Was it Good? - Golden Sun

#####

The 4 elemental stars have been taken, the lighthouses are going to be lit, and the destructive power of alchemy is about to return to the world, Unless, Isaac, Garet, Ivan and Mia can stop it!

Golden Sun was an RPG released for the Gameboy Advance in 2001, it was a brand new IP and yet actually outsold Final Fantasy Tactics.

Known for having a very long winding plot and an incredibly deep, rather hard to understand Djinn magical combat system, it's fondly remembered, but, was it actually any good?

Thank you to the supporters on Patreon, Twitch and Youtube who keep the channel alive and allow me to make these videos.

[cloogshicer]

There's one choice in the game that does actually have an effect: At the beginning of the game, you're asked if you want to take on your adventure. If you repeatedly say No, the game eventually triggers a game over state.

[FCGroningen]

A few notes:

- Alex is a water adept. It was mentioned by Mia as she refered to him as her brother/kin member. Saturos' group kidnapped Sheba for her wind powers.
- Choices indeed don't matter in most cases but you can indeed get a game over if you refuse the call of adventure and you can refuse to travel back with Hammet after freeing him in Lunpa saving you a long trek back.
- You needing to use douse on the twisters is hinted by wounded soldiers in Suhalla. It's easier to use douse by setting the skill to a shoulder button quick trigger. Quick triggers generally are a great idea to quickly cast a skill you'll have to use a lot in an area.
- Something I hoped you picked up on is that all regions/settlements are inspired by real life equivalents. Tolbi being based on Rome and Lalivero on Alexandria are some of the most obvious ones.
The sequel makes it more obvious as entire continents are closer linked to specific cultures/regions. Sheba is inspired by Cleopatra as well. Considering "Rome" kidnapped her for their own purposes you could see another link.
- This is not as obvious, but perhaps important in the sequel. If you kill an enemy with a djinn with the element of it's weakness you not only gain 150% exp but increase the odds of gaining special drops.

I hope you'll do the same in depth review of the sequel. It's longer, bigger, has more optional content and it's definately more difficult/challenging.

[SeniorAdrian]

Back in 2001, when i was a kid in Spain, my father bought me the GBA. The shop owner insisted to not get Super Mario bros2, but instead get Golden Sun. To this day i thank the toy shop owner for his wise recommendation. As an artist this game inspired me so much with it's visuals and animations. I remember rushing to the kitchen to show my mother the Djin invocations animation and how awesome it looked. My sister and mother really liked the ""The Elemental Stars" track that came out of my GBA when i was in the first temple. It's a masterpiece and so it' sequel. The worldbuilding and concepts are beautiful. I really hope Camelot brings this series back on a modern system.

[KersplosionLlawchwith]

One thing that you didn't cover with unleashing djinn, and that none of the three games ever inform you about but is nonetheless helpful: If you land the killing blow with an attacking djinn of the element an enemy is weak to (or least resistant), they will flash several colors before dying, and yield more experience, money, and have a higher rare drop rate. Colloquially this is known as a 'rainbow kill'.

[skilduff]

This game more than any other invokes so many nostalgic feelings. Sitting in the back of my parents mini-van on the way home from a baseball game trying to beat the Kraken boss, trying to catch the light off passing street lights because I was playing on the OG non SP GBA with no back light. Also, sitting in the hotel room after my Aunt's wedding trying and FINALLY succeeding at defeating the Fusion Dragon, I cheered for joy when I managed to beat the game I had been working on all summer.

[ShroudedWolf]

It's a shame this video doesn't cover Golden Sun: The Lost Age. It really learns from a lot of the issues that Golden Sun 1 had and the story gets pretty fascinating.

[Sangraven]

Seeing people get into this game even after 20 years fills me with such joy. To this day, I still hold hope that we can see more of this series eventually. By creating this video and introducing Golden Sun to more people, you're helping to keep the dream alive. For that, I thank you.

