What do you mean? that's Ivan! . . . . . . . . . . . . It's an inside joke from some of my community posts, and also because I wanted to see if anyone noticed. Congrats, you're the first person to do so! About 2 months back I made a community post and a post on the Golden Sun subreddit saying I was enjoying GS, and recolored Ivan to look like Brian, swapped the names out, etc. and the reactions especially on the GS subreddit were so funny. I just thought it was funny how they look like they can brothers. I love both Quest and GS.
Camelot games have a unique art style that is part of the key to success. It would honestly lose a lot of charm of it went hd 2d. The game is perfect as is honestly.
@@xelthos2051 They do have a great art style, but I feel like there are things that could be enhanced with today's technology while still maintaining the general look of the original
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! Yeah, I should start auto-translating "baby's first JRPG" for "good JRPG", because most of the time, that means it's not terribly challenging, has a decent enough story and charming characters, and is well-paced/doesn't overstay its welcome. What's not to love about that?
it's so cool to see that camelot put so much work into the puzzles for this sort of game on the GBA, and not because it's "impressive" on the GBA, but because it's hard to find other experiences that combine turn based RPG and puzzle gameplay like that on that platform! it adds a lot to the GBA's library to be able to have something you can compare favorably in that respect to something like a 3D Zelda game, while having such a different take on the combat compared to the Zelda games we got on GBA.
They really went above and beyond -- or "beyond the beyond", I guess I should say lol. Their goal was to give the GBA something that could compete with PS1 RPGs, and I think they absolutely achieved that.
Really happy that the one thing you said about TLA from your early impressions is that the dialogue is better because it's the first thing I was going to mention. While the first game still holds up well, TLA really just does everything better unless you struggle with NPC context clues for a certain section of the game. Another great QoL addition that fixes one of your complaints with the first game is the Avoid spell cutting down backtracking or helping you to focus on a puzzle that might be tripping you up. Looking forward to a vid on that game as a lifelong fan :)
Thanks so much for the kind words and for noticing my little note there at the end about TLA! So far, I've noticed a ton of little improvements and tweaks that have really gone a long way in bettering the entire experience! I will certainly try my best to put out a video on TLA one day. Thank you!
Personally I bounced off of Golden Sun around the boat ride you mention. I kept meaning to come back to it, but that's been a couple of years now at this point. That all being said, I love the game! There's so much it gets right, and so much hidden depth to it that, even from the perspective of someone who never finished it (and might never still), I feel comfortable calling it one of the greats.
I can imagine that being the point where some people quit. Like I said, I *did* make it through, but I was just a little tired by the time I got to shore, I guess. However, I'm glad I stuck with it. Also, I'm with you -- even if you didn't quite beat the game, you played more than enough to have a good understanding to evaluate it.
I must be the weird one here because I always kept a separate save at the beginning of the boat ride because I loved it and wanted to relive it and try different combinations of oarsmen each time. Maybe the sea just spells out grand adventure for me and that's why I loved The Lost Age even more than I did Golden Sun.
@@TheDecatonkeil Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed that part! Makes it that much more worth of being included in the game! Also heck yeah for keeping a separate save file just to relive favorite moments in games, I love doing that too!
man, I've got such a big backlog of games that I don't know when I'll get to golden sun, but I think you've helped cement that it is in my list of games I want to *eventually* get to haha (I think I want to play skies of arcadia real soon)
Aw I'm glad! I understand the backlog concerns for sure, hahaha. I was worried people might get the wrong impression and think I had a negative opinion of the game, but overall I really loved it. Skies of Arcadia is great, one of my favorites. I'd recommend the GameCube version since it has lower encounter rates. The Dreamcast version has a better soundtrack though.
I think your criticisms are entirely valid! I started a replay "recently" myself and I forgot about the boat until you mentioned it. Sorting through my memories as a kid, I think part of why I adore Golden Sun so much was BECAUSE of the challenges, and how they were JUST hard enough to learn from! 💚
Thanks so much! Yeah, the boat battle is a big skill check. Admittedly, I didn't even heal up prior to the boss fight because I was wiping the floor with the common enemies, so I went in a bit overconfident and under prepared. It was pretty rewarding to win with only one person standing!
The nostalgia i have for Golden Sun and Blue Dragon & Solatorobo is insane. Luckily i can still replay Golden Sun & Solatorobo as much as i want, but am still looking for physical copies of the DS versions of Blue Dragon Plus & Awakened Shadow to add to my collection. Great video and very honest critique as always, keep up the great work!
Thank you! And ooh, I want to get into Blue Dragon so bad. I actually ordered a pristine Xbox 360 version for my Xbox One that I got this year, and it arrived the day that Akira Toriyama passed away, which made me cry. 😅 I haven't jumped into it just yet though. I do have the DS versions on my 2DS thanks to hax (shame, shame, I know), but physical is always better! I don't think I've ever heard of Solatorobo though, what's that?
@@humblemudgames It's a game from the end of the NDS lifecycle and had very low volumes, it was very popular in France, Belgium and Netherlands. It's an action RPG pulling on some deep topics, almost all characters are anthropomorphic animals. Gameplay is split between character development sections, puzzles and combat in your mech suit. It's ludicrously expensive in physical form nowadays. EDIT: Full name of the game is "Solatorobo: Red the hunter"
When I was playing this game as a kid, ironically enough, I didn't mind all of the dialogue. For the most part. Fair warning for the final boss of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, without spoiling anything obviously, but there's a LOT of dialogue leading up to that fight. That was I think the one time I REALLY didn't like all the dialogue, because that final boss kicked my ass six ways to Sunday as a kid, and I had to sit through that dialogue over and over and over again. (Thankfully in TLA you can auto-advance dialogue by holding the B button, so I didn't have to mash A a bunch.) But for the most part, I loved the dialogue. I loved getting to learn more about the story and the characters, the world they inhabited. That was my favorite thing as a kid. Of course I loved the gameplay--to this day, many RPG dungeons just don't do it for me because my first real exposure to RPG dungeons was with Golden Sun, where they're really intricately designed with engaging puzzles that actually require the use of your abilities outside of battle. Every RPG I've played since has been just a little bit disappointing haha.
