GOLDEN SUN: DARK DAWN
Ten years ago, Only a few months after the release of the Game Boy Advance, a small japanese developer by the name of Camelot Software Publishing (Known for their work on the Shining Force series) released a small title by the name of Golden Sun. It was a very simple RPG, almost hearkening back to the basics of RPG games while also bringing in a few new tricks. Turn-based combat, puzzling dungeons, epic quests, memorable and deep complex characters, and the revolutionary 'Djinn' system, allowing players to customize their party almost limitlessly. It was one of the earliest GBA games I played (albeit on an emulator), and I loved every moment of its gripping, compelling story.
Two years after this title was released, a sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, was announced. Not only did this title hold up to its predecessor, but it far surpassed it in leaps and bounds. The world was larger, the 'Djinn' more varied and plentiful, new weapons, new foes, an incredible expansion (and twist) on the previous title's story, and a GBA title that I actually physically own - I recall paying $45 for this title, and I loved every damn minute I played. Heck, the game even let you transfer your party from the previous game into your new one! It was, in a word, incredible. However, the ending of this title, while incredible, has one major flaw... There was not enough closure. The fans (myself included) demanded a sequel. One final game to place this series among other great trilogies.
Unfortunately, fans would have to wait. And wait. Finally, six years passed, and Camelot finally announced that they were indeed, working on a new Golden Sun title to be released for the Nintendo DS. One year later, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn hit shelves, much to the enjoyment of the fans. But would this title live up to the expectations of the fans who had been eagerly awaiting a new adventure for seven years?
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn takes a large leap forward in terms of time - Thirty years have since passed since the last game Lost Age, ran its course. The original characters are still around, but have become parents by this point. Our main characters that we're introduced to are Matthew (Son of the Earth Adept Isaac), Tyrell (Son of the Fire Adept Garet), and Karis (Daughter of the Wind Adept Ivan). This... is where the game hits its first snag. Rather than create entirely original characters, it feels as though Camelot simply took the stat and spell growth from the original characters and placed them in these new characters. Matthew plays exactly like Isaac, Tyrell plays exactly like Garet, and Karis plays pretty much exactly like Ivan. Admittedly, they have made a few more spells, but most of it is the same, and some of it is simply re-aligned element spells (The 'Aura' spells, which were party healing fire spells, have been turned into the 'Breeze' spells, which are wind)
The story in this game starts off oddly, with the main quest being to get a simple feather from a mythical bird creature (because Tyrell broke something that -needs- one of those feathers to be repaired.) Along the way, more characters are met, new foes are encountered, a main foe behind everything is brought before us, and overall, the story plays out very much like the first Golden Sun.
Unfortunately... The game has a few other snags. Being in the same world as the previous games means that all the magical artifacts that the characters collected thirty years ago (weapons and armour and the like)... have all scattered all over the world again. Wait, what?
Seriously, all the weapons and armour that these guys amassed in the previous games? They just went around the world and put them all away? In even more random locations? Seriously? If I had the legendary Sol Blade, the tool that helped me cut the head off a near world-ending dragon, I wouldn't put it in the sky dungeon. I'd hang it on my mantle, so that if problems arose, I could have easy access to it.
Sorry, minor distraction, lemme get back on topic. Anyways, the main problem is that, apart from recycling damn near every item in the previous game (with the maybe exception of the bows and knuckle weapons, which are new types for this game), they also recycle 90% of the Djinn (though at least this time they make them all look unique), and 90% of the Psynergy and classes. It in all honesty, feels like a rehash of the first game. The world map, while grand in its own way, still feels small, at least compared to the incredible vastness of The Lost Age's sprawling world. And then comes the other weird kicker...
The cities and such are about 25% old ones, and 75% new. On the same world. The one place where the game could have recycled things, and they don't recycle a lot. The -worst- offenders, are the cities with the 'Alchemy Machines' in them. Over the course of the first two games, the entire world map was traversed, and Camelot expects us to buy that these Alchemy Machines have always been around??? And there's also a world ending tower that's been hiding under the ground? And a giant Sky Dungeon? WHERE WERE THESE IN THE PREVIOUS GAMES.
Well, those are my MAJOR gripes with this game, and yet I played through. Why? Well, the story, while simple, is still interesting enough to hold your attention. The villains are fun, the story can be humourous at times, and an old foe even returns (though his reveal that 'Yeah, it's me, the name I was previously using was just a pseudonym' didn't surprise me. At all. Seriously, you're wearing a half mask. You're not surprising anyone.)
I also do rather like the visual style of the game. Rather than sprite based like its predecessor, it has a modeling engine to render everyone and every move in battle in glorious awesomeness. The Summon sequences for instance, are simply breathtaking now that they're no longer limited by sprites (Oh right, all the summons save for one have been recycled).
Now, while I have griped a bit, I do admit that the game -was- fun to play through. My gripes about recycling weapons and such is partly because I was expecting more from a game when it spent six years without any word on it. I figure the guys at Camelot coulda thought of a new set of weapons and such - Heck, they did it for Lost Age =p.
Bottom Line - Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is not without flaws, but while being rather rough around the edges, it is still a solid enough RPG to enjoy a playthrough, maybe two.
Serenade's Overall Marks:
Graphics: 9/10 - Loved the visual style
Music: 7/10 - While good, Some of it felt derivative from previous games
Story: 6/10 - Decent, but waaaay too many holes, and one hell of a cliffhanger
Characters: 5/10 - Half were good. Half were copies of previous characters.
Gameplay: 8/10 - It's Golden Sun, so, yeah, it's alright
OVERALL: - 7/10 - Worth a look if you were a fan of the original. Die-Hard fans may be a bit disappointed though, but it's overall harmless.
