Lunar: Dragon Song NDS

This is the first traditional RPG released for Nintendo DS console and a sequel to a well-known series originated in 1993 by Lunar: Silver Star. Dragon Song is set one thousand years before the events in the first Lunar. The magical balance between the humans and the half-beasts is shaken, and you get in the heat of the conflict. In the game you follow the steps of a group of friends (Gabryel, Lucia, Flora, and Rufus) led by a 15-year-old Jian, who wants to save the world from destruction.

The gameplay is built on a turn-based combat, exploration, and dialogues. Winning battles lets you convert creatures of evil to good, raise the experience of your party, or acquire collectible cards. These cards let you activate special abilities of your heroes. Dragon Song offers brand new items and weapons, absent from previous Lunar games, created specifically for this title. Two people can play a card game together using wireless connection and exchange rare items. The game also uses the console’s microphone for voice commands.

Combat is based on the use of double screen system to show ground and aerial enemies separately. Outside of combat the lower screen shows the game menu and statistics. Although the in-game character models are 2D, a simple trick was used to create an impression of the third dimension. The camera slowly rotates around the battlefield presenting the view from different angles. This effect adds diversity to the in-game battle arenas, where you spend the most time while playing Lunar: Dragon Song.

Last updated on 25 June 2015