Y’know, Being forced to play this on a Small Old TV really makes it FEEL like im playing on the GBA, even tho im playing Via NSO
This game felt magical to me as a kid, seeing a portable system have the capacity to breathe a world like this to life. Graphics, combat, story, and the aesthetic come together to make a charming and engaging game. By today's standards, the graphics may not hold up as well, but it is still a worthwhile experience for any RPG enthusiast.
I thought it was pretty good at first, and then it really started to drag at some point and I got to like 3 bosses in a row that were just really annoying to deal with and weren't fun and am just kinda done with the game for now, idk if I'm just bad lol
No fast travel turned annoying when searching for the missing djinn, but still a pretty enjoyable experience
Golden Sun is my 2nd ever JRPG and was the one that really got me into the genre. And for that it'll always hold a special place in my heart. I've given this game several playthroughs and it was nostalgic gem to me for many years.
This game's aged like cheese though. Characters truly go on about mostly nothing, tired villains and side characters, a class system that is slow to open up and isn't all that rewarding to experiment with, loads of forgettable encounters including bosses. The strengths of this game - the graphics, music and exploration - are strong, but nothing else surrounding these features is worth experiencing Golden Sun for.
I've heard many people say Golden Sun is a great JRPG for beginners who want to dip their toe into the genre and...no. I think there's far better games out there that don't run the risk of boring the player while being beginner friendly.
This game's aged like cheese though. Characters truly go on about mostly nothing, tired villains and side characters, a class system that is slow to open up and isn't all that rewarding to experiment with, loads of forgettable encounters including bosses. The strengths of this game - the graphics, music and exploration - are strong, but nothing else surrounding these features is worth experiencing Golden Sun for.
I've heard many people say Golden Sun is a great JRPG for beginners who want to dip their toe into the genre and...no. I think there's far better games out there that don't run the risk of boring the player while being beginner friendly.
Golden Sun (2001): Es imposible ver con buenos ojos un juego que es casi el 50 % relleno. Por lo demás, aunque el combate es agradable (sin ser ninguna revolución), la historia es insulsa, con unos personajes completamente olvidables. No es espantoso, pero esperaba más (5,95)
This was such a good game. I think about it frequently.
First part of the duology, Golden Sun takes everything Camelot did in previous years and takes it to the extreme, before they had been relegated to mario sports games.
Golden Sun is a wonderfully presented game; visuals are phenomenal, with charming and colorful sprites filling the rich world of Weyard. The music by Sakuraba is at time soothing, at times imposing, at times inspiring, always perfect for the occasion. The Lost Age will come up next, taking everything the first Golden Sun did and cranking it up to eleven.
Just use a guide for the djinn, I honestly had no idea where half of them were. Puzzles are fun and so is character building, but I will not leave one of those critters behind.
Golden Sun is a wonderfully presented game; visuals are phenomenal, with charming and colorful sprites filling the rich world of Weyard. The music by Sakuraba is at time soothing, at times imposing, at times inspiring, always perfect for the occasion. The Lost Age will come up next, taking everything the first Golden Sun did and cranking it up to eleven.
Just use a guide for the djinn, I honestly had no idea where half of them were. Puzzles are fun and so is character building, but I will not leave one of those critters behind.
Cosas de las que no te das cuenta cuando eres pequeño: Tolbi es un estado fascista y pocas cosas me cabrean tanto como que tengamos que ayudar al puto Babi a prolongar su dictadura otros 150 años solo porque nos regala un barco.
This review contains spoilers
There's just something about Camelot games for me. It's probably mostly Sakuraba's music, but the characters and story of Golden Sun totally won me over as a child, and the combat + class mechanics centered around Djinn were so refreshing and interesting. I wanted to know every little secret about Golden Sun, and spent many hours just roaming around the map to make sure I had found them all. I convinced my entire friend group to get the game, and finishing the Deadbeard fight with my friends looking on is one of my fondest gaming memories.
I can't leave this review without mentioning one of the most effective cliffhangers of all time. Seeing that "To Be Continued" made my heart drop, and the wait for The Lost Age to come out was a LONG one.
I can't leave this review without mentioning one of the most effective cliffhangers of all time. Seeing that "To Be Continued" made my heart drop, and the wait for The Lost Age to come out was a LONG one.
Golden Sun was such a huge part of my childhood, and after not touching it for many years, I'm really happy I was able to come back and still really enjoy it.
Golden Sun's class and Djinn system is easily the game's greatest strength. There's so many different builds to experiment with for each playable character, and since it is so easy to swap classes, you have basically the entire game to experiment and find a style you like. Even once you've picked a class, you need to think about whether to use the Djinn in battle since their abilities are very powerful but come at the cost of your character's stats. Golden Sun isn't very difficult, so just about everything is viable and it's up to the player to decide what they enjoy most.
