Magic School Lunar!
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| Magic School Lunar! | |
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| Developer(s) | Game Arts Kadokawa Shoten |
| Publisher(s) | ESP Software |
| Release date(s) |  November, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Platform(s) | Sega Saturn |
| Media | Cartridge |
Magic School Lunar! is a console role-playing game developed by Game Arts and manga publisher Kadokawa Shoten for the Sega Saturn in Japan in 1997. It is an enhanced remake of Lunar: Walking School with updated graphics, newly added anime cutscenes, and a more complex story.
Though the game was mildly successful, released about the same time as other Lunar series remakes as Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete, it was never made available outside of Japan, and continues to be a collectors item for fans of the series.
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[edit] Story
The story for Magic School Lunar! is very similar to its original version: A girl from the quiet town of Burg is selected to enroll in a prestigious magic school located on an island called Ien. Together with her best friend Lena, she makes her way to the school only to find it initially deserted, with only the students present. Eventually they find the teachers, but are soon caught up in a plot by a villainous sorcery to unleash an ancient evil on the land.
Though the game was released after Lunar: The Silver Star, it takes place hundreds of years before it, and although few references exist to tie the two games together, it undoubtedly subscribes itself to the same lore.
[edit] Gameplay
Several enhancements have been made to the game to make it more appealing to a modern audience. While the first game was limited to the hardware restrictions of the Game Gear, the new Saturn version boasted a larger color pallete, more sophisticated music and sound effects, and the ability to handle full-motion animated sequences placed sporatically throughout the story. The use of a Saturn Memory Card could also ensure more save slots.
The game handles itself very much like a traditional CRPG, with turn-based battles which yield experience points required for leveling up, giving the characters access to new abilities and making them stronger in the process. Unlike the original version, battles now have the characters sprites present on the battlefield instead of viewing it from a first-person perspective. The animations for spells and attacks have been considerably upgraded as well.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Playable Characters
Ellie (Voice Actress: Michiko Neya (根谷美智子)): The heroine of the story, Ellie is a somewhat reclusive girl from the town of Burg. For most of her life she worked as a farm-hand on her family's estate, spending time with her best friend Rena. However, he family had fallen on hard times, and when the opportunity arose where she could have free room and board if she enrolled in the magic school, her father signed her up right away.
Rena (Voice Actress: Hiroko Konishi (小西寛子)): Ellie's best friend since the two were children. Unlike Ellie, she's very vocal, and, despite her upbringing, has a penchant for wearing fancy clothes. She's self-conscious about her height, but won't let anyone push her around about it.
Senia (Voice Actress: Yuri Shiratori (白鳥由里)): A young beastwoman who attends the school with Ellie and Lena. Naturally athletic and skilled fighter, she's also quite handy with magic. Her brash and outgoing nature made her fast friends with Lena.
Wing (Voice Actor Hiro Yuuki (結城比呂)): A quiet, mysterious boy who enrolls in the school after the other characters. Gifted with strong magical abilities, he excels in his studies, yet there is much about him no one knows about.
Blade (Voice Actor: Isshin Chiba (千葉一伸)): A new character introduced for the remake. A strong fighter who is only semi-skilled in magic, Blade makes up for his shortcomings in casting with skilled swordplay.
Ant (Voice Actor: Satomi Kohrogi (こおろぎさとみ)): Leader of a group of bullies who attend the school, Ant is a crafty trickster who relies mostly on his speed and wits. He likes to tease Ellie and Lena, which often gets him into arguments with them.
[edit] Non-playable characters
Kule (Voice Actor: Miki Narahashi (ならはしみき)) and Rick (Voice Actor: Konami Yoshida (吉田小奈美)): Ant's friends and fellow miscreants.
Barua (Voice Actress: Yuri Amano (天野由梨)): A dark-haired women who is secretly a member of the Vile Tribe, a group of dark magic users banished to the uninhabitable Frontier years ago. Together with Memphis, she plans resurrect an ancient evil.
Memphis (Voice Actor: Kaneto Shiozawa (塩沢兼人)): Power-hungry leader of the Vile Tribe and extremely accomplished sorcerer. Together with Barua he plans to resurrect his dark master.
D: An ancient evil that resembles a floating face with plans to take over the world of Lunar.
[edit] External links
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Lunar: The Silver Star • Lunar: Eternal Blue • Lunar: Walking School • Lunar: Dragon Song |
