Some may recall around September of 2003, US gamers got their first taste of a unique game designed by Hideo Kojima called Boktai. The father of the Metal Gear franchise made this game exclusively for the Game Boy Advance. This may sound remarkable, but even more amazing is the fact that Boktai used a sunlight sensor that was built into the actual cartridge. This sensor was integral to the design of Boktai, since being in sunlight powered up your weapons. This all may sound like a cheap gimmick, but the game design was amazingly deep. Trying to play the game with sunlight and without proved to be an entertaining but strange romp for game players.

The original Boktai sold well enough in the US that Konami brought over a sequel that was met with some fanfare, but Konami ultimately decided to skip the third outing of Boktai with few gamers even blinking an eye. Yet Konami did decide to bring their DS version of Boktai - Bokura no Taiyou: Django and Sabata to our shores as the strangely titled Lunar Knights. Will Lunar Knights show gamers the light, or will it ultimately leave us, and everyone else in the dark? Read on to find out.

Facts and Features:

• Wage war on the undead as you assume control over Lucien the Dark Swordsman, and Aaron the Solar Gunslinger.
  
• Use Terrenials that will allow players to wield elemental magic
  
• Destroy in game bosses by launching them into the sun with a Rocket Coffin.
  
• Multiplayer modes add almost unlimited replay value.

As mentioned earlier, Lunar Knights is essentially Boktai 4. Of course, there is no sun sensor in Lunar Knights. The game still employs this concept, but instead uses a digital version courtesy of the Nintendo DS top screen. However, Kojima Productions decided to go a step further with this design. Not only will players use the sun but the moon as well. The two characters in the game gain power from these heavenly bodies. Lucien, the Dark Swordsman gains his power from the moon, while Aaron gains his energy from sunlight.

And So, It Begins…
Lunar Knights also draws heavily on Boktai’s story setting as well. The future is a bleak one where vampires have taken over, and the human race is largely considered something along the lines of livestock. If you think this is bad, it just gets worse. These bloodsuckers have even managed to block out the sun with a strange device known as a paraSOL. The outlook seems grim until a mysterious swordsman appears to offer a glimmer of hope to the masses. Isn’t this always the case with games? However, it appears that a Swordsman named Lucien isn’t really planning on saving the world but instead waging a personal vendetta. Along the way he meets up with Aaron, a member of the Solar Gunslinger Guild, and the two become an unlikely team despite the fact both are fighting the undead for their own reasons.

From the onset of Lunar Knights, you will see a few parallels, such as all the dungeons sharing the same isometric perspective, but for the most part this is an entirely new game. Lucien, who you begin the game as, uses a sword as his primary weapon and the action just cranks up substantially when you finally do meet up with Aaron and his Solar gun. After a solo mission or two, you will then have the ability to switch between the two on the fly at any point in the game. And trust me, you will have to, because this dynamic is the key focus in Lunar Knights design. Remember the digital sky? Well as the days turn to nights, and then back to days it forces players to switch between Lucien and Aaron.

Fun With Terrenials
The power that Lucien and Aaron gain from their respective satellites is not health, it’s basically their attack energy. This energy is elemental magic that is bestowed upon them by creatures known as Terrenials. At the beginning of the game, both characters have their own light/dark versions, but as you defeat bosses you will gain their Terrenials. All of which are based on the classic elements in nature such as Fire, Frost, Cloud, etc.


Aren’t you glad the flower is on your side?

While not running through dungeons and fighting legions of the undead, you will be treated to a map screen. Through this you can visit pubs, find information on the vampire threat, and even upgrade your weapons. Upgrades are made by finding or buying junk parts and taking them to the local mad scientist so he can make improvements to your fighting gear. Later on he will even be able to manipulate the climate and weather for you. Changing the weather can permit access to certain areas and items, but doesn’t play too much into the overall game experience. These facets do add a nice break from the main draw of the game, the dungeon exploring.