Impressions thread

[MiaOne]

Julie, you really need to use spoiler tags. Not everyone is as far as you are. I put everything into a spoiler.

Well, it IS the impressions thread. I thought people would KNOW it's going to contain spoilers. I mean it's only common sense :-p I haven't even read this thread, I just posted.

Oh and DevNall, those were TOTALLY males. Isee through that veil.

[PrettyGirlJean]

Now that I've completed the game I thought I'd put in my two cents... for better or worse ^^; Some of my opinions may have come from misreading something or just altogether missing something, so I do make sure to state what I'm unsure about. I'm sure you guys will be able to clear up any of my misconceptions and I look forward to hearing your thoughts ^_^y

[spoiler]
Gameplay:
The battle system was horrible in my opinion. Nearly made the game unenjoyable for me. It's not that I disliked the two different modes (in fact I liked them). What made the system horrible is that weapons and armor were HIGHLY expensive and monsters could easily break and/or steal them. For example, I was in the White Dragon Cave and got this Dragon Coat for Jian. Then, I decided that I needed to get some items from battles to make some deliveries for more money so I went back down to the Sungrid Bridge. Not more than a couple of battles in and my Dragon Coat was broken. Another example is how I spent all this time in Virtue Mode just to open a blue chest I missed and I get this nice expensive item and equipped it and then not more than 5 or 10 battles later (and this is in a different area mind you) bam! Gone!

Now to top this all off, you can not choose which monsters to attack during battle. If the monsters couldn't steal and/or break your equipment then it wouldn't be so bad. But the only balanced battles, in my opinion, are boss battles. None of them ever broke or stole my stuff. And since in most cases there's only one creature that alleviates the whole choosing process.

The sprinting and HP loss was no big deal. A slight annoyance at the beginning but that's it. I'm not sure why this was an issue in earlier reviews of the game.

Oh and whatever happened to that Light/Dark aspect? Maybe I missed something but wasn't there going to be a feature where you turned the monsters from dark to light? Just wondering thanks!


Music and Sound:
Excellent. This really was appreciated. I enjoyed the music and it really helped my mood when it was starting to go sour from the annoying battles. Even though it wasn't Iwadare that worked on this one, I could still hear familiar Lunar melodies and it really helped give the game that Lunar feel despite the battle system changes. In fact, the music was really the only thing that I even liked about battles. I especially liked the music from Sungrid Bridge and Obleage.


Graphics:
These were very nicely done. Again, this added that Lunar feeling to DS that could compare with the other Lunar games. I didn't mind so much not being able to explore all on my own (although I would've preferred to), and it did make up for all the time wasted having to walk through the forests to get places. Of course Kubooka's artwork is beautiful and it just wouldn't seem like a Lunar game without it. I really wish there had been animation sequences. Especially after hearing that the NinDS could handle them! But, I don't hold it against the game, it's just unfortunate. Also, even though it wasn't a big deal, I'd prefer the classic side view of battles. The characters wouldn't necessarily have to be chibi, but I didn't care too much for the set up in this one. The moving around kind of hurt my eyes since it was one such a small screen too. But overall, that's of very little concern.


Story:
The story, I feel, had a lot of unexplained things. But I'm not sure if this is intentional since there was talk of a sequel. I think that in some cases it parallels TSS/SSS a little too much. For this reason I think Ignatius was a really hollow villian (which I'll touch on more under the characters section). I feel the story could've been much stronger had the characters been stronger. It had a ton of potential, a lot of good ideas, but I really think it fell short. Sure I had some expectations of the game, but I was being realistic going into this... I just felt the story didn't hold up. I didn't feel in a few areas it was original enough. I feel that it started strong actually. I liked the light banter between Jian and Lucia, but then it seemed like everything happened so fast afterwards. I didn't get any sense of time either.