The world building is truly amazing and that's probably something I didn't give enough attention or credit to in this video. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. It was just some of those beginnings sections mostly that got to me. And leaving Vale only to have another tutorial, haha. I was so ready to stretch my legs out and run around in the overworld after all of that! I can understand Golden Sun setting a high bar for you; it's truly a great game.
I agree with a lot of the criticisms, and I can definitely say The Lost Age is the second half of this game. The dialogue speed doesn't get fixed, but a lot of the rest of the complaints are vastly outweighed by the culmination of a complex and fascinating plot. It gets better at giving you cues as well, which helps a lot.
I actually have felt like the dialogue is handled better in The Lost Age. Oftentimes, the next bubble is popping up mid-animation which makes the whole thing feel speedier. Going straight from GS1 to TLA, I've noticed. So I couldn't be happier and am excited to keep going!
I'm so glad you finished the game, and have started the sequel!! I loved hearing your thoughts and- as someone who played this when he was in 6th grade, way back in 2002- the dialog IS way too long 😂 but nonetheless, I do have a huge soft spot for this series!
Its got its rough areas in places, but it's still golden underneath! So glad you enjoyed watching this, thank you for listening man! I was a bit nervous to share all my thoughts but everyone's been so cool
@humblemudgames I think the thing with Golden Sun fans is that we love it DESPITE its flaws- not because it doesn't have them 🙂 Glad it's been a good response from others too!!
Love the honesty with the review. This game consumed a summer when it came out. Its a flawed gem and could probably do with some quality of life stuff with a remaster. Still holds as one of my favorites for the gba.
Hey, thanks so much! I've been pleasantly surprised with how cool people have been concerning my thoughts on this game. I was a little worried, but so far everyone's understood the nuance. I feel the exact same way you do about it.
@humblemudgames i know what i love and how certain games make me feel. Obviously, it would be great if others felt the things i do for these loved games, but I'd rather watch/listen to honest, genuine reviews of the experience. Sombody elses thoughts won't change my happy memories, ya know. A good honest reviwer is Pelvicgaming. Should check her out if you haven't already.
Pelvic Gaming and I follow each other actually, she's great! And thank you, I really appreciate that. I feel the same way -- in some ways it's more interesting to watch someone who has a different opinion than you. Even if they hate the game, if they're able to articulate well and not be disrespectful, I can appreciate it
@@humblemudgamesIndeed, the trial as is can get fun despite the backtracking, it's a test of endurance a Lot of the time, and as for GS2 You might feel like the ending is... A tad rushed. But still pretty good Game despite it's era.
I played it over & over as a kid, and… and as an adult, and based on this video the advice I'd give is - take it in isolation. Don't go comparing it to other games. Let it stand on its own, and you'll enjoy it the most.
@mrpsyjak This is good advice. I mostly compare things just because that's how my brain works, for one -- the familiarity it has with Nintendo games is undeniable -- and also to give the audience a frame of reference of what to expect as well. Nevertheless, I try to judge the game on its own merits, which is why I have that whole "in a vacuum, it's a really solid RPG..." line.
I played the game as a kid, it still resonates with me today. I named myself Ivan cuz I was so obsessed with this game as a kid. I love this game so much
13:33 talking about people that would go over your head as a kid, but think totally differently as an adult while showing that scene.... i see what you did there. Also Golden Sun is great, but it really needs some 2024 polish. The framework still stands the test of time, we just need someone to take that formula and apply all the things we've learned about game design since then. Then way more people would love it.
Thanks for mentioning that, I was hoping someone would bring that part up! And yeah, I totally agree. A modern updated version with some QoL features would go a long long way. Many of my favorite games ever would benefit from that too, so it's not necessarily a bad thing
bro I KNEW you were talking about Legend of Dragoon from the second you were like "are there any other JRPGs that--" I played GS first and fell in LOVE with it. Then I play Legend of Dragoon, and it was like, my third JRPG ever (my first being Pokemon, my second being GS) so I obviously compared it to GS. The darker tone to it really made it feel to me like a "grown up" version of Golden Sun, funnily enough lol. I love that game so much.
The whole trilogy has so much to offer that isn't immediately apparent in its story, mainly because a lot is left unsaid despite its...very lengthy dialogue (please god in a remake or sequel make better use of the encyclopedia to cut down on npcs explaining things, just have the keywords become entry in it). Playing the 2nd and 3rd game and piecing together the lore and history of the world is super cool and it shows that camelot might have had very big plans for the serie going forward.
That encyclopedia suggestion is such a good one, I didn't even think about that! Granblue Fantasy Relink has an encyclopedia system just like that, and I thought it worked incredibly well to help me learn the lore or remember things I had forgotten without getting in the way of the game's pacing. It works exactly as you described. I'm enjoying The Lost Age so far!
@@humblemudgames The third game has an encylopedia and when important things are mentionned they are highlighted and you can tap with (or press L or R) to add them in. but sadly the writing doesn't make use of it to avoid repeating information or explaining things that are basic knowledge for the characters already. Hopefuly in the next game lol Glad you're enjoying the lost age. have fun with its secret dungeon and super bosses, you'll have fun with those. Try to resist the urge to use the fun glitches, but do try them on another save. Stuff like forcing Isaac in your party in the same dungeon as your 4th party member is hilarious
I don't feel like random encounters during puzzles are a problem with the genre blending because even in golden sun you have systems to mitigate that, some rooms have the encounter rate set to 0, you can buy cheap items to reduce the encounter rate, and if 70 gold is too much you can swap your djinns around to obtain a psynergy with the same effect.
Ah, I didn't know there was a Djinn swap you could do to have the same effect! Do you know which Djinn combo/psynergy it is? And I don't know if you saw it, but I did put in a little note saying that overall I think the genre blend is really nice overall; I just had a few problem areas here and there. I didn't buy the 70 gold item too often since inventory space is pretty limited and I'm a notorious healing item hoarder, lol. But that's certainly my own fault.
