Golden Sun Game by Camelot Reviewed by Chromie bkerr@umich.edu Size: Save: Battery save with 3 game slots Released: 2001 Works with: Game Boy Advance **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: Golden Sun bleeds ambition. It's a new RPG -- the first in a series. And why not? Square got Final Fantasy, Enix got Dragon Warrior, Capcom got Breath of Fire, now Nintendo does got Golden Sun. It doesn't matter if the game's any good or not, as here it is, with Gamecube and GBA sequels on the way. It's even got an appropriate title for another epic RPG cash-cow. "Golden Sun". Generic, vague, copyrighted. So the question is -- will Golden Sun be a Breath of Fire or a Final Fantasy? Is it, simply put, any good? And is this reviewer, having played through the first game, looking forwards to its sequels? **************************************************************************** Gameplay Descripion: You have four heroes with troubled, mysterious pasts and troubled mysterious powers. You got your cute fantasy world with creatures such as "Plated Rats" and "Manticores" running around. You got your movers and shakers of the older generation reviving ancient magical stuffies and seeking immortality and so on. You got a combat engine and minigames and lots of shopping. If this is where Golden Sun stopped, I would have played something else. Your characters have magic, though. Actually, it's called Psynergy because, unlike your standard-issue console RPG magic, it can be used for more than hacking through waves of "Plated Rats". Of course one has Psynergies to heal, toast, revive, and summon a Meteor -- this is expected. Golden Sun enters into the arena numerous Psynergies such as Move, Douse, Grow, Reveal, and the endearing Mind Read. These abilities are used to great and consistent effect throughout the game. In addition to, or sometimes rather than, random battles, you will have to roll logs, make ice staircases, and play Metal Gear Solid by literally cloaking your adventurers in shadow. These puzzles are beautiful! They make slogging through dungeons and forests enjoyable, and offer a real tangible sense of accomplishment. Oftentimes, you'll find yourself building shortcuts that allow you to run directly from the level entrance to the exit. The first trip through takes a while, but whenever you have to run through thereafter, you can use these shortcuts to save bunches of time. It's cool. Some of these puzzles are very tough; a few are intractably tedious. Fortunately, most of the harder ones are optional. And, heck, you can read minds. This is easily the selling point of this game. A Note Regarding Djinn: These are cute lil' elemental critters which can be used in combat to augment your characters' Psynergy, beef up their statistics, and allow for summon of big ol' nasties. These guys you find hidden all over the place, and their finding and usage lends an interesting Pokemonesque dynamic to the game. An Indicia Regarding Combat: Golden Sun 'features' a red-rover, turn-based RPG combat system. It is the system you know and are bored of. Fortunately, battles are graphically lively, and run at a brisk pace. This is the dull portion of the game; however, it's fun enough while it lasts and the game itself relies on combat only when appropriate. An Observation Regarding Game Length: Golden Sun is the first chapter of a serial RPG. That is to say, much like previous Camelot effort Shining Force, the storyline continues from game to game within the series. Golden Sun II has been announced, and is rumored to begin one year after the events of the first game. Golden Sun, consequently, is short. 25 hours, tops. That's having done everything and been everywhere multiple times, with a hideously overpowered combat party. It's short, yes, but it's not nearly so bad as you may have been led to believe. Liked: Creative non-combat RPG gameplay. Overall snappy pace. Hated: The cliffhanger ending is quite abrupt. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: When you turn on Golden Sun, it says: Hello! I look like a Playstation game! Golden Sun never retracts this statement. It's colorful, detailed, fluid, all the rest. A nice Mode 7 world map. Vivid towns (each house interior -really is- different). A dynamic, rotating battle system with (1) particle effects (2) screen-high animated creature summons (3) smooth scaling animation. The game is also playable enough in real-world lighting conditions. This is very kind. Liked: All-around high production values. Hated: Nothing, really. Some of the 3D-type effects are a bit chunky, but heck. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: With music highly reminiscent of Star Ocean 2 on the Playstation (same composer, see?), and lots of longish tracks, the Golden Sun soundtrack is very nice. I want a CD. A few basic themes are elaborated and modified as appropriate for different places and events. Conventional, but cool to have on a handheld. Trust me, use headphones or stereo speakers with this thing. It's worth the bother. Liked: Killer soothing soundtrack. Hated: GBA speaker requires extra help to sound best. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: The control is spot-on. Highly appreciated, subtle control features make an appearance. You can map a Psynergy to each of the shoulder buttons for quick access, and nice item menus allow you to sort, inventory, and easily upgrade everybody's equipment. In addition, Golden Sun implements a save-anywhere scheme. Outside of combats and scripted events (of which there are many), you can save and quit anytime. When you need to stop while fighting or reading, holding both shoulder buttons for a few moments will put the game in Sleep mode. LCD, sound off; Game Boy on. This low-power mode lets you put the game aside and attend to pressing business without losing any progress. It would be better for the game to save your progress transparently and regularly (shades of Neo Geo Pocket here), but this'll do nicely enough. Liked: It's all well-designed, if fairly conventional. Hated: Sleep mode is still kinda gross. **************************************************************************** Improve: Make it longer, not by stretching out the existing elements, but by making it BIGGER! Make it more difficult to collect powerful Djinn, equipment, Psynergies, etc. Hate to say it, but the story is still painfully conventional. Fortunately, Camelot has a sequel with which to make good on some of these issues. RIYL: Dragon Warriors, Zeldas, Star Oceans. **************************************************************************** Final Words: Golden Sun. It's a great enough game as we got it, but still bleeds wasted potential. I'll be playing the sequel, and you should too, but I will be disappointed if Camelot doesn't flesh out some of the more skeletal areas of the game. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: ***** Graphics: **** Sound/Music: **** Play Control/Game Design: *** Personal Opinion: *** Total: ******************* (19) Final Score: 76% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: When you leave Vale and almost instantly meet a special someone who asks to join your quest, say no. This individual will join you no matter how many times you say no, and will offer amusing dialogue. To rename all the characters: When you name Isaac at the beginning of the game, press Select three times. After Isaac's, you'll get to choose the other party members' names. After this, the following sequence will let you name some more of the usual suspects: Up Down Up Down Left Right Left Right Up Right Down Left Up Select