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[Siege.exe]

The 2nd game was my favorite of the two. It was interesting going from the largest continent of the world to a bunch of smaller continents and islands. And the game did a good job of making the other areas feel exotic in comparison to GS1s continent with different cultures and skin tones.

I played through GS1 again a few years ago and while some of the luster is gone, I still felt like it held up well overall. The world helped me stay invested plotwise even though the dialogue was pretty weak. And GS2 globetrotting really helps out on that front.

I never got to Dark Dawn. After years of hearing it shat on, I'm kinda scared to try it.

Surely it's at least better than Nostalgia on the DS, right?

While I do not think that Dark Dawn is nearly as bad as people make it out to be, it is a significant step down for 1 and 2 plot-wise.

 

[Mejilan]

Never played the third one (I'll get around to it one of these years).
First one was pretty flawed. But pretty.

Second one. The second one, however. One of my favorite original portable RPGs ever.
And transferring my decked out Golden Sun 1 crew into Golden Sun 2 was one of the coolest things I had ever done on the GBA. It fulfilled the promise and potential of the first game in every possible way, while giving us one of the grandest portable adventures gaming had seen to that point.

And that ending theme...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esBBXDuvEFA

 

[Comfort Jones]

The dungeons were kind of cool, but the combat was really dull. I beat the first game without ever using an inn and only changing classes to solve puzzles.

This and some of the just completely lifeless dialogue really turned me off on the game even back in the day. The world itself is fairly interesting but I just never felt pulled in by the actual characters.

 

[Siege.exe]

Never played the third one (I'll get around to it one of these years).
First one was pretty flawed. But pretty.

Second one. The second one, however. One of my favorite original portable RPGs ever.
And transferring my decked out Golden Sun 1 crew into Golden Sun 2 was one of the coolest things I had ever done on the GBA. It fulfilled the promise and potential of the first game in every possible way, while giving us one of the grandest portable adventures gaming had seen to that point.

And that ending theme...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esBBXDuvEFA

Hmm, the image showed up when I originally posted. Basically, fuck those Gold passwords.

 

[Luigi87]

Have both GBA games, love them, but never beat The Lost Age.

I should replay them...

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

Like Xenoblade Chronicles X, I'm still feeling the effects of that cliffhanger.

 

[hardcastlemccormick]

The thing I loved about the Golden Sun series was its pacing. It never felt too long, dungeons didn't overstay their welcome, battles were quick, etc.

Even despite the writing, things just clipped along and I really liked that. I really enjoyed both games.

 

[SmokedMeat]

Played through both GBA titles, as well as it's daddy Shining the Holy Ark on Saturn.

 

[Lord of Ostia]

I'm a big fan of all 3 games, fantastic RPGs. Really hoe we see another entry. I love the mix of puzzle solving and classic RPG mechanics, and the djinn are great as both collectibles and a means combat. Camelot's best work imo.

 

[jblank83]

The problems with Dark Dawn have nothing to do with being built on an outdated design and everything to do with being a poor game.

It's so easy it's boring. It's not even a mid/late-game "you're OP now" situation. The difficulty drops off a cliff just outside the starting areas
The dialog is terrible even by Golden Sun standards
Exploration is very limited, negating one of the pleasures of the series
The story is complete nonsense

Golden Sun 1 may have set you up for the second game, but at least it did it in a satisfying way. Dark Dawn just sort of ends, after one of the most anti-climactic "final boss" fights ever. The little celebration sequence was Star Wars prequels levels of ridiculous as well.

On the positive side, it maintains the enjoyable and rewarding "puzzle" based level design the series was known for.

 

[speedpop]

I never touched Dark Dawn so my reception to the series is limited to the first two in the series, but I enjoyed them thoroughly. I still fondly recall min-maxing the characters due to the unique battle system, and the fact that dungeons weren't a simple means to an end but were littered with puzzles that implemented the magic system. Some of the locales and especially the music tied to those areas were amazing as well; it's easily one of Motoi Sakuraba's best efforts despite the limitation of the sound chip.

The story isn't quite as complex as what I remembered, but I think it was the light-hearted tone that set it apart. It reminded me of the stories and characters in games like Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma where there are obvious consequences to the actions of the characters involved and what is happening around them, but it's presented in a fashion where the player is instinctively welcomed every time they turn the game on.