@humblemudgames you can get it easily by giving Mercury djinn (at least 2 I think) to Garet or Isaac and not easily by giving Mia 6 venus and 1 mars djinn. You can also stack 30 of the same item in one inventory slot btw.
Loved Golden Sun!!! Still do! I will replay the games once every 2 years or so. Sad that the series is now very much dead, Camelot no longer cares about giving the series a definitive ending (GS3 ending in cliffhanger) or considering a full remake.
Yeah, it seems like they don't have the passion for it anymore... They don't really come out and talk about it much, right? I think about studios like the one that made Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, and even when they were in periods where they were making platformers for other companies, they still kept talking about that franchise -- it was clear they were still interested in their baby. I don't ever hear about Camelot talking Golden Sun like that.
Expect a huge difficulty and depth leap in GS2. My main issue with GS2 is the amount of grinding. GS1 is better paced when it comes to the level curve.
I'll definitely keep that in mind. I actually don't mind grinding that much, but it is odd to make it mandatory after keeping GS1 so lean in that sense
I’ve never had to grind in either of these games. In fact, I really like how the games become much more challenging if you’re at a relatively low level, which forces buying proper gear and efficient usage of psyenergy and djinn.
I got Golden Sun for Christmas as a kid, and I was so excited. I loved the game to death, but I had to do a full restart part way through because I missed a skippable Djinn that I couldn't backtrack to, and I wanted to get all of them. The ending, though, made me sorta mad. It's only half the story, and by the time the second game came out, I had pretty much lost all interest in the franchise. The secret boss was a bitch, too, lol.
Yeah, I didn't mind the ending but also had access to The Lost Age immediately. I remember thinking in my head, "well they were already developing part 2 so I bet kids only had to wait like 6 months to a year"... then I saw it was 2 years later... that's like me waiting for season 2 of Attack on Titan or waiting for a new season of Stranger Things! lol. Wild. And yeah, I didn't want to touch on it in this video because I felt like I was already voicing enough concerns, but there are I think 2 or 3 sections in the game where backtracking is impossible or strictly limited. Speaking of backtracking, to make that shot in the middle of this video where I "turn back and see the sun", I walked ALL the way back from the final area of the game to Vale just to get that shot for you guys. That's dedication.
@@MrPsyJak I don't remember exactly since I haven't played the game since it's release, but I believe there were two Djinn that were permanently missable, and I found out I missed them whilst reading a guide on where to find them in a Nintendo Power magazine (this was before my home had internet, since it was around the time dial-up was going away and broadband was coming in). I realized I missed one, and being the perfectionist that I was, I restarted and speed-ran everything up to that point again.
@@MrPsyJak Yeah, but when you're a kid on Christmas in 2001, and you don't know everything about the game yet, if you realize you forgot a Djinn you saw earlier but can't go back, that can be frustrating. I think after Mogall Forest you have a point of no return until you complete another good chunk of the story. So if you were a kid experiencing all this for the first time, pretty far into the story to be fair, I could see you thinking, "oh man, it's gone forever!" Especially playing without a guide.
Lol yeah, there are a couple moments like that. Later in the game you can also choose to ride in a carriage or not with some certain characters. But the real decisions are very few and far between haha
You ever play any of the original Phantasy Star games on the Genesis? It's good stuff, would definitely recommend playing PS IV, since it's definitely the most accessible of the four original series games. PS IV is my favourite game, and the Golden Sun duo are my silver medal. Would recommend trying it out if you're big on JRPG's
Do you mean Phantasy Star on the Master System? If so, yes in fact I have! I played the Sega Ages port on the Switch in 2023. It gives you more XP, increases walking speed, and gives you a mini-map. Honestly it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Really ahead of its time and I'd say it was better than the first Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy! I really want to play the other 3 games too
I loved this game back in the day and I still love it today - the sequel of the story (the lost age) I love even more, because there is more optional stuff and in general MORE stuff to do there. I agree that Golden Sun has some dialogue parts that take far TOO long - my least favorite section is the one in the palace of McCoy. Oh my gosh it is sooo boring and SOO long... And Golden Sun 1 could have had more (optional) dungeons. For me it feels much shorter than part 2, but that might just be my imagination. I think the encounter rate is very harmless in the Golden Sun games, I played Breath of Fire 2 - THAT is an annoying rate...
I just started TLA, so excited to keep going! And I remember the McCoy palace section taking awhile, for whatever reason I didn't mind it though. I think it was on an 'upswing' with the game during that time, haha. It is a shame that GS1 only has a few optional dungeons. You're not wrong about the encounter rate! I believe at the section talking about encounter rates, I show Ryu from BoF with some other JRPGs protagonists too! And later on I think I include a note somewhere saying that certain other games have worse encounter rates. I guess I just feel that in the more compact rooms where you're solving puzzles... just turn off the encounter rate there. In the big rooms like Altin mines or the lighthouses where you backtrack? Sure, give me encounter rates. But yeah, that's just my personal opinion. I've only played BoF1 but yeah, encounter rates were higher lol
@@humblemudgames I hope you have fun, TLA is the best of the bunch :D (In my opinion) Yes, it is good that the game turns off the encounters at some points. I think it is a well-balanced RPG and I love the overworld puzzles with the different psynergy. I loved breath of fire 2 back in the day, but the encounter rate is BRUTAL. (Part 1 is even tame against it sometimes... Especially because you have access to an item that makes encounters go away entirely) And the dungeons are so confusing, especially the last one where the endboss(es) are. But I will always keep this special game in my heart ^^ (Even if a remake with some quality of life features would be awesome)
Totally respect that opinion! I don't know how far you got into my video, but towards the end I show that I personally ranked it only below Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which I think says a lot about how I feel! Thanks for watching.
@humblemudgames ffta is honestly tied with for me. Both have a surprising amount of content. The battle scene art style is the main thing that wins me over with Golden Sun while the story of FFTA is peak for GBA.
