SEGA-CD Jrpg 1995

Lunar: Eternal Blue

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Game Arts' Lunar sequel set 1,000 years after The Silver Star — Hiro and Lucia travel across a changed world with a party facing darker stakes than the original. Lunar: Eternal Blue is considered by many fans the superior Lunar game, with a more complex romance, a longer journey, and Working Designs' most accomplished localization.

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💡 Lunar: Eternal Blue — Key Facts

→ Lunar: Eternal Blue was developed by Game Arts and published by Working Designs
→ Released in 1995 on SEGA-CD
→ Genre: Jrpg
→ We rate it 9.2/10 — an absolute classic
→ Part of the Lunar franchise
→ Game Arts' Lunar sequel set 1,000 years after The Silver Star — Hiro and Lucia travel across a changed world with a party facing darker stakes than the original. Lunar: Eternal Blue is considered by many fans the superior Lunar game, with a more complex romance, a longer journey, and Working Designs' most accomplished localization.

Overview

Lunar: Eternal Blue is the sequel that surpassed the original. It’s longer, darker, more emotionally complex, and has the finer soundtrack. Working Designs’ most accomplished localization. The romance at its center is more difficult and therefore more affecting than The Silver Star’s.

Players who love the Lunar series almost universally reach the same answer when pressed: Eternal Blue.

Hiro and Lucia

Lucia arrives from the Blue Star cold and purposeful — she has a mission, she knows what she is, and she doesn’t need the boy who found her or the companions who follow. The development from that opening to what Lucia becomes across the fifty-hour journey is the game’s primary project.

The romance grows slowly enough to be earned. Hiro’s persistent warmth against Lucia’s initial distance creates the specific tension that makes the relationship interesting to watch develop. When the game’s final revelations demand what they demand of Lucia, the emotional weight is possible because of how long the journey was.

The Iwadare Soundtrack

Noriyuki Iwadare scored both Lunar games, but Eternal Blue is considered his peak. The compositions for the journey’s emotional crescents — the music playing during the moments players remember most — are precisely matched to their context. The game doesn’t separate its music from its story; they’re written to function together.

The vocal tracks that appear at specific story moments gave players music that wasn’t background to what was happening but was part of it. Players who remember those specific scenes remember the specific music playing.

The Working Designs Voice

Working Designs’ localization of Eternal Blue added personality with more confidence than any previous localization. The companions — Ronfar’s sardonic humor, Lemina’s openly mercenary attitude toward magic, Jean’s physical comedic timing — come across as distinct people rather than dialogue delivery devices.

This is what Working Designs was trying to do in all their localizations. Eternal Blue is where they did it best.

Our Review

9.2

Outstanding / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

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Audio

★★★★★

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Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Lunar: Eternal Blue is a traditional turn-based JRPG set 1,000 years after The Silver Star. Protagonist Hiro meets Lucia, a mysterious girl descended from the Goddess Althena, and travels with companions including Ronfar (a gambler-priest), Lemina (aspiring magic guild head), Jean (dancer and martial artist), and Leo. Combat uses the same turn-based structure as The Silver Star with expanded abilities and longer dungeon sequences. Five-disc Sega CD release. The PS1 remake (Eternal Blue Complete) adds additional content.

Graphics

Eternal Blue's animated sequences exceeded The Silver Star's — more sequences, longer, with refined Studio DEEN animation. The world design is larger and more varied than the original.

Audio

Noriyuki Iwadare's sequel soundtrack is considered the franchise peak — emotionally complex compositions that serve the game's deeper romantic narrative. Vocal tracks include pieces that players consider among the finest in the JRPG genre.

Replayability

The story's emotional resonance motivates return visits for many players. The longer runtime (50+ hours) and expanded world make revisits substantial commitments.

Historical Significance

Lunar: Eternal Blue (1994 Japan, 1995 West) is considered by many the finest Sega CD JRPG — a sequel that surpassed its original in emotional depth, narrative complexity, and musical achievement. Working Designs' most acclaimed localization. The PS1 Eternal Blue Complete remake updated the game similarly to Silver Star Story Complete. The franchise's reputation is built on both Lunar games; Eternal Blue is frequently the one fans cite when pressed to choose.

✅ Pros

+ Noriyuki Iwadare's peak Lunar soundtrack — exceptional emotional depth
+ Hiro and Lucia romance is more complex than Silver Star's relationship
+ Expanded world with more diverse environments
+ Working Designs' finest Sega CD localization
+ Superior companion cast with more distinct personalities

❌ Cons

- Five Sega CD discs required — significant disc-swapping during play
- Longer than Silver Star — 50+ hour commitment
- PS1 Eternal Blue Complete is more feature-complete
- Requires Silver Star context for full emotional impact

Also Known As

Lunar Eternal BlueLunar 2: Eternal Blueルナエターナルブルー

Lunar: Eternal Blue FAQ

How does Lunar: Eternal Blue relate to The Silver Star?

Lunar: Eternal Blue is set 1,000 years after The Silver Star's events. The world has changed: the goddess Althena has departed, the Dragons have gone, and the magical structures of the first game's world have transformed into new societies. The Silver Star's characters are legendary figures in history. The connection to the first game is thematic and mythological rather than direct — Eternal Blue builds on the world The Silver Star established, but Hiro and Lucia are new characters facing a new threat. Players who know The Silver Star's story will recognize references and connections; Eternal Blue is understandable without playing the first game but more emotionally resonant with that context.

Who are the main characters in Lunar: Eternal Blue?

Lunar: Eternal Blue follows Hiro, an adventurous young man living with his grandfather near Lucia's Moon, who encounters Lucia — a mysterious woman who descends from the Blue Star (the Moon in the original game, now another world) claiming to be an emissary of Althena. Lucia is initially cold and purpose-driven; her relationship with Hiro develops as the journey changes her. The party includes: Ronfar, a former priest-turned-gambler with a painful past; Lemina Ausa, descendant of Mia from The Silver Star, pursuing magical power; Jean, a dancer and skilled fighter; and Ghaleon... whose role in Eternal Blue surprises players familiar with the original. The antagonist Zophar and his Four Heroes drive the main conflict.

Is Lunar: Eternal Blue available on modern platforms?

Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete (PS1, 1998 Japan, 2000 West) is the definitive version — a significant remake adding new content and updated anime sequences. The PS1 version is available through PlayStation Network. A PSP port was planned but cancelled. The original Sega CD version is accessible through original hardware and emulation. Lunar: Remastered Collection, announced for modern platforms, was expected to include Eternal Blue. For new players, the PS1 Complete version is the recommended entry point for content and accessibility reasons.

What makes Lunar: Eternal Blue's music exceptional?

Noriyuki Iwadare's Eternal Blue soundtrack is considered the franchise — and by many players the JRPG genre — peak for emotional musical storytelling. The compositions for key story moments, particularly those surrounding Lucia's character development and the game's emotional climaxes, are matched to their scenes in ways that make the music inseparable from the memories. Vocal tracks for the game — performed by different vocalists than the first game — include pieces that players cite specifically when discussing their most memorable game music experiences. The soundtrack is available separately and is considered a landmark of Iwadare's extensive JRPG soundtrack career.