I wish there wasn't as much backtracking, and I wish the cast of characters were more interesting and memorable. I also found the dialogue to be pretty jank at times, especially since Isaac can only ever react with a 'yes' or 'no'. Overall, Golden Sun is a flawed but great JRPG and I'm really glad I can still enjoy it today. Onto The Lost Age!
Golden Sun's class and Djinn system is easily the game's greatest strength. There's so many different builds to experiment with for each playable character, and since it is so easy to swap classes, you have basically the entire game to experiment and find a style you like. Even once you've picked a class, you need to think about whether to use the Djinn in battle since their abilities are very powerful but come at the cost of your character's stats. Golden Sun isn't very difficult, so just about everything is viable and it's up to the player to decide what they enjoy most.
I wish there wasn't as much backtracking, and I wish the cast of characters were more interesting and memorable. I also found the dialogue to be pretty jank at times, especially since Isaac can only ever react with a 'yes' or 'no'. Overall, Golden Sun is a flawed but great JRPG and I'm really glad I can still enjoy it today. Onto The Lost Age!
The most nothing RPG ever created. It's like if a group of demigods got together and pooled together their creation powers with one goal in mind: creating the most pointless RPG of all time
Few quirks aside, this is classic 2001 JRPG gaming that holds up two decades later. Cannot wait to dive into the next games in the series.
I need more people to play this....
A lightning strike. A scared town. A friend in peril. A mysterious duo. A tragedy.
Golden Sun quite literally opens up with a bang in the prolouge I've just summarized. It's also an interesting way to give you a bit of time to see what the basic gameplay is like such as inventory management, moving around, combat and the like.
GAMEPLAY
GS is an RPG meaning it follows a lot of gameplay tropes such as; a large overworld map, dungeouns and settlements being explorable and generally being a road trip kind of story. However, what it does do to stand out from the rest is relying on puzzles as a major component of the gameplay. During even the most simple of caves, you'll find a puzzle you can solve and these usually have 3 types. One is just progression, getting from point A to a new room. Second is creating a shortcut for easier traversal later on (these 2 are usually linked or the latter being optional). Third is accessing hidden treasures and other goodies. This is also where the majority of the replay value and general sense of completion comes from. I highly encourage new players to complete as many dungeouns as they can find, not just for completion purposes but also because that's where the best gear in the game is, and also finding hidden Djinn to aid you. You must be wondering what Djinn are I assume.
DJINN AND CLASS SYSTEM
Once you leave your hometown of Vale to set out on an epic journey, the first thing you'll encounter is an odd looking creature. This cute little fella is named Flint and is a Venus Djinni. Djinn are essentially the embodiment of the four main elemental energies in the world; Venus (earth), Mercury (water and ice), Mars (fire), and Jupiter (wind and electricity).
Once you acquire a certain number of Djinn you'll gain access to new or more powerful versions of your current abilities. For example you can have Diamond Dust turn into Diamond Berg or Ragnarok turn into Odyssey. Setting them and putting them on standby also affects your stats with their own trade offs. Once you acquire all 4 party members, you're most likely gonna put corresponding Djinn type to their user; Jupiter adepts are gonna have Jupiter Djinn i.e. Now while that is a solid strategy that still lets you experiment with Psynergy, the true depth lies with mixing and matching them. For example Isaac has the Slayer class when he has all Venus Djinn set, but you can also make him Swordsman if you put 1 Venus and the rest Mercury Djinn or a Ninja with 4 Mars and 5 Jupiter Djinn. The point is you're free to experiment however you like, you can have the party all be half-healers half-attackers or make every member specialized, a healer, an enfeebler, a tank etc. And one extra thing to note is that, every Djinn comes with an inherent ability of their own; Flint is a good attack Djinni, Flash reduces damage you take etc. Once you use them you can either set them to regain your stats or you can use for summoning.
SUMMONING
Once you use a Djinni, you'll see a new tab in the battle UI. This is called summoning which gives you a secondary use for Djinn once you've used them. And just like classes, they get more powerful the more Djinn you have. Ranging from just 1 Djinni which is just pure elemental attack all the way to 4 Djinn which allows you to call upon the might of gods like Boreas (god of the north wind) and Judgment (the might of the apocalypse). These are not only the most powerful moves in the game, but they also give you a buff for that
corresponding element you used; wind based summons will make your wind psynergy stronger i.e. Your Djinn will be in recovery mode after this however, rendering them unusable and unable to give you any stat buffs, so be wary of when exactly you want to use them.