I agree with this 100%. I also like how easy it is to bring down a summon in Golden Sun. Sure, they feel a *little* more impactful in FFTA since you can't use them as often, but it's honestly a little TOO hard to summon them regularly. I never noticed this before because I just thought the summons were so cool I didn't care, but after getting equally cool summons in Golden Sun that I can technically use battle after battle... I wish FFTA gave me my cool summons more often, haha. Regardless, being second only to FFTA in my mind is still a high honor. I rank GS above Mother 3 personally.
I loved Golden Sun back when it released but its one of those older JRPGs that i could never go back to. Theres just too much talking in it, which would annoy my small attention span as an adult. lol
Totally fair. As much as I love The Legend of Dragoon, as you hopefully saw in this video, I have to admit that it can be a little slow-paced in the combat department. That's due to all the animations, camera angles, frame rate & such. A modern revision of LoD could be vastly superior.
there's no real "right" way to say it, haha trust me I looked into it! you could say "psy" like psychic, which would maybe be more correct, but it just sounds stupid to me. especially considering synergy is already a word. so I just said it like that 🤣
It ain't much, but it's honest work. Those invisible, hypothetical people who never personally hurt me (unless we're talking about LoD haha)? I showed them.
I can handle long dialogue, it's mostly all in the pacing. I have noticed in my GS2 playthrough so far that the characters still emote and stuff, but the dialogue boxes pop up in between the emotes, instead of waiting until the emote is complete. That small tweak makes the dialogue feel so much snappier than GS1 dialogue. I heard that Dark Dawn basically walked back a lot of the improvements GS2 made, unfortunately
@@humblemudgames part 2 is leagues better than part 1. I hope you enjoy it. And whatever you do, do not play the 3ds game we don't talk about that games existence
Since I'm kinda sick to this "is old game good still good" format: they can pass centuries, and for all I care, games like Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid [.......] and ofc Golden Sun will always remain masterpieces.
Though the nature of this video isn't 100% correlated to the question its title suggests, titling themes like these are used because they work. It's the unfortunate nature of the beast -- spending hours on a video for only 2 people to see it would be demotivating. But I understand your frustration.
This was more about your feelings than the actual game. I haven't learned a single aspect about Golden Sun through this video other than your own personal journey. Which to some is very nice and wholesome but regardless it's just a bad review. Focus on the game. If beating the game is a struggle then I have no idea how you plan to tackle longer series like Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, or Final Fantasy. I worry for your perspective on videogames. Whoever you're running this through before posting is doing you no favors. Find outside help.
I make the videos I want to make. Sorry if it wasn't for you, but I try to make videos that aren't just reviews. If you want to watch a video that goes over every mechanic, walks you through the plot and the characters and all of that, and goes through every inch of the game, there are literally dozens of videos that do just that. At least this is different. But hey, if it wasn't your cup of tea, I understand. Maybe I'm not a good fit for you if you didn't like this. I'd recommend Nintendo Life, Retro Rebound, or Super Derek RPGs if you want a straight review on this game. I don't run my videos through anyone, so you can blame me. ✌️ And for the record - I love DQ, FE, and FF.
Golden Sun has really bad writing - None of the character motivations make any sense whatsoever, the battle system is repetitive and the "puzzles" are just slow: the class, "Move a block 10 spaces so you can jump 1 space" solution, and they're pretty much just all recycled. All your party members have barely any personality, and dialogue is just awful, clunky exposition.
That's a fair take. I did catch myself questioning sometimes why I was doing certain things. I personally enjoyed the battles and puzzles, but I did also sometimes get annoyed that I had to have pixel perfect footing to get Move to work properly. Personalities are somewhat one-note, but this is something common in a lot of JRPGs. I still enjoyed certain aspects, like Garet's hotheadedness making it hard for him to communicate, despite actually being right a lot of the time. Or Mia's occasional sarcasm. But yeah, I'm not going to tell you you're wrong - you saw in my video I had some struggles. Opinions are opinions. I came out the other side feeling a lot better about it and overall enjoyed my time -- I understand & feel why it's a classic. But yeah, it's not a perfect game.
Why did you use the art for the guy from Quest 64 for Ivan? 13:27
What do you mean? that's Ivan!
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It's an inside joke from some of my community posts, and also because I wanted to see if anyone noticed. Congrats, you're the first person to do so! About 2 months back I made a community post and a post on the Golden Sun subreddit saying I was enjoying GS, and recolored Ivan to look like Brian, swapped the names out, etc. and the reactions especially on the GS subreddit were so funny. I just thought it was funny how they look like they can brothers. I love both Quest and GS.
@@humblemudgames This video has been up for 23 hours and no one else noticed?! LMAO! Also, I love that story.
Golden Sun was great! Wish it could get the HD-2D treatment!
Can you imagine the battles with that Dragon Quest III HD-2D style? Ugh. 😭
Oh yeah, they’d look incredible to say the least! Great vid, bro! Keep it up!
@@jasonguy36 Thank you!
Camelot games have a unique art style that is part of the key to success. It would honestly lose a lot of charm of it went hd 2d. The game is perfect as is honestly.
@@xelthos2051 They do have a great art style, but I feel like there are things that could be enhanced with today's technology while still maintaining the general look of the original
Baby’s First JRPG is a direct synonym for Game People Actually Like.
also Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you too! Yeah, I should start auto-translating "baby's first JRPG" for "good JRPG", because most of the time, that means it's not terribly challenging, has a decent enough story and charming characters, and is well-paced/doesn't overstay its welcome. What's not to love about that?
it's so cool to see that camelot put so much work into the puzzles for this sort of game on the GBA, and not because it's "impressive" on the GBA, but because it's hard to find other experiences that combine turn based RPG and puzzle gameplay like that on that platform!
it adds a lot to the GBA's library to be able to have something you can compare favorably in that respect to something like a 3D Zelda game, while having such a different take on the combat compared to the Zelda games we got on GBA.
They really went above and beyond -- or "beyond the beyond", I guess I should say lol. Their goal was to give the GBA something that could compete with PS1 RPGs, and I think they absolutely achieved that.
