Translation by Kizyr, LunarNET Please use proper attribution. -- Cover Mega Drive Fan August 1992 Issue * Full of scoops and new info Phantasy Star IV Landstalker Dark Wizard Special Plans: * Full of information on Lunar and Game Arts Lunar: The Silver Star & Game Arts Fan FEATURE 1: * Just released! Guide through the early stages, maps, and monsters!! Lunar: The Silver Star - GUIDE, VOL. 1 FEATURE 2: * Pre-release! Complete commentary on the game's first five stages and maps!! Thunder Force IV - GUIDE, VOL. 1 -- 04 Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole Phantasy Star IV Dark Wizard: Dark Wizard's Revival -- 05 Feature 1: Attack Special Lunar: The Silver Star Vol. 1 Strat. Guide The epic RPG for the Mega CD that's consistently been at the top of our readers' rankings has arrived. We have detailed maps and explanations of the game's opening acts! This completely special issue is chock-full of information you want to know, from strategies and weapon and item prices to monster data!! [...] Comic, novella, and a hidden background story from Game Arts!! Lunar: The Silver Star & Game Arts Fan -- 12 [It's Phantasy Star IV!] -- 13 [...we don't plan on translating this now, sorry...] -- 53 SPECIAL Lunar: The Silver Star & Game Arts Fan To commemorate the release of Lunar, Mega Drive Fan's extra special mini-feature is full of information on Lunar and Game Arts!! Contents Idol Zoom Up!! Lunar and Kikuko Inoue - 54 (Manga) Prologue of Lunar ~End of a Journey~ - 56 (Manga) Luna ~Love's Debut~ - 60 Hiper Exciting Reader's Lunar Voice - 64 Lunar Character Contest Results - 66 (Novella) Lunar: The Snake Ring - 67 Way to the Game Arts Fan - 72 Coming Soon Game Arts - 75 Cover Illustration by Toshiyuki Kubooka, (c) Game Arts / Studio Alex -- 54 [Interview with Kikuko Inoue. Kikuko Inoue was the voice actress for Luna and Alex in the original Lunar: The Silver Star. This was one of the first video game roles she was ever in, and very early in her career (her first role was in 1989, and this was in 1991-1992). Since then, she's been in hundreds of other roles, but the only other Lunar role she was ever in was as Luna again in Lunar: Eternal Blue.] -- 55 [Sorry, this interview is long and we don't have plans to translate it right now. All I'll say is that Kikuko Inoue is seventeen.] -- 56 [RAIN SOUNDS] The unique story of "Determined Alex" is here!! Prologue of Lunar: The Silver Star ~End of a Journey~ Author: Kei Shigema Illustrator: Tsukasa Nishino [RAIN SOUNDS] Y... you... look like you just died Ah.. do you mind...? This child...? Take care of her, please. Raise her as your own. This girl, was she abandoned? (Is she ok?) I don't know. She survived the earlier battle. ! I see... How awful... -- 57 [CREAK] [WAHHH] You... you're still here! ! Oh, perfect. Come here! ! Noah, is this your child? What is his name? [WAHHH] Oh, he doesn't yet have a name... he's a newborn... As you see, he's sick right now and has been crying... [WAHHH] Hm... Who is this child? [WAHHH] Da [WA] Da... Da... ! Ba Haha Haha Huh... Ba ba Da da This is a shock. This is the first time... he's stopped crying like this. It seems like magic... -- 58 How are the children? Ah <3 Those two are getting along. They're playing in the crib <3 Seems like they've taken a liking to that little animal Da Da Ba? I see. The one that was wrapped up with the girl... Mi <3 Mi <3 [FLUTTER] I would be very grateful if you would look after them... We would be just like parents to the girl Oh <3 Of course! We would be more than happy to <3 [CLUNK] I see That's good... then, I can leave with no regrets... What!? What.. what was that just now!? ...Look [CRASH] !! I am already dead. Do you understand? [RUMBLE] Th... That's... The man you once knew is no longer part of this world B... But... [RUMBLE] [DOWNPOUR] I... must go now... Thank you. -- 59 Wait! At least give these children names! Names? But... Well In that case... That man... I don't know what he showed those two, but... they knew what 'it' meant. Then... Name the boy "Alex" And name the girl "Luna" ...that's right He was dead. And call the little one "Nall". The couple who lived in the village were entrusted with the children... Farewell... After that, no one ever saw him again... The couple also never told anyone about that day. Thank you... ...my master... And so 15 years would pass... and the two children and one animal's story would begin ~FIN~ Send your impressions of this manga here! [address of Mega Fan Drive] -- 60 Lunar: The Silver Star ~Love's Debut~ By: Toyoshima "U" Hey! I'm Nall. I'll be your guide! Here are the 'starting members' of the RPG "Lunar"! Alex: