Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete box art
Developer(s)	Game Arts Vanguard Works[1]
Publisher(s)	Kadokawa Shoten / ESP Working Designs
Series	Lunar
Platform(s)	Sega Saturn, PlayStation
Release date(s)	July, 1998 (SAT) May, 1999 (PS1) December, 2000 (PS1)
Genre(s)	RPG
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Media	2 × CD-ROM (SAT) 3 × CD-ROM (PS1)

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete is a retitled version of Lunar 2: Eternal Blue (ルナ２ エターナルブルー, Runa Tsū Etānaru Burū^?), a Japanese role-playing video game. It is the sequel to Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Originally released in 1998 for the Sega Saturn console in Japan, it was ported to the PlayStation in 1999 and translated for the North American market in 2000 by the US publisher Working Designs. Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete is a remake of Lunar: Eternal Blue, originally released for the Sega CD platform. This game is part of the Lunar series.

As with the first game, Lunar 2 features an enormous amount of material appealing to game players on a personal level. The story features likable characters engaged in quests that will help them mature as people; in particular, the two main characters develop a powerful romance. The dialogue is also a standout, as even minor characters have large quantities of dialogue. There are several hand-animated full-motion video cutscenes, as well as a notable soundtrack, and after coming to the end of the initial game, an optional second adventure may serve as an epilogue.^{[neutrality disputed]}

Contents 1 Storyline 2 Characters 2.1 Heroes 2.2 Villains 2.3 The Four Heroes and the Dragonmaster 3 Continuity gaps 3.1 Taben's Peak, the moving mountain 3.2 Althena - reborn for love? 4 Version differences 4.1 Original to remake 4.2 Saturn to PlayStation 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Storyline

The story takes place approximately one thousand years after the events of Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. Once again, Lunar (an inhabited moon that circles a planet called The Blue Star) is endangered, this time by the return of Zophar, the God of Evil responsible for the destruction of life on the Blue Star millennia before. This causes Lucia, a being assigned the task of eventually reviving life on the Blue Star, to awaken before her time and set forth on a mission to once again eliminate Zophar's influence.

The story then unfolds from the perspective of Hiro, a teenaged archaeologist who resides in the Salyan Desert with his grandparent and adolescent dragon companion Ruby (who, like Nall in the previous game, resembles a talking, winged cat). The game begins with Hiro and Ruby pilfering a Dragon's Eye jewel from one of the several ancient ruins in their region. The escapade ends with Hiro inadvertently setting off a trap that forces them to flee from the ruins and ultimately prevents their return.

On the way back to the research outpost, Hiro and Ruby are stopped by a principle member of Althena's Guards, the arrogant and boisterous White Knight Leo, who informs them that a 'Destroyer' is to appear at the ruins to the Northwest and that they should return to their homes immediately. Upon arriving at their home, the two find Leo attempting to extract information about the nearby ruins (referred to as 'The Blue Spire') from their grandfather Gwyn, an elderly archaeologist, in the hope of achieving access to the ruins' impenetrable interior. Finding Gwyn of little use, Leo departs, leaving the three of them to ponder the arrival of the so-called 'Destroyer'. When Hiro climbs to the roof to survey the status of their surroundings, he witnesses a mysterious light emanating from the Blue Spire. He informs his grandfather of the strange phenomenon, and the three of them decide to investigate the ruins for themselves.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Heroes

• Hiro (ヒーロ, Hīro^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Hiero
  • Origin: Salyan Desert^[2]
  • Age: 16
  • Interests: Treasure-hunting, adventuring
  • Voice: Hikaru Midorikawa (緑川 光^?) / Chad Letts

The male lead of the game, Hiro is a daring young adventurer who lives with Ruby and his grandfather Gwyn. Due to Gwyn being an archaeologist, Hiro has an admiration of the history of Lunar. When he and Ruby gain access to the Blue Spire with a crystal they found in an ancient dungeon, they meet Lucia and are thrust into the events surrounding her that will decide the fate of Lunar. Hiro's love for Lucia develops gradually over the game, and he is heartbroken when she returns to the Blue Star after Zophar is defeated. He then sets off on a new quest to find a way to get to the Blue Star so that he can be with her again (the Epilogue). With the help of the Star Dragon, Hiro is able to reach the Blue Star and is reunited with Lucia. His role is similar to that of Alex from Lunar 1, serving as primary damage dealer in battle, but Hiro exhibits his personality more openly by speaking much more often than Alex had.