Characters:
Nothing here. I didn't care about the characters that much. I mean I cared enough to continue playing to see how everything ended. But you really don't get a sense of their backgrounds and/or lives. You don't even really know how Jian met Lucia. I guess he just bumped into her one day. But with such a small population why wouldn't he question where she came from? Obviously he at least got around to Perit Village, did he think she perhaps came from Healriz, or another continent altogether? I mean, he knows nothing about her so how can he really love her? Love her enough to risk his life and others to save her? And Jian himself seems pretty selfish. I mean he eventually wants to save the world and he does want to prove that humans aren't as bad as Beastmen think, but his real focus is always Lucia. I remember that both Alex and Hiro although they very much wanted to save Luna and Lucia they also really wanted to save Lunar (Alex wanted to be a hero before Luna was ever taken). I'm really not convinced that Jian was a true hero. Not only does Jian not question Lucia, but it never explains what she thinks of her own past. Does she know where she came from? If not, why doesn't she question it?

We know just as much or less of all the other characters as well. Gabryel I would say is probably the most interesting character of the game. Simply because she has a past with Rufus. Again, we have no clue what it is. I think they had something or could have had something between them. She cared about him when they found him injured just before Lucia was kidnapped. It was even mentioned (for no apparent reason I guess) that when Beastmen find a mate it's usually "the one". But then maybe it was just a friendly caring and that was that. From Rufus' end you could tell he definitely wanted to protect her, but really you can't be completely sure it isn't just because it's his duty. Again, no character developement. I think maybe I was really trying hard to see something that may not have been there. Speaking of Rufus, I couldn't have cared less when he died. He showed up to take Jian and Lucia away, then he showed up and was owned by Gideon on the bridge, then he fights with you briefly before he's killed. And that is it for him. However, I did find it interesting how he said he couldn't be killed or some such (I thought perhaps that he was a Dragon in disguise or at the very least something more than a Beastman). Flora, she just kind comes out of nowhere. I'm not even sure why she's so eager to help a complete stranger. I mean I guess she could want to join Jian's cause because he's against the Vile Tribe. I wouldn't say that's a lame reason... but to her what makes Jian any different than the hundreds of strong warriors that came there ahead of him that King Zethos spoke of? Maybe there was something she saw in him, but again, never explained.

Althena seemed pretty... not powerful. I don't understand why she wouldn't recognize Jian. Granted maybe when she was "reborn" in Lucia it erased Lucia's memories but couldn't she, as THE Goddess, see the good in Jian and the evil in Ignatius? I mean it makes her seem like a simpleton that she just trusts Ignatius. She questions nothing. Can't she tell he's from the Vile Tribe? It was said at the end of the game that she must've been reborn at least once or twice before this time so she should know about the Vile Tribe being evil or at the very least opposing the other inhabitants of Lunar, shouldn't she? I mean, it's not as though the Dragonmaster controls HER if anything it's the other way around right? He's suppose to protect her, so wouldn't it stand to reason she'd check with the Dragons... oh wait they're gone! Why is that? Hmm, you'd think she'd wonder why. I don't care too much for the representation of Althena in this game. It was cool that we get a chance to interact with the real Althena even if only for a little while... but the people she's reborn as seem smarter than her... but I don't know, maybe Althena was a lot like Lucia(EB)... she didn't really understand human emotions? I don't know. At least that's the impression I get from this Althena. I'm not sure exactly how long she was in existence (or the Blue Star for that matter), so maybe at this point in Lunar history even the Goddess herself is relatively young and naive. Now I know some people have said that the reason Lucia still had pink hair and whatnot is probably because she hadn't fully transformed into Althena yet, and that's a good theory, but it's not confirmed... as is with a lot of other things I've mentioned. Like how Ignatius as a Dragonmaster is powerful enough to kill her with a fireball...

