Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete - Reception

Reception

The Saturn version of Silver Star Story was well received in Japan, with Weekly Sega Saturn Magazine recognizing it as one of the most memorable gaming experiences of 1997. The PlayStation version received a 7 out of 10 score from Hyper PlayStation magazine, remarking that although it contained lower quality visual effects and movie playback than the previous Saturn releases, it still remained a solid role-playing game. It sold enough to qualify for Sony's PlayStation the Best distinction, and was subsequently re-released in Japan in April 1999 at a budget price.

Silver Star Story Complete sold over 223,000 units within its first year in North America, including the entire production run of the four-disc collector's edition. The game became the highest-selling Working Designs title to date, and the second highest-selling role-playing game of 1999 behind Final Fantasy VIII. A heavy media push in magazines and websites brought recognition to the game, and alerted customers that Working Designs planned to cease production of the title starting December 31, 1999. English reviews of the game were typically favorable, with critics such as Electronic Gaming Monthly remarking that Lunar's "plot, writing and voice acting are about the best you'll find", awarding the game a 9 out of 10 and an editor's choice gold award. The game's translation was equally applauded by PlayStation: The Official Magazine, calling it "spotless", and remarking that Working Designs' unique humor was applied to every bit of text in the game, including weapon descriptions. Official PlayStation Magazine remarked that "what little lacks in visual punch, it more than makes up for in style, story and wholly engrossing gameplay" calling attention to the game's programming and extra packaging.

The game's two-dimensional graphics were among its most panned feature, with GamePro commenting that the "flat battle areas, wimpy spells, and itty-bitty enemies will assault your eyes", citing the in-game animated cut scenes as the only saving grace. Game Informer conversely declared that the animated interludes were grainy and often would not display in true fullscreen, but remarked that it was "really a small gripe because Lunar has an entertaining story filled with enjoyable quips". Gamers' Republic recognized the inferiority of Lunar's graphics to current role-playing games, but nonetheless found them "charming". GameSpot simply described the graphics as "truly dated", adding that many of Lunar's aesthetic qualities could be re-created on a Super Nintendo. Technology magazine Silicon Mag called the game a "masterpiece", awarding it a 95% rating and declared it an asset to the game industry, calling it "a game that will sell systems, with gamers actually buying PlayStations just to play it". In 2000, Silver Star Story Complete ranked 22nd in IGN's Top 25 PlayStation Games of All Time list, while in 2001 Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked it 75th on its list of the top 100 games of all time.