Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete

Silver Star Story Complete is a traditional, top-down role-playing video game featuring two-dimensional character and background graphics. Using the Sega Saturn and PlayStation's advanced hardware, many elements of the original game's presentation have been altered, including a larger color palette, more sophisticated visual effects, and improved sound quality. The story is interspersed with fully animated cut scenes. Players advance the narrative by completing story-based objectives and interacting with non-player characters. In the original version, players encountered enemy monsters randomly every few steps when traveling in a harsh environments, while the remake makes enemies visible, with combat ensuing only after a character has come in contact with one. While in combat, a player may choose to attack an enemy, move about the battlefield, use magic or items, stand their ground and defend, or flee the battle entirely. Silver Star Story Complete retains the original version's movement feature, which requires characters to be within a certain distance of an enemy before it can be attacked. Battles are won when all enemies are defeated, yielding experience points that allow characters to gain levels, making them stronger as well as allowing access to better abilities. By gaining levels, as well as finding or purchasing increasingly more powerful weapons and armor, characters can battle increasingly more powerful enemies as the game progresses. Bosses will have their abilities scaled to the party's level with no limit. ==Plot==

Characters The cast of The Silver Star all return for the game's remake, retaining their original designs by anime and manga artist Toshiyuki Kubooka. Players assume the role of Alex, who is joined by a menagerie of playable and supporting characters who aid him on his quest. • Alex - a young boy from a small town who dreams of becoming an adventurer like his idol, Dyne. • Luna - his childhood friend and sweetheart • Nall - a winged, white, cat-like creature with an uncertain origin, later learned to be a baby dragon • Ramus - son of the town mayor with dreams of becoming a rich businessman • Nash - a boisterous magician-in-training from a prestigious magic school • Mia - quiet daughter of the magic guild's headmistress • Jessica - a tomboyish priestess • Kyle - a self-absorbed vagrant and ladies' man as well as Jessica's strained boyfriend. Each character's personalities were expanded for the new version to make them easier for the player to relate to, and give each of them more presence in the game's story. Ghaleon, a dark magician who seeks godhood, serves as the primary antagonist, and initially appears as an ally to Alex's cause. In the new version, Ghaleon's personality is altered to make him a more sympathetic character. Motivation for his plans to rule the world were shifted from revenge to misplaced concern for humanity not having a true leader. He is still undeniably ruthless and cruel, however. Game Arts added new villains to the story, feeling that the game's opposition lacked enough characterization. Story The plot of Silver Star Story Complete remains true to the original Sega CD version written by Kei Shigema. Novelist Keisuke Shigematsu was recruited as the remake's scenario writer, and was tasked with expanding the previous script written by Shigema to make the game more current. As in the original version, players assume the role of Alex, a young boy who hopes to become a great hero like his idol, the legendary Dragonmaster Dyne. At the insistence of his fortune-hunting friend Ramus, Alex travels to the nearby Dragon's Cave with his cat-like companion Nall, and sweetheart Luna, to seek a precious gem. When the team reaches the cave's interior, they find Quark, an aged, wise dragon who sees hidden potential in Alex, and beckons him to travel the world and become its protector as the new Dragonmaster. Returning home, the group expresses mutual interest in Alex's quest; Ramus wishes to sell the dragon gem at a large city, Nall wants to find out what he is, and Luna merely to protect Alex. The group sets off across the frontier to the port town of Saith to continue their journey. and computer animation Traveling through the Weird Woods, Luna sings a magic song to clear a patch of thick fog in their path, yet is not sure how she knew it would work. The group is surrounded by a horde of monsters, and are defended by a traveling warrior named Laike. Finding Alex's quest to become Dragonmaster humorous, Laike nonetheless wishes him and his friends luck as they leave the forest. Arriving at Saith, the group meets Nash, a magician-in-training from a prestigious magic school who needs transport back to his home, and joins the group on a boat to the eastern continent. Unlike the original Sega CD version, Luna continues with Alex rather than stay behind to give her a bigger role in the plot. After arriving in the port town of Meribia, Ramus leaves the group to become a salesman at his own shop, while the rest of the team travels to the floating city of Vane to meet Ghaleon, a former adventurer who traveled with Dyne before his death. Ghaleon sends Alex and Luna on a quest to stop a false Dragonmaster from harassing a village where he meets Jessica, a priestess and daughter of the legendary hero "Hell" Mel. Returning to Vane, Ghaleon tells Alex he wants to see Quark to discuss his future as Dragonmaster, with Luna joining them on a return trip to Burg. After arriving at the dragon cave, Ghaleon and Quark reminisce before Ghaleon cryptically asks whether Luna is "the one from back then". Upon hearing an affirmation, Ghaleon's mood changes, and suddenly transforms into a more sinister form, The Magic Emperor, who turns Quark to energy and kidnaps Luna, remarking that he will now use her in his quest to rule the world. The game's final scenario and the reason for Ghaleon's actions differ slightly from the original, with the Goddess Althena's instability serving as the catalyst for the events rather than a rampaging Black Dragon. In this version, Laike relates the story of how one day fifteen years ago, the Goddess Althena concluded that people were depending too much on her, rather than growing as people and as a civilization, and that by continuing to mother them, she was doing more harm than good. Despite Ghaleon's pleas, Dyne and Althena used their powers to spread her life force throughout the world, transforming her into an infant, to live out a mortal life as a human. Ghaleon, believing humanity could not survive without a god watching over them, cut off all ties to his former friend and set his plan into motion to ascend to godhood himself in Althena's place; his cause set on rule rather than revenge as in the original. Believing that humanity was strong and resourceful enough to live on their own, Dyne left the young girl in the care of Alex's parents to raise her as their own daughter before he began his new life as Laike, a traveling adventurer. Now knowing the truth of Luna's origins, Alex and his friends travel to the Goddess tower to save her and stop Ghaleon from seizing control of the world. Defeating his generals, Alex confronts Ghaleon at the tower's upper pagoda, where the ritual to transfer Luna's power to him has already begun. Echoing Dyne's earlier declaration on the strength of humanity, Alex's team attacks and defeats Ghaleon as his fortress crumbles around them. With Luna still caught in a trance, Alex attempts to reason with her to leave while the others are teleported to safety. Playing his ocarina, Alex awakens Luna's memories before the two are transported to the surface as the tower collapses, re-uniting with their companions. ==Development==

