Lunar (franchise): Difference between revisions

The time was the early 90s; the console -: the obscure [[Sega CD]]. It was starved for quality software of any sort, let alone [[RPG|RPGs]]s, which were still a niche genre outside of Japan. Along came a game called ''Lunar: The Silver Star'', developed by [[Game Arts]] (the company that would later go on to produce the ''[[Grandia]]'' series). It became a [[Sleeper Hit]] despite the Sega CD's short lifespan, and was one of the best-selling games in the console's history, paving the way for a sequel, entitled ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' (no numeral). The series has been in a cycle of remakes and spin-offs ever since, with the [[Play StationPlayStation]] remakes, ''[[Lunar Silver Star Story Complete]]'' and ''[[Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete|Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete]]'' being the best known to English-speaking fans.

All the entries in the series are set in a common [[The Verse|'verse]] -: the eponymous world of Lunar. It is a [[Standard Fantasy Setting|stock swords-and-sorcery fantasy world]], [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism|high in idealism]], that draws a lot of attention to its neat [[Alien Sky]] dominated by an object called the Blue Star. The twist is that [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin|Lunar is a moon]] -: one that was empty and lifeless until a [[Physical God|goddess]] transformed it and moved people there from the Blue Star... according to legend. But [[All Myths Are True|all legends are true]]. The reasons (and long term effects) of this become vital plot points.

While technically impressive in their Sega CD iterations, the games of the ''Lunar'' series have come to be standout classic [[Eastern RPG|JRPGs]]. All the elements are there in all the ways you expect, but they're functioning at their maximum potential. Let us consider the plot: in ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', we begin with a teen named Alex who idolizes a great hero, the late Dragonmaster Dyne. After [[Jumped At the Call|jumping at the call to adventure]] offered by an ancient dragon, Alex finds himself dragged into a battle against the Vile Tribe and their leader, the Magic Emperor. Alex makes all his dreams come true, [[The Quest|sees the world]], gets the girl (his [[Victorious Childhood Friend|childhood friend]], no less), prevails against the baddie [[Near Villain VictoryEucatastrophe|when it seems like all hope is lost]], and saves the world. The blend of engaging characters, the earnestness and sense of fun, the savvy localization (originally by Working Designs, with the requisite injection of [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|fourth wall-breaking humor]]), and the acclaimed soundtrack combine to land it a spot among the greats of RPG history.

''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' takes place a thousand years after the first game, and centers on Hiro, a teenaged [[Adventurer Archaeologist|treasure hunter]], who meets Lucia, a [[Mysterious Waif]] bearing a [[Dreaming of Things to Come|premonition of doom]]. When the baddie curses Lucia, Hiro [[Dulcinea Effect|takes it upon himself]] to help her carry out her mission to meet with the Goddess Althena, who can set the world to rights. But as they make their journey they find that things are not as they appear in the world. While not as primal as ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', the plot elements in ''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue'' are classic nonetheless, and all that stuff about epic adventure, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat, and fantastic music still apply. And they are still engaging and funny.

* ''[[Lunar Silver Star Story Complete]]'' - [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]]/[[Play StationPlayStation]] (1996/1999)

2/3rds of the series are different versions of ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' or ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue''. There are three exceptions -: the [[Gaiden Game]] ''Lunar: Walking School'' on Sega's Game Gear handheld, its remake ''Magic School Lunar!'' on Saturn, and the [[Prequel]] ''Lunar: Dragon Song'' on [[Nintendo DS]]. The two gaiden games were [[No Export for You|never released outside of Japan]], though ''Dragon Song'' was.

There are variety of other ''Lunar''-related media that never left Japan -: novelizations, manga, [[Audio Adaptation|drama CD]]s, even a short anime film made for ''Magic School Lunar!''. Given the decline of the series, they will probably stay that way, leaving American fans to rely on [[Keep Circulating the Tapes|other methods]] if they want to get their hands on them. The one exception is the ''Silver Star Story'' novelizations, which are available in English via Kindle.

** Lucia and Jean were textbook examples of [[Curtains Match the Window]], with the former having blue hair and [[Blue Eyes]], and the latter having green hair and [[Green Eyes]]. In the remake, they were both broken out of it, as Lucia's eyes were changed to [[Green Eyes|green]] and Jean's were changed to [[Brown Eyes|brown]].

