early preview of the original Lunar for Mega CD

[AirRaidX]

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/3841 ... 5542rf.jpg

I'm sure someone remembers this.

my question is, do these pictures seem different at all, from the final game released on Mega CD ~ Sega CD ?

[jp]

From what I recall that looks about the same.

[Fenrir]

Yeah it's the same. The movies were on a really really small window as well.
Also I didn't remember that EGM had 8 years olders writing artcles

[AirRaidX]

there are a number of differences that people with alot of knowledge on Lunar have pointed out. such as black dragon, you don't fight him on an open plane, but down underground in his dungeon


here are the comments

GhaleonOne on Lunar-Net.com ~ lunarthreads.com forum:

Definately different. The 1st, 3rd and 4th have different artwork for Alex and Luna in the introduction than the final game did. The 5th picture is the Black Dragon, which was faught way underground at the bottom of his lair, not out in open land (perhaps they originally planned to have the Black Dragon still terrorizing the great plain at Pao as part of the Dyne/Ghaleon legend instead of having it sealed in it's cave).

The 6th and 7th might be normal pictures, but I don't really know. And the final one I've never seen. That looks like the temple area in Quark's cave, but it's completely different in layout. And are those things giant treasure chests?

The 2nd picture also looks like one of the boss fights that shouldn't have been out in the open like that, but I don't remember for certain.

Kizyr on Lunar-Net.com ~ lunarthreads.com forum:

I recognize where the last screenshot is supposed to be; it's the Silver Spire. Lemme just respond to all of it...

1) The first and fourth screens, Luna had distinctly blue hair, not brown. There's actually quite a bit of artwork which show Luna with brown hair; this more solidly proves that her hair color was changed later on.

It might've been due to wanting to make blue hair a defining feature of goddesses. That wasn't entirely implemented (EB Lucia yes, but not Lucia from DS), but it could have been a thought at the time.

2) The third screen is of a monster you fight either in the Grindery, or Althena's Tower. It's not supposed to be outside, but a lot of early screenshots like this are made by piecing together stuff from testing or putting together sprites and backgrounds to get some photos out, since it's so early in development.

3) The first screen on the second row, same thing. It's the Black Dragon and the fight is underground. Likely the same deal as the other battle screenshot.

4) The other three screens on the bottom row are the same as they'd be in the final version. The one on the bottom-right is from the top room in the Silver Spire, in Vane. It's where you pick up the Mirror of Althena.

James8BitStar, RPGfan.com forums:

Well, I'm pretty sure you do not fight that skeletal dragon thing in a desert like that snapshot shows. I also don't remember Alex petting Nall in the game.

[Ganelon]

Yeah, aside from the Black Dragon in the desert and the 3 unused artwork pictures, there's also:

The 3rd picture clearly has an Ultra Fiend except that it's not in Ghaleon's Palace; perhaps the game originally had random fights in the fairy garden leading into the palace? Or more likely, as Kizyr said, it's just a debug battle.

Oddly enough, it appears Alex originally wore blue and not his trademark brown, which can be seen in all the gameplay pictures.