As for Ignatius, you practically know nothing of him. His main motive is that he wants to rule the world and control Althena's power. That's it. TSS/SSSC much? Sure, he felt that the Vile Tribe was being punished by being forced into the Frontier... but that's also something else I'm not entirely clear on. It seems at least that Althena didn't have anything against the Vile Tribe, in fact her last words before she faded at the end of the game she said that she wanted all inhabitants of Lunar including the Vile Tribe to live peaceful among one another. So, I'm really not sure why the Vile Tribe feel oppressed. Maybe it's because they look evil? Anyhow, Ignatius seemed like a pretty hollow villian as I said before. He definitely wasn't a Ghaleon or a Zophar as far as villians go. Heck I'd go so far as to say that Mauri could've kicked his butt blinded folded with her hands tied behind her back. Heck, I'd go so far as to say ANY of the supporting Lunar characters from TSS/EB could've kicked Ignatius' rear.

I guess it's okay for their to be two Dragonmasters for a period of time. How long is that period? Who knows. Really, no explanation. One of them had to die. If they didn't? Would they both have lost their powers at some point; maybe cancelling each other out? I really would've LOVED to have seen so much more with the two dragonmasters. I mean this game had SOOO much potential... really!


Dialogue:
While there wasn't any actual voice overs (which I am a little disappointed about), the dialogue wasn't bad. There were a few places where I didn't agree so much with it. Such as Ignatius' constant use of the word "Whelp". Also, whenever the party would arrive at a Dragon Cave, which was obviously a Dragon Cave they'd all wonder if it was the cave or not. Although this isn't horrible, and doesn't make the game bad, I think it's something they could've just left out.

Packaging:
I didn't care too much for the picture on the cover. I wish it had just been the one they advertised with before that had Lucia on the left and Ignatius on the right. I think the manual was really nice as well.
[/spoiler]

One last note, I heard that for a 'handheld' this game was good. What exactly does that mean? I'm not sure why a handheld would be any different than a console game. Not a PSP or a NinDS game at any rate. I can see how older handheld systems such as the regular gameboy wouldn't have been able to produce something this nice... but everyone has said that the NinDS has the capability of great animations and voice overs... so why would someone use that as a point? I am just curious, honest!

Thanks all!

[Agawa]

- Why is Rufus called a human when he has beastman ears, beastman muscles, and a beastman special attack? Looking in the import manual, it's clearly a typo in the US one.

- The import cartridge is also much more attractive, again showing Jian and Lucia instead of a boring logo.

Yeah, the errors in the manual had the dual effect of cracking me up, while at the same time annoying me. I was also quite disappointed in the actual cartridge, although it's nothing to make a fuss over. At least it's some small comfort that the import's prettier.

Anyway- my impressions of the game, from a few hours in.

First off, the battle system. This is in my opinion, easily the worst aspect of the game at this point. Not only do I find auto-selecting incredibly boring, it's also quite annoying. If a monster has a high chance of breaking my equipement, say, I will want to defeat it first off, not whenever Jian feels like it.
The only part of this that I feel is really redeming is the ability to speed up the battle- this, at least, saves some of the tedium. Although I'm still pondering why it's not just an option.
Finally, there's the dual battle systems. While I didn't mind this, I do wish you at least got money instead of almost useless items. However, it's not a huge deal.

Dialogue so far, while much better than Lunar Legends, is still disappointing. Between the overuse of exclaimation marks and the complete disregard for proper sentance structure, I often found myself getting annoyed. However, this has yet to become a huge problem.

The character sprites and backgrounds are fitting, and enjoyable to look at. However, so far there seems to be very few expressions for the main characters, something that hopefully will change later on in the game. The battle sprites aren't as lovely as the regular ones, but there's nothing to complain about.
The world map however, I found very tiny. Perhaps it is just me, but I would like to see where I'm going when I'm going there. It saves some of the excitement. Overall, the graphics are lovely, and one of the best parts of this game so far.

The music, like the graphics, is very well done. I found myself lingering on the main screen and world map, just to hear it play out. It's making the game much more playable for me, and being able to replay it in the game is a nice option.

As for the overall gameplay, I do enjoy it. The running is a nice addition, and poses few setbacks. Gad's Express I have bigger problems with. It's a fairly inefficiant and annoying way to make money, especially when you have to run through dungeons when visiting from town to town. It's nice that they at least retained the Althena's statues and save anywhere features.