* [[Alien Sky]]: Inverted, played straight and [[Justified]]. The Blue Star is always visible and is always huge in the sky. This is because Lunar is actually the Blue Star's moon that's been terraformed (the Frontier and the ground that the {{spoiler|Azure City/Fortress of Althena}} passes over becomes rather moon-like).

* [[Anti-Villain]]: {{spoiler|Phacia}} in ''Silver Star Story Complete'' and {{spoiler|Leo}} in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue''. {{spoiler|Ghaleon in ''Silver Star Story Complete'' is an arguable case, what with [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|his noble intentions]], but he acts like a [[Card-Carrying Villain]] most of the time.}}.

* [[Art Evolution]]: The art has changed a lot over the years. Toshiyuki Kubooka, the series character designer/animation director, has links to the anime production company [[Studio Gainax]], so in the early 90s, the art resembled ''[[Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water|Nadia]]''. In the latter half of the 90s, ''Lunar'' took on an [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Eva''Evangelion''-like]] look... and has gone in other directions from there.

* [[Bag of Sharing]]: [[Averted Trope|Averted]] (in all the games up to the ''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue'' remake): Eacheach character can carry a set number of items, and only those can be accessed in battle. Any extras can be left with Nall/Ruby.

** Played straight in the ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' remake and every game since.

* [[Big Fancy House]]: The Guildhouse in Vane, which also serves as the home of the Ausa family. By the time of ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'', it's still standing despite the Guild itself (and with it, the Ausa family's money) being almost gone. But by that point, it has a large, unpatched hole in the roof...

* [[Book Ends]]: Scenes at the end of ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' recall ones from the beginning. Lucia appears in the Blue Spire; Lucia returns home from the Blue Spire. {{spoiler|Lucia awakens on the Blue Star, sensing trouble on Lunar; Lucia awakens on the Blue Star because Hiro has come to stay with her.}}.

** Also, we first meet Hiro as he's hanging upside down and being a bit of a [[Adorkable|of a lovable dork]]. {{spoiler|The final non-credits scene has him hanging upside down on Lucia's hibernation crystal, smiling and waving at Lucia like the most adorable dork ever.}}.

** The ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' remakes add book ends. The game begins at Dyne's monument, and reprises that scene after the credits roll.

* [[Broken Bridge]],: [[Inverted Trope|Inverted]]: Itit's an actual bridge, and your party members are the ones who do the breaking.

* [[Calling Your Attacks]]: Attaching voice clips to special moves was the new hotness when the ''Lunar'' remakes were first made, but the characters don't strictly call their attacks by name -: magic spells, for instance, get [[Invocation|invocations]]. Everyone yells different things for different attacks; some will spout a [[Catch Phrase]].

* [[Capital City]]: Meribia, the largest city in the setting, is the commercial capital. The [[Floating Continent|flying city]] of Vane is the magical/academic captial; its citizens call it the center of the world. Both of the cities are cool enough to get their own introductory cutscenes in ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', and they're important locations in ''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue'' as well.

* [[Catgirl]] / [[Petting Zoo People]]: The beastpeople, who are all over the map on this one. ''Lunar: The Silver 1Star'''s catgirl is a ''half''catgirl, and her features are rather elven. Leo and Mauri in ''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue'' are more obvious beast people.

Well, then, you might say, are there hippo-types and seagull-types? Umm... sure, why not; it'll be interesting <g>. }}

* [[Combat Medic]]: ''Lunar'' healer characters come from the ''[[Dungeons and& Dragons]]'' cleric mold -: let 'em [[Carry a Big Stick]] or an [[Epic Flail]] and they can crack heads. Jessica can hold her own with maces and claws. Ronfar too, but it's usually better to give him crests that enable magic spells.

* [[Continuity Nod]]: There's a whole series of books in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' which details what happened to the cast after the first game, and a number of returning locales.

** Several books throughout ''Silver Star Story'' foreshadow ''Lunar: Eternal Blue''. One book in Damon's Tower openly references Zophar and the plot of the sequel, though it stops short of naming him.

** During SSSC''Silver Star Story Complete'''s [[Playable Epilogue]], Lemia remarks that her descendants might not be as charitable as she or Mia. Hoo boy...

* [[Cool Sword]]: Everybody knows that [[Heroes Prefer Swords]], and the ''Lunar'' series doesn't disappoint on that front. (Unlessunless it's a [[Gaiden Game]] or ''Dragon Song''.). The coolest sword in the setting is Althena's Sword, the weapon of the Dragonmaster.

