Customer Reviews
Fantastic - By: Bertie, 08 Jul 2007 
This is one of the best japenese role playing games out there. Instantly reminds you of the 16bit era & the likes of chrono trigger.
This game however is a pretty serious rpg, leveling up, buying weapons, armour, learning spells, over the top plot with a huge number of twists. However what realy sets this game apart from other rpgs is the djinni system. several creatures that affect your stats & use to summon even greater attacks. sounds simple but surprisingly complex & deep.
my only criticism of this game however is that the characters "speak" far too much & interupts the game & to fully enjoy this game you must spend some serious time with it, not just 5 mins here & there.
if you like other rpgs this is a must or if you are just looking for one of the gbas best games this is for you.
Best RPG on GBA - By: uLtimate gAmer, 22 Aug 2006 Awesome Game, with the best Plot any Role Player wants. This Game has it alll, the Original stuff you like to see, plus the new stuff.
Follow the adventures of Isaac, Garett, Ivan & Mia with the most fun you can, seriously, buy this game now
The same old song on a different instrument - By: P.Vineaux, 01 Aug 2006 
Golden Sun is a well made RPG that sticks to the formula but delivers it with great presentation & graphics for a handheld, despite the game mechanics being as old & crusty as RPG's themselves. If you can't get enough of RPG's, it's worth buying, if you've never played RPG's then it's also a great place to start, but if you're like me & you want something with at least a little originality don't bother, this is why:
RPG cliche #1 - The setting: The game is set in the default for almost alll rpg's, mock medieval/fantasy. There are castles, monsters, dragons, & it's alll very LOTR. The world map is the same as any final fantasy, & the various villages alll have the same bunch of straw roofs, ye olde inns & dark ages type peasants meandering around. Personallly, I can't wait for an rpg that actuallly creates a unique world. How about a futuristic sci-fi rpg? Or one set in a real place in the present?
RPG cliche #2 - The Plot: An energy/eco-force/crystal/spirit has been stolen by some baddies, badness is imminent, & as a rookie/kid/dissenter you must set out on a quest to defeat the baddies, getting sidetracked along the way occassionallly. When I first encountered this plot in FFVII I thought it was deep & had a large scope, this is the umpteenth time I've played through it, & it reallly takes a lot out of a game when the plot is as dated & common as this.
RPG cliche #3 - The Waffle: An rpg is supposed to be the most involving & story-based of games, & the easiest way to make it seem epic & long is to have lots & lots of dialogue, in order to be as pompous & engrossing as possible. Golden Sun has more than the average, which is a lot. It's not so well-written & lacks character a little, which is the main problem.
RPG cliche #4 - The Battle System: You have stats, you have magic points, & health points. You can attack physicallly, or use magic points to cast magic. You equip armour & weapons to make stats go up & down, you have djinn, which are things you equip to manipulate stats, & offer some more attacks. It's alll very geeky & full of numbers, & makes me feel more like an accountant than an intrepid warrior. Although it's the common staple of RPG's, there's absolutely nothing original here.
RPG cliche #5 - Random Battles: Every couple of centimetres you walk in the world map or cave, you'll find yourself in a battle with a couple of weak enemies. This is nothing but a chore, & the worse part of any RPG. You do this a million times, & I have never felt that video games were a waste of time more than when I realise I've spent an hour doing something as pointless & mundane as engaging in random battles. Like some of the cheaper, rubbish RPG's, Golden Sun piles on the random battles to make the game last longer. This isn't necessary at alll, how about less random battles & more actual enemies? Zelda showed how progression ought to be done in a game, yet people still use this tired system.
I can't fault Golden Sun for being the simple old school RPG that it is, but it reallly doesn't have anything new to add to the genre. This is an enjoyably wholesome RPG, but if any of those RPG cliches I mentioned annoy you in RPG's, then you probably won't find this so fun. It's full of them & proud of it.
A Very Good Game - By: Jacob G. North, 05 Feb 2006 
Golden Sun is alll that an RPG in a Gameboy Advance is meant to be, but like a lot of games, there are also some minor problems.
First, the gameplay is you average overhead view, in which you have to move around the world, until you get into a fight with a monster or two (or six). The view then changes to behind the characters while you fight. The story holds together so well it is almost unbelievable. You start out as this fourteen year old kid callled Isaac (unless you change the name) who witnesses a disaster to his village. Three years later, the fate os the world rests alll of a sudden in his hands. I will tell you no more, as it will spoil a lot of surprises.
Along the way, you find these creepy little critters callled Djinn, who have these powers you can use in a battle, for instance, they may inflict damage. You meet a number of interesting people & a total of four people in your party. You also have a power callled Psynergy (sort of like magic) that can also be ised in a battle, but in some cases, they can also be used outside of a battle (like MOVE, to move a block).
The graphics in this game are also worthy of mention. They are near stunning for this handheld game console. The environments in which you are in are alll beautifully detailled & the characters are also animated to perfection.
So why 4 stars & not 5? Simple. Although the gameplay, battles & graphics are alll so good, there is one problem with the game. And that is the talking. Do NOT play this game where you have to expect to turn off the console after a short period of time, you will have to go through a lot of time again. What I mean by this is, at key points in the game, several characters talk for ages to explain what is going to happen, or what is going to happen. Along with this are animations to accompany the emotions (eg. if a person is surprised, then the character will shake up & down a couple of times) of the chracter, & there is not one scene without one. It does add realism to the game, but it does eat up time.
The bottom line is, this is a good game to play if you are on a long car trip, or have a lot of time to yourself, as the talking bits are annoying. Remember to save the game on a regular basis, & train up at least 4-6 levels in each new area to keep up with the monster's strength. BUY THIS GAME NOW, OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE!
Over & out,
jake_da_man
Epic - By: *, 25 Jul 2005 Golden Sun is a RPG of such epic brilliane that it will almost certainly take over your life.
You play a young adept named Isaac whose friends are kidnapped by villians & so you set out on a adventure to save them slowly gathering more team mates. Sounds pretty familiar doesn't it? Well actuallly Golden Sun is one of the most original RPG's ever made. The battle system is extremely fast paced & taken up a notch due to the djinn system which lets you summon extremely cool spirit/demons to help you in battle. Out of battle Golden Sun has some of the best puzzles in any game & likeable charcters & funny dialogue. the only problem is that the dialogue does go on for a bit.
Graphics: 10/10 As good as it gets on GBA in battles & out.
Sound: 10/10 AMAZING music that reallly stirrs the heart & adds emotion into the game.
Gameplay: 10/10 Brilliant battles, great levels & epic bosses.
Lifespan: 8/10 A good 30 hours of gameplay but it'll take you longer getting alll the djinn.
Good: As technicallly brilliant as a GBA game can get & pretty brillian untechnicallly aswell.
Bad: The dialogue goes on a bit & er.... em..... oh yeah it..em....is...er... nope i can't think of anything else.
Overalll:10/10 One of the best RPG's ever. One of the best games on the GBA & even one of the best Games of alll time. Golden Sun is an epic masterpiece.
