Lunar Remastered Collection review for Nintendo Switch

System: Switch
Release date: April 18, 2025
Developer: Ashibi / Game Arts
Publisher: GungHo

There’s a kind of magic that only summer can hold – long days, the hum of cicadas, and for me, the unmistakable excitement of borrowing a PlayStation game from a new RPG-obsessed friend I’d met at summer day camp (shout out to Nik from the YMCA Day Camp program, you were legit.) I was twelve, sunburned, full of cheap cookies, sugary artificially flavored red drink, and a sense of adventure. The game was Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete. I didn’t know it then, but that disc would become one of the most formative RPG experiences of my awkward little middle school life.

Now, over twenty years later, Lunar Remastered Collection brings both Silver Star Story Complete and Eternal Blue Complete to modern platforms, and I’m honestly floored. Not just because these games are back – but both exist in two forms: the original preserved PSOne version, and the lovingly touched up HD remastered version. Now, I finally get to experience Lunar 2, a title that always felt like a unicorn: whispered about, impossible to find, and always just out of reach… Until now, that is!

The Lunar series began in 1992 with Lunar: The Silver Star on the SEGA CD, developed by Game Arts and Studio Alex. This title was notable for its use of CD-ROM technology, offering players stunning animated cutscenes, studio voice acting, and a rich musical score – all features that were groundbreaking at the time. The game quickly garnered a dedicated fan base, leading to the release of its sequel, Lunar: Eternal Blue, in 1994. This sequel expanded upon its predecessor with a more complex narrative and enhanced production values. The re-translation was regarded as a huge boon for the series, enthralling players all over to fall in love with this wonderful setting. Lunar’s amazing world building and lovable cast of characters were very well-received.

Both games were later remade with significant enhancements. Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete were released for the PlayStation, featuring improved graphics, additional story content, and refined gameplay mechanics. These versions are the ones included in the Lunar Remastered Collection, bringing the classic tales to modern platforms with further enhancements, including an improved battle tactics menu, more advanced AI skill and magic usage, and a wonderfully fast battle speed up option that doesn’t speed up the rest of the game, just the fighting. You can even freely load your save between these to see the cutscene differences and other changes.

One of the most striking things about revisiting Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete and experiencing Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete for the first time is how different they feel emotionally—like reading two chapters of a novel written years apart, with the author growing between them. Personally, it feels like a game that grew up alongside me, two different perspectives, years apart. And while 1000 years has passed in Lunar and only a handful over twenty for me, things do change.

Silver Star Story is, at its heart, a warm and earnest coming-of-age adventure. You play as Alex, a wide-eyed kid chasing dreams of heroism and dragon-slaying with the kind of optimism that makes you believe the world is, ultimately, a good place. It’s a tale about friendship, courage, and stepping into the footsteps of legends. There’s a softness here like unto a Saturday morning cartoon feel where even the darkest moments are softened by hope and wide-eyed determination. You feel like the world will be okay if you just keep going, and as you saunter on through even the rough parts, you keep that fire of optimism burning somehow, because you are young and don’t really know the pitfalls and tribulations of life yet. Alex’s ability to continue to push forward is inspiring and a testament to the fire that burns in the hearts of the young. Truly, an inspired youth is unmatched in their fervor to accomplish a heartfelt goal.

Eternal Blue, by contrast, carries the weight of history. It feels older, not in the way of dated mechanics, but in its worldview. The characters, especially Hiro and Lucia, are tangled in questions of destiny, divinity, and what it means to carry hope in a broken world. The humor is still there (and honestly, bless Working Designs for keeping the sass levels incredibly high for these games), but the emotional beats hit in some… rather tender areas. There are both incredible loss and real sacrifice, moments when it feels like the characters might not get a happy ending—and that feeling lingers throughout the narrative. There’s a lot more anxiety heading into this adventure, but with a more polished mind and mature view on the world, taking it on sounds daunting, but the right thing to do usually is. Never has anyone over 30 been pressed with a true world-saving task and also blessed with the ability to snap right to it without copious amounts of coffee and acetaminophen, and coming to terms with that is a rite of passage for true adulthood. Sometimes, its just going to be hard to get out of bed, and it doesn’t matter if you’re off to become a Dragon Master or save the entire planet — you’re getting that coffee, and the world can wait. 