I should really set about playing them again on my Wii U, but yes... they were some of the handful of stellar titles on the GBA and pushed the hardware to their limit.

 

[Lindsay]

I love all three of 'em! Lotsa memorable music and flashy attack animations and nicely drawn places! First two fit together so nicely aside from the dreaded password of doom to carry your progress over unless ya happen ta have a pair of GBA's & Link Cable ready. I think timing had a hand in how Dark Dawn's story came together. Making/releasing a direct story sequel to games 5+ years old on a previous generation of systems. From 2002/2003 to 2010 is a long time an trying ta bring in new fans without making it seem like they had ta play the previous games was prolly a worry to 'em.

DD didn't feel like a rehash an how it followed up on the second games ending was nice. I doubt change happened instantly so putting some time between the final lighthouse being lit an jumping to a completely reshaped world with new races an such worked for me! Besides the former heroes had two whole games behind 'em, how many more did they need?

I so wish we coulda got a followup game to DD in a timely manner. Because now its also 5+ years old so even if a new one were made would they really directly follow up on its epic cliffhanger ending? Prolly dun gotta worry about it since the second & third games bombed, only the first sold really well. Totally a dead series unless the year of jrpgs commands it to rise from its ashes this E3 lol.

 

[NinjaBoyLao]

I played and replayed the first two multiple times. The DS one though, I dont think I even met the first boss, the loooong intro alone makes me fall asleep everytime I try to play it, and whenever I manage to stay awake after the intro, the encyclopedia thing explation segment will surely makes me quit the game.

worst intro ever.

 

[Firemind]

I didn't read the OP, but Golden Sun is the only RPG I know that combines puzzle elements and risk/reward of classes/summons. Sure, you had the djinns that blocked all damage, but you also had Dullahan who set all your djinns so your whole team basically turned into paupers.

 

[Aeana]

Played through both GBA titles, as well as it's daddy Shining the Holy Ark on Saturn.

Technically, Golden Sun's "daddy" is Beyond the Beyond. I know it hurts because it's not good, but they have a lot in common.

 

[RedSwirl]

But if the first two were so good, why was the third game, Dark Dawn, so poorly received?



I believe this is for two major reasons. One is that the DS entry tried to rest on its laurels, echoing plot and character development from the original duology and riding its coattails in a way that felt bland. Your characters are the children of the characters from the first two games, and constant reference is made to that fact, taking the spotlight from the protagonists and splitting it between them and their parents, causing neither party to shine as brightly as the two from before. This leads directly into the second issue, which is that Golden Sun was released on the GBA during a time when quality RPGs were scarce on the system, and when the concepts it was introducing were progressive and unique. Without the novelty of the elemental motifs and gameplay design, the game felt like a grey echo of its bright and cheery predecessors (which is ironic, as the literal color palettes used in Dark Dawn were almost too bright. But, I digress.)



I believe that Golden Sun was so enjoyable not only because of its mechanics, dungeon design, and simple but appealing narrative, but also because of the environment in which it was released. The reason the simple narrative was able to remain endearing was because it was carried by the novelty and newness of its design, and when the third game is a retread of that, the narrative simply can't stand as strongly on its own, especially when it's diluted by introducing eight new characters in the span of a single game, unlike the gradual introduction of the two distinct parties of the first two entries.

I still want a fourth one, though. Dark Dawn ended on a cliffhanger, and it seemed like the plot could become promising. Maybe someday...?

Golden Sun basically started the trend of RPGs dominating handhelds. Other than Pokemon, it was pretty much the first truly significant portable RPG. It was the first time we got RPGs on a handheld that could actually hold up to the standards of SNES RPGs.

 

[R_thanatos]

I played and replayed golden sun so many times and each time i enjoy it ..

It's one of those games that aged well IMO.
The third game not so much.

But the first 2 ? the simple yet effective dongeon design , the little touches in term of world building ( like the fact that you can mind read EVERY NPC , except like 12 in the game) And the effective battle animation really make this game shine.

The soundtrack is god tier and the Second game is reallly the first but bigger.
The excellent hidden goodies really made it so fun to seek them.

I have , like no problem with these 2 games.

i really should finish the 3rd , but i lost interest in the middle.
The charm of the 2 games was gone

 

[OnFire331]

I've yet to find an RPG with environmental puzzles as good as Golden Sun's. The elemental rocks in TLA are some of the best dungeons ever.