The remake initially began as Lunar: Silver Star Story, developed by a collaboration between Game Arts and Japan Art Media. Immediately after producing Lunar: Eternal Blue for the Sega CD console in 1994, much of the original staff expressed interest in remaking the first Lunar title on current, more advanced hardware. While the original game contained roughly ten minutes of animation produced internally, the remake features fifty minutes of new, fully animated cut scenes by Studio Gonzo. For the game's first release on the Sega Saturn in October 1996, in-game movies could only display in quarter-screen and low fidelity due to the system's video limitations. This was corrected for the game's second release in July 1997 as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, with the introduction of the Saturn's MPEG card adapter, which allowed for full-screen playback at better quality. Both Saturn versions would be published by Kadokawa Shoten. In May 1998, Silver Star Story was ported to the PlayStation system in Japan by Alfa System. This version, while retaining all the extra features of the second Saturn release, including full-screen movies, was unable to produce the same high-fidelity playback as its video card-enhanced predecessor. The company originally expressed interest in localizing the Saturn version under the name ''Lunar: Silver Star Story Director's Cut to be released in Fall 1996. When Fall 1996 arrived the localization was still in its early stages, and the release date was accordingly pushed back to the fourth quarter of 1997. Working Designs stated that its conflict with Sega of America would not impact the four Saturn projects from Working Designs which were already in progress, but though the other three all were released as promised, Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete was not. Work began on the PlayStation version in 1998. Silver Star Story Complete was headed by company president Victor Ireland, who also served as head translator and localizer. Like the original game, the English version features a lighthearted, non-literal interpretation of the original Japanese script while retaining the same basic story, which now includes American pop culture references, breaking the fourth wall, and slapstick humor. Working Designs initially announced that the PlayStation version would be released in North America in August 1998, just three months after the planned Japanese release. A Windows-based PC version of Silver Star Story'' was released in Japan in December 1999 by DigiCube featuring higher resolution graphics and video playback. Working Designs had expressed interest in bringing this version to North America in 2002, but claimed that the English version was too buggy and unstable to be released. ==Audio==