The RPG's protagonist who, after receiving a promised artifact, sets off on a heroic and legendary adventure! Ramus: The half-wit fat kid who's trying to make some money! Nall: Not saying anything here! Luna: She's great at singing! She disappears after a while! [POW] Hey! What are you doing! You dumb fool! You can't be giving away plot twists in the intro! Relax, Alex! Any RPG fan would be able to tell right away what the important characters' real roles are! And of course, I'm really the-- Extra Lunar Development Info: Part 1 [At the bottom is a special blurb on the backgrounds of various people who contributed to the series, and its production.] -- 61 What is this? He was giving away spoilers to the game! Aw, how awful Nall! I'll sing for you. Luna, honestly, I was just kidding with Alex... Luna, you sing is so well. You're just like the goddess! [SLASH] [SLASH] [SLASH] Wh... what? N... n... n... nothing! [PULL] [STRETCH] [SCUFFLE] Alex, you don't have time to play!! Whoa! Oh, the fat kid's pushing himself What is it? What is it? Did you forget that we were given a ring and diamond by the White Dragon?! I know what the White Dragon expects of me! And that is... [HRMMMM] Rather than 'we were given', I think you mean 'we took'... To invest it and multiply my wealth ten-thousand-fold in a large city across the sea! That's just talk... Extra Lunar Development Info: Part 2 [At the bottom is a special blurb on the backgrounds of various people who contributed to the series, and its production.] -- 62 In the great city of Meribia, Luna can go professional with her music, and we can make lots of money! Not me? Really!? Yeah Luna's singing is already the best! You can listen to her right from the opening act of the story! That's just talking about the game... We'll sell action figures, posters, plastic sleeves, pencil boxes On top of that, we'll get movie royalties! We're on fire! One day, even the Magic City of Vane will be mine! It's gonna be awesome! What to do, what to do. I can't leave behind Alex's parents. Hm Hm But this is my one chance What should I do? Hang on Alex! You're in the background! What the... I didn't think I would witness your extra-large debut in this backwater island, babe But the idol of Vane, Lady Mia, won't be sullied by this low-class barbaric frontier smelly filthy place! Oohh! Incidentally, I'm Nash, member number 00001 of the Mia Fan Club. I can also use magic. Mia's bromide, signed (premium) Extra Lunar Development Info: Part 3 [At the bottom is a special blurb on the backgrounds of various people who contributed to the series, and its production.] -- 63 Lunar: The Silver Star ~Love's Debut~ Oh, how awful! The genius, Luna, has left Caldor Island! I have a feeling we'll take the Katarina Zone's art scene by storm! Hrm... Didn't think this was the story... Hrm... Mew I don't know how, but the helm has been taken over by the mysterious half-beastwoman, Jessica! My turn was earlier, but I figured I would just take the wheel By the way, we've been drifting across this sea for 66 years and 36 days! She'll be an old woman by the time we reach the continent... I'm all-white ...So let's introduce the epic RPG, "Lunar: The Silver-Haired Star" thank you, thank you Awful! Change your tone... You jerk... You little... Do your job right! Jerk! Argh! I forgot to mention, this game's locations take a year and a half to explore, and the epic story... the character's dialogue is constantly changing The fight scenes incorporate "advancing" and "retreating" on the battlefield... Now's a good time for that. flap flap All right! Send your impressions of this manga here! (address of Mega Fan Drive) Extra Lunar Development Info: Part 4 [At the bottom is a special blurb on the backgrounds of various people who contributed to the series, and its production.] -- 64 [Fanart from Lunar fans] -- 65 [Fanart from Lunar fans] -- 66 SPECIAL LUNAR by our readers, Game Arts, and Studio Alex Character Contest!! RESULTS Winner: Luna 1084 points Cute and gentle, and such a wonderful singer that it makes one jealous, we have our ideal heroine, Luna, as the winner of the contest. Kikuko Inoue, the voice of Luna, commented that she was happy upon hearing the news. Second: Mia 901 points Recognized as the game's premier lady, next we have Mia. She was a contender for the top versus Luna right to the end. Third: Alex 528 points Since we never divided the votes between the boys and the girls, overall Alex came in third place. Isn't the protagonist supposed to be the strongest!? Fourth: Jessica 475 points Never mind how she's "better than the boys", really in fourth place we have Jessica. But her