Lunaria Story: A step into the murky depths of pay to win.
Lunaria Story is available via a client called R2 games, if you’ve read my previous review on Tales of Solaris you maybe familiar with it. It is download quickly through, and with the minimum of installation unlike most MMORPG games. It is a side-scrolling RPG that is most all automated, and the only thing that really matters is the Power number at the top of the screen. It plays very similar to browser based anime games like One Piece, or Gundam Wing but kind of lacks the diversity of team build that comes with them. It is very much a pay to win model that does everything it can to get your credit card details.
Overview
- Very easy to play – just click a button and it plays itself. Can get boring.
- Extreme Pay to Win model – everything is restricted and you have to pay to access more.
- Lots to do and different things to explore.
- Story is a little lack-luster and is totally tuned out through the random quests that have you running in circles.
- ‘Difficulty’ in the sense of losing matches escalates quickly to put pressure on spending.
- Dracule Mihawk makes a subtle and unaccredited cameo.
Character Selection
Is rather basic – you have three classes to choose from: – Swordsman, Elementalist or Hunter. This kind of translates into the class three warrior, mage or archer. The drawing and animation is cool at least. They’ve tried to make it interesting.
That is all the customization options that you get in this game.
The characters do have a skill system, but certain skills unlock at certain levels meaning that you are only really able to apply skills in a set pattern anyway which limits options.
Story
I know there was one at the start, and am guessing the dialogue drives you along through it – but I can’t remember what it was exactly. Some ancient evil rising or something cliched most probably. I most probably can’t remember it as I was too busy reading something interesting, which says a lot in itself. It definitely wasn’t a story that held my attention or interest.
Game-play
The game-play is number driven with no need for skill or strategy at all. All you need to storm through the game is a greater power number. Battles are conducted almost automatically, as are quests. I got so bored on my play through I started to read a book – The Aeronuat’s Windlass by Jim Butcher – it’s okay, his Dreseden series is better. Anyway, focus – back to the game.
There is a lot of things to do in the game to get your power number up – astrology, pets, pet levelling and feeding, gardening, equipment crafting and even a number of different dungeon/battle types that should make the game more interesting and diverse. All action is automated though and is lacking any kind of excitement. Here is a video of a boss, watch the chat screen for my exact thoughts.
Added to the lack-luster and boring game-play is the rampant pay to win system. All side-areas like the gardening have minimal slots and abilities open and you have to purchase the in-game currency to unlock them or progress. It soon becomes clear the main focus of the game is to make you purchase and spend them in-game currency for minimal benefits to you power number.
There is early access to a pet for those of you that love pet games. There are lots of ways to level-up your pet including food and their stats. Leveling pets will increase your power level but is also a system gated by the pay to win model.
Like most games running this model the difference in power between you and the enemy will jump suddenly and rapidly after a few hours with little or no means to progress your character unless you unleash the almighty credit card but even this is a temporary solution.
On the plus side there are many mini games designed to get you spending such as gardening:-
Random events:-
And astrology:-
A story palace which is like a you vs a boss:-
The PVP element is also all automated and has no action to it. You choose some from a list and are told if you have won or not – no on screen battle or anything to hold your interest.
Just looking at the picture is like having the PVP. Yay!
Community
The community was pretty dead.
Before resorting to reading to entertain myself I decided to try the chat room, see if anyone else was alive. I got no responses to any of my cries for help and attention.
There was some activity around town with other players moving about, but no one want to type.
I felt so alone. ☹
Graphics
To be fair, the graphics are pretty decent when you take into account there are no big downloads and it is all mostly website based storage. The animations are cool, the character models look interesting in a typical manga hero way. Even the bosses look pretty epic.
The backgrounds also look interesting in this ranging from a town to a ship to and underwater area where everyone is breathing fine and don’t even look wet.
Overall
A game to avoid if you are looking for a challenge, and is very pay to win. Might be ideal for a young child though as it looks pretty, mechanisms are simple, the game plays itself and they don’t own a credit card.
Game-play: 3/10 Auto-play boredom.
Story 3/10 Lost interest very early on.
Freedom 4/10 There are different things to do but it is all pretty much left click does everything.
Community 3/10 They didn’t talk to me .
Graphics 6/10 Decent for the platform.
