Lunia: Record of Lunia War

Lunia: Record of Lunia War
Developer(s)	allm
Publisher(s)	Nexon, CDC Games USA, Chinese Gamer
Distributor(s)	AllM, Chinese Gamer, Nexon , ijji , Level Up! Games , Nexon Europe
Version	Full Release
Platform(s)	Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
Release date(s)	May 9, 2007 (English closed beta) July 31, 2007 (English open beta) February 18, 2008 (Full Release) October 7, 2008 (Full Release at ijji) Nexon Europe : Summer 2011
Genre(s)	Action, MMORPG
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Media/distribution	Download
System requirements Pentium 4 1.8 GHz or AMD equivalent, 2 GB free HD space, 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c, nVidia GeForce FX5200 or ATI Radeon 9200 or higher, 128 kbit/s or faster Internet connection

Lunia: Record of Lunia War (often referred to simply as Lunia) is a pseudo-3D, isometric Massive Multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Korean company allm, and published in North America by ijji, in Europe by Nexon Europe, in Taiwan by Chinese Gamer, in South Korea by Nexon and in Brazil by Level Up! Games.^[1] Lunia's global release was being run by CDC Games USA at their 12FootTall game portal, but has since been moved to ijji.^[2] The game aims to offer a new style of game play differing from most MMORPGs by mixing elements of action games and RPGs together.^[3]

Gameplay

Lunia, in contrast to many MMORPGs currently on the market, is played much like an action arcade game. The player is free to move around in-game using the arrow keys or a game-pad rather than a mouse cursor (freeing the user from the typical point and click method). Instead of clicking on an enemy to attack, varying attacks are launched by pressing combinations of two attack buttons and the space bar. The two attack keys act as a normal attack and a class-specific attack. The space bar is used as the down attack/finisher against opponents who are on the ground. Attacks can be chained together into combos, which are based on the timing, combination, and order of the attack buttons pressed. In addition, special skills and items can be assigned to hotkeys to be used more conveniently as separate attacks or in combos. Lunia does not restrict its skill hotkeys to the function keys (F1-F9) which allows the user to fully customize and adapt the game controls to his/her liking. The current maximum character level is 99.

PvP

Lunia offers several player versus player (PvP) arenas that allow 1 on 1 to 8 on 8 combat. Additionally, it offers 4 different types of channels; balance, free, rebirth and beginner. Allm implemented a pvp stage called Battlefield that allows 16 on 16 fights, however one team defends a core device in a castle, while the offense team tries to break into the castle through gates and destroy the core device. Some PvP arenas are offered seasonally like the unique Snowman Fight which allows players to don Snowman suits and fight each other with whimsical snowballs of various sizes and special effects. Other PvP areas include battle areas where players are forced into a 1 on 1 match using teams and a tournament style of teams, as well as a newer one for soccer, where both teams have up to 4 people and try to attack the ball into the other teams goal.

Classes

Screenshot during a boss battle

Lunia's international version offers 7 characters that are free to play. Character abilities can be customized through the use of skill points that the player earns when attaining a new level.

Episodes

Lunia: Record of Lunia War consists of a series of storyline "arcs," which are groups of 7 episodes that are tied together in a plot. Episodes are groups of 10 stages, which are the levels in Lunia. Each episode has a different setting, and the setting changes slightly about halfway through each episode. For example, Episode 1 starts out with the players traversing through plains, and later progresses into a forest. Episode 2 has the players starting on a snow-capped mountain traveling through a winter village, and eventually making their way into an icy cave. Each episode has a "Legend" counterpart, which is the "hard mode" of Lunia. While stages remain vastly the same in essence, the enemies encountered are far stronger and sometimes have new partners. Sometimes, even the boss fights are changed. Currently the North America version of Lunia has 7 episodes, which totals to 13, including Legend stages however Episode 7 does not have a legend stage. However, the Japanese and Korean versions of Lunia also currently have 7 episodes. The 7 episodes are followed by Myth mode, which is a continuation of the story 2 years after the ending of Episode 6. Lunia also features several side stages that offer players several mini-adventures.

External links

• lunia.ijji.com - North American version.

References

1. ^ Maggie Greene. "Lunia: Record of War Arrives in Japan". http://kotaku.com/gaming/lunia/lunia-record-of-war-arrives-in-japan-256096.php. 
2. ^ Business Wire (December 5, 2007). "CDC Games Plans to Launch Popular Manga Style Online Game in the United States". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS124235+05-Dec-2007+BW20071205. 
3. ^ Aihoshi, Richard. "Record of Lunia War Interview - Part 1". IGN. http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/797/797194p1.html.