father is... (much further down the list!) Fifth: Nall 405 points Nall is the mascot character, but still popular according to the ladies' ballots. With our heroine Luna, the ladies take the lead! In Mega Drive Fan's June issue, we collected responses for our Lunar character contest. In the end, from the production side we also had Game Arts and Studio Alex casting their votes. As a result, the heroine Luna won the contest, and the ladies of the story topped the list. We thought the result was going to be predictable since most of the voters were men, but Alex, despite being the protagonist, was down at third place. And all lonely at the bottom is Mel, the mayor of Meribia. And this is probably after all of the joke ballots went to the least likely contenders (?) Quark and the Magic Emperor. The game has only just come out, but we wonder about the impression of these characters once people really see them. Check out the rest of the contest results here. (After Nall, Tempest and Kyle split the female vote in two) Who are the producers' favorite characters? Well, we thought we would present some of the comments of the people at Game Arts and Studio Alex who actually worked on Lunar and participated in the contest. Incidentally, the most popular person among the developers' side was Ghaleon. Game Arts: Chief of Development, Mr. Uesaka Voted For: Laike Reason: Well if you neglect your elders then you'll later come to regret it. But I wonder if he doesn't look a little too "grizzled" here. Lead Developer, Mr. Sato Voted For: Ghaleon Reason: He's probably a good guy. Lead Developer, Mr. Azumi Voted For: Xenobia Reason: Her character was drawn with the most power. Studio Alex: Chief of Programming, Mr. Tomi Voted For: Tempest Reason: I would like to have had a fianceé at that young an age. Lead Storywriter, Mr. Hino Voted For: Nall Reason: While writing the story, he was the most useful. "When you're in trouble, call Nall!" Lead Storywriter, Mr. Shigema Voted For: Mia Reason: Her large chest (laugh). Sixth Place and Below: 6th: Fresca 365 points 7th: Tempest 209 points 8th: Kyle 186 points 9th: Ghaleon 162 points 10th: Magic Emperor 143 points 11th: Xenobia 123 points 12th: Quark 117 points 13th: Ramus 105 points 14th: Nash 95 points 15th: Laike 75 points 16th: Lemia 70 points 17th: Mel 33 points -- 67-71 Lunar: The Silver Star STORY The Snake Ring Original Story: Takashi Hino Illustration: Toshiyuki Kubooka, Shunji Suzuki One more short story, before Alex set off on his adventure One day, the magic in the "Snake Ring" that Alex received from Ramus suddenly struck out at Alex and Luna while they were practicing their song at the forest springs... Presenting an original backstory written by Lunar's scene writer! [There are no plans to translate the entire story at this time. Sorry...] -- 72 With this article, you can become a Game Arts fan, or a Game Arts superfan!? WAY to the GAME ARTS "FAN" This is a little introduction to Game Arts, who have released a number of titles on the Mega Drive since their introduction to the market. Game Arts is on the Mega Drive!! Here we have a direct interview with Mr. Miyaji, the head of Game Arts! Game Arts is a top-tier developer on the PC, with hits like Thexder, although their history on the Mega Drive is very brief. We decided to ask company president Miyaji about why, after a history of development for PC, they decided to enter the Mega Drive market. Youichi Miyaji The managing director and president of Game Arts Co. Ltd. Born in 1963 in Kagoshima. In 1985, hile enrolled in the law school at Kokugakuin University, he founded Game Arts, which is where he is today. He has high expectations for CD-ROM-based software, and also an interest in the Mega CD. (It's really cool that he founded the company while still in college...) CD Game Expectations MD Fan: What were the reasons for Game Arts entering the Mega Drive market? Miyaji: We had originally developde for only the PC, but one day, the PC-8801 era gave way to the PC-9801 era. So, we were at the point of thinking about how to develop for this new media, and around the same time the Mega Drive system had been released. Among home video game consoles, I'd heard that the Mega Drive [and specifically the Mega CD] had the best CD-ROM capabilities; after investigating it for ourselves, we decided to go ahead with development for the Mega Drive. MD Fan: So even before development, you intended to work with CD-ROM. Miyaji: Yes, we wanted to work with CD-ROM from the start. Even while developing for the PC, our sense was that to develop the best games we would need to shoot for that. Whether for RPGs