** While ''Lunar: The Silver Star''{{'}}s religion has ancient Greek trappings, ''Silver Star Story''{{'}}s Temple of the Goddess may as well be a Christian cathedral. (''Silver Star Harmony'' dials this down).)

** All iterations of ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' are blatant examples, featuring missionary churches and "the end is nigh" preachings.

** Underneath the trappings of Christianity, worship of Althena parallels [[Buddhism]] and other Eastern beliefs. In particular, the Four Dragons are quite literally a Crystal Dragon version of [[The Four Gods]], and the Four Heroes can be considered the [[wikipedia:Shitenno (samurai)|Shitennou]] of Althena. One of the inspirations for ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' was the introduction of ''[[Journey to the West|Journey into the West]]'', in which Sun Wukong, despite all he had achieved and all the power he commanded, could not escape Buddha's palm. The writer ([[Word of God]]) considered it an insult to the 'power of humanity' that he could simply do nothing.

* [[Demi HumanDemihuman]]: The beastpeople and the Vile Tribe both qualify as this, both with varying levels of humanity.

* [[Determinator]]: As a rule, the series is keen on [[Heroic Spirit]]. It's also keen on [[Near Villain VictoryEucatastrophe]], because there's no better way to demonstrate [[Heroic Spirit]] than [[Screw Destiny|rising up against impossible odds]].

** In ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', Alex, Mia, and Jessica don't let the end of the world get them down, giving [[Rousing Speech|Rousing Speeches]] (well, not so much Alex,), to raise Nash's and Kyle's morale.

** The entire party of ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue''. In fact, this is referred to as the "power of humanity": the ability to absolutely ''never'' give up, no matter how hopeless everything seems, so long as there is still ''anything'' left to fight for.

* [[Do Not Pass Go]]: In the English translation of ''Lunar: The Silver Star'', the attendant at the teleporter will mention that after you pass the Cave of Trials, the warp will now take you directly to Vane. "You'll not pass Go. You'll not collect 200S."

* [[Dub Name Change]]: Name changes are common in the two main games; generally, fans accept them as [[Woolseyism|effective alterations]]. On the other hand, ''Lunar: Dragon Song'' averts this trope -: the names of the main characters match their Japanese counterparts pretty faithfully.

** ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' favored prosaic name changes. Ahres (アレス; derived from the English word "earth") became Alex, Killy (キリー) became Kyle, Temzin and Pilya became Tempest and Fresca.

** ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' took the opposite approach, making names more exotic. Rainus (ライナス pronounced like Linus) became Lunn and the Masked White Knight became '''Mystere!'''!

** {{spoiler|The Blue Star is the planet [[Earth-That-Was|in question]]... in some parts of ''[[Lunar Silver Star Story Complete]]'', you can distinctly make out Africa and Scandinavia..}}.

** [[Shock and Awe|Lighting]]: Nash.

** [[Blow You Away|Wind]]: Hiro.

** [[Dishing Out Dirt|Earth]]: Leo.

* [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors]]: Spelled out in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' with five elements, and color-coded crests for each: Earth (orange), Fire (red), Lightning (yellow), Ice (blue) and Wind (green).

** By the end, though, {{spoiler|Phacia}} turns out to be more of the [[Heroic Albino|heroic variety]]. {{spoiler|Ghaleon}} would also qualify at points.

* [[Feelies]]: The ''Complete'' remakes on the [[Play StationPlayStation]] came with mini-strategy guides, cloth maps of the overworld, and a life-sized replica of Lucia's pendant (in the case of ''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue'').

* [[Fortune Teller]]: Royce in ''Silver Star Story'', Lemina in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue''.

* [[Gaiden Game]]: ''Lunar: Walking School'' / ''Magic School Lunar!''.

* [[Gameplay and Story Integration]]: A couple of subtle instances of this, involving Lucia in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue''. First and most obvious, when you first get her, she can solo the enemy encounters with ease. Once she's cursed by Zophar, she's helpless in combat and over the course of the game gets better as the party gains levels.

** Additionally, despite being a pure spellcaster, she doesn't have an MP display... and then you realize, oh yeah. She's basically a [[Physical God]]. ''She has'' '''''infinite''''' ''mana'', or at least the source of her power is so fundamentally ''different'' from the other mortal party members that the game doesn't even ''bother'' tracking it.

