The first Golden Sun was one of the Gameboy Advance's launch titles. As such, it was an instant hit and has a strong fanbase years later. The series is a textbook example of old-school JRP Gs: the four elements, Mineral Macguffins, teenaged heroes and ancient civilizations are the core of the plot, and the core appeal as well.
The first game, subtitled "The Broken Seal" in Japan, is the story of a world where a number of people posses a power called Psynergy that allows them to manipulate the elements of fire, water, earth and wind. On a dark and stormy night, the town of Vale is struck by tragedy when a massive boulder crashes through the town, killing protagonist Isaac's father and the family of one of his friends. The event was caused by two mysterious figures who return three years later to the Sol Sanctum above the village, only to abscond with hostages and three sacred Elemental Stars, keys to unleashing the forbidden power of Alchemy. Isaac and his friend Garet take the remaining treasure and set off in pursuit. And that's just the first game.
The games are old-school JRPG and thus have random encounters, a point-based magic system and turn-based battles. A few things set the games apart. Psynergy is useful for more than your elemental spells; Move, Mind Read, Frost, and Teleport are among the powers that come up regularly outside of combat.
Creatures called "Djinn" (physical incarnations of the four elements) add a "Gotta catch 'em all" feel to the game. Having them gives the player class changes, stat boosts, summons, powers and eventually, an extra dungeon. They're hidden all over, so finding all of them might take time and backtracking.
I like these games because of the clever puzzles and the setting. Exploration and and experimentation are encouraged by the djinni hiding everywhere, and offering additional flavor text accessible by mind reading. Combat is rarely difficult, and most of the games' length is solely because of how large the games are.
Final verdict: The Golden Sun saga is a reconstruction of the Super Nintendo RPG. Those who enjoy these kinds of games, or who want strong RP Gs without much difficulty or heavy moralizing will like it. Those who dislike puzzles or turn based combat will not. Highly recommended.
An Elemental Example of an Eastern RPG
The first Golden Sun was one of the Gameboy Advance's launch titles. As such, it was an instant hit and has a strong fanbase years later. The series is a textbook example of old-school JRP Gs: the four elements, Mineral Macguffins, teenaged heroes and ancient civilizations are the core of the plot, and the core appeal as well.
The first game, subtitled "The Broken Seal" in Japan, is the story of a world where a number of people posses a power called Psynergy that allows them to manipulate the elements of fire, water, earth and wind. On a dark and stormy night, the town of Vale is struck by tragedy when a massive boulder crashes through the town, killing protagonist Isaac's father and the family of one of his friends. The event was caused by two mysterious figures who return three years later to the Sol Sanctum above the village, only to abscond with hostages and three sacred Elemental Stars, keys to unleashing the forbidden power of Alchemy. Isaac and his friend Garet take the remaining treasure and set off in pursuit. And that's just the first game.
The games are old-school JRPG and thus have random encounters, a point-based magic system and turn-based battles. A few things set the games apart. Psynergy is useful for more than your elemental spells; Move, Mind Read, Frost, and Teleport are among the powers that come up regularly outside of combat.
Creatures called "Djinn" (physical incarnations of the four elements) add a "Gotta catch 'em all" feel to the game. Having them gives the player class changes, stat boosts, summons, powers and eventually, an extra dungeon. They're hidden all over, so finding all of them might take time and backtracking.
I like these games because of the clever puzzles and the setting. Exploration and and experimentation are encouraged by the djinni hiding everywhere, and offering additional flavor text accessible by mind reading. Combat is rarely difficult, and most of the games' length is solely because of how large the games are.
Final verdict: The Golden Sun saga is a reconstruction of the Super Nintendo RPG. Those who enjoy these kinds of games, or who want strong RP Gs without much difficulty or heavy moralizing will like it. Those who dislike puzzles or turn based combat will not. Highly recommended.