I'm going to continue playing, and update this when I get a bit further. For one, I haven't yet played enough to comment correctly on the characters or plot. I do hope it turns out well though.

EDIT: Hmm, this is all formatted funny, and I'm not quite sure why. Sorry 'bout that, I'll see if I can fix it some other day.

[Bravo 29]

I'm almost done with the game, gonna play it again, so I thought I'd post.

[spoiler] I agree with PGJ on many facets of the game. Items are stolen and equipment is destroyed far too easily. This was never a factor in the otehr LUNAR games. If it was a special attack meant to destroy armor, I could understand that, but it's not. It's regular attacks from regular enemies. Lame.

Also, Ignatius is an idiot. He has no plausible reason to be evil. He achieved the rank of Dragonmaster, which meant he passed the four Dragon Trials, something an evil man couldn't possibly accomplish. And yet, for no known reason, he decides to overthrow the very Goddess he's sworn to protect. The ijit even keeps the front door to his castle wide open. So much for security. And yet, he's able to keep Althena, who appears to be even more of an idiot, under his control. There's no excuse for her failing to recognize her protector had turned to darkness. Granted, he's not nearly as evil as Zophar, but he's definitely not in her will any longer, yet she does nothing. Inexcusable.

The graphics are very well done. The music suits the mood, although some of the battle tracks are a little iffy to me. Battle Mode B sounds like an Aerosmith tune to begin with. Doesn't it to anyone else? Granted, it's not true exploration like the other LUNARs, but I was willing to play it through. The story is seriously flawed, something that truly irks me. I'm a big story fanatic, and if a game has a good story, I'll keep playing. But from what I've seen, I cringe at what the ending might be. I'll find out when I get there, though. Until then. [/spoiler]

[Alunissage]

[spoiler]I haven't played very far in English yet, but I have the distinct impression that Ignatius was always evil and became Dragonmaster in order to try to take control of Althena. When she discovered this she ran away. Yes, it's still weak. I suppose maybe they were trying to pave the way for Althena being weak enough later for the dragons and dragonmaster to have to protect her rather than the other way around, but it just doesn't work.[/spoiler]

[DaWrestla]

[spoiler]Hmmmm....I'd like to think that Ignatius was originally a good dragonmaster. Just speculation, though.[/spoiler]

[MiaOne]

I finished the game...and this is what I think NOW...

[spoiler]
If I could explain to you in one word what Lunar: DS meant to me, it would be this....Disappointment.

Sure, it was all fun and games in the beginning and I actually did have a lot of fun playing it, but once you started going to the Dragon Caves...it's all routine and very very annoying. Especially the battle system. Oh lordy! I never had so much NOT fun fighting monsters...I would sit downstairs and play DS while my roommate was playing Chrono Cross and wish I was playing her game instead of mine because she had all this magic. What did I have? One spell for Jian at a time and one spell for Gab...wonderful. And all Flora did was heal which made her character seem even more just like a pointless add-on to give you a healer once Lucia was taken away. And once you got futther along in the game, the battles were so long and tedious ...I had a special displeasure in my heart for the "monster caves" you had to face in the Vile Castle once you beat Gideon for the FIRST time. Now let's talk about money...what was that all about? I tired to pick up items in the Moto Rainforest and when I went to a town to sell the items they were worth about as much as they would of been at the beginning of the game! I didn't even get Jian and Flora their final armor because it was too bloody expensive...

The ending was rather lame. Althena could not of been full power if Ignatius shot her down so easily...plus she had this weird light pink/purple/blue hair...I mean she looked pretty, but she looked like Lucia, not the Goddess Althena. So I have come to the conclusion in my mind that she was not full reawakened and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

This game should be cut BIG TIME and made into the first part of a GOOD game in which Ignatius actually becomes and threat and you fight him.

