigger and better. The game is much longer, gameplay feels more refined, and the characters are more fun and more memorable. This is a very good RPG and one of the best Sega CD games. There are still some flaws, such as the fact that you have to expend a resource in order to save your game, something I’m never a fan of.


Like the first game, though, Lunar: Eternal Blue has been remade, and in my opinion this original version feels kind of obsolete in comparison. I don’t think there’s even very much unique about the original version, which at least the previous game had going for it. I first played one of the remakes many years back, and a few years ago played through this version for the first time. Stay tuned for when I eventually post about that version!

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