Lunar

Lunar: The Silver Star arrived in 1992 on the Sega CD (Mega-CD) and stood among the first JRPGs to fully exploit CD storage - lengthy animated cutscenes, voiced dialogue and orchestral music at a time when eight-bit bleeps were still the norm. Developed by Game Arts, it follows young Alex, who sets out with his winged cat companion Nall and his friends in search of the legendary Dragonmaster, hoping to become a hero like his idol Dyne, before the dark sorcerer Ghaleon stands in his way.

Its sequel, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (1994), expanded the world and combat system and follows young Hiro and his companion Ruby, cementing the series' reputation as an emotional, character-driven RPG mixing humour with drama. What defines Lunar is its emphasis on relationships between characters and cinematic storytelling rather than deep tactical combat.

In the West, both games were made famous by publisher Working Designs, known for reworked dialogue and lavishly stocked collector's editions. Both games later received expanded PlayStation remakes - Silver Star Story Complete and Eternal Blue Complete - with redrawn art and full voice acting that introduced the series to many players for the first time. Simplified versions, Lunar Legend and Lunar: Dragon Song, followed on Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS.

Lunar is remembered today as one of the titles that showcased the narrative potential of the CD-ROM era of JRPGs and foreshadowed the emphasis on cinematic presentation that larger series such as Final Fantasy later adopted. Even as it was overshadowed by those bigger series over time, it kept a reputation among genre fans for a warmth and sincerity that no remake has ever fully replaced.