Golden Sun (Video Game 2001) Poster

(2001 Video Game)

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9/10
Awesome gameplay!
smashattack20 September 2002
Golden Sun has to be one of the largest, most extensive Game Boy games ever created. It provides excellent graphics, super CPU intelligence, a load of spells with a complete magic system, and really cool little guys called "Djinn".

The battle system has to be one of the coolest, and most unique, ever. One can "Set" Djinn, connecting them to the character's body to perform helpful tasks. After they've been set, they can be used to summon great beings to aid in the destruction of evil-doers everywhere!

The plot is unusually very interesting. Four lighthouses control the power of the world, and some evil-doers plan to light them. In order to stop them, you, playing as Isaac and his gang, must track them down and rescue each village from imminent disaster along the way.

The music is pretty nice. It's only Game Boy Advance, but that's no reason to have pitiful music. Ambient sounds, the battle music, and a very nice main theme mix to create an intense, dramatic blend of Nintendo music.

The Djinn, much like Final Fantasy VIII's Guardian Forces, are really neat. It takes a while to understand them and how they work, but once you figure them out, the possibilities are practically limitless. Special items and weaponry only add to the effect, as they produce powers like none ever seen in fantasy games.

Golden Sun (I'm not sure what it is with Broken Seal; I've got the U.S. version, so it is only called Golden Sun) is a very challenging game. More than once I found myself literally slaughtered by countless enemies. The bosses are merciless and can sometimes be very frustrating, but I suggest leveling up as much as possible before meeting any of them! This will not only help you, but will make the game a much more enjoyable experience.

My ultimate advice: get Golden Sun! It's a marvelous depiction of the GBA's superior performance.
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8/10
Classic Gaming at it's best
FrozenLittleBaby6 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I remember the first time I bought this gem of a game it was Christmas of 2003. The first time I played it it started of slowly I had no idea where to go or what to do at all. So by than I gave up on it saying that I would play it again some other time. That other time wasn't till the next year when I picked up the game around 2004 and played it I figured out what to do and spent months training up playing the game. As well as the game-play and of course the use of magic and the Djinn the elemental spirit creatures that are used to summon attacks and of course more powerful creatures.

As well as the RPG element I completely enjoyed the story as you Isaac or whoever you name the hero as sets out with his friend Gareth and go around the world of Weyard trying to find your missing friends and of course save the world from disaster from Saturus and Menardi. And of course lets not forget about the twist and turns of how it would end. If you buy this game I hope you enjoy it as much as I have and look out for it's sequel Golden Sun 2.

But the only thing that annoyed me about this game was that if you where low on health and you try to return to a town just to get healed or buy medicine a monster or monsters may ambush you killing you so that you lost money as well as experience. But don't let that stop you enjoying it at all.
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9/10
Owns.
elidirkx29 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
On a day in October 2002 I went to the mall and looked between the games. I met quite some games like Final Fantasy X and such, but I didn't have a PS2, so...well, I found this, and I DID have a GBA. Bought it. After that, I was amazed. It started with the climax of a volcano having an outburst, and having to go save friends until one was swept away in a storm while it was raining...the climax was broken, and then you met the two villains in the game; they noticed you eavesdropping and then they knock you out. After that you get to see the town again, this time it is not raining and everything is sunny, and your main character is working on a roof of your main character's house. Then two of your friends come and accidentally ruin the roof by standing on it...foo. In the end, you get invited by a scientist named Kraden (Sclater in Japanese version) to visit the temple which is based upon the mountain which was disrupted in the beginning. OK. You get to put some time into puzzling, which is in my opinion, very good, because there is a good balance between puzzling and battling, though sometimes there are just too many random battles. Finally you get to solve it, and you arrive in a room in which the essences of the four elements (air, earth, water, fire...) are sealed, but you are quickly forced to give them to the villains that beat you up in the beginning of the game and an unexpected guest. Finally, you are involved in a quest to save the world by stopping Saturos and Menardi, the villains, in unlocking the Power of Alchemy, the 'magic' of that game's universe. But do they really have to be stopped? Is it really their purpose to destroy the world? A lot of things are found out in the second part. Graphical wise, I have to say this is the best game ever for a 64-Megabit cartridge. Battles and the world map are in Mode 7, and the overall is well-animated and coloured. Musical wise, this game is alright. With a score composed by Motoi Sakuraba, the music is not always 'good' but it mostly does fit with the situations in the game. There are no slowdowns so far I noticed, and the learning curve isn't very long. Also you can collect up to 7 Elementals of each elemental force, which also enables more skills and also summons in battle, which can get to be VERY powerful to fight with. Also, quite a few side-quests, and they could get vital to the second part also. Overall, 9/10 for me. I hope there are going to be more games like this in the future. And 'coloured' is NOT a spelling mistake.
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10/10
Excellent RPG
ruffinelli_ro4 April 2009
This game is terrific. Even do this game is made for the game boy advance with all of the console's limits, is also extremely enjoyable. It is a very long and fun game with innovating stuff for the genre. Its story is really good as the characters are. But what is the difference between this RPG and others? It has magic.