• Ruby (ルビィ, Rubī^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Ruby
  • Origin: Salyan Desert(?)^[2]
  • Age: Unknown
  • Interests: Being with Hiro
  • Voice: Kumiko Nishihara (西原久美子^?) / Jennifer Stigile

Ruby is Hiro's partner in crime at the beginning of the game. She resembles Nall from Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete in appearance, and like Nall, she has a high-pitched voice and serves both as comic relief and as a mentor for the main protagonist. She is often sarcastic, and while she is very practical and acts as a voice of reason for Hiro in some things, in others ways she is naïve and reactionary. Ruby and Hiro have been together since childhood. Ruby has a childish crush on Hiro and initially becomes jealous of the ease with which Lucia dominates Hiro's attention. She ultimately joins Nall in the ranks of the Four Dragons, as the Red Dragon. Romance between her and the now much-older Nall is implied at the end, though not stated outright.

• Gwyn (グェン, Guen^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Guen
  • Voice: Masaharu Sato (佐藤正治^?) / (Uncredited)

Gwyn is an elderly, somewhat eccentric beastman, and Hiro's adoptive grandfather. Though very old, he is a competent archaeologist and skilled with healing magic. He accompanies Hiro, Ruby, and Lucia in the Blue Spire, but he permanently leaves the party after Lucia is cursed, due to his age.

• Lucia (ルーシア, Rūshia^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Lucier
  • Origin: The Blue Star
  • Age: Unknown
  • Interests: Singing
  • Voice: Chisa Yokoyama (横山智佐^?) / Kelly Weaver

The female lead of the game, Lucia is the guardian of the Blue Star. She has existed for thousands of years, watching over the Blue Star until it is capable of being inhabited again. At her introduction, she is solely concerned with locating Althena, being as Zophar is manifesting himself on Lunar and Althena has apparently not taken any preventive action. To this end, she has no concept of human society, and a very limited understanding of human emotion, along with her own feelings. She also has tendency to take figurative language very literally. Over the course of the game, Lucia slowly develops a personality of her own, falling in love with Hiro and fighting with him against the revival of Zophar. When Zophar is defeated, she returns to the Blue Star so that she can concentrate on its restoration once again, but she is ultimately awakened by Hiro, who has found his way there with the help of the Star Dragon. In battle she can't be controlled by the player and will simply use magic to do damage or heal the party depending on the situation. Unlike other characters, Lucia does not have a counterpart from Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete.

• Ronfar (ロンファ, Ronfā^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Rong-fa
  • Origin: Raculi Village^[2]
  • Age: 19^[1]
  • Interests: Gambling, drinking
  • Voice: Ryotaro Okiayu (置鮎龍太郎^?) / Ned Schuft

First mentioned as a powerful priest and healer, when Hiro, Ruby, and Lucia meet Ronfar, they find that he is nothing more than an alcoholic, womanizing, compulsive gambler. He denies that he was ever a priest, but when he realizes that Hiro and Lucia may be the key to confronting his past and his lost love Mauri, he agrees to give up his self-indulgent lifestyle in order to assist them in their quest. Ronfar takes the role that Jessica did in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, serving as the party's main healer, though his personality is actually more similar to Kyle's than to anyone else's. The main difference is that while Kyle indulged in his roguish acts for his own enjoyment, Ronfar did so partly to forget his feelings of guilt over Mauri.

• Jean (ジーン, Jīn^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Jean
  • Origin: Unknown^[2]
  • Age: 18
  • Interests: Dancing
  • Voice: Aya Hisakawa (久川 綾^?) / Jennifer Stigile

Jean is introduced as the star dancer in a traveling caravan. She presents herself in a friendly, sisterly way, but she also seems to be running from a dark secret in her past. It is later discovered that she is a former member of the Shadow Dragon Cult, and that she was trained at a young age to be a human killing machine with no thoughts or emotions. She rejected that lifestyle and suppressed the memories associated with it, ultimately retraining (under Lunn, though she was not aware it was the same person that led the Shadow Dragon Cult) in the Blue Dragon Fist martial arts style. She is forced to confront her past when Lunn reveals himself to be the master of the Shadow Dragon Cult. After the battle with Zophar, she returns to the life of a dancer in a traveling carnival. For most of the game, Jean fulfills a role similar to Kyle's in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, that of a second fighter who (at least in the beginning) is stronger than the main character. She may also be compared to Nash in that her magic attacks cause status effects.