The music for Silver Star Story Complete consists of entirely new background themes by Noriyuki Iwadare. When creating the music for Silver Star Story Complete, Iwadare drew from his own experiences, admitting that he was trying to put a personal touch on his work and "express [myself] through [my] honest emotions". Each song was divided into four categories: town or village, dungeon, battle, or field; each with their own pacing and emotional direction. Iwadare described the game's music as "very well received" according to fan feedback. was added to the game to heighten the emotion of Alex and Luna's departure into the world, which was kept at Mizoguchi's insistence even as material was being cut for time. The characters' voices are used in pre-designated cut scenes, animated interludes and when using special attacks in battle. The English cast was composed of family and friends of the Working Designs staff, as well as local talent from the area. ==Reception==

The Saturn version of Silver Star Story was well received in Japan, with Weekly Sega Saturn Magazine recognizing it as one of the most memorable gaming experiences of 1997. It would go on to sell 200,035 copies in the region by the end of 1996, with the MPEG full-motion video version selling an additional 8,346 copies in 1997. The PlayStation version received a 7 out of 10 score from Hyper PlayStation magazine, remarking that although it contained lower quality visual effects and movie playback than the previous Saturn releases, it still remained a solid role-playing game. Silver Star Story PlayStation version sold 44,802 copies in Japan, enough to qualify for Sony's PlayStation the Best distinction, and was subsequently re-released in Japan in April 1999 at a budget price. Silver Star Story Complete sold over 223,000 units within its first year in North America, including the entire production run of the four-disc collector's edition. The game became the highest-selling Working Designs title to date, and the second highest-selling PlayStation role-playing game of 1999 behind Final Fantasy VIII. English reviews of the game were typically favorable, with critics such as Electronic Gaming Monthly remarking that Lunars "plot, writing and voice acting are about the best you'll find", awarding the game an editor's choice gold award. GameSpot simply described the graphics as "truly dated", adding that many of Lunars aesthetic qualities could be re-created on a Super Nintendo. In 2000, Silver Star Story Complete ranked 22nd in IGN's list of top PlayStation games of all time, while in 2001 Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it 75th on its list of the top 100 games of all time. Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, and stated that, "See, playing an upgraded Lunar now is a bit like getting to watch a digitally enhanced Thundercats with Dolby Surround: you're either going to think that's really cool, or you won't. If you do, then the entire package [...] will satisfy the most avid completists." ==Legacy==

The game's engine and several design concepts, such as fully animated video interludes and collectible bromides, would later be used in the development of Magic School Lunar! in 1997 and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete in 1998. Working Designs used the game's strong sales as justification to produce the English version of Eternal Blue Complete in North America, which also featured an elaborate collector's edition. A four-part Japanese novelization of ''Silver Star Story's'' events would later be written by Kei Shigema and published in 2001. Silver Star Story Complete would be the first of three major revamps of the first Lunar game. In 2002, a new version of the game developed by Media Rings was released for the Game Boy Advance handheld system under the name , with the title's English version being the first game in the series not published by Working Designs, but rather Ubisoft. Later in 2010, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony was released for PlayStation Portable, marking the last major revamp of the series. On September 24, 2024, GungHo Online Entertainment announced that an enhanced version of the game and its sequel, Eternal Blue Complete, will be included in the Lunar Remastered Collection. Both titles are based on their PlayStation releases and add brand new English voice over, remastered visuals, and expanded options. It was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on April 18, 2025. ==Notes==