Baby’s first RPG is my favorite game genre. Wild Arms, Dragoon, Paladin’s Quest, the Mario RPGs and Golden Sun are fantastic.
Honestly they're so good! They're classics for a reason. I guess I just don't like it when the term is used derogatorily. I love those games too!
Really happy that the one thing you said about TLA from your early impressions is that the dialogue is better because it's the first thing I was going to mention. While the first game still holds up well, TLA really just does everything better unless you struggle with NPC context clues for a certain section of the game. Another great QoL addition that fixes one of your complaints with the first game is the Avoid spell cutting down backtracking or helping you to focus on a puzzle that might be tripping you up. Looking forward to a vid on that game as a lifelong fan :)
Thanks so much for the kind words and for noticing my little note there at the end about TLA! So far, I've noticed a ton of little improvements and tweaks that have really gone a long way in bettering the entire experience! I will certainly try my best to put out a video on TLA one day. Thank you!
Personally I bounced off of Golden Sun around the boat ride you mention. I kept meaning to come back to it, but that's been a couple of years now at this point. That all being said, I love the game! There's so much it gets right, and so much hidden depth to it that, even from the perspective of someone who never finished it (and might never still), I feel comfortable calling it one of the greats.
I can imagine that being the point where some people quit. Like I said, I *did* make it through, but I was just a little tired by the time I got to shore, I guess. However, I'm glad I stuck with it. Also, I'm with you -- even if you didn't quite beat the game, you played more than enough to have a good understanding to evaluate it.
I must be the weird one here because I always kept a separate save at the beginning of the boat ride because I loved it and wanted to relive it and try different combinations of oarsmen each time. Maybe the sea just spells out grand adventure for me and that's why I loved The Lost Age even more than I did Golden Sun.
@@TheDecatonkeil Hey, I'm glad you enjoyed that part! Makes it that much more worth of being included in the game! Also heck yeah for keeping a separate save file just to relive favorite moments in games, I love doing that too!
@TheDecatonkeil Eh, I mean, according to Reddit, I'm the weird one for enjoying Lamakan Desert and Altin Mines. Everybody has different tastes!
man, I've got such a big backlog of games that I don't know when I'll get to golden sun, but I think you've helped cement that it is in my list of games I want to *eventually* get to haha (I think I want to play skies of arcadia real soon)
Aw I'm glad! I understand the backlog concerns for sure, hahaha. I was worried people might get the wrong impression and think I had a negative opinion of the game, but overall I really loved it. Skies of Arcadia is great, one of my favorites. I'd recommend the GameCube version since it has lower encounter rates. The Dreamcast version has a better soundtrack though.
Great work on this. Subbed.
Thank you so much!
I think your criticisms are entirely valid! I started a replay "recently" myself and I forgot about the boat until you mentioned it. Sorting through my memories as a kid, I think part of why I adore Golden Sun so much was BECAUSE of the challenges, and how they were JUST hard enough to learn from! 💚
Thanks so much! Yeah, the boat battle is a big skill check. Admittedly, I didn't even heal up prior to the boss fight because I was wiping the floor with the common enemies, so I went in a bit overconfident and under prepared. It was pretty rewarding to win with only one person standing!
@humblemudgames I'm pretty sure my first run was that same way, funnily enough! I remember it being INTENSE!!
The nostalgia i have for Golden Sun and Blue Dragon & Solatorobo is insane. Luckily i can still replay Golden Sun & Solatorobo as much as i want, but am still looking for physical copies of the DS versions of Blue Dragon Plus & Awakened Shadow to add to my collection.
Great video and very honest critique as always, keep up the great work!
Thank you! And ooh, I want to get into Blue Dragon so bad. I actually ordered a pristine Xbox 360 version for my Xbox One that I got this year, and it arrived the day that Akira Toriyama passed away, which made me cry. 😅 I haven't jumped into it just yet though. I do have the DS versions on my 2DS thanks to hax (shame, shame, I know), but physical is always better! I don't think I've ever heard of Solatorobo though, what's that?
@@humblemudgames It's a game from the end of the NDS lifecycle and had very low volumes, it was very popular in France, Belgium and Netherlands. It's an action RPG pulling on some deep topics, almost all characters are anthropomorphic animals. Gameplay is split between character development sections, puzzles and combat in your mech suit.
It's ludicrously expensive in physical form nowadays.
EDIT: Full name of the game is "Solatorobo: Red the hunter"
I will... procure that on my 2DS. Thanks for the recommendation!
I don't judge and won't tell anyone where you got the files. Glad to find new people who might enjoy it
When I was playing this game as a kid, ironically enough, I didn't mind all of the dialogue. For the most part. Fair warning for the final boss of Golden Sun: The Lost Age, without spoiling anything obviously, but there's a LOT of dialogue leading up to that fight. That was I think the one time I REALLY didn't like all the dialogue, because that final boss kicked my ass six ways to Sunday as a kid, and I had to sit through that dialogue over and over and over again. (Thankfully in TLA you can auto-advance dialogue by holding the B button, so I didn't have to mash A a bunch.) But for the most part, I loved the dialogue. I loved getting to learn more about the story and the characters, the world they inhabited. That was my favorite thing as a kid. Of course I loved the gameplay--to this day, many RPG dungeons just don't do it for me because my first real exposure to RPG dungeons was with Golden Sun, where they're really intricately designed with engaging puzzles that actually require the use of your abilities outside of battle. Every RPG I've played since has been just a little bit disappointing haha.
The world building is truly amazing and that's probably something I didn't give enough attention or credit to in this video. I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. It was just some of those beginnings sections mostly that got to me. And leaving Vale only to have another tutorial, haha. I was so ready to stretch my legs out and run around in the overworld after all of that! I can understand Golden Sun setting a high bar for you; it's truly a great game.
I agree with a lot of the criticisms, and I can definitely say The Lost Age is the second half of this game. The dialogue speed doesn't get fixed, but a lot of the rest of the complaints are vastly outweighed by the culmination of a complex and fascinating plot. It gets better at giving you cues as well, which helps a lot.