• Lemina Ausa (レミーナ・オーサ, Remīna Ōsa^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Remiena
  • Origin: Vane^[2]
  • Age: 16
  • Interests: Making money
  • Voice: Megumi Hayashibara (林原めぐみ^?) / Kathy Ostrander

A descendant of Mia Ausa and Nash from Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and junior Premier of the Magic Guild of Vane. Lemina is a dead-ringer for her illustrious ancestor Mia and is equally talented in magic, but for all of her apparent sweetness, Lemina has none of Mia's mild manners or delicacy. She is pushy, conceited, hyperactive, and naively believes that Vane's ultimate restoration may occur in her lifetime. She is the party's black mage and gold-digger, always trying (and failing) to sell the party things that either they don't want or she doesn't have anyway. She often expresses herself by attaching the adverb "mega" to whatever she feels at the time, such as saying "mega-hurry" whenever she feels impatient.

• Nall (ナル, Naru^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Nall
  • Origin: Unknown
  • Age: 1500-1600 (estimated)^[2]
  • Interests: Karaoke
  • Voice: Rika Matsumoto (松本梨香^?) / Matt Atwood

Nall is the now venerable White Dragon. He demonstrates the ability to take three forms, his original 'flying cat' form, his Dragon form, and his new favorite, the form of a delinquent-ish kid with a bad attitude. He is met by the other protagonists at Taben's Peak, where he is the caretaker to a large group of orphans. His powers, however, were sealed by Ghaleon, rendering Nall unable to assist the heroes in any way until the seal is broken. After the seal is broken, Nall and the other dragons cooperatively destroy false Althena's capital, Pentagulia.

[edit] Villains

• Zophar (ゾファー, Zofā^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Zone Pharaoh
  • Age: Immortal
  • Voice: Iemasa Kayumi (家弓家正^?) / T. Owen Smith

Zophar is the primary villain of the game. A god of Darkness, Destruction, and Evil, he arrived on the Blue Star thousands of years ago while it was still populated by humans. His evil permeated every corner of the Blue Star, and while Althena was able to seal him away, the war left the Blue Star utterly uninhabitable. Recently, Zophar has begun his revival, now on Lunar, by means of starting a new cult worshiping the false Althena. He is eventually defeated and banished back to the netherworld by Hiro, Lucia, and the other heroes.

• False Althena (偽アルテナ, Nise Arutena^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Althena
  • Origin: Unknown^[2]
  • Age: Unknown
  • Interests: Admiring herself(?)
  • Voice: Shiho Niiyama (新山志保^?) / Katie Staeck

The person Zophar assigned to impersonate Althena in order to control her followers is known only by this name. Her real name is never actually stated, though it is understood that she is indeed an ordinary human with no powers of her own, and that she is simply a figurehead in Zophar's service. False Althena obeys Zophar in hopes that the evil god will grant her eternal beauty and youth. When Hiro and Lucia arrive at the Goddess Tower after Pentagulia is destroyed, Zophar transforms her into a monster with the intent not of stopping them but of slowing them down. The heroes quickly defeat her and proceed up the Goddess Tower.

[edit] The Four Heroes and the Dragonmaster

The Four Heroes and the Dragonmaster serve the false Althena at the highest level, and they constitute the few humans who are allowed into the false Althena's immediate presence with any degree of regularity.

• Dragonmaster Ghaleon (ドラゴンマスターガレオン, Doragonmasutā Gareon^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Ghaleon
  • Origin: Vane (hundreds of years prior)^[2]
  • Age: N/A (he is actually dead)
  • Interests: Collecting antique books
  • Voice: Rokuro Naya (納谷六郎^?) / John Truitt

One of the few returning characters from Lunar 1, Ghaleon is the leader of the Four Heroes and is Zophar's right hand. He is introduced relatively early, and he states that Zophar resurrected him so that he might take revenge on the world that destroyed him (in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete). Ghaleon confuses the heroes by saving them from Leo shortly after their initial meeting; at the entrance to Pentagulia, however, it is revealed that he is the Dragonmaster in the direct service of (the false) Althena. A notable difference from the original Eternal Blue is that Ghaleon bickers with the false Althena whenever he meets her. After Zophar has revived and consumed the Fortress of Althena, Ghaleon arrives, claiming to have come to Vane in order to execute Hiro and the party. When the heroes defeat Ghaleon, it's revealed that he was really working against Zophar the whole time (his reason for saving the heroes early in the game). He gives his sword to Hiro and encourages the party to trust each other and use all of their strength to vanquish Zophar. Zophar, realizing that Ghaleon was deceiving him all along, banishes Ghaleon back to the netherworld. Unlike his magic-based character in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Ghaleon is much more of a knight and swordsman in Lunar 2. Ghaleon has an affinity for fairies and is known to have been protecting a group of them from the dangers taking place on Lunar.

