Collection essentials #365: Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1)

Again, I already have covered the original version of Lunar 2 on the Sega CD. You can refer to that post for basic info about the story.

This, in my opinion, is the definitive Lunar game, and one of the best RPGs not just on the RPG-heavy PlayStation, but of all-time, just in general. This game was made by Game Arts, who also made Grandia, which I recently sang the praises of.

As I said before, to me the backbone of truly great fiction is great characters, and Lunar 2 has an absolutely wonderful cast. You’ve got the boy hero named Hiro who wants to be an explorer, his whiny flying pink cat-like thing named ruby who claims to be a baby dragon, the mysterious girl Lucia seemingly tasked with a divine mission who is oblivious to the world’s norms, the former priest turned gambler Ronfar who has a great sense of humor, the money-loving Lemina from a famous magic guild, the dancer Jean who is also skilled in martial arts and comes from a difficult past, and captain of the guard Leo who has a fierce sense of justice. There are plenty of antagonists too, and some antagonists are particularly tied to a certain protagonist in the party which serves as a great way to flesh out all of their backstories and keep them relevant. Like in Grandia, character portraits are displayed while they’re talking, and they express relevant emotions which adds a very nice touch that helps our heroes seem more alive. There are many memorable and humorous moments to be enjoyed, and I hope you’ll play the game yourself rather than have me spoil them for you.

Lunar 2 has basically the same gameplay as Silver Star Story Complete, which is to say mostly the same as a typical JRPG, but with the added twist of positioning in battle. If a character is far away from their target they may not be able to hit them with a basic attack, and trying to do so may result in them moving closer but running out of movement before being able to execute the action. Projectile weapons as well as magic can allow one to attack from a distance. The rest of the game, while not unique, is fundamentally very sound. Enemies are visible on the map so the player doesn’t have to deal with random battles, and fights are a good balance of being challenging but not too overwhelming. There have been some changes over the Sega CD original, such as long and complex dungeons being made shorter and simpler, and I think these changes generally work for the better. There is an epilogue in this version which adds quite a bit of post-credits content and a new ending, and I’m almost positive this wasn’t in the original Sega CD game but for some reason I can’t find a simple confirmation and don’t care enough to actually do the work to confirm myself at the moment.

As you can see in the photo, Working Designs REALLY went all-out with the extras for this release. You’ve got a music CD, “making-of” CD, a fancy instruction manual, a map, cardboard stand-up figures, and even a fashionable pendant like the one Lucia wears in-game. It’s so cool how they went the extra mile with all that.

I first heard about Lunar 2 back in 2004 from an internet friend of mine named Neil who went by the name “Shadowruler” online. It was his favorite RPG of all-time, and his old review of the game on Gamefaqs from back in the day is still there. I knew I had to play it myself, and I wound up getting and playing Silver Star Story Complete first (which one ought to do) before playing Lunar 2 not too long after in the mid-2000s. Needless to say, I was highly impressed. It seemed to me (at least back then) that the first Lunar was more widely-played and remembered, but I felt that 2 was better in practically every way. I played the original Sega CD version not all that long ago, but I have yet to revisit this remake, and I certainly intend to one of these years. 

As of this post in January 2025, ports of Lunar 1 and 2 are slated for release on modern platforms in just a few months or so. Whether you play those or seek out these PlayStation 1 releases, these are games that you really ought to try if you love JRPGs. Lunar 2 is a treasure, and a real quintessential essential.