I actually have felt like the dialogue is handled better in The Lost Age. Oftentimes, the next bubble is popping up mid-animation which makes the whole thing feel speedier. Going straight from GS1 to TLA, I've noticed. So I couldn't be happier and am excited to keep going!
Just commenting to show appreciation. I hope you have a great christmas!
Thank you, you too!
I'm so glad you finished the game, and have started the sequel!! I loved hearing your thoughts and- as someone who played this when he was in 6th grade, way back in 2002- the dialog IS way too long 😂 but nonetheless, I do have a huge soft spot for this series!
Its got its rough areas in places, but it's still golden underneath! So glad you enjoyed watching this, thank you for listening man! I was a bit nervous to share all my thoughts but everyone's been so cool
@humblemudgames I think the thing with Golden Sun fans is that we love it DESPITE its flaws- not because it doesn't have them 🙂 Glad it's been a good response from others too!!
I support every Video that supports my favourite Game of all time!
Ah, thanks! Spoiler alert, I have a top 10 games I played in 2034 video coming out this week and Golden Sun may make an appearance there too! 😉
Oh man the encounter rates. I didnt mind as a kid but as an adult, miss me with that.
Yeah, they are not super fun tbh 😅
Love the honesty with the review. This game consumed a summer when it came out. Its a flawed gem and could probably do with some quality of life stuff with a remaster. Still holds as one of my favorites for the gba.
Hey, thanks so much! I've been pleasantly surprised with how cool people have been concerning my thoughts on this game. I was a little worried, but so far everyone's understood the nuance. I feel the exact same way you do about it.
@humblemudgames i know what i love and how certain games make me feel. Obviously, it would be great if others felt the things i do for these loved games, but I'd rather watch/listen to honest, genuine reviews of the experience. Sombody elses thoughts won't change my happy memories, ya know. A good honest reviwer is Pelvicgaming. Should check her out if you haven't already.
Pelvic Gaming and I follow each other actually, she's great! And thank you, I really appreciate that. I feel the same way -- in some ways it's more interesting to watch someone who has a different opinion than you. Even if they hate the game, if they're able to articulate well and not be disrespectful, I can appreciate it
As a Golden sun Vet I would agree with you on everything here and actually you can get a bad end on the beginning but thats it.
Ah, thanks for validating that! Do you also enjoy the Altin Mines as well?
@@humblemudgamesIndeed, the trial as is can get fun despite the backtracking, it's a test of endurance a Lot of the time, and as for GS2 You might feel like the ending is... A tad rushed. But still pretty good Game despite it's era.
Also in one of them you can reply to no to everything you can & one of the companions blows up on you
@MrPsyJak I think that's in Golden Sun 2, no? I read about that actually haha!!
The music still brings me back.
I can see why! The soundtrack is killer!
This has been on my backlog for too long. I really got to get around to playing this one!!
I see now why it's considered a classic!
I played it over & over as a kid, and… and as an adult, and based on this video the advice I'd give is - take it in isolation. Don't go comparing it to other games. Let it stand on its own, and you'll enjoy it the most.
@@MrPsyJak thanks for the advice!!
@mrpsyjak This is good advice. I mostly compare things just because that's how my brain works, for one -- the familiarity it has with Nintendo games is undeniable -- and also to give the audience a frame of reference of what to expect as well. Nevertheless, I try to judge the game on its own merits, which is why I have that whole "in a vacuum, it's a really solid RPG..." line.
I played the game as a kid, it still resonates with me today. I named myself Ivan cuz I was so obsessed with this game as a kid. I love this game so much
aw, that's so sweet. Ivan is the best character in the game imo, so that was a great choice!
I love Golden Sun. The sequel surprisingly is a bit longer game (if you can believe that) and offers so much more gameplay, lore, and all around fun.
So far, I'm enjoying the sequel more, I think!
I like that you put final fantasy tactics advance on the table of best gba games i still play it to this day great game with golden sun
Oh yes! FFTA is my favorite GBA game of all of them to be honest. Loved it from day one
@humblemudgames hell yeah me too. I have probably sank in 500 hours into multiple runs
@@ScarletDeclan I believe I had about 300 myself, haha!
Legend of dragoon. Is my #1 favorite game of all time! We need a remake!!!
Absolutely!!
13:33 talking about people that would go over your head as a kid, but think totally differently as an adult while showing that scene.... i see what you did there.
Also Golden Sun is great, but it really needs some 2024 polish. The framework still stands the test of time, we just need someone to take that formula and apply all the things we've learned about game design since then. Then way more people would love it.
Thanks for mentioning that, I was hoping someone would bring that part up!
And yeah, I totally agree. A modern updated version with some QoL features would go a long long way. Many of my favorite games ever would benefit from that too, so it's not necessarily a bad thing
bro I KNEW you were talking about Legend of Dragoon from the second you were like "are there any other JRPGs that--"
I played GS first and fell in LOVE with it. Then I play Legend of Dragoon, and it was like, my third JRPG ever (my first being Pokemon, my second being GS) so I obviously compared it to GS. The darker tone to it really made it feel to me like a "grown up" version of Golden Sun, funnily enough lol. I love that game so much.
AH! In my experience, LoD fans are the best, nicest people
The whole trilogy has so much to offer that isn't immediately apparent in its story, mainly because a lot is left unsaid despite its...very lengthy dialogue (please god in a remake or sequel make better use of the encyclopedia to cut down on npcs explaining things, just have the keywords become entry in it).
Playing the 2nd and 3rd game and piecing together the lore and history of the world is super cool and it shows that camelot might have had very big plans for the serie going forward.
That encyclopedia suggestion is such a good one, I didn't even think about that! Granblue Fantasy Relink has an encyclopedia system just like that, and I thought it worked incredibly well to help me learn the lore or remember things I had forgotten without getting in the way of the game's pacing. It works exactly as you described.
I'm enjoying The Lost Age so far!
