After a couple of server transitions, Record of Lunia War, more commonly known as Lunia, is returning for another chance at MMO supremacy. The game has the look and feel of an arcade beat-‘em-up, much like Gauntlet Legends, mixed with the RPG feel. Others might agree that Lunia can be a top contender if the game was released in the coin-op or console market. But is the game good enough to live as an MMORPG?
Lost in Lunia
The epic of Lunia gold begins with the gods of Rodesia Continent. The gods – Lunia, Foriel, Ceres and Wlydur – created their own respective races (humans, elves, hobbits and orcs) to inhabit the land of Rodesia. These gods gave divine protection towards their created races, and in return, they needed their race’s faith and worship to maintain their divine power. In time, the races conflicted with each other due to differences in religious beliefs, causing an all-out war. Upon the end of the war, the gods agreed to tone down the attributes of each race to prevent further conflict. Many years later, the dominant races are on the move again. To what purpose it will serve, no one knows.
The story is typically based from the likes of Lord of the Rings and other fantasy-related titles. It shares the common plot of a racial war, wherein one race tries to dominate in a power struggle to rule over the land. Lunia’s story is predictable and uninspiring, to say the least. Plot-related missions give out monotonous battles against the typical evil races or characters. Nothing in the game’s story will surprise you because of the common plot devices present in most fantasy stories. You are strictly limited to choosing four main characters (and two unlockable ones via quest) playing their part in the game’s progression. However, Lunia’s unique features make the game interesting, in a sense that gives players a certain feeling of accomplishment similar to console RPGs.
Lunia’s presentation of Rodesia is different from your typical MMORPG. The game is divided in to stages, having at least 10 instanced sub-stages each. Each main stage tackles an “episode” of Lunia’s story, focusing on the main characters. The map of every sub-stage is laid out in a straightforward manner, just one direct path leading to the end. Monster groups are fixed in certain locations of the map, with usually no chances of respawning. At the end of the path is usually a boss character or monster. Therein lays the frustration for item-farmers. You have to repeat a sub-stage time and again just to get your fix on loots. The sub-stage finishes off with a scoring system that calculates your exp according to the rank you’ve achieved upon finishing, determined by factors such as combos done and time spent. Your rank also determines the bonus prizes awarded after every sub-stage. For completists and casual gamers alike, achieving the highest ranks per sub-stage not only heightens the challenge, but also reaps the best rewards and the highest amount of exp.