• White Knight Leo (白の騎士レオ, Shiro no Kishi Reo^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Leo
  • Origin: Raculi Village^[2]
  • Age: 19^[1]
  • Interests: Swordsmanship
  • Voice: Shin'ichiro Ota (太田真一郎^?) / Ty Webb

Leo is one of the Four Heroes, the leader of Althena's Guard, and the commander of the Dragonship Destiny. He is searching for the Destroyer, a foretold demon from the skies who intends to destroy Lunar, and he is led to believe that the Destroyer is Lucia. He mercilessly pursues the heroes aboard the Dragonship Destiny until he begins to question his faith, at which time he brings them to Pentagulia so that (the false) Althena may decide what to do with them. When Leo realizes that he may be being deceived by the false Althena, he dons a mask and takes the name Mystere in order to assist the heroes without arousing suspicion. When he realizes that his entire life is a sham for Zophar, he duels with Hiro, and when Hiro wins, Leo gives Hiro the Dragonship Destiny and leaves to search for the meaning of his life. He joins the party a few times in the game, in which he serves as another physical damage dealer, and he permanently joins the party for the Epilogue.

• Blue Master Lunn (青の拳聖ライナス, Ao no Kensei Rainasu^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Rainus
  • Origin: Horam^[2]
  • Age: Unknown
  • Interests: Physical training
  • Voice: Masaharu Sato (佐藤正治^?) / Blake Dorsey

Lunn is one of the Four Heroes, and the governor of Meribia. He is also the secret leader of the Shadow Dragon Cult, a martial arts organization that trains assassins by using the Blue Dragon Fist's noble techniques for the purposes of evil. He took Jean under his wing in the Shadow Dragon Cult when she was very young and trained her to be an efficient and emotionless killing machine, but she rejected this and suppressed her memories. When the Shadow Dragon Cult (with Lunn at its head) goes public, Jean is forced to confront Lunn, a battle in which she is ultimately victorious. Lunn abandons the Cult and returns to the side of good after realizing his error.

• Black Wizard Borgan (黒の魔道師ボーガン, Kuro no Madōshi Bōgan^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Bawgan
  • Origin: Vane
  • Age: Unknown
  • Interests: Stamp collecting
  • Voice: Daisuke Gouri (郷里大輔^?) / Dean Williams

One of the Four Heroes and the master of Neo Vane and it's Magic Guild, Borgan appears fairly early in the game to spirit Lemina's mother away. Though he poses as a powerful wizard, he actually has little magic power of his own; his apparent power is merely borrowed from the Black Dragon. Borgan has enslaved people to fulfill his dream of the creation of Neo Vane, an elite, "utopian" magic city meant to replace Vane. He also hopes to use Neo Vane to fulfill his petty romantic designs on Lemina's mother, and to give himself a false sense of superiority. Borgan is ultimately defeated by the heroes and thereafter realizes the error of his way, though he (to Lemina's chagrin) still has feelings for Lemina's mother.

• Red Priestess Mauri (赤の神官マウリ, Aka no Shinkan Mauri^?)
  • Game Arts official name: Mauli
  • Origin: Raculi Village
  • Age: 16^[2]
  • Interests: Cooking
  • Voice: Kumiko Watanabe (渡辺久美子^?) / Emmunah Hauser

One of the Four Heroes, Mauri is Leo's sister. Long ago, she was engaged to Ronfar, but they broke up, leading to Ronfar's fall into decadence, gambling, and alcoholism. She eventually attained the rank of Red Priestess among the Four Heroes after she was possessed by a demon in the service of Zophar (the demon turning her evil was the reason Ronfar broke up with her). Later, it was discovered that a potion used to cure her of a disease was actually the Blood of Zophar, a draught that enslaved its imbibers to Zophar's service. When the demon possessing Mauri is defeated by Ronfar, Mauri returns to her normal self, and she and Ronfar restore their relationship.

