Golden Sun
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Description
Golden Sun is the first original role-playing game for the Game Boy Advance to appear in the U.S. And despite perhaps a too-familiar story line, Golden Sun's jaw-dropping graphics, deep magic system, and unique multiplayer arena mode truly show that the Game Boy Advance is capable of a serious RPG.
Game developer Camelot (which also made the legendary Shining Force series for the Sega Genesis, and, more recently, Mario Golf and Mario Tennis for the Nintendo 64) designed Golden Sun from the ground up to take advantage of the GBA's horsepower, and it shows. Sharp, vivid landscapes, detailed towns and dungeons, and awesome weather effects--it looks like a Super Nintendo game with some extra zing squeezed onto a handheld system. Fans of Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger will appreciate the feel of this game.
But the game's greatest strength is its magic system. Your characters each have their own latent psychic abilities based on one of the four elements of alchemy (earth, water, wind, and fire). The characters will be called upon to use their individual forms of telepathy and telekinesis to solve various puzzles in the game. Also, you can collect Djinn (elemental spirits) and link them to your characters. Not only can these Djinn be summoned in battle, they can also bolster or hinder your characters' latent psychic abilities, give them special attacks, and even change your characters' class. This system is similar to Final Fantasy VIII's guardian system, though far more intuitive and easy to master.
Golden Sun employs a basic turn-based battle system, but it has amazing spell and fighting techniques that really take advantage of the GBA's technology. The game achieves a nice balance between flashy attacks and the brevity of these same attacks--a lesson the makers of other RPGs should learn. Battles are beautifully and quickly fought, and don't overtax the gamer.
The game also has an addictive arena mode in which players can fight monsters they've already encountered in the game. Players can also link up with another GBA (this feature requires another Golden Sun cartridge) and fight against another party. While it's not true a multiplayer option, it adds a great replay value to the game.
Golden Sun's weakest point, however, is its standard-issue story. In essence: boy wakes up amidst disaster, meets stalwart friends, and rises to the challenge to save the day (all while living up to the image of his dear departed father). The story is a little stale, but the mechanics of the game transcend this flaw and bring the gamer into a state of handheld nirvana. --Bryan Karsh
Pros:
- Vivid graphics
- Deep, intuitive magic system
- Addictive multiplayer arena mode
- A plot straight out of "RPG Story Lines 101"
Other Details
- AmazonMaximumAge: 204
- AmazonMinimumAge: 72
- Brand: Nintendo of Canada
- EAN: 0045496731489
- ESRBAgeRating: Everyone
- Label: Nintendo of America
- Manufacturer: Nintendo of America
- MPN: 1520687S
- NumberOfItems: 1
- Platform: Game Boy Advance
- ReleaseDate: 2001-11-13
- UPC: 045496731489
- Package Dimensions: 5.04 in x 4.80 in x 0.94 in; 0.31 lb
Customer Reviews
One of the best
This was one of my favorite games i have ever played and the second one makes it complete. I keep hoping for another game just like this and maybe the creators will make a third golden sun. I would buy it. This is one of the finest games out there that is turn take. Truely a great game that i have played over and over again
Almost amazing
Of all of the amazing things that this game has going for it, there is one aspect that I simply couldn't get past: the annoying dialog.
When something happens in the game, you have to click through excessive dialog. Sometimes, all four characters will say the exact same thing back and forth to each other, forcing you to read the same text four times. If this wasn't bad enough, the designers also added emoticons to the characters, and use this feature excessively.
What should appear on the screen as: "Lets go." will actually appear as:
Charater 1: "Lets Go."
Charater 1: *grin*
Charater 2: *shocked face*
Charater 2: "We're going?"
Charater 3: *angry face*
Charater 3: "We're going!"
Charater 4: *shocked face*
Charater 2: "Oh, we're going."
Charater 1: "Yes, we're going."
Charater 2: *happy face*
Charater 2: "OK then, Let's go!"
No joke.
It is only mildly annoying at first, but by the time I reached the end of the game I found that I could only play for about 10 minutes before the dialog made me turn off the GBA and take several calming breaths.
All in all, a great game with one incredibly annoying feature.
Describing Golden Sun
Golden Sun is possibly the best GBA (Game Boy Advance) RPG (Role Playing game). It's got everything pokemon has, but better
Golden sun
This is a great game for people who like RPG like myself.
Must...Keep...Playing!!!
This is one of those games that cannot be put down. It has an excellent deep storyline, vibrant graphics, and a great soundtrack to top it all off. Gameplay is a lot like the classic "Dragon Warrior" series where sidequests are carried out from town to town and players are allowed to roam freely on a world map. It's a little like pokemon in where characters called Djinn with special powers need to be collected in order to carry out advanced attacks. Unlike pokemon though, it's a great game for all ages. Children will appreciate the storyline with kids as the heros of the story. Older players will find a challenge in completing some of the in-game puzzles and developing a battle strategy.
Often times players are torn between buying this game and Final Fantasy Tactics. I recommend this game over FFT as it has a better battle system and storyline. Final Fantasy Tactics has a storyline that starts off a lot "The Neverending Story." I much prefer the unique and unpredictable storyline of Golden Sun. FFT also uses a grid-based battle system where effectiveness of attacks is based on proximity (just like Fire Emblem) and has an in-game character judge because some attacks are not allowed in certain areas (BOOO!!!). Golden Sun utilizes a menu battle system which allows the player to have a better view of the attacking animations. Golden Sun just makes better use of the capabilities of the GBA. If you have any doubts though, rent the game first.