[ErikVonStrix]

1:03:05, so fun fact: if you did NOT get the Orb of Force at the Fuchin temple before this point, when you find the log, an amusing cutscene will play where garet gets frustrated and just walks over and kicks the pillar instead

Also after transfering your save data to The Lost Age, depending on what side quest things you complete you get unique events and even rewards throughout the TLA! Spoilers ahead

- If you reveal the secret passage to get to the boulder pinning Hsu, feihzi will find Felix's party when you first get to Champa and give them a golden ring to give to isaac (use as an item to replicate the "Resist" Psynergy on the party) and hint that she has developed feelings for Isaac.
- when leaving Madra after recieving the Cyclone Chip Felix's party gets ambushed by the bandits Isaac and crew fought in Vault near the beginning of the game. after beating them tney back down and give you a pair of Golden boots as an appology (boosts defense and speed a decent ammount)
- If you got first place in the Collosso tournament in the first game, after merging Felix and Isaac's partes and returning to the Shaman village cave, the three gladiators you fought will confront you together looking for revenge against isaac for cheating in the tournament (after all, there was no way he could do all that psynergy stuff without rigging the tournament) after defeating them they will acknowledge isaac as having won fair and square and give you a golden shirt (boosting defense and Max HP. basically a better mythril shirt)
- If you defeated the secret boss Deadbeard, some pirates will talk about how Isaac has become the new Pirate lord
- If you get every djinn in the first game, then proceed to get every djinn in TLA, you unlock a secret mega dungeon that gives you a new summon, Charon (the most powerful Venus summon, dealing massive venus damage, plus deals damage equal to 1/3 of their max HP... with a chance to just outright insta-kill those hit) at the very beginning. this dungeon is filled with tons of difficult enemies and great puzzles and and ends with fighting the hardest boss in the game (harder than Deadbeard): the Dullahan. and defeating the dullahan gives you bragging rights, plus the Powerful Iris summon (deals massive Mars damage, plust 40% of their max hp in damage, plus revives and max heals everyone in the party)

[zachwise]

This is the game that led me on the journey to make my own games. I wrote and published 6 books and obtained a Bachelor's Degree in Game Art all because of this game.

[mdroogie]

What an absolutely amazing video! I hope you do a "Was it Good?" of Golden Sun 2, I'd love to watch it

[shyguypro]

I can't wait to see your play through of the Lost Age. It's an amazing open world RPG that is insanely technically impressive for being on the GBA. It expands on all the systems and lore introduced in Golden Sun and is generally an absolute joy.

[Thaza]

I love hearing this story told so well. I had studied English only few years when I first played this, so though I kinda knew what I was doing (and also, I frequented in the forums to get help) the plot and the story in my mind are super hazy.
If you enjoy misunderstandings with English, here are few:
- There was a Wise One in the first dungeon. I was expecting there to be Wise Two in the second dungeon.
- I was 100 % sure that "lit" is a type, as it should be "light"
- Werewolves. I honestly thought it was ancient group of wolves who have turned into people - thus they WERE wolves, not anymore.
- I only learned in Lost Age what "Agree" and "Disagree" meant.

[Jer_San]

Really glad of how you covered Golden Sun in your format.

From the Djinn system to the extra content you show us, it always amazes me how much content this game had all under a GBA Cartridge.
And when you add the Sequel into the whole thing, it's a masterpiece.

[SubwaytoSally]

It wasn't just good, it is still holding up incredibly well considering it was a gba game. The soundtrack is also amazing to this day and makes great background music.

[ShadowlessAsura]

the Djinni mechanic is so interesting, it really feels like the Djinni are actual magical beings and not just an alternative to Materia

[RubyDoobieScoo]

Looking forward to a Lost Age follow up, the extra djinn give more flexibility in how they're distributed, meaning that you could 3 mono-element characters and 1 tri-element character, the mixed elemental summons are awesome and the puzzle complexity only goes up from here which makes sense because Lost Age is more like a second act rather than a standalone game. Dungeons get longer, there's more freedom in movement and in how you tackle objectives, the world gets more fleshed out and the story really starts to come together.

[medicationquest]

Golden Sun was incredibly formative and important to me during my childhood. Thanks so much for taking me down memory lane again.

[dankykong]

Now we need a lost age video. These games are incredible and I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[Donut]

Another fun fact: Golden Sun's composer, Motoi Sakuraba, also did the music for the Tales Of series, Star Ocean, and even Dark Souls. He's also got a progressive rock album called Gikyokuonsou where you can really hear the similarities to Golden Sun.

[RobertN]

Hah, there is one "yes/no" choice that has an effect, which I was hoping you'd mention. The village elders ask you if you want to risk your life on this quest, and you have the choice to say no. The village elder says he can't blame you, and would probably do the same. If you leave the temple to cement your choice, the game fades to sepia and says "And so the world began drifting toward its fated destruction..."