Manual
Lunar: Eternal Blue (Sega CD)
Manual Scan courtesy of GamesDatabase.org
This page will contain text of only portions of the manual. For the full glory of the Working Designs manual, please refer to the link above from GamesDatabase.org.
Welcome back to the magical world of LUNAR! Over a thousand years have passed since Dragonmaster Alex and his companions crushed the evil ambitions of Ghaleon and rescued Luna. From that time forward, LUNAR was at peace.
With the passing of time, however, the details of that epic conflic were lost. But, ancient writings scattered in the ruins around LUNAR bear silent witness to LUNAR’s mysterious past. A boy named, oddly enough, Hiro, is fascinated by these stories. He lives with his grandfather Gwyn, an archaeologist who has shown him the wonder of history. Now, Hiro and his longtime friend Ruby often steal away to expore the ruins nearby - even though Gwyn has told them to go without him.
The story that fascinates Hiro most is the one that tells of the time when Althena in human form, a dragonmaster named Alex controlled the four dragons, and a magic city flew in the sky. To most, these stories seem like fairy tales, but to Hiro they seem just as real as the smell of Grandpa Gwyn’s liniment in the morning.
Many believe that the inhabitants of LUNAR lived on the Blue Star before the Goddess brought them to this world. Hiro hopes to find a link between his world and the Blue Star by exploring the ancient ruins near his Grandpa’s home. There are so many questions to be answered, and, unfortunately for all, the answer is coming…
Hiro Hiro is an adventurous youth who is greatly influenced by his grandfather’s love of archaeology. Legends of the four dragons, dragonmasters, ancient battles, and the Goddess Althena fascinate him. He hopes that by unlocking the secrets of the past, he will be able to understand the future. Although he’s not supposed to explore the ancient ruins near his home without his grandfather Gwyn, Hiro and Ruby frequently break this rule. Fortunately, he’s pretty handy with a boomerange.
Ruby Ruby has been Hiro’s constant companion for as long as anyone can remember. She claims to be the offspring of a dragon, but Hiro doesn’t quite believe her. Like another little dragon, she has a bad habit of speaking her mind at the wrong time. Sooner or later, this little wisecracker’s bound to get Hiro into a lot of trouble…
Lucia Lucia is quite a mysterious young lady. She is haunted by nightmares about the future of LUNAR. She also seems troubled by a terrible secret she cannot share. Despite her strong magic skills, she seems to be a little naive when it comes to dealing with other people. She has trouble containing her emotions and looks to Hiro for guidance and protection. She is only concerned with Althena, and begs Hiro to help her find the Goddess. Will her mission cause the ruination of this world?
Gwyn Gwyn is an aging scholar who dreams about making his mark in the world of archaeology before he dies. He’s devoted his entire life to the study of the Blue Tower and similar ruins, and has become a notable expert. He’s taught Hiro and Ruby how to explore the ancient ruins near his home, though he’s warned them never to go there without him. But, will Gwyn’s quest for fun and adventure turn out to be his last?
Lemina Lemina is the Junior Premier of the Magic Guild of Vane. Unlike her mother, Miria, she doesn’t seem to understand the legacy of the great magicians that inhabited this ancient city, and doesn’t seem to possess any of their noble qualities. Instead, she seems to be a very selfish and arrogant girl who’s only concerned with money. Yet, at times, she does let people see her softer side. Despite her greedy demeanor, her magic skills are extremely powerful. Can Hiro afford to have her in his party?
Jean Jean is a fan dancer in the Carnival and is highly valued for her talents. She is a tomboy with a big-sister comoplex, who tends to be a bit overbearing at times. She tends not to develop strong relationships with people. However, Jean is an extremely talented fighter. Those in Carnival say she was trained to fight as a child. Unfortunately, her past is goign to catch up with her, and it may not be a pretty sight!
Ronfar Ronfar is rumored to have been a priest for the Goddess Althena. He possesses impressive healing powers. When he was unable to save his true love from an evil spell, he swore he would never use magic again. He now spends most of his time in bars winning people’s money. He also tends to make decisions on a throw of the dice. His dice, like his charm, seem to be magic, because they never let him down. He’s a womanizer who’s always concerned about the fairer sex, and they’re usually all too happy to return his affections!
? This ghost from the past will emerge from the shadows to forge a new alliance. In times past, he found for the protection of the Goddess, alongside the legendary heroes of that time. Since he last appeared on LUNAR, he has mastered a host of new magics, making him extremely powerful. He seems to be misunderstood by the people of LUNAR. Some believe that he is serving the Goddess, while others are convinced that he’s turned to the service of evil. You’ll have to decide where his allegiance lies yourself.
Althena Ever since the death of the last Dragonmaster, Alex, the Goddess Althena has not been seen in the land. She is rumored to have locked herself inside the walls of the holy city of Pentagulia. Despite the world being at peace, Althena is not the same person that many have come to love and respect. In fact, the people are in a state of unrest, and the winds of change are blowing. Many are saving that the bonds of Althena are too oppressive, while others are wondering how Althena become an oppressor in the first place. What’s happened to her?
