Released November 11, 2001 (US), Golden Sun is a Role Playing Game (RPG) following classic RPG format. With the ability to use "Psynergy", yet another form of magic, the player is guided through the fictional world of Weyard. In order to progress through the game, the player will need to struggle through mazes, fight through hords of monsters using the game's turn-based battle system, and listen through gobs of information recieved via the traditional textboxes. Golden Sun is a single player game, but it does have the capability to be played against an opponent, using a GBA Link Cable. There is also a feature for the player to fight off monster after monster if he/she prefers purely battling. With multiple unlockable features, such as naming all characters and acquiring a password to transfer game data to its sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, this classic RPG is definitely one worth playing. Rating: Story: 7/10 Graphics: 10/10 Sound: 8/10 Gameplay: 7/10 Lasting Gameplay: 8/10 Content: 10/10 Originality: 5/10 Overall: 8/10Read full review
Like many other bored teenagers, when I was looking for something new to do, I turned to the internet to find a new video game to buy. Looking at the reviews, it seemed like Golden Sun was the game for me. Upon playing, my video game urges were pleasantly sated. If you've played any of the games in the Final Fantasy series, you'll probably either love Golden Sun or hate Golden Sun for the very same reasons that you loved or hated Final Fantasy. The battle system is very much the same, and the characters have a rather Final Fantasy-ish flavor, except the names they have are relatively normal. As in Final Fantasy, Golden Sun has 'summons'. They're called Djinni and they were, hands down, my favorite part of the game. They appear on the screen (unlike other foes, that you just run into by chance) and are usually in a difficult place to get. I loved the challenge of getting them, and what abilities you have or don't have varies greatly depending on which Djinn each character has equipped, which adds a lovely strategical element that Final Fantasy's brute force summons just don't have. On top of that, Golden Sun has a lot more puzzle-based dungeons than the Final Fantasy series ever did. (Think Final Fantasy X, where they had the Chamber of the Fayth puzzles, only less obnoxious) Now, I'm not saying that Golden Sun was a better game. It had a lot of shortcomings that were difficult to get over. The first and foremost bother about Golden Sun was the dialogue. It had way too much of it. Big chunks, little chunks, huge monologues, it had a plethora of useless dialogue boxes with no way of skipping through them. Usually they had a large one right before every boss fight, which meant that, if you happened to perish fighting that boss, you had to listen to it all over again. Your inventory was comparatively small, and places you could sell things were rather few and far between. So, while each character could carry small amount of items, I often found myself searching desperately for more room. Speaking of characters, you only had four, which you played continuously. Like every single other video game in existence, you have a weak link in your party , in this case, Ivan. Unlike in the Final Fantasy series, you can't just switch him out for a better member, because you only have the four you constantly play as. I have to say, though, that the biggest let-down of the game was the horrible ending. If you think that a story should end with at least a little bit of resolution, you're going to be rather disappointed with Golden Sun. The entire plot revolves around these four 'elemental lighthouses' that you're supposed to visit. In the end of the game, you only get to visit two. The enemies that you're chasing throughout the entire game never really get defeated, and the game ends basically in the middle of a mission. It was as though the people at Camelot decided that they'd had enough of making that game, and just cut the funding midway through. Because of this, Golden Sun is a good length for a handheld game, (for me, a little over twenty hours), but if it meant adding on another five hours or so, just so we could have a better ending, I'd go for it. To put it simply, Golden Sun was a good game that I had a lot of fun playing, but wasn't Hall of Fame material. It's available pretty cheap used, and is definitely worth it if you're looking to fill out your GBA arsenal.Read full review
The RPG element know as Djinn class system can be confusing at times, unless you take a moment and figure it out. But than again that's half the fun. The graphics are not as polish as I would had hope. Those are my only complaints. It's a great title and one that should be shared by many. The story line was deep and invovling and I wasn't lost within the first few hours. A note for all other RPG makers and anime writers; a confusing story doesn't make for a deep invovling tale. OK, Metal Gear Solid 2 writer Hideo Kojima. If I'm lost in the first couple hours; I turn the stupid thing off. You don't have to give away every serect either. Find a balance. Keep stories simple yet deep. OF course that note has nothing to do with this game.