This is the first Lunar game that I have played that I didn't connect to the characters at all. Jian was a blockhead. Gab had personality for about 2 seconds. Flora had no motive what-so-ever, Rufas wasn't around long enough for you to get to like him, Ignatius was a Ghaleon-wannabe, and Lucia...well, I only liked her because she had pink hair. Enough said. None of these characters were all that memorable except maybe in appearance.

About the only think I liked about this game...was when Titus turned into a fairy. He looked like the fairy that heals you at the end of the battles and I liked the thought he followed you throughout the game. Also, the idea that Peres was invovled with Althena and her rebirth gave Flora a little more grounding for going on your quest...quite a few interesting theories could stem from Peres and Flora. They still should of developed her more...she was the least developed of all the characters in the game and that was a shame.

Also who would of rather Jian been more like a TSS Alex where the only lines he had were elipses? ... Me! [/spoiler]

[DaWrestla]

So I have come to the conclusion in my mind that she was not full reawakened and that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

That seems to be what everyone else has come to. So, I concur with you completely on your impression. Well stated.

[Bravo 29]

[spoiler]I haven't played very far in English yet, but I have the distinct impression that Ignatius was always evil and became Dragonmaster in order to try to take control of Althena. When she discovered this she ran away. Yes, it's still weak. I suppose maybe they were trying to pave the way for Althena being weak enough later for the dragons and dragonmaster to have to protect her rather than the other way around, but it just doesn't work.[/spoiler]

[spoiler] You're right that it doesn't work. Althena being weak? Ha! She demolished Vane from the Frontier in TSS with one shot. And who could forget how she raised the Fortress of Althena singlehandedly in SSS. It definitely doesn't work.

As for Ignatius always being evil, I'd have to disagree. If he was truly evil, he would've never passed the Dragon Trials. He would've especially failed the Black and Blue Trials, since they dealt with inner evil and wisdom. Apparently, he lost his way after he became the new Dragonmaster, but again, they don't explain how or why. The gaping plotholes are quite aggravating for someone like myself, who loevs a good story. If they do make another game, I do hope the story's more plausible, because this one leaves quite a bit to be desired. [/spoiler]

[Lunar Eclipse]

[spoiler]I don't exactly understand why Ignatius being able to harm the Goddess is so implausible. I mean, he is a Dragonmaster and hence controls the power of the Four Dragons. I think it's stated in the previous games that only the Dragons and the Dragonmaster have any sort of power rivaling that of the Althena, so shouldn't the Dragonmaster, utilizing the power of all four, be able to at least injure her gravely, especially if she's not fully awakened as the pink hair would tend to suggest? I think everyone's in a huff because he didn't finish her off in a flashier way. If he'd attacked her with some sort of better FMV-based magic, I don't think there'd be as many complaints.[/spoiler]

[MiaOne]

[spoiler]I don't exactly understand why Ignatius being able to harm the Goddess is so implausible. I mean, he is a Dragonmaster and hence controls the power of the Four Dragons. I think it's stated in the previous games that only the Dragons and the Dragonmaster have any sort of power rivaling that of the Althena, so shouldn't the Dragonmaster, utilizing the power of all four, be able to at least injure her gravely, especially if she's not fully awakened as the pink hair would tend to suggest? I think everyone's in a huff because he didn't finish her off in a flashier way. If he'd attacked her with some sort of better FMV-based magic, I don't think there'd be as many complaints.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]
I don't remember anywhere it saying that the Dragonmaster rivals her in power. Of course...Ignatius being of the "magic race" probably could do considerable more damage than a human or beastman. They seem to have the uncanny ability of putting others under their spell. And I'm sure harnessing the power of the four dragons and casting quite a formidable spell could do some real damage to her. However, the spell that shot down Lucia/Althena was not meant for her, it was meant for Jian..so it shouldn't of been powerful enough to scratch her had she been in goddess form. Then again, you just agreed that she probably was not fully awakened so there you go. I just got in a huff because in the game it said something about her being fully awakened. I just couldn't accept that, more because of the appearance than because Ignatius could smack her around...That's not Lunars goddess.[/spoiler]