Luna Online: Cute But Fatal

Last Aug 14, 2009 GameOPS went to attend the open beta celebration of Luna Online Philippines. We came in late but the festivities were far from over. The event was hosted by MYX VJ Monica and the entertainment was brought by the 26k girls aka Luna Girls.

There were several promos but the main event was an in-house competition as to whom can get the most gold in 5 minutes playing Luna Online. Winner will receive a brand new iPhone from Globe!

Me and the boys all tried it out and got unlucky results:

Jepoy: Got lost in the forest. 3k
Mark: Crashed! XD got a restart and managed around 4k
Glen: Was barely moving due to the lag. 3k
Me: Since Siopao was missing it fell to my hands to get the phone since from the group we were the ones most familiar with online games. I got 4,950 gold but that wasn’t enough since the qualifiers all got 5k and up.

As a consolation prize we got to pop balloons and got mugs and shirts.

The local magazines were there for full backup. Both Playground and GAME! magazine were there to cover the event and even gave away free issues. Local tabloids such as Balita and People's Tonight also joined the competition.

We met the people responsible and got around to discussing the mechanics of the game.

Let’s cut to the chase. Is Luna Online any good? Definitely. What Luna brings to the table is a mixture of the best of what the leading online games offer. The map is big, The graphics are okay, THERE IS A DATING SYSTEM, and lastly my favorite, this game has got to have the biggest lineup of playable classes.

What’s the latest innovation? Fishing and Farming O.o Fishing as an alternative to grinding and Farming is exclusive only to families. Farming is a way to get rare items.

This game has also innovated chatting online and not only provided the tried and tested emoticons but also a slew of character actions that will make Astroboy jealous. Yes people, the characters of Luna can dance, beg, smile, greet, and even tell a joke.

I wanted to try Luna personally, luckily the people in the event was kind enough to provide me with a CD of the game. Before I got home I dropped by a gathering and like most stories, a friend saw my CD and looted it away.

I Googled the Luna site and downloaded the game. I got confused since there seems to be 2 kinds of Luna downloads one is a global server and another is exclusive to the Philippines. I choose the Philippine server. After I got my download I started to play the game.

The in game characters were wonderful and will definitely add flavor to the game.

First things first since I was already well acquainted with the game I started with the proper way to begin any online game. I sat in a well crowded area and started to beg XD

After a few minutes and definitely much richer I bought my supplies and began my Luna adventure

I spent half an hour walking around and got lost, despite its small download size the world of Luna is big.

Parties were immediately formed out of necessity and I was glad that up to 8 people can group together.

Items were popping every level up and I was pleasantly surprised to get 10 levels in less than an hour.

Although since the game is relatively new there are still a few bugs that can be pointed out like harder than usual game mechanics and until you get any means of transport walking will be like a curse, but overall it was a great online experience and given the time I will definitely continue.



OFFICIAL LUNA PRESS RELEASE

14 August 2009, Manila Philippines---Who said you can’t be cute when dealing with monsters?

Luna Online, a cute fast-paced, free-to-play, highly social online game published by run Up Philippines and developed by EYA Interactive, was launched to the press last August 14 at Phi Bar in Metrowalk Ortigas, Pasig City. Amongst the highlights of the press launch was the Luna Dance performance by 26K girls and the cute Elf Mage cosplayer that seemed to have come to life straight from Luna Online. A mini-tournament was also held for the guests wherein the lucky winner brought home a brand new Apple iPhone.

As Run Up Philippines’ first serving, Operations Manager Kit Chan mentions, “Luna Online would be an appetizing entrée to the multitude of online games available in the Philippines today because of its cute eye-candy 3D graphics, highly customizable characters and fresh new features.”

Product Manager Julius Salagan further elaborates on the unique social systems Luna Online that makes it different from other games in the country.

The Basic Rule: Thou shall not be a stranger
The first rule in Luna Online is to socialize. Aside from the trademarks hack and slash gaming present in usual online games, Luna Online spices up the gameplay time of people by incorporating systems and features that allows players to fully immerse in its world.

With over 40 jobs to specialize in, Luna Online also offers players the challenge to come up with the best character build. A players starts with Rogue, Fighter and a Mage but the subclasses offer the opportunity for players to acquire a mix of offensive, defensive or support skills with it’s class change system.

The Match Making System provides players an effective way of finding a party for quests that require companions. Players can fill out their personality profile and these details would be used by the game to find them their best match. Heart icons will appear on top players’ head and would be deemed as suitable candidates to the character being played. This profile is highly useful during Dating Instances, wherein players need to find a partner to conquer dungeons that require a couple. Special items and great results await people who go in these instances.

Players can also establish ties with other players outside his guild. Once players finally find the perfect companions, the group could be easily apply for Family registration. As a perk, having a Family allows the group to own a farm or build vehicles. The Farming System serves as another form of money-making system ingame by letting players plant crops that can be harvested and sold, own pets, and even grow rare items. The farm also serves as a home to a family and as common item storage system as well. Keep note that farms has a lease or rental fee that has to paid by the Family and failure to do so would result in the removal of farm ownership.

Rare items in Luna Online aren’t something that can be found during tough instances or can be grown from a farm. Some rare items can be also found via Fishing, which is another refreshing alternative to grinding in Luna Online. Survey the different areas of Blueland in Luna Online and fish out rare materials that could be used in crafting for armor and weapon upgrades. Players also earn Fishing Points that can be used to acquire rare items so this feature isn’t something that be easily set aside.

Cuteness Kills!
Luna Online also has a variety of the cutest and the coolest costumes. For sure, the image of a character wearing a cat costume with an octopus hat while dragging a lollipop beating up a huge dragon-like monster seems ridiculous. But in Luna Online, it’s definitely something normal. Be as cute as you can be, and still be fatal against those ugly monsters. Make the character dance in glee, or choose the best expression for your current mode ingame-Luna Online has a wide range of emoticons that can be used.

Boarder and wider scope
Also mentioned in the press conference was Run Up’s intentions to expand its number of game offerings fro the months ahead. “yes, we have signed 5 more online games titles for the Philippine region,” says Run Up’s Regional Development and Marketing Manager Ricky Chan on a media interview. “Our target is to launch two (2) online game titles in 2009 and three (3) on or before Q2 in 2010. As you know, the first title of our game in Luna Online. The next title will be one of our famous MMORPG in Taiwan,” he hints.

For the meantime, Filipino games will have to enjoy new cool costumes and other wonderful items that will be available in the Item Mall upon its opening on August 17. Level Cap has also been increased to 60, and additional maps have been opened like the Red Orc Outpost, Mont Blanc Fort and Howling Ravine. For more info, log to luna.runup.com.ph. Or, to join discussions about Luna Online, meet other Luna players at forums.runup.com.ph.