** Finally, you'll note that she's on AI control all the time (partially to avoid having the player abuse that infinite mana pool). As the story progresses, her AI will change. At first, she focuses on using her massive AoE to blast everything in her path; after she's cursed, she does nothing but run away from enemies; when "forced" to travel with Hiro &and co., she focuses on buffing herself and attacking; but after she has second thoughts about abandoning the party, she starts using her buffs and heals on everyone, but with a bias toward Hiro (even over herself).

** Another one is in the epilogue sequence in ''Lunar: The Silver Star'' (at least in ''Harmony''). {{spoiler|Alex's MP meter ''disappears'' since he gave up his magic to save Luna, just as Dyne did 15 years prior.}}.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: Despite all his [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|noble intentions]] and [[Anti-Villain|hidden moral ambiguity]], for most of the game the [[Evil Overlord|Magic Emperor]] acts like an [[Card-Carrying Villain|utterly evil bastard]], complete with [[Evil Laugh|Evil Laughs]], [[Large Ham]] moments and a worrying tendency to go out of his way to [[Kick the Dog|mock the hero]] when arguably he should be busy [[Take Over the World|conquering the world]] or something. Why? Apparently only because he knows that that's what villains are ''supposed to do!''! Or it's just [[Evil Feels Good|that much fun]].

** Even more prominent in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'': {{spoiler|Ghaleon}} is back, somehow, and is acting in an even more obvious, villainous way. He resumes mocking the heroes and laughing evilly like nothing ever happened. {{spoiler|However, the whole point this time around is that it's all a ''show''; Ghaleon is trying to con his "boss" into thinking he's evil by playing the role of [[The Dragon]], when he is in fact engaging in a [[Batman Gambit]] to destroy Zophar forever by getting all the pieces exactly in place.}}.

** Not to mention some of the bromides, which range from "showing some skin" all the way to "voyeurism.".

** Subverted in the Sega CD version of ''Lunar: Eternal Blue''. The Phantom Sentry is a one time boss that appears out of nowhere, makes some cryptic statements, and disappears just as quickly, never to be seen again until the [[Playable Epilogue]], in which he becomes very important.

* [[Guest Star Party Member]]: Tempest, Laike and Ghaleon in ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star''. Gwyn in ''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue''.

* [[Heroic Mime]]: Alex comes pretty close to being one of these in ''Lunar: The Silver Star'', but averts it with a few lines of dialogue here and there. Hiro in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' averts it quite thoroughly.

* [[Hilarious Outtakes]]: [[Working Designs]] always included some after the credits, even ''Lunar: The Silver Star'', had one. Xseed produced some outtakes for ''Silver Star Harmony'' as well.

*** Justified in Jian's case, [[Extremity Extremist|since his fighting style is purely kick-based.]].

* [[Informed Ability]]: Luna and Lucia's singing is supposed to be incredibly beautiful... but at best, it's decent.

** In the ''Childhood's End'' manga, {{spoiler|Alternate Phacia}} was involved in one, to the horror of humans and the Vile Tribe alike.

* [[In the Hood]]: In ''Silver Star Story'', Royce the [[Fortune Teller]] plays this straight, wearing one to give her a dark and mysterious appearance. On the other hand, Jessica averts it, wearing a hooded cape for the sake of a [[Final Fantasy|White Mage]] look. In ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'', Lemina initially wears a hood, to both hide her identity and play the part of a mysterious fortune teller... and the rest of the characters call her weird for it.

* [[Left Hanging]]: Fairly deliberately done to a few of the wider "mythos" plot points, especially in ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue''. {{spoiler|For example, they never completely explain the relationship between Althena and Lucia -: it looks like they could be related, and Lucia herself says "Althena led the people to Lunar, while I..." and then just leaves it there as stuff happens. Also, since it is pretty obvious that the Blue Star is ''Earth'', the exact origins of Althena, Lucia and Zophar are never explained. It seems like ''they'' all know the answers, but player is never privy to them. And exactly what is the origin of the Vile Tribe and their relationship to Zophar? He seems to have some control over them, Ghaleon especially (what with the ''resurrection'' thing and all), but this is not elaborated on at all.}}. Some of these may be deliberate [[Sequel Hook|Sequel Hooks]], but since ''Lunar 3'' has been in [[Development Hell]] since 1996...