Classical game when I was a kid feels like forever. The box is a little rough but what you expect for almost 20 years old there is very satisfied and still has the map and the guidebook
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This game almost plays like Final Fantasy III (FFIII) for Nintendo DS. There is a major difference, though. In Golden Sun, special magic-like power called psynergy and magical creatures called Djinn are more useful than swords or other weapons, while offensive magic are not very useful in FFIII. Golden Sun battle runs faster, so it can be more enjoyable than FFIII despite that it also has enemy encounters too often. However, I felt that there are too many psynergy and Dijinn options in each battle, and yet there is not much strategy that can be used. I would still recommend this game for a player who likes turn-based RPGs but has not played too many of them.
First off let me state this, im not an rpg fan (especially when it comes to portable titles) its generally fallout & pokemon (gen 3 & 1) for me, so i was quite skeptical going into this "AMAZINGLY RICH & REFINED RPG!" but the reviews looked half decent so i got it for about 15$ (yikes) anywho breakdown time: Gameplay: 3.5/5, standard rpg fare, the "psyengergy" mechanic is just mana & magic with a fancy name. the cool looking Djin (i think) are rather interesting when you're combat offering "1 hit KO's" early on but its still turn-based combat which to me is meh. Story: 2/5 so the combats standard turn based so whats the story like? standard. family is killed early on, your character says nothing but yes/no (ugh) you must (snnnnniiiifff) SAVE THE WORLD! & i also never really felt engrossed in this universe. so its okay, but ive seen much better. Graphics/music: 4/5 the two saving graces for this game (to me) was the music & graphics. its fun, epic, and quirky at times & i really enjoyed that so great graphics & music. FINAL VERDICT: in the end if you're an rpg fanatic you'll fall in love with golden sun (probably) its got everything you look for. if you're a casual gamer & rpg fan (like me) you'll sadly get bored with this game early on & you wont be able to get to the better stuff later on. its okay but dont spend more than 10-15$ on it, its not really worth any more than that. May the force be with you, always! ~C.S.Miller, the average jedi guyRead full review
the soundtrack is amazing the story great and the quality is unmatched
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
If you haven't ever played this game and you grew up in the era of the GBA, you're missing out. Give it a go and you won't be disappointed.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is the definitive GBA RPG title. No, it's not Zelda, No, it's not Pokemon. It's Golden Sun, this title came out of nowhere on the Game Boy scene in 2001 and boy did it blow it away. It's got an amazing blend of graphics, it takes the classic top down view of legendary RPG's of the past, but just wait until you encounter a battle for the first time, all of a sudden, it's 3D! No the characters are not 3d, but they are 2D animations on a realistic, fully animated scenic background. It's somewhat hard to explain but it creates a kind of depth in classic 2D RPG battles that no classic RPG has ever attempted before. And it's a surprise that no other RPG has. Aside from the revolutionary, graphical beauty of this title, the story is stupendous! Plot twists abound, characters that you will relate to, laugh with and care about it's a story that is so easy to comprehend yet so complex and fascinating. And don't forget the soundtrack either, I haven't played this title in a year and I still have the battle theme stuck in my head. It's driving and powerful, the other tunes from the game can be both haunting and mysterious. Altogether, there's a reason this title is hard to find in used game retailers today, it's because no one wants to get rid of it for cheap store credit once they have it, this one is worth the money. A must have for any Game Boy Advance collection, you will not regret it.Read full review
Just bought this game a couple weeks ago, i only seen the adds in 2001 and i didn't have a GBA so i had no chance to play it...until now since i now own a gamecube with a gameboy player, so far, i think the game is really good, simple but amusing story, really neat gameplay, a fast battle system and likable characters. but i have only a few gripes, for one it has random encounters which i never liked in any RPG and second, sometimes the Psynergy puzzles are a bit unresponsive but other than that, its a great game.
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