Those familiar with Lunar’s first release likely also cut their teeth on 16-bit pixel-art based RPGs. As a turn-based RPG, slipping yourself into Lunar’s gameplay will be like putting on an old favorite hoodie – cozy, comfortable, well-worn, and perhaps a bit outdated for current times, but well loved and more than fit for purpose. The Lunar games are both wonderfully crafted from the ground up around a tried and true formula. From the beautiful pixel graphics with colorful forests and crystal caves, to the full length actual songs sang throughout the game, fully animated cutscenes being the icing on the proverbial cake for this experience. And remember, the first versions and remakes of these are both experiences that were entirely made in the 90s. These more than just stand the test of time, but are a valuable window into what could be accomplished with enough polish and attention to detail. Lunar and its sequel can truly be considered works of gaming art.

As we take charge of our protagonist, your general adventuring standards will apply: you will have a party of combatants to control. Your Flap Cat (er, dragon) will attend to your needs sometimes, by either biting an enemy hopefully to death, dropping a heal on you, or just flitting about like a proper little mascot creature should. By assigning attacks, abilities, and magic spells against your enemies, your party will execute these actions and hopefully come out victorious. Fighting over time will grant characters enough experience to level up and increase their parameters, sometimes also learning new skills or abilities as well. As you learn what each character has available, make sure to try out different effects on enemies. Some status conditions in Lunar are absolutely bonkers and can be utilized to make fights that you find yourself struggling with into a cakewalk.

Exploration is also a huge focus in Lunar. As you explore, you’ll encounter a lot of townspeople who have a lot to say. Each town is bustling with activity, shops are always stocked with upgrades, and you’ll be able to see the world of Lunar really feel alive. Dialogue is charming and full of lore, so you’ll be learning about the world around you as you go. This world is rife with conflict, politics, and scheming opportunistic evil guys – so you’ll have to be on your toes if you want to complete your adventures! Keeping your eyes peeled for paths and hidden crannies is also a good idea. Treasure chests are scattered all over the world, full of little treats to keep your party happy. Dungeon puzzles are also fun and uniquely challenging as well. In the very first dungeon of the first game, you’ll be needing to actually use the map’s enemies in order to move forward, which wasn’t a very commonly seen choice in dungeon or RPG design in that time period, and honestly felt amazing to go back to – things like this are now so commonplace in gaming that they are hard to appreciate! We’ve certainly come a long way.

There’s something special about coming back to Lunar. It’s not just a return to a game, but to a feeling—a whisper of a summer long gone, the whir of a PlayStation disc spinning late into the night, the gentle nudge of a story that wanted you to believe in something bigger than yourself.

Playing Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete again all these years later, I was surprised by how quickly it all came back. From the song lyrics, the earnest dialogue, the goofy enemy names and the sincerity that runs like a sparkling silver thread through it all. But Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete, which I never got to experience until now, hit in a different way. It’s older and wiser. Sadder, maybe. But more nuanced. It feels like the series grew up just enough to speak to who I am now, not just who I was at twelve, and while both myself and Lunar 2 are completely different from our previous iterations – we are still so very much the same. The twelve-year-old RPG maniac is still inside my heart, and she loved finally getting to see Hiro and Lucia’s adventure.

Lunar Remastered Collection is not a simple and nostalgic repackage. I’d like to look at is as more of a respectful reintroduction. The enhanced pixel art is vibrant and expressive like a child’s joy, the music sounds warm and inviting like your grandparent’s living room, and the modern touches never get in the way of what made these games sing in the first place, just like having a nice coffee or a beer while you sit down to play isn’t going to hurt anything. It’s a love letter that knows its audience has grown up, but might still need a reminder of the magic they once believed in – the fire in your heart never truly dies, friends. For newcomers, it’s a window into a golden age of RPGs that wore their hearts proudly on their sleeves. For returning fans, it’s a homecoming. Either way, Lunar is still dreaming of the stars – and after all this time, I still look up when the sky is clear and I dream of them, too.

Lunar Remastered Collection copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.