** The {{spoiler|Althena/Lucia relationship}} in particular is popular target of fan speculation. {{spoiler|Lucia and Althena know each other's purposes, and are similar enough that Lucia can assume Althena's powers. Lucia seems ''deeply hurt'' that Luna-Althena chose to become mortal (read: Lucia will never see her again). Luna-Althena, for her part, was clearly concerned about how Lucia would take it, to the point that she recorded a message explaining the situation, her reasoning, and some words of encouragement for Lucia. So what the hell is their relationship? Sisters? Mother-daughter? They're ''obviously'' very similar physically, and at the start of the game Althena is the only person Lucia actually cares about... so ''what are they''?}}? More than fifteen years fans have been waiting, and we ''still'' don't have any payoff on this, [[All There in the Manual|not even in the extra material]].

Althena, Lucia, and Zophar are all probably the same type of entity. We call them gods, and while that's a possibility, the truth seems to be a little different. So, then, what are they? Well... we don't really know. C'mon, this isn't sci-fi; gimme a break if I can't be clear on everything <g>. }}

* [[Magical Society]] / [[Wizarding School]]: The Magic Guild of Vane, which serves as a school as well as the governing body of Vane. Also, in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'', the new city of Neo-Vane, now with more [[Fantastic Racism]] against [[Muggles]]. Also, the titular magic school of ''Magic School''.

* [[Magitek]]: This trope pops up from time to time, and is most pronounced in the original ''Lunar: The Silver Star''.

** The Grindery, the [[Big Bad]]'s giant [[Base on Wheels]] in ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', is depicted as an unholy union of magic and machinery.

** There's nothing unholy about the Dragonship Destiny in ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue''. It's such a [[Cool Boat]] that [[NPC|NPCs]]s everywhere admire it.

* [[Melancholy Moon]]: With the Blue Star in the place of the moon, making it more like Melancholy Earth. The acclaimed Boat Scene in the ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' remakes is what this trope is all about, though.

* [[Metal Slime]]: Cute, fuzzy creatures called Chiros, known in older translations as Ice Mongrels. They (along with their [[Palette Swap|Palette Swaps]], called Shiros/Ice Pups) yield above average experience in the ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' remakes, but in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'' and ''Eternal Blue Complete'', they are hard to encounter, hard to kill, and the XP is insanely good.

** In the Sega CD version of ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'', the [[Corrupt Church]] is called Althena's [[Cult]]. This is not [[Foreshadowing]], it's [[Unfortunate Implications|forebludgeoning]]. It gets toned down to Althena's Chosen in the remake.

* [[Near Villain VictoryEucatastrophe]]: A staple of the series.

** In ''Lunar: The Silver Star'', the Magic Emperor's goal is control Althena's human incarnation. He succeeds, and takes over the world for about twenty minutes before the heroes come and kill him.

** In the remakes, his goal is to have there be a god, which he succeeds in until {{spoiler|Alex convinces Luna that she can become human again.}}.

** Both versions of ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'',: Zophar, despite [[Sealed Evil in a Can|being sealed away]], pretty much rules the world. The Four Dragons are sealed away, and his minions have pretty much created a [[Crapsack World]]. Once he gets released, Zophar successfully hijacks Althena's power, but the heroes stop him before he can [[EndoftheThe End of the World Asas We Know It|create his "age of darkness"]].

* [[Nice Hat]] / [[Every Girl Is Cuter With Hair Decs]]: There's more characters with these than without. Hats, bandanas, hair ribbons, helmets, hoods...

* [[Oddball in the Series]]: ''Lunar: Dragon Song'' attempted to update the series gameplay, but its plotting and characterization are rather sparse. This seems an odd path to take with a series that's known for old-school gameplay and well developed stories and characters.

** ''Lunar: The Silver Star'' played it straight and gave the final boss a second, monstrous form, complete with epic [[Large Ham]] transformation.

{{quote|"''Cower''... in ''fear''... as I demonstrate my '''''TRUE'''''...'''''POWER'''''!"}}

** The ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' remakes... {{spoiler|avert this. No monster form. No multiple stages. Just one incredibly hard-hitting [[Well-Intentioned Extremist]].}}.

** The confrontation with the [[Big Bad]] in ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' is an ideal example of the trope, with three (or four?) stages, including [[Clipped-Wing Angel]].