or action games. In order to create movie-like production. That is why we wanted to use CD-ROM. Therefore, we researched and put together one game that used ROM, and then we went onto developing the next game using CD-ROM. MD Fan: So, you don't intend on developing any more games just using ROM? Miyaji: That's correct. MD Fan: Game Arts games always have such high user ratings. What do you think is your secret to that? Miyaji: If you just play them then I think you will understand; but to me, it's because of the story at the heart of each game. First we develop a storyline, then, in accordance with the image of the game, we build out the game itself. That's why once you play through a game, you feel satisfied as if you had just seen a movie -- that might be the reason. [Continued on next page] ("My dream is to create educational software, where you can learn while playing," says President Miyaji.) [At the bottom are two panels showcasting Game Arts' earlier releases. The first is Thexder, an action game for the PC. The second is "Gambler Central" ("Gambler jiko chuushin ha"), a mahjong game for the PC.] -- 73 [Continued from previous page] Miyaji: Also, technology that enabled live-action images, like in the game "Tenka-Fubu", were also considerably raising the level of what games were capable of, I think. Relationship with Gainax MD Fan: "Alisia Dragoon" and "Lunar" are names that often evoke the name Gainax -- why is that? Miyaji: We've always had exchanges with Gainax, considering their various specialties... While Game Arts was working with PC games, we frequently exchanged information regarding their animation techniques and know-how. MD Fan: And that know-how is how you were able to accomplish the animation in "Lunar", then. Miyaji: For a major project like "Lunar", with its epic story, two hours of animation was not surprising. With that, it cost quite a bit of money to bring Mr. Kubooka on board to do the character designs and bring it to life. MD Fan: On the other hand, Game Arts had no plans to use Gainax's original animation and PC games for development [on Lunar], correct? Miyaji: The demand was high, but for me, I would rather have Gainax enter the Mega Drive market directly. Lunar II MD Fan: Are there any plans to make a sequel for "Lunar"? Our readers have had a lot of demand for sequels to games like "Alisia Dragoon" and "Tenka-Fubu"... Miyaji: There are plans for one. Sequels for "Lunar" and "Tenka-Fubu" are currently in development. However, there aren't any current plans for a sequel to "Alisia Dragoon". (Gainax is famous for the PC game "Princess Maker". There is high demand for porting it to other systems...) (If there is a "Lunar II", what will be in it?) [In the center is a panel showcasting Game Arts' earlier releases. This is for Tenka-Fubu, a war simulation game covering the warring states period of Japanese history, for the Mega CD.] What kind of company is Game Arts? Game Arts is a company that was founded in 1985, and until their entry into the Mega Drive market, they focused solely on PC games. Since then, they have pushed the limits with their games, porting to the IBM-PC and similar systems, and receiving international praise for their games. These days, they aim to use more visual techniques and movies to give a sense of realism to their games. (Game Arts is on the 7th floor of this white building in Ikebukuro, Tokyo.) [On the bottom-left is a panel with basic information on Game Arts' name, location, operating capital, etc.] Game Arts History 1985 Game Arts founded (Tokyo, Setagaya Ward, Ikenoue) Begins PC game development "Thexder" (morphing robot action) released "CubyPanic" (action puzzle) released 1986 Company moved (Tokyo, Setagaya Ward, Wakabayashi) "Silpheed" (3-d shooter) released "Thexder" released in United States 1987 "Gambler Central" ("Gambler jiko chuushin ha") (mahjong game) released Company moved (Tokyo, Toshima Ward, Ikebukuro) "Solitaire Royale" (card puzzle) released "Zeliard" (action RPG) released 1988 "Gambler Central 2" ("Gambler jiko chuushin ha 2") (mahjong game) released "RBI Baseball" (baseball game) released "Veigues" (robot action) released "Gambler Central 3" ("Gambler jiko chuushin ha 3") (mahjong game) released 1989 "Gambler Central Mahjong Puzzle Collection") (mahjong puzzle game) released "Fire Hawk" (sequel to "Thexder") "Janou Touryuumon" (Japanese pro mahjong league game) released "RBI Baseball '89" (baseball game) released 1990 "Harakiri" (war simulation) released Company starts development for Mega Drive "Gambler Central - Masayuki Katayama's Mah-Jong" released 1991 "Janou Touryuumon II" released "Tenka-Fubu - Hero's Roar" released 1992 "Alisia Dragoon" released "Lunar - The Silver Star" released Bravo Alex! Dr. Moreau - Luna's point Sing, Luna!! It's CD-ROM! - Cool opening Animated, too It's CD-ROM! - Follow the protagonist And the greedy chubby guy It's CD-ROM! - Delayed release date! Jan. 1 > Jan. 31 > Feb. > Mar. > June It's CD- -- 74 The debut of the Game Arts development room, where several hit games came from!! "The pride of a small but select few" is how President Miyaji describes it, and as expected the development staff at Game Arts is surprisingly small. Yet, once you see the opening of a game like "Tenka-Fubu", it's clear that their skill at creating games stands out from the rest. This is the top secret Game Arts development team, whom we'll introduce below. (Every development team is completely silent.) Game Arts Development Team Introduction Dev Team 1 Lead: Youichi Miyaji Founded in May 1990. They were founded originally to create action games like "Alisia Dragoon", but they now focus on RPGs like "Lunar". They are now turning their attention to all new games!! (These are the people responsible for "Lunar". Great job, everyone.) Dev Team 2 Lead: Takeshi Miyaji Founded in May 1990. They were founded mainly to create puzzle games for the PC, but fundamentally they can develop for any genre. They're responsible for "Gambler Central", "Tenka-Fubu", and "Silpheed". (These are the people who created the amazing opening to "Tenka-Fubu".) Dev Team 3 Lead: Satoshi Uesaki Founded in April 1992. They are a new development team founded by President Miyaji, with the stated goal of "creating games with visuals and movie-like production". They are mainly responsible for adventure games with plenty of animated parts. "Yumimi Mix" is one of their games. (Here is everyone who worked on the debut game "Yumimi Mix". Looking forward to seeing more from them.) Communication with Studio Alex Here, we speak with the Studio Alex team who, together with Game Arts, was mainly responsible for the development of "Lunar". There were some interesting things that came up during our discussion with them. - MD Fan: Do you remember the game development process as being particularly difficult? Tomi: Of course, making it through to the end was incredibly tough. Hino: When the release date started to get pushed back, I started feeling sick to my stomach. I thought, 'this is bad, we had better hurry up'. Akashi: I was really scared of the calendar. Tomi: Really scared... Akashi: When I looked up, it was like the months were flying by. Tomi: Yeah, I was even scared of seeing the next day... Hino: Even now as we speak. MD Fan: Is there talk of a "Lunar II" in the works? Tomi: I really don't like the name "Lunar II". Shigema: We'd like to have the animation style of something like "Mobile Suit Gundam". MD Fan: President Miyaji of Game Arts really loves Gundam, doesn't he. Tomi: I feel like we could make that into a "Lunar II" (laughs) MD Fan: There's a bath scene with the female characters of the game, isn't there? Tomi: Really, a scene of Alex coming across Luna bathing in a spring in the forest... was supposed to be there. Shigema: There is one scene, everything has to bathe sometime (big laugh). MD Fan: In that case, what were you thinking, Mr. Shigema? Akashi: Back to the harsh direction of Mr. Shigema (laughs). Shigema: Well then, it basically comes from a demo game I did long ago with a shower scene in it. Hino: If just one developer wants it, then it makes it in (laughs). MD Fan: Well, then if there is a "Lunar II", will there also be a bathing scene? Shigema: Of course. There has to be. Akashi: We'll make a public promise to (laughs). Shigema: Or rather, in the drama [CDs or additions]. Tomi: Well, since it's a CD-ROM there are many possibilities. (Something happens at this spring...) Studio Alex Members Kazunari Tomi Studio Alex's president, director, and chief programmer. Toshio Akashi Responsible for music production--everything from overall progress to everyday tasks. Kei Shigema Responsible for the game's story and text, and drafting all the characters. Takashi Hino Responsible for the story, and for miscellaneous tasks throughout development. Bravo Alex! Dr. Moreau - -ALEX- Well, I've come here to see the original creator of Alex. - Over there is Mr. Kubooka, the character designer, hard at work. - There are two giant piles of drafts of the female characters. Impressive... And, of me, the protagonist, there are... - ...just three drafts! I don't like drawing guys -- 116 MSRP 7800¥ (w/o tax) -- 117 A world bathed in twilight. An impending darkness. What shadow blocks the light!? This one!!