? This mysterious stranger is the leader of the DragonKids (also known as the Lostest Boys) of Taben’s Peak. Because his impressive fighting skill and strong leadership, he’s earned the respect of his loyal followers. Granted, they’re just orphaned children who don’t know any better, but they need someone to look up to, even if it is this guy. Due to his recent raids on travelers, he’s become a wanted outlaw. Fortunately, he’s got a master plan. Seek him out, he has many secrets that will no doubt aid you in your quest.
White Knight Leo This part-human, part beast is a staunch supporter of the Goddess Althena. In fact, he is the leader of Althena’s Guard, a group of elite soldiers sworn to protect and uphold the orders of the Goddess. Althena has granted Lord Leo the use of the Dragonship Destiny. The Destiny allows him to roam freely around the world of LUNAR to keep the inhabitants safe. His skill as a swordsman is unmatched by any human. He is searching for a Destroyer that has come to LUNAR. Can Hiro help him find it?
Blue Master Lunn Lunn is the current governor of Meribia. He looks after many of the towns in the area, keeping them out of harm’s way. He has also established the town of Horam to further instruct people in the martial arts. The people that know Lunn think he is the greatest of the four heroes, but he views himself as a humble servant to the Goddess, at least in public. Some have come to question Lunn’s true motives. If only they knew his secret…
Black Wizard Morgan Despite his rather ghastly appearance, Borgan claims to have a heart of gold. His magic is without equal among any person in the known world. Since he draws upon the power of the Black Dragon for his strength and magical abilities, he has an endless supply of power. His primary goal is to bring the Magical Guild of Vane back to its original glory, but in a glorious all-new city he has designed. He spends most of his time in service to the Goddess Althena, but he still finds time to help people develop their magic skills. Will Borgan have a task for Hiro at the Guild?
Red Priest Mauri Mauri, like her brother Leo, is whole-souled in her devotion to the Goddess Althena. By drawing upon the power of the red dragon, Mauri is able to carry out her priestly duties for the Goddess. The people find Mauri to be very quiet, yet friendly to be around. Before becoming one of the four heroes, Mauri was in love with Ronfar. They were to be married, until fate stepped in and decided otherwise. Mauri chose to give up her former way of life in order to serve the Goddess. Will fate step in again and decide a new future for her?
LUNAR: Eternal Blue has taken almost three years to complete. It features twice the text and over four times the amount of animation of the original game. Games of this quality do not come cheap. LUNAR 2’s production cost exceeded $2,500,000. In Japan, the game cost players the equivalent of over $100, and they paid it eagerly. Since we were against that kind of bloated price tag, regardless of how mind-shatteringly wonderful we thought the game was, we decided early to keep the MSRP at $62.99. But, we weren’t going to cut any corners in the production or packaging of the American product.
For LUNAR: Eternal Blue, only minor things were changed from the original Japanese version, simply because the Japanese version was so incredible. First, the SAVE feature was modified to add cost to each save. We’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time, and the experience system in this game finally gave us the opportunity. We felt that this would make the game more challenging by making you, the player, decide if the necessity of a save was worth giving up valuable magic experience points. Second, we made it so that the combat system remembers which magic was selected by a character. This seemingly small change makes combat much faster, and therefore less tedious. Third, we added the second song to the CD in standard 44.1 Khz CD audio form. In the original Japanese version, you could only hear the second song in the game, since it was part of an animation sequence that was compressed. There was just enough space on the CD to fit this second song on in full CD audio, so we put it on so that users could listen to it whenever they wanted. Fourth, special music was added to the sequence within the Star Dragon tower that provided a better fit with the “mood” of the game at that point. Finally, as has become customary in our games, at the end of the game a number of outtakes from the recording process are played. Since the project was so large, there were actually quite a few chosen this time around. We hope you enjoy them - let us know if you want even more of this kind of “extra” in our future games.
One thing long-time fans will notice in this manual is that our listing and descriptions of magics and weapons remains very austere. We get a few letters complaining that we’re forcing people to buy the hint books because we don’t detail everything you can use in the game. This seemed a good time to explain our position. The whole point of a Role-Playing game is to “Role-Play.” Your character doesn’t necessarily know the exact effect of the spells or weapons they gain until they try them out. Likewise, we feel that the trial and error adds to the game. There’s a sense of discovery when you finally figure out what obscure spells do and, if it’s a cool and useful, wonder as well. Listing absolutely everything in the manual will take that away. We look at the manual as a “starting point.” It gives you the basics, and you’re free to roam from there. But, if you absolutely can’t live without knowing everything, there IS a hint book available.
This is our last game for the SEGA-CD. The time has come to move on to the Next-Generation platforms. Look for our first Saturn project soon, as well as a number of announcements regarding our expanding product line. So, enjoy Eternal Blue, and keep those letters coming! We’ll see you on Saturn!
Posted on: 29 December 2024