 

[Llyranor]

I really enjoyed the first two. Fun combat system (the djinni setups were neat), and fun puzzle/dungeon design.

The DS one was trash. Absolutely horrendous story/characters/writing with incredibly slow text scrolling speed. I had to stop some hours in. Neither combat nor dungeons could save it for me.

 

[JavyOO7]

Golden Sun was tremendous. Remembered how fun it was getting all the djinn's and beating the last boss. Never played part two though. Its not such a bad idea for me to get both titles on the WiiU...

 

[Strife In a Teacup]

this is still the hypest shit.

I only played the Lost Age on my Gameboy SP but damn were those weapon procs awesome. They went above and beyond what I was expecting. Megiddo I think it was, was impressive.

 

[Spring-Loaded]

I remember finding a chewed up GBA cartridge in the parking lot of where my dad worked. The label was unreadable and my dad didn't think it would work.

It did though, once I bent some of the uneven plastic bits out of the way, and it was this game! There was a save file already on it, and the previous person only played for an hour and 20 minutes. I got 40 hours out of it, and thought it was pretty engaging.

I had to get the sequel after finishing it, of course. Thought it was great, though my opinion is biased as I not only got it for free, but I wasn't even sure it would work.

 

[saturnine]

The plot was really dumb, the difficulty curve was shit, some terrible characters. Despite all that, these games captured my imagination like few others, in part thanks to the incredible soundtrack. Weyard is still one of my favourite video game world.

For anyone interested, there's a pretty good screenshot LP of the two first games at lparchive. The letsplayer is ridiculously acerbic, but it helps clearing away the fog of nostalgia.

 

[SolicitorPirate]

Huh, I didn't know there even was a 3rd one.

Unfortunately, I picked up the second game without playing the first, which I think kinda doomed the series for me

 

[Lindsay]

Still wanna know whats beyond/below the edge of the world. Skies of Arcadia also left me wanting ta know that! >_<

 

[SuperBlank]

The first two stack up among my favourite games of all time.

Played the third one too and enjoyed it for what it was, but I'm not going to pretend it touched the others.

I'd really like to see a fourth one day, not just because the series has been left on a cliffhanger. It's kind of unfair imo how this series pretty much got left in the dust after one less-than-stellar iteration. Especially after the performance of the first two. I think it deserves more than that.

I'd also kill to see Isaac in Smash, for what that's worth.

 

[rokero]

love this series, I want another one so bad my only fear is they'd mess with the art style and go loli/nu anime with it

 

[Zom]

It is so goooooooddd, the attacks and music where amazing.

Garoh theme was superb

 

[notaskwid]

I never had a gba and tried to play Golden Sun on the DS around before the time the 3rd game was coming out. I really could not get into it, the dialogs were terrible and the use of powers out of combat thingy really felt unnecessary and cumbersome to me. I didn't get far.
I don't really usually care for bad dialogue, but for some reason at the time, it really stuck out. Maybe because it was so loooong.
Also thought the 3d in battle was very ugly and wish they would have just made 2d battles. Every model looks to have about 5 polygons.

 

[Sakujou]

the first game had such a cliffhanging end.

golden sun 2 was the beginning of my endthis game marks the first game ever in my backlog. to this very day, i have never touched this game)

i heard stories after golden sun 1 that there is an epic RPG in development for gc, but except for 1-2 news i read back then in magazines, there wasnt even a screenshot.

golden sun ds, as far as i heard from friends was such a let down.

need to play the game again since i barely remember what happened on the tower with that blue and red villains...

oh and the graphics on gba were the shit. best looking game on the gba back then. the fighting was really fun... except for some fucked up dungeons which were just too long....

 

[Lunar15]

2 was mindblowing when I was younger. It had so much content.

 

[psynergylover]

Golden Sun and Golden Sun: Lost Age are my favorite games of all time! this could've been the "Final Fantasy" for nintendo if they didn't drop the series for 6 years, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn was decent(a bonafide 7) and I hope they at least finish the series with a 4th entry as they can't leave the series on that cliffhanger

I need to see Felix/Felix's child!!!

Edit: Hell my username here is "Golden Sun" based!!!

 

[Rob2K19]

GOAT game. Isaac and Judgment are the GOAT's.