When you take into account that the game boy advance is not one of the best consoles out there, you would be a bit hesitant about this game. But I can assure you that all the good stuff totally make up for the system's limits. The fight are very well designed, the world is really big and you can find tons of monster to practice the moves. The sound is also enjoyable and the graphics are good for the game boy advance.

The story is about a group of four adepts (The person who can use Psynergy) with different powers, who need to stop the bad guys from lighting the four beacons/seals and therefore break the alchemy seal that use to balance the forces on earth. The story is little more complicated than that since there are many sub-plots and you get to understand our characters and the bad guys actions.

The new features included in this game are the Djinn, which are Pokémon like creatures (They need to be caught as well) with different powers. The difference is that there are only four kinds of them (Water, fire, wind and earth) which match each of the four main characters type. The main characters own special powers according to their type (for example the earth guy has powers related to earth and so on) which are necessary when you need to solve puzzles to beat the many different dungeons. You can set Djinns to each character to provide them with additional strength or you can also change types for them. The Djinn can be use in different forms in battle, you are able to use each Djinn special technique, or use a group of them to sum an even stronger attack. You can also use each character special power (They call it Psynergy) or simply attack the bad guys with your weapons. The battle system is really good as well but it would be a little long to explain.

Overall this game is an absolute worth trying. Anyone who claim he/she likes RPG will love this title, and the rest will love it as well.
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10/10
Best Game Boy advanced game I've ever played
Shibyman_12330 June 2002
Well I thought this game was amazing in every detail except for the revival system, I don't like it how before you can get any waters of life you have to go to a priest and revive or remove poison or curses. But all in all the game was very amazing. The Battle system I thought was flawless and I loved the Djinni\Summon system it was genius. I didn't like the fact that it was so short it took me two days to beat and the final boss was the easiest battle in the game with the exception of the beginning random battles.I also want to know how they are going to start golden sun 2 (which should be coming out Christmas 2002 for all you golden sun fans)because if it's a different game pack than golden sun will they start with the average level of the game then factor in everything like spells and Items and then maybe start the game on the boat then have a secret closet where you can pick up any of the weapons you may have had. Also I thi\ought they would have the ending before the credits that was a little different but what can I do. Oh and another Idea I have about the continuation of the game is maybe they should make a special device that they they sell in the same box as golden sun 2 to transfer the data of your game ongolden sun then save it to golden sun 2(hint hint people who made the game)and then maybe sell it for 100 bucks and you'd make more money hey that works hunh. Oh well it was an amazing game with hard puzzles but still the best game I've played for GBA so if you don't have this game BUY IT!!!!!!!!! you'll like it if you like games like the final fantasy series and chrono cross and you might buy the game then try those games listed abvove and love them. Bye
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8/10
Finally won this thing!
Aaron137520 January 2022
I got this game back in the day when it first came out. For reasons I cannot quite remember (it was 20 years in-between plays) I never finished the game the first time around. Then I learned that the game was not complete and I was never able to get my hands on the second part so I just never finished. That is until now, since I have gotten an emulator that has both this one and the second one in it. Not sure why the game was split into two parts as while the graphics are pretty good, there are not several cut scenes or anything that should make containing it on one cart difficult. Still, this one was fun, but man the story leaves one hanging.

The story has a town where one night a boulder begins to make its way to the village, adepts hold it back using their powers, but it eventually rampages the village and a girl's brother and parents are killed and the hero of the game loses his father. After awhile they enter the forbidden sanctuary and embark on a quest as villains have kidnapped the girl and Issac and his friend Garret must leave the only village they have ever known in pursuit. They will meet two other's with special powers Mia and Ivan as they travel to this lighthouses where the villains try to activate them for reasons not known to us.

The combat in this one is pretty fun as it is turned based, but you get to assign these creatures called Djinn to each character which boosts attack, gifts the characters with magic and can be summoned to perform super powerful attacks. You also have to use powers such as mind reading, reveal, move and lift among others to make your way through many obstacles along the way. It makes for some difficult puzzles at times, but not too bad. This game does the standard overhead map and entering towns, forests and caves which I like as I have yet to play a game that does not have the overhead map where the world feels all that big.

So, it was cool finally getting through this thing. It was much easier to do on my television rather than on the Gameboy Advanced suffice to say. Really helped me see things easier. I got to the Colosso tournament the first time, and as it turns out, that is pretty much near the end of the game. I think I got flustered during the tournament and forgot to save or something. Anyways, a fun RPG game that I would have preferred simply been whole when I got it, but at least now I do have access to the second part as I am curious to see where the story goes.
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5/10
Looks great but not my thing
CuriosityKilledShawn13 July 2005
Don't get me wrong. I love RPGs and building up custom characters but I don't like them in the 2D world of the GBA. On the PC I have played awesome games like Dungeon Siege, where the RPG element is at it's best but I found Golden Sun to be really slow.

It took ages to get going and there is an unbelievable amount of dialogue in it. But there is no way to skip past it. You will literally be sitting there hitting the button for 10 minutes reading bland word bubbles. Some have given this game a great review but I'm afraid this RPG just didn't do anything for me and I won't be checking out the sequel.

Graphics A Sound A- Gameplay C- Lasting Appeal C-
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