The most important aspect of any RPG is, I believe, the story. It's never too original - "Save the world, rescue the girl..." - but Lunar manages to put a very interesting spin on it. First, our hero, Alex's only true goal is to become a hero and have adventures like his idol, the Dragonmaster Dyne. Second, the girl he falls in love with is his childhood friend Luna, with whom he was raised instead of some princess he encounters during his adventure. Finally, Alex isn't divinely chosen to take on his quest to save the world he is swept up in it during his odyssey. The characters all have distinct personalities and each brings their own brand of humour to the game from the sinister Master Ghaleon to the crude flying cat, Nall. The towns and villages bring humour and variety to the game. An intriguing plot of love and betrayal makes Lunar: The Silver Star perfect in the way of story, the most important part of any game.

In terms of graphics, Lunar is outstanding! Beautiful backgrounds and animated battle scenes are only accentuated by the film sequences. My only grievance with the visual side of Lunar is that the world map lacks color especially in the second half of the game. Granted the dark graphics are justified by the plot but I still missed the colors that would that were present during the battle scenes. The best part about having a game on a CD is that you can play the music tracks of the game individually. The music of Lunar: The Silver Star was fabulous! They helped to develop the moods of the scenes and never seemed annoying or out of place. Sound Effects weren't overused and the voice actors during the animated scenes were very good.

The Gameplay of Lunar was greatly improved upon over other similar RPG's. First, it wasn't too menu-driven, two or three at a time. Second, the game is fun! Little jokes and funny situations amount to some laughs and just enough of them to keep the game entertaining. Finally, the battles are greatly improved: the characters actually MOVE during battle. And at some points the battles can even become rather tense as you're hoping for a few extra hit points. A few small problems, in battle you have to choose everything your party does at once instead of when their turn arrives. It is common in RPGs, but it is still aggravating and I think it was corrected in the sequel. Another problem was that as your characters gain magic, you end up with pages of unused spells before you come to the ones that were actually strong enough to make an impact at that point in the game. This also was corrected with a magic spell level system in the sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue. Unfortunately you'll have to wait a long time before you can play this for a second time. The plotline is very strict and doesn't leave any alternate routes whatsoever and there are very few hidden items. These flaws might seem like a lot but are only mildly annoying in comparison to the enjoyment you'll receive during 50+ hours you'll spend playing this terrific game.