WORLBUILDING AND LORE
The continent of Angara is filled to the brim with towns, villages and other structures you can explore and discover interesting tidbits about. Every town has a small backstory to it and a current event taking place in it. Mount Aleph has been the home of Elemental Stars, Imil has a healing water spring, Lamakan Desert is an infamously hot desert that has mirages you have to brave through etc.
My favorite part about the world as a whole is how connected and alive it feels, no two places are alike and yet they none of them feel alien. This feeling is further emphasized by how the story is essentialy a road trip with some anime vibes sprinkled on it.
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack, composed by Motoi Sakuraba, is pure goodness, with variety in theming and instruments. Some of my favorite tracks being Elemental Stars, Isaac/Saturos' Battle, Hopelesness, The Angarian Journey, The First Book, and the best one of them all, Venus Lighthouse. It has tracks for every kind of mood you can imagine; happy tunes, adventurous, imposing and mysterious. Highly recommend trying out these tracks, great and catchy melodies.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I've been trying to get into the RPG genre for the longest time, but to little success which led me to having this as my least favorite genre. After playing Golden Sun however, I can confidently say it changed my view completely. This game is, as quite a few people said including myself, the perfect introductory game. It covers the familiar tropes while also having original takes on it's own. Whether you've been wanting to get into the genre or are a seasoned RPG veteran, this will be a great journey to experience. And with that, I give this game an 8.5 out of 10.
Golden Sun quite literally opens up with a bang in the prolouge I've just summarized. It's also an interesting way to give you a bit of time to see what the basic gameplay is like such as inventory management, moving around, combat and the like.
GAMEPLAY
GS is an RPG meaning it follows a lot of gameplay tropes such as; a large overworld map, dungeouns and settlements being explorable and generally being a road trip kind of story. However, what it does do to stand out from the rest is relying on puzzles as a major component of the gameplay. During even the most simple of caves, you'll find a puzzle you can solve and these usually have 3 types. One is just progression, getting from point A to a new room. Second is creating a shortcut for easier traversal later on (these 2 are usually linked or the latter being optional). Third is accessing hidden treasures and other goodies. This is also where the majority of the replay value and general sense of completion comes from. I highly encourage new players to complete as many dungeouns as they can find, not just for completion purposes but also because that's where the best gear in the game is, and also finding hidden Djinn to aid you. You must be wondering what Djinn are I assume.
DJINN AND CLASS SYSTEM
Once you leave your hometown of Vale to set out on an epic journey, the first thing you'll encounter is an odd looking creature. This cute little fella is named Flint and is a Venus Djinni. Djinn are essentially the embodiment of the four main elemental energies in the world; Venus (earth), Mercury (water and ice), Mars (fire), and Jupiter (wind and electricity).
Once you acquire a certain number of Djinn you'll gain access to new or more powerful versions of your current abilities. For example you can have Diamond Dust turn into Diamond Berg or Ragnarok turn into Odyssey. Setting them and putting them on standby also affects your stats with their own trade offs. Once you acquire all 4 party members, you're most likely gonna put corresponding Djinn type to their user; Jupiter adepts are gonna have Jupiter Djinn i.e. Now while that is a solid strategy that still lets you experiment with Psynergy, the true depth lies with mixing and matching them. For example Isaac has the Slayer class when he has all Venus Djinn set, but you can also make him Swordsman if you put 1 Venus and the rest Mercury Djinn or a Ninja with 4 Mars and 5 Jupiter Djinn. The point is you're free to experiment however you like, you can have the party all be half-healers half-attackers or make every member specialized, a healer, an enfeebler, a tank etc. And one extra thing to note is that, every Djinn comes with an inherent ability of their own; Flint is a good attack Djinni, Flash reduces damage you take etc. Once you use them you can either set them to regain your stats or you can use for summoning.
SUMMONING
Once you use a Djinni, you'll see a new tab in the battle UI. This is called summoning which gives you a secondary use for Djinn once you've used them. And just like classes, they get more powerful the more Djinn you have. Ranging from just 1 Djinni which is just pure elemental attack all the way to 4 Djinn which allows you to call upon the might of gods like Boreas (god of the north wind) and Judgment (the might of the apocalypse). These are not only the most powerful moves in the game, but they also give you a buff for that
corresponding element you used; wind based summons will make your wind psynergy stronger i.e. Your Djinn will be in recovery mode after this however, rendering them unusable and unable to give you any stat buffs, so be wary of when exactly you want to use them.