Ten years ago, Only a few months after the release of the Game Boy Advance, a small japanese developer by the name of Camelot Software Publishing (Known for their work on the Shining Force series) released a small title by the name of Golden Sun. It was a very simple RPG, almost hearkening back to the basics of RPG games while also bringing in a few new tricks. Turn-based combat, puzzling dungeons, epic quests, memorable and deep complex characters, and the revolutionary 'Djinn' system, allowing players to customize their party almost limitlessly. It was one of the earliest GBA games I played (albeit on an emulator), and I loved every moment of its gripping, compelling story.
Two years after this title was released, a sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, was announced. Not only did this title hold up to its predecessor, but it far surpassed it in leaps and bounds. The world was larger, the 'Djinn' more varied and plentiful, new weapons, new foes, an incredible expansion (and twist) on the previous title's story, and a GBA title that I actually physically own - I recall paying $45 for this title, and I loved every damn minute I played. Heck, the game even let you transfer your party from the previous game into your new one! It was, in a word, incredible. However, the ending of this title, while incredible, has one major flaw... There was not enough closure. The fans (myself included) demanded a sequel. One final game to place this series among other great trilogies.
Unfortunately, fans would have to wait. And wait. Finally, six years passed, and Camelot finally announced that they were indeed, working on a new Golden Sun title to be released for the Nintendo DS. One year later, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn hit shelves, much to the enjoyment of the fans. But would this title live up to the expectations of the fans who had been eagerly awaiting a new adventure for seven years?
Golden Sun: Dark Dawn takes a large leap forward in terms of time - Thirty years have since passed since the last game Lost Age, ran its course. The original characters are still around, but have become parents by this point. Our main characters that we're introduced to are Matthew (Son of the Earth Adept Isaac), Tyrell (Son of the Fire Adept Garet), and Karis (Daughter of the Wind Adept Ivan). This... is where the game hits its first snag. Rather than create entirely original characters, it feels as though Camelot simply took the stat and spell growth from the original characters and placed them in these new characters. Matthew plays exactly like Isaac, Tyrell plays exactly like Garet, and Karis plays pretty much exactly like Ivan. Admittedly, they have made a few more spells, but most of it is the same, and some of it is simply re-aligned element spells (The 'Aura' spells, which were party healing fire spells, have been turned into the 'Breeze' spells, which are wind)
The story in this game starts off oddly, with the main quest being to get a simple feather from a mythical bird creature (because Tyrell broke something that -needs- one of those feathers to be repaired.) Along the way, more characters are met, new foes are encountered, a main foe behind everything is brought before us, and overall, the story plays out very much like the first Golden Sun.
Unfortunately... The game has a few other snags. Being in the same world as the previous games means that all the magical artifacts that the characters collected thirty years ago (weapons and armour and the like)... have all scattered all over the world again. Wait, what?
Seriously, all the weapons and armour that these guys amassed in the previous games? They just went around the world and put them all away? In even more random locations? Seriously? If I had the legendary Sol Blade, the tool that helped me cut the head off a near world-ending dragon, I wouldn't put it in the sky dungeon. I'd hang it on my mantle, so that if problems arose, I could have easy access to it.
Sorry, minor distraction, lemme get back on topic. Anyways, the main problem is that, apart from recycling damn near every item in the previous game (with the maybe exception of the bows and knuckle weapons, which are new types for this game), they also recycle 90% of the Djinn (though at least this time they make them all look unique), and 90% of the Psynergy and classes. It in all honesty, feels like a rehash of the first game. The world map, while grand in its own way, still feels small, at least compared to the incredible vastness of The Lost Age's sprawling world. And then comes the other weird kicker...
The cities and such are about 25% old ones, and 75% new. On the same world. The one place where the game could have recycled things, and they don't recycle a lot. The -worst- offenders, are the cities with the 'Alchemy Machines' in them. Over the course of the first two games, the entire world map was traversed, and Camelot expects us to buy that these Alchemy Machines have always been around??? And there's also a world ending tower that's been hiding under the ground? And a giant Sky Dungeon? WHERE WERE THESE IN THE PREVIOUS GAMES.
Well, those are my MAJOR gripes with this game, and yet I played through. Why? Well, the story, while simple, is still interesting enough to hold your attention. The villains are fun, the story can be humourous at times, and an old foe even returns (though his reveal that 'Yeah, it's me, the name I was previously using was just a pseudonym' didn't surprise me. At all. Seriously, you're wearing a half mask. You're not surprising anyone.)
I also do rather like the visual style of the game. Rather than sprite based like its predecessor, it has a modeling engine to render everyone and every move in battle in glorious awesomeness. The Summon sequences for instance, are simply breathtaking now that they're no longer limited by sprites (Oh right, all the summons save for one have been recycled).
Now, while I have griped a bit, I do admit that the game -was- fun to play through. My gripes about recycling weapons and such is partly because I was expecting more from a game when it spent six years without any word on it. I figure the guys at Camelot coulda thought of a new set of weapons and such - Heck, they did it for Lost Age =p.
Bottom Line - Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is not without flaws, but while being rather rough around the edges, it is still a solid enough RPG to enjoy a playthrough, maybe two.
Serenade's Overall Marks:
Graphics: 9/10 - Loved the visual style
Music: 7/10 - While good, Some of it felt derivative from previous games
Story: 6/10 - Decent, but waaaay too many holes, and one hell of a cliffhanger
Characters: 5/10 - Half were good. Half were copies of previous characters.
Gameplay: 8/10 - It's Golden Sun, so, yeah, it's alright
OVERALL: - 7/10 - Worth a look if you were a fan of the original. Die-Hard fans may be a bit disappointed though, but it's overall harmless.