Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Dragon Song’s gameplay leans heavily on the Nintendo DS’s dual-screen and touch capabilities, creating an experience that feels tailor-made for the hardware. The lower touch screen handles menu navigation, item selection, and spellcasting gestures, while the upper screen displays vital statistics such as HP, MP, and enemy status. This division of labor keeps the action uncluttered and allows you to focus on tactics without pausing the flow of battle.

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Combat unfolds in real time with a semi-automated targeting system reminiscent of classic Final Fantasy encounters. Characters stand in place and automatically strike the nearest or most vulnerable foe, removing the need to manually designate targets. While this streamlines battles and keeps the pace brisk, it can also limit strategic depth—especially when dealing with enemy formations that call for precise targeting or coordinated attacks.

Dragon Song also introduces a unique reward mechanic: defeating enemies grants either experience points or items, but never both. This encourages careful grinding and resource management, as you’ll need to decide whether to bolster your party’s level or stockpile healing herbs and equipment drops. Currency is earned exclusively through item sales, shifting the focus of exploration toward looting and inventory management rather than treasure-chest hunting.

Outside of battles, exploration is straightforward but engaging. You guide Jian and Lucia through forests, caves, and ruins in a classic top-down perspective, using the stylus to interact with NPCs, solve environmental puzzles, and collect hidden treasure. Although the world map isn’t as sprawling as some console RPGs, each area feels hand-crafted, with subtle puzzles that reward attentive players.

Finally, the balance of difficulty remains accessible for newcomers while still presenting a few gauntlets for series veterans. Boss encounters require judicious use of healing items and special abilities, making every victory feel earned. The game’s save-anywhere feature on the DS further lowers the barrier to entry, allowing you to pick up and play without lengthy backtracking.

Graphics

Dragon Song embraces the anime-inspired art style that has come to define the Lunar series, translating it onto the DS with surprising fidelity. Character portraits and battle sprites are crisp and expressive, with fluid animations that give each spell and sword strike a satisfying sense of impact. Even on the small screens, the vibrant color palette shines through, making every village and dungeon feel full of life.

The top and bottom screens work in concert during combat: the lower screen shows detailed character animations, while the upper screen provides clean, readable status bars and battle logs. This split display may initially feel unconventional, but it ultimately enhances readability and keeps the action unobstructed. Enemy designs range from cute slimes to imposing draconic horrors, each rendered with enough detail to distinguish their attack patterns at a glance.

Exploration graphics lean on classic JRPG tile sets, but with modern touches—dynamic lighting, animated environmental effects like flickering torches and falling leaves, and occasional parallax scrolling in key areas. While the DS’s resolution imposes some limits, the art direction cleverly uses bright colors and bold outlines to prevent sprites from blending into the backgrounds.

Cutscenes are presented as static illustrations with voice-over snippets, rather than fully animated sequences. Though this conserves cartridge space, it still conveys character emotions and plot developments effectively, thanks to strong artwork and well-timed text boxes. Occasional full-screen splash images bookend major story beats, providing memorable visual highlights.

Overall, Dragon Song’s graphics strike a thoughtful balance between the series’ anime heritage and the technical constraints of the DS hardware. Fans of the Lunar franchise will appreciate the consistency in character design, while newcomers can enjoy one of the more polished 2D presentations on the platform.

Story

Dragon Song casts you as Jian Campbell, a humble delivery boy who unwittingly becomes a hero when his routine monster-fighting gig with childhood friend Lucia goes awry. The game quickly introduces the high stakes: the four elemental dragons sent by the goddess Athena are in peril, and their protection is vital to the balance of the world. This familiar “young heroes saving the world” premise unfolds with genuine warmth and occasional levity.

Lucia stands out as both sidekick and equal, offering witty banter and practical support throughout your journey. Their friendship grows organically from playful rivalry to genuine care, giving emotional weight to the game’s more dramatic turns. Along the way, you’ll meet a cast of allies and antagonists—each with their own motivations tied to the dragons’ fate—in classic JRPG fashion.

Dragon lore is woven into every town and dungeon, with statues, manuscripts, and NPC recollections shedding light on Athena’s ancient reign. This world-building is never overwhelming: short dialogue exchanges drip-feed backstory and maintain forward momentum. Recurring Lunar themes—faith in the goddess, the importance of trust, the coming-of-age of inexperienced champions—are handled with sincerity rather than cliché.

Pacing remains steady, alternating between exploration, skippable dialogue segments, and brief cutscenes to highlight key revelations. While some plot twists are easy to anticipate, the emotional beats land well, especially in climactic moments involving the dragons themselves. The ending brings the main threads full circle, offering both closure for the protagonists and a fitting tribute to Lunar’s legacy of high-fantasy storytelling.

In sum, Dragon Song’s story won’t rewrite the JRPG narrative rulebook, but it delivers a heartfelt adventure with well-drawn characters and a mythic backdrop. Fans of the series will recognize familiar tropes used in fresh combinations, while newcomers can enjoy a self-contained tale of courage and camaraderie.

Overall Experience

Lunar: Dragon Song offers a compact yet satisfying JRPG experience on the Nintendo DS, combining solid mechanics with evocative artwork and a heartfelt narrative. The reliance on the touch screen for menus keeps battles flowing, but the semi-automated targeting system may divide players who prefer full tactical control. Still, the unique reward structure—choose items or experience—adds an intriguing layer of strategy to every skirmish.

Visually and thematically, the game is a love letter to long-time Lunar fans, preserving the series’ hallmark anime style and youthful heroism within the DS’s technical confines. The environments are varied and colorful, and the dual-screen setup is used thoughtfully to enhance both exploration and combat. Although the absence of fully animated cutscenes is noticeable, the top-tier sprite work and illustrative storytelling more than compensate.

On the audio front, Dragon Song features a jaunty, memorable score that occasionally revisits melodic motifs from earlier Lunar titles. Sound effects are crisp, and the occasional voice snippets during key scenes lend the story extra gravitas. Load times are minimal, and the save-anywhere feature makes progress feel secure—ideal for handheld play sessions.

For potential buyers, Dragon Song is worth exploring if you’re seeking a portable JRPG with classic roots and modern touches. Its blend of approachable mechanics, charming characters, and concise storytelling makes it an excellent choice for fans of anime-style adventures. While it may lack the deep customization and scale of console counterparts, its focused design and playful spirit shine through every dragon-haunted valley and village square.

Ultimately, Lunar: Dragon Song stands as a strong entry in the series and one of the more engaging handheld RPGs of its era. Whether you’re already invested in the Lunar mythos or simply looking for a well-crafted DS title, this game delivers an enjoyable quest to rediscover the magic of dragons, gods, and the bonds that tie heroes together.

Retro Replay Score

5.4/10