WORLBUILDING AND LORE
The continent of Angara is filled to the brim with towns, villages and other structures you can explore and discover interesting tidbits about. Every town has a small backstory to it and a current event taking place in it. Mount Aleph has been the home of Elemental Stars, Imil has a healing water spring, Lamakan Desert is an infamously hot desert that has mirages you have to brave through etc.
My favorite part about the world as a whole is how connected and alive it feels, no two places are alike and yet they none of them feel alien. This feeling is further emphasized by how the story is essentialy a road trip with some anime vibes sprinkled on it.
SOUNDTRACK
The soundtrack, composed by Motoi Sakuraba, is pure goodness, with variety in theming and instruments. Some of my favorite tracks being Elemental Stars, Isaac/Saturos' Battle, Hopelesness, The Angarian Journey, The First Book, and the best one of them all, Venus Lighthouse. It has tracks for every kind of mood you can imagine; happy tunes, adventurous, imposing and mysterious. Highly recommend trying out these tracks, great and catchy melodies.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I've been trying to get into the RPG genre for the longest time, but to little success which led me to having this as my least favorite genre. After playing Golden Sun however, I can confidently say it changed my view completely. This game is, as quite a few people said including myself, the perfect introductory game. It covers the familiar tropes while also having original takes on it's own. Whether you've been wanting to get into the genre or are a seasoned RPG veteran, this will be a great journey to experience. And with that, I give this game an 8.5 out of 10.
BRING IT BACK
idk why this had to be split into two games, but pretty decent rpg with pretty bland characters and a mildly fun battle system, but overall nothing special. had a fun time tho.
This was my favorite RPG on the Gameboy advanced. I'd love a remake of this.
Absurd that Nintendo have left their flagship jrpg series in the ground for so long, absolutely unforgettable game and series.
It’s almost impressive how these games manage to have 5x the amount of dialogue of other games and yet have absolutely none of it be interesting in any way.
Favorite RPG on the Gameboy Advance.
Une belle aventure, des graphismes très cool pour de la GBA, de très bonnes animations, une histoire bien amenée, et CETTE BANDE SON 😍
Toutefois un "défaut" (mais c'est ma faute) : je cherchais très souvent quoi faire/où aller...
mais le jeu était top
Toutefois un "défaut" (mais c'est ma faute) : je cherchais très souvent quoi faire/où aller...
mais le jeu était top
One of the best JRPGS ever :) Hard af tho :D
The first of the original Duology, Golden Sun pushes the GBA to its limits. Everything in the game moves very fluidly, and Motoi Sakuraba makes the GBA create sounds I didn't even know were possible with his progressive rock-inspired soundtrack. The Djinn class system can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get a handle on it it is easily one of my favorite overall combat systems in a turn-based RPG.
The primary thing that holds Golden Sun back is its writing. The plot overall is alright (and keep in mind this is only half of it), but the dialogue is very long-winded, often repeats itself, and just generally slows the game to a crawl. I have a relatively high tolerance for this type of thing--especially since it is not voice acted--but if constant, drawn-out cutscenes are a dealbreaker for you, you may want to look elsewhere.
The primary thing that holds Golden Sun back is its writing. The plot overall is alright (and keep in mind this is only half of it), but the dialogue is very long-winded, often repeats itself, and just generally slows the game to a crawl. I have a relatively high tolerance for this type of thing--especially since it is not voice acted--but if constant, drawn-out cutscenes are a dealbreaker for you, you may want to look elsewhere.
I will find you, Game Cartridge.
I like this game a decent amount. I like the gameplay somewhat, the look of the game and the music. However, sometimes the battles can be a bit frustrating because there are a lot of moves the enemies can use that are one-hit. I also don't like the way it does magic. It's a fun game overall, though.
Pretty stellar RPG with unique mechanics using the djinn through the game. Much of the issues around this game that I had were some late game grinding required for the final boss. Other than that, fantastic game for any GBA collection.
Solid and compact RPG experience and a good recommendation title for a first-timer looking to explore the genre.
Pros: Combat, Class system, Mixing and matching Djinn, Atmosphere, Set pieces (i.e. Colosso Tournament), Overall level of exploration, Mind read
Cons: On the easier side, Story, Bland party members
Pros: Combat, Class system, Mixing and matching Djinn, Atmosphere, Set pieces (i.e. Colosso Tournament), Overall level of exploration, Mind read
Cons: On the easier side, Story, Bland party members
ごく普通のRPGでストレスもないけど、日本語の会話ダイアログに違和感ある。
on my replay, it is still my favorite combat system of any rpg i’ve played. finally going to start lost age now, and i’m really excited. i adore golden sun i couldn’t recommend it more.