* [[Overrated and Underleveled]]: Subverted to hell. When you get Ghaleon briefly, he's maxed out, can dish out more damage with his bare hands than Alex can with his current equipment, and Ghaleon is a magic user, so I need not explain more. Laike, {{spoiler|who turns to be Dyne}}, is also maxed out, and his equipment, for the point of the game you briefly get him at, is even weaker than Ghaleon's, and he still hits harder than Alex until Alex does some level grinding. [[It Gets Better|But wait, there's more]],: Laike can also attack FOUR times in one turn, and move four times in one turn (Alex can only either twice), and packs some abilities that can inflict a ton of damage, or raise his attack power up even MORE.

**** ''Two'', actually, if you count White Mask Funk. {{spoiler|Which is Leo's theme, "Justice," redone in swing jazz style.}}.

* [[Playboy Bunny]]: There are bunny girl NPCs in both ''Silver Star Story'' and ''Lunar: Eternal Blue''. In the latter, there's even a martial arts dojo full of these, training in the art of Bunny Fist.

* [[Portal Pool]]: The Springs of Transmission used used to enter Vane in ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'' and ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue''. The entrance to the Goddess Tower in ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue''. ''Lunar: The Silver Star'' had another one as the entrance to the Frontier.

* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Fur trim is a favored costume element, especially in ''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', justified in that the main characters come from a snowy village in the north. Luna sports a silver fur cape in more than one peice of early 90s promotional art. A few ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' characters sport fur trim, too.

...zzz...give me...the...bag..." }}

** "Delays are temporary, mediocrity is forever." This line in ''Silver Star Story'', uttered by Myght, is an allusion to [[Working Designs]]' frequent [[Schedule Slip|release schedule slips]]. [[Xseed]] kept it in ''Silver Star Harmony''.

** "'''Mystere'''" introduces himself with the line "[[Galaxy Quest|Never give up! Never surrender!]]".

** ''Lunar: The Silver Star'' had a respectable four-to-three ratio of lead characters, and that's only if you count Nall. This gets a tad diluted, though, considering one ends up as a [[Distressed Damsel in Distress|damsel-in-distress]] for the majority of the game, and most of the [[Guest Star Party Member|Guest Star Party Members]] are male.

** In ''Lunar: Eternal Blue'', on the other hand? If you count Ruby, there are actually more female lead characters than male. In fact, you spend the majority of the game with a party of four women and only two men!

* [[That's No Moon]]: Inverted: yes it is! According to the [[Creation Myth]] of the setting, the Goddess Althena made Lunar habitable and populated it with people from the Blue Star, Lunar's omnipresent [[Weird Moon]]. [[All Myths Are True|All myths being true]], the Blue Star ''isn't'' a moon, (the fact that it's called a star has to do with "star" being an acceptable equivalent for "planet" in Japanese,), but Lunar actually is.

* [[Trauma Inn]]: ''Lunar'' was ahead of the curve on averting this trope. Every game has an alternative means of regaining health between missions - either NPC healers (''Lunar: 1The Silver Star'', ''Magic School'') or goddess statues (''Lunar: Eternal 2Blue'', all the remakes) located in towns.

** ''[[Lunar 2 Eternal Blue Complete|Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete]]'' refines the scenarios of the original ''Lunar: 2Eternal Blue'' and shifts cutscene placement around.

** ''Magic School Lunar'' on [[Sega Saturn]] is a major expansion of ''Lunar: Walking School'' on Game Gear, with more characters, more magic, more chapters... more of pretty much everything. [[No Export for You|Japan only, though.]].

** ''[[Lunar Silver Star Story Complete|Lunar: Silver Star Harmony]]'' for the [[PSP]] builds on ''Silver Star Story'' a bit, including more [[Mythology Gag|Mythology Gags]] and inverted [[Continuity Nod|Continuity Nods]]. (Forfor example, one person will mention that Ramus' shop will stay in business for centuries.; Itit lasts for a millenia, as seen in ''Lunar: Eternal Blue.'').

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: Subverted with {{spoiler|the Magic Emperor Ghaleon in SSSC''Silver Star Story Complete'' since despite his final defeat, he still succeeded in awakening the goddess within Luna}}. Played straight with {{spoiler|Zophar}} in the second game {{spoiler|who, after getting defeated by Hiro and co. for the second time, completely loses it and declares he will destroy everything}}.

[[Category:LunarNintendo DS]]