Golden Sun was never a game that made it on my radar when it first came out but I think it was mostly because I didn’t really own any handheld systems growing up. If it weren’t for the #VideoGameClub on Mastodon, I’m not certain I would have ever ended up playing it. Once I got into it though, it was a game that felt good to play, despite its rough edges.
This is a typical JRPG style game where there’s not a whole lot of direction given to you unless you really take the time to speak to each person in town. Because of that, it’s very easy to miss important details, items, and Djinn in this game. All of which will have a monstrous impact on how you play the game as a whole. I felt it didn’t give you any real overview on how certain combinations of Djinn changed your skill sets and I ultimately ended up having to use a guide to figure out a lot of that stuff.
The game doesn’t truly have an ending, however, and that’s one of the more frustrating parts to the game itself. While there’s a physical ending where the credits roll, you’re left with a …to be continued and the story line definitely feels that way. Be prepared to have to play Golden Sun: Lost Age in order to get the full impact of the story.