Lunar Knights
© N/A

Mania Grade: B+
Platform: DS
ESRB: E 10+
Genre: RPG
Players: 1-4
Online: No
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Konami
Suggested Retail: $29.99
Graphics: A-
Sound: B
Gameplay: B+
Replay: B
Fun Factor: A-
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"Lunar Knights"

It seems that Konami has always been about developing strong vampire game series. Originally they had been putting their heart and soul into creating the Castlevania series, but since it has become extremely well established they have decided to expand in other areas. A few years back on the Gameboy Advance they released Boktai, which was another series allowing players to venture into dungeons and defeat vampire overlords in hopes of restoring a balance to the food chain. The original had an interesting twist for the game, where the cartridge had a built in UV detector. This encouraged people to play outside in the sunlight, since they would get a power boost depending on how bright it was. Now you may be wondering why I am talking about Boktai, when the game is Lunar Knights. Well not only does it show Konami’s commitment to creating great vampire games, but also because Lunar Knights happens to be an unofficial sequel to the series. 

The game starts with a vampire killer named Lucian, whom you can rename to anything… Including Gordon. Lucian wishes to kill all the vampires in the world, even if he needs to go through an army of monsters to do it. Like the vampires though he is best suited for nighttime battling, pretty much allowing both your enemies and your main character to be on the same page. Through the story you find out that vampires have taken over the planet and covered it in a blanket of darkness, giving them the chance to walk around no matter the time of day. Indeed they are still more powerful during the night if the moon can find it’s way to them.  

Lucian eventually meets up with a child named Aaron (You may also rename him as well) whom is his opposite. Lucian has been harden by many battles, displaying a coarse outer coating of malcontent towards all those around him, while Aaron sees the world with wide-eyes and tries to be everyone’s friend, and is trying to stick up for the little guy. As Lucian mainly sticks with a sword for his battles that limits him to short-range combat, Aaron finds himself attacking from the distance with a solar gun. Aaron also requires the sun to recharge his solar batteries or eventually his gun will run out of solar bullets. Them teaming up together allows them to thrive in any situation, and overcome whatever the evil bloodsucking vampires through at them. Of course you can still play Lucian during the day, or Aaron during the night, but you will not get the most out of them. You can also switch at any time by hitting the select button. 

A change over the original game is that the sun sensor is gone, which can be considered a good thing. Previously you were limited to playing during the day, if you wanted the boost, or you could use other sources for the UV light. Those wanting that sun boost though need not worry, as now there is an in game day and night system that allows you to get the best of both worlds. The sun will move overhead giving you a chance to boost Aaron’s powers, while the moon will gives Lucian an extra punch. There is also a weather system though that changes just as the time of day does. One moment it could be a bright and sunny day, and the next it is raining like there is no tomorrow. The game’s mechanics are not limited to those two things as there are also temperature, humidity, and wind. Each of these factors can affect power-ups as well as other things. Later on you can also control the weather, which can make your job a lot easier. 

When you are in dungeons you will need to movie in any horizontal direction. There are stairs to climb, monsters to battle, and many places to see, but it all is done on the eight-point system. Oddly enough there is no jumping option, though it really is not needed in the game. Combat with Lucian can be strung together with combo attacks, which has you going through the motions even with the limited range. Aaron has a power-up attack that allows you to charge up before firing. Additional weapons can also be procured, but more importantly upgraded. Doing such will increase their usefulness quite a bit, adding extra attack power or attacks.  

During battle you will also gather experience and gain levels. By visiting the status screen after a level up you can choose how to allocate the power increase, though they may require you to gain multiple levels before being a specific stat. Each level you will gain a specific number of skill points, and each skill requires a certain number of points. You only have three options though, where you can raise your life points, your solar points, or your attack power. 

The battle is not truly over after you kill a boss, as after you kill a vampire you must rocket into outer space to defeat them permanently. The reason for this is that if their body is left on the planet they can eventually absorb enough energy to pop them back to... being undead again. The interesting part about this is that while you are traveling up to outer space, the armies of the vampires will ambush you with their spacecrafts. This is where the control scheme of the game gets a little awkward, where normally you need to control the game using the d-pad now you must use the stylus to fly around. What is mainly awkward about this is that you also must use the stylus to target and fire your weapons, which means that you cannot direct your ship around while you are trying to return fire. 

Graphically the sprites of the game are very nice. The environments look great along with all of the enemies. There are also a few anime scenes around boss battles or other important events, and they are well done. This is expected since the team also worked on one of the shorts in the Animatrix movie. The sound of the game is also very nice, while the sound of the movies is a little below what I would like to see, since it made the voices a little flat. Overall the game stands up quite well in these areas. 

In the end, Konami has a fantastic franchise here, and I loved their game. Indeed it could be a little unforgiving in battle, with your sword of bullets not always connecting with the enemies, despite targeting them with the R button. Items that you collect can also age, either maturing from milk to yogurt, which also increases its power. On the other hand it can turn fruit rotten, which reduces their potency and provides an interesting side effect. The adventure is quite fun, from boss battles to exploring, but what holds this game back from being in the A category are the controls of the space battles. You can also play with up to 4 players in a battle mode, trying to score the most points. It is a fun game, and I can see myself keeping this game in my DS for a few weeks to come. Wrapping up, Captain Gordon gives Lunar Knights a B+. 

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? CaptainGordonEdward@Gmail.com