 

[Meffer]

I love this series so much. The music, the gameplay, the puzzles, it's presentation. The nostalgia gets me every time.

 

[Galang]

Loved the games, but hated the direction Dark Dawn took. I was also really turned off by the main character being a repeat of Isaac. They should have went with something more original. I'd honestly prefer a reboot over a direct sequel to DD

 

[The Shadow Knight]

I really want to finish up the story. Please Nintendo!

That's not Isaac's theme though.

This theme though

 

[Novum_Veritas]

I'm really sad, that Dark Dawn will never get a sequel and will always be a to be continued.
Dark Dawn never reached the greatness of GS 1 and 2 though.
Sucks that we will never see a new Golden Sun again.

 

[wrowa]

What made Golden Sun special to me was that ambitious, original handheld RPGs were quite uncommon on handhelds up to then. There were some great RPGs on Game Boy, but most of them felt like watered-down versions of "bigger" games. With Golden Sun, however, we got a game that from graphics to scope felt like a "full-fledged" RPG experience that didn't feel like it had to cut corners to work.

However, five years later that just wasn't anything particularly special anymore. RPGs were at home on DS and what Golden Sun once was was now just one in a dozen. At the same time, they failed to come up with meaningful innovations - or a game that at least lived up to its predecessors.

Still, I'd like to see a new game in the series. I'm still quite nostalgic to it. It doesn't feel like Camelot still has the resources to do it, though...

 

[SoraNoKuni]

I really liked the 1st one, but I stopped midway beating the 2nd and I lost my cartridge.
Probably I'll replay it someday.
When I tried the DS one I didn't really like it though.

 

[GenG3000]

The first two games are enjoyable as portable games, but as RPGs they are highly unremarkable and cookie cutter. Generic plot, characters, setting, battles, everything.

 

[NaDannMaGoGo]

The first 2 Golden Sun games are among my GOATs. Pretty much great in all regards, although combat design could've used some work here and there.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is quite frankly a terrible game compared to the former titles and even by itself I'd call it a bad RPG. I could fill pages listing all its fault but I'm not in the mood of doing so again. One day I might create a thread about that topic. Dark Dawn pretty much killed this franchise.

 

[Capra]

Decent game with really nice presentation (for the GBA) that sorely needed an editor. The djinn system was really creative and the soundtrack was ace, but the battles had no challenge and between that and the excessive dialogue it felt like I was mashing A for half the game.

 

[Aurongel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9MfVjlS0-8&nohtml5=False

SO GOOD.

 

[RPGam3r]

I remember being completely disappointed with thr GS games. I didn't like the story, and the development system just seemed uninteresting.

Also the game reminded me too much of Beyond he Beyond for whatever reason.

 

[Shift Breaker]

I loved them as a kid, particularly graphically, but it's hard going back to them now. It's simple, it's shallow, and the DS game is particularly bad. There are loads of better RPGs to replay, and that's just on the handheld gaming scene.

 

[Spieler Eins]

The DS game didn't really do much different, most complaints could also be named for the GBA games. I thought it was okay, although I would have liked more bosses and I never like sequels being about the last protagonists' children.
However, the first game was not only a graphical showcase for GBA, but probably also one of the first ,,real RPGs" for many people after the generation of FF7 newcomers was already ending. I'm also very nostalgic for them, but even the GBA games aren't phenomenal. I appreciate RPGs with puzzles and also short RPGs, but there was way too much text (even more so for a generic story) and no difficulty in battles.

 

[Kuga]

Loved the first two games... they were some of my favorite RPGs on the GBA, despite the their flaws.

Dark Dawn was kind of a mess and I'm disappointed that the series is in limbo over such a sour note. They played it safe, boring, linear, and didn't address the problems with the previous two games. Also, the story was a complete disaster. The final result was mediocrity.

Maybe someday the franchise will get a worthy reboot of sorts.

 

[Baleoce]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9MfVjlS0-8&nohtml5=False

SO GOOD.

Motoi Sakuraba knocked it out of the park with this soundtrack.

 

[Linkyn]

Yeah, GS and TLA are easily among my favourite games of all time. They're very stylish, the soundtrack is absolutely amazing, and they have some of the best dungeon design I have ever seen.

 

[saturnine]

Motoi Sakuraba knocked it out of the park with this soundtrack.

Might very well be his best period. Golden Sun and Baten Kaitos are masterpieces in the music department.