[edit] Continuity gaps

While Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete is dramatically different from the game it was based upon, Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete follows its original, Lunar: Eternal Blue, closely. This discrepancy has had an unintended effect of opening plot holes in Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete, due to the fact that the remake follows the original continuity of the Sega CD games in several places, rather than the altered continuity established in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete.

[edit] Taben's Peak, the moving mountain

Players who are only familiar with the PlayStation remakes are often puzzled by the placement of Taben's Peak, the mountainous ruins of a huge mobile fortress which appeared in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. It appears on the outskirts of the city of Meribia in Eternal Blue Complete, but in the Lunar 1 remake, the fortress stopped far to the south of Meribia, resulting in a discrepancy of a greater distance than can be attributed to normal geographic changes over time. This inconsistency occurs because Taben's Peak is left in the same location it occupied in the Sega CD original, Lunar: The Silver Star, since moving it would negatively affect the Lunar 2 scenario. In the Sega CD continuity, the fortress was looming over on Meribia before it was stopped by the Lunar 1 heroes.

[edit] Althena - reborn for love?

In Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete, Luna had created a magical hologram several hundred years before her death, which she entrusted to Nall, who would be alive for several thousand years after Luna herself had passed. The document was in preparation of Lucia's inevitable arrival on Lunar, in which Luna explains that she had given up her immortality as Althena, remaining as Luna out of love for Alex. However, that claim contradicts Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, in which Althena gave up her immortality before she ever met Alex. The explanation for this is that the dialogue is essentially unchanged from the Sega CD version of Lunar 2, and in the original continuity, Luna was merely one of Althena's many routine incarnations, and after Luna's life had ended, Althena was to return to her tower. Meanwhile, in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, Luna is the last, or perhaps only, human incarnation of Althena, and fully mortal from the start.

[edit] Version differences

[edit] Original to remake

The differences between this title and Lunar: Eternal Blue on Sega CD are numerous. The Lunar 2 remake implements many of the same gameplay revisions as are found in Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete; there are no battles on the overworld and no random encounters. Also like Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, the size of most of Lunar 2's many dungeons decreased substantially from the original game. Four dungeons were cut from the remake, and several new ones were added (the exact number varies from Saturn to PlayStation). The Magic Experience system from the original game does not appear in the remake. The graphics are more detailed than in the original release, due to the higher resolution and broader color palette of 32-bit platforms, compared with the Sega CD. While many monsters from the Sega CD version recur, they are all redrawn, and a number of bosses look quite different. The overall number of full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes in Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete is about 35, significantly reduced from the original MegaCD/SegaCD version's 61. A number of short, scene-setting cutscenes and minor character introductions were cut from the remake. Despite this, the total amount of FMV time is longer in the remake because many scenes were extended.

[edit] Saturn to PlayStation

In technical categories, the differences between the PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions are as follows. The Saturn version has better quality music thanks to PCM encoding. On the other hand, the PlayStation versions use sequenced audio similar to the MIDI format. All sprite transparencies in the Saturn version, including the dialogue and menu boxes, are replaced with either solid colors or dithering effects. The full-motion video cutscenes in the Saturn version use the Saturn's standard Cinepak software compression method, which, in spite of unusually clean encoding in this case, still tends to display more compression artifacts than seen in the PlayStation versions. As the PlayStation versions use a higher-fidelity M-JPEG compression for the cutscenes, the game was extended onto a third disc for the Japanese and English PlayStation releases.

The PlayStation versions include a variety of features that were added after the Saturn version was released. The PlayStation versions feature one more cutscene than the Saturn version does. In the Saturn version, the first ending was simply still screens, while it is fully animated on the PlayStation versions. A number of bromides were added, and all bromides display at a higher resolution than in the Saturn version. The Saturn version contains two new dungeons, while the PlayStation version adds an additional two, with a host of extra monsters and items to attend them.

The packaging for the Playstation game contained poster of the cover art on one side, and a map on the other, along with a hardcover instruction booklet, paper standee's of the characters, and a large replica of Lucia's pendent. Many game-stores had promotional Ghaleon punching puppets for pre-orders. There was also to be an Alex punching puppet for the pre-order for the computer game, but was never made, therefore, the Alex punching puppet has never been made available.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Home of Lunar Silver Star Information not only about the Lunar series
• Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete at MobyGames

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