Over the next three weeks, we will be taking a look at GameArts’ triumvirate of their biggest Saturn titles, kicking things off with Lunar: Silver Star Story! A remake of the SEGA CD / Mega CD original, this 1996 release hit the Saturn with improved visuals, re-worked audio, extended cutscenes, and even additional characters and storyline bits.
Follow the tale of childhood friends Alex and Luna who, after a misadventure at the nearby dragon cave, are pulled into a tangled web being spun by the evil Magic Emperor, whose eye is ever bent on world domination. A masterfully developed plot, complex characters, and more than one plot twist sends players on an adventure that truly raises the game’s status to one of the premier JRPGs of the ’90s.
Despite Working Designs having the inside track on localizing the Saturn game, they focused only on GameArts’ subsequent PlayStation version — but in 2020, Mr Conan, Ms. Tea, and TrekkiesUnite118 answered the goddess Althena’s call and inserted the Working Designs translation into the Saturn game. The “complete” edition translation, utilizing the MPEG card for higher quality FMV sequences, followed shortly afterwards. If you love JRPGs, this here is a mandatory Saturn experience —it really is that good.
This is a favorite of mine, I imported the title back some 25 years ago and bumbled through in Japanese, same with the sequel. I loved every second of it despite not understanding 100% what was being said half the time. I prefer Eternal Blue by a bit but this first game is still spectacular.