Lunar Genesis

The world of Lunar has seen multiple incarnations across several media, spanning 14 years and three generations of hardware. It is set in an epic fantasy setting and elegantly presented in a rich, bright visual style. Set a thousand years before previous stories, Lunar Genesis follows a group of young couriers who become embroiled in a fight between the forces of good and evil. This struggle threatens to engulf the entire continent, laying the groundwork for more than 70 hours of portable RPG adventure. With all the standard elements associated with a classic Japanese RPG, Lunar Genesis is excellently suited to take advantage of the Nintendo DS hardware’s advantages. The touch-screen controls all aspects of player involvement, from moving across game areas to map and menu navigation. Both displays are used throughout the game to ensure the player has access to all the information they require. The two displays are also essential to the fighting system, with aerial foes taking up the top screen and typical ground-based soldiers taking up the bottom. Even the microphone is employed as a ‘panic button’ during a fight. The advent of the Coliseum mode, a wireless multiplayer combat where scratch cards acquired during the single-player journey may be used to take on other players, is perhaps the most intriguing element for series enthusiasts and newbies. Participants scratch off squares on a touch-screen, the consequence of which determines the fight flow. The winner receives the loser’s card, which they can use in future Coliseum bouts or to help them in their single-player questing.