@@humblemudgames The third game has an encylopedia and when important things are mentionned they are highlighted and you can tap with (or press L or R) to add them in. but sadly the writing doesn't make use of it to avoid repeating information or explaining things that are basic knowledge for the characters already. Hopefuly in the next game lol
Glad you're enjoying the lost age. have fun with its secret dungeon and super bosses, you'll have fun with those. Try to resist the urge to use the fun glitches, but do try them on another save. Stuff like forcing Isaac in your party in the same dungeon as your 4th party member is hilarious
I don't feel like random encounters during puzzles are a problem with the genre blending because even in golden sun you have systems to mitigate that, some rooms have the encounter rate set to 0, you can buy cheap items to reduce the encounter rate, and if 70 gold is too much you can swap your djinns around to obtain a psynergy with the same effect.
Ah, I didn't know there was a Djinn swap you could do to have the same effect! Do you know which Djinn combo/psynergy it is? And I don't know if you saw it, but I did put in a little note saying that overall I think the genre blend is really nice overall; I just had a few problem areas here and there. I didn't buy the 70 gold item too often since inventory space is pretty limited and I'm a notorious healing item hoarder, lol. But that's certainly my own fault.
@humblemudgames you can get it easily by giving Mercury djinn (at least 2 I think) to Garet or Isaac and not easily by giving Mia 6 venus and 1 mars djinn.
You can also stack 30 of the same item in one inventory slot btw.
It is a shame that Nintendo has not allowed this series to continue.
Honestly though. Especially considering a lot of the Camelot sports titles aren't as good as the predecessors on the GameCube or Wii
Loved Golden Sun!!! Still do!
I will replay the games once every 2 years or so.
Sad that the series is now very much dead, Camelot no longer cares about giving the series a definitive ending (GS3 ending in cliffhanger) or considering a full remake.
Yeah, it seems like they don't have the passion for it anymore... They don't really come out and talk about it much, right? I think about studios like the one that made Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, and even when they were in periods where they were making platformers for other companies, they still kept talking about that franchise -- it was clear they were still interested in their baby. I don't ever hear about Camelot talking Golden Sun like that.
great vid. looking forward to your thoughts on the sequel, should you go down that route! thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much! I'm a couple hours into the sequel already, definitely will do a review of some sort whenever I'm done! 😁
Legend of Dragoon lovers, RAISE UP!
ROD TYPHOON!
Expect a huge difficulty and depth leap in GS2. My main issue with GS2 is the amount of grinding. GS1 is better paced when it comes to the level curve.
I'll definitely keep that in mind. I actually don't mind grinding that much, but it is odd to make it mandatory after keeping GS1 so lean in that sense
Can you give an example? I never struggled and I'm not a grinder. Maybe the gaia rock boss or poseidon?
I’ve never had to grind in either of these games. In fact, I really like how the games become much more challenging if you’re at a relatively low level, which forces buying proper gear and efficient usage of psyenergy and djinn.
I got Golden Sun for Christmas as a kid, and I was so excited. I loved the game to death, but I had to do a full restart part way through because I missed a skippable Djinn that I couldn't backtrack to, and I wanted to get all of them. The ending, though, made me sorta mad. It's only half the story, and by the time the second game came out, I had pretty much lost all interest in the franchise.
The secret boss was a bitch, too, lol.
Yeah, I didn't mind the ending but also had access to The Lost Age immediately. I remember thinking in my head, "well they were already developing part 2 so I bet kids only had to wait like 6 months to a year"... then I saw it was 2 years later... that's like me waiting for season 2 of Attack on Titan or waiting for a new season of Stranger Things! lol. Wild. And yeah, I didn't want to touch on it in this video because I felt like I was already voicing enough concerns, but there are I think 2 or 3 sections in the game where backtracking is impossible or strictly limited. Speaking of backtracking, to make that shot in the middle of this video where I "turn back and see the sun", I walked ALL the way back from the final area of the game to Vale just to get that shot for you guys. That's dedication.
That is dedication haha thanks for spoiling us. @@humblemudgames
I think the only real way to permaskip a Djinn is to transfer before getting them all.
@@MrPsyJak I don't remember exactly since I haven't played the game since it's release, but I believe there were two Djinn that were permanently missable, and I found out I missed them whilst reading a guide on where to find them in a Nintendo Power magazine (this was before my home had internet, since it was around the time dial-up was going away and broadband was coming in). I realized I missed one, and being the perfectionist that I was, I restarted and speed-ran everything up to that point again.
@@MrPsyJak Yeah, but when you're a kid on Christmas in 2001, and you don't know everything about the game yet, if you realize you forgot a Djinn you saw earlier but can't go back, that can be frustrating. I think after Mogall Forest you have a point of no return until you complete another good chunk of the story. So if you were a kid experiencing all this for the first time, pretty far into the story to be fair, I could see you thinking, "oh man, it's gone forever!" Especially playing without a guide.
5:15 except for the game over you get at the beginning if you say no to saving the world like in paper mario lol
Lol yeah, there are a couple moments like that. Later in the game you can also choose to ride in a carriage or not with some certain characters. But the real decisions are very few and far between haha
You ever play any of the original Phantasy Star games on the Genesis? It's good stuff, would definitely recommend playing PS IV, since it's definitely the most accessible of the four original series games. PS IV is my favourite game, and the Golden Sun duo are my silver medal. Would recommend trying it out if you're big on JRPG's
Do you mean Phantasy Star on the Master System? If so, yes in fact I have! I played the Sega Ages port on the Switch in 2023. It gives you more XP, increases walking speed, and gives you a mini-map. Honestly it's one of the best RPGs I've ever played. Really ahead of its time and I'd say it was better than the first Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy! I really want to play the other 3 games too
Unique rpg experience
absolutely! there's still not really anything quite like Golden Sun!
Of course it is ❤
Yes!! 🙌
I loved this game back in the day and I still love it today - the sequel of the story (the lost age) I love even more, because there is more optional stuff and in general MORE stuff to do there.
I agree that Golden Sun has some dialogue parts that take far TOO long - my least favorite section is the one in the palace of McCoy. Oh my gosh it is sooo boring and SOO long...
And Golden Sun 1 could have had more (optional) dungeons. For me it feels much shorter than part 2, but that might just be my imagination.
I think the encounter rate is very harmless in the Golden Sun games, I played Breath of Fire 2 - THAT is an annoying rate...
I just started TLA, so excited to keep going! And I remember the McCoy palace section taking awhile, for whatever reason I didn't mind it though. I think it was on an 'upswing' with the game during that time, haha. It is a shame that GS1 only has a few optional dungeons. You're not wrong about the encounter rate! I believe at the section talking about encounter rates, I show Ryu from BoF with some other JRPGs protagonists too! And later on I think I include a note somewhere saying that certain other games have worse encounter rates. I guess I just feel that in the more compact rooms where you're solving puzzles... just turn off the encounter rate there. In the big rooms like Altin mines or the lighthouses where you backtrack? Sure, give me encounter rates. But yeah, that's just my personal opinion. I've only played BoF1 but yeah, encounter rates were higher lol
@@humblemudgames I hope you have fun, TLA is the best of the bunch :D (In my opinion)
Yes, it is good that the game turns off the encounters at some points. I think it is a well-balanced RPG and I love the overworld puzzles with the different psynergy.
I loved breath of fire 2 back in the day, but the encounter rate is BRUTAL. (Part 1 is even tame against it sometimes... Especially because you have access to an item that makes encounters go away entirely) And the dungeons are so confusing, especially the last one where the endboss(es) are. But I will always keep this special game in my heart ^^ (Even if a remake with some quality of life features would be awesome)
Golden Sun is the best RPG on GBA.
Totally respect that opinion! I don't know how far you got into my video, but towards the end I show that I personally ranked it only below Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which I think says a lot about how I feel! Thanks for watching.
@humblemudgames ffta is honestly tied with for me. Both have a surprising amount of content. The battle scene art style is the main thing that wins me over with Golden Sun while the story of FFTA is peak for GBA.
I agree with this 100%. I also like how easy it is to bring down a summon in Golden Sun. Sure, they feel a *little* more impactful in FFTA since you can't use them as often, but it's honestly a little TOO hard to summon them regularly. I never noticed this before because I just thought the summons were so cool I didn't care, but after getting equally cool summons in Golden Sun that I can technically use battle after battle... I wish FFTA gave me my cool summons more often, haha.
Regardless, being second only to FFTA in my mind is still a high honor. I rank GS above Mother 3 personally.
I loved Golden Sun back when it released but its one of those older JRPGs that i could never go back to. Theres just too much talking in it, which would annoy my small attention span as an adult. lol
Totally fair. As much as I love The Legend of Dragoon, as you hopefully saw in this video, I have to admit that it can be a little slow-paced in the combat department. That's due to all the animations, camera angles, frame rate & such. A modern revision of LoD could be vastly superior.
I'm having a hard time remembering if it was psyenergy or psynergy like u keep saying😮
there's no real "right" way to say it, haha trust me I looked into it! you could say "psy" like psychic, which would maybe be more correct, but it just sounds stupid to me. especially considering synergy is already a word. so I just said it like that 🤣
The answer is yes
Yes it is 😁
Show em hatersss what's up
It ain't much, but it's honest work. Those invisible, hypothetical people who never personally hurt me (unless we're talking about LoD haha)? I showed them.
@@humblemudgames I believe we're talking about the "baby RPG"-guys. Beat em with patience and positivity
Golden sun is one of my favorite games but the story is filled with enough holes to set off someones trypohobia
I didn't address that too much in this video because I was hopeful those holes might get filled in The Lost Age 😅
@@humblemudgames some do most don't even more get added
hell yeah! I mean, hole yeah!
The dialog was pretty long for GS 1 & 2. It got worse in Dark Dawn.
I can handle long dialogue, it's mostly all in the pacing. I have noticed in my GS2 playthrough so far that the characters still emote and stuff, but the dialogue boxes pop up in between the emotes, instead of waiting until the emote is complete. That small tweak makes the dialogue feel so much snappier than GS1 dialogue. I heard that Dark Dawn basically walked back a lot of the improvements GS2 made, unfortunately
@ yeah the pacing was horrible in GSDD. I’m with you on the first two tho, pacing is mostly fine imo, longish but doable.
I was hoping to see the battle of Dullahan in this video
That's not in the first game my guy 😅 Plus that would be a huge spoiler
@humblemudgames I thought it was part 1. Rip my memories from 20 years ago playing it
haha no worries, I looked it up because I was like, oh snap did I miss something?? 🤣
@@humblemudgames part 2 is leagues better than part 1. I hope you enjoy it. And whatever you do, do not play the 3ds game we don't talk about that games existence
@samuraixkenshin898 I've heard a lot of... things about Dark Dawn. super unfortunate. I'm playing TLA now and enjoying it so far!
Since I'm kinda sick to this "is old game good still good" format: they can pass centuries, and for all I care, games like Ocarina of Time, Metal Gear Solid, Yoshi's Island, Super Metroid [.......] and ofc Golden Sun will always remain masterpieces.
Though the nature of this video isn't 100% correlated to the question its title suggests, titling themes like these are used because they work. It's the unfortunate nature of the beast -- spending hours on a video for only 2 people to see it would be demotivating. But I understand your frustration.
Its an old game. Of course its not perfect.
Oh and fun fact you can refuse the quest in the beginning and get a game over.
I didn't say it needed to be? The review is overall very positive. And yeah, a few others said that was a thing. Funny when games do that!
This was more about your feelings than the actual game. I haven't learned a single aspect about Golden Sun through this video other than your own personal journey. Which to some is very nice and wholesome but regardless it's just a bad review. Focus on the game. If beating the game is a struggle then I have no idea how you plan to tackle longer series like Dragon Quest, Fire Emblem, or Final Fantasy. I worry for your perspective on videogames. Whoever you're running this through before posting is doing you no favors. Find outside help.
I make the videos I want to make. Sorry if it wasn't for you, but I try to make videos that aren't just reviews. If you want to watch a video that goes over every mechanic, walks you through the plot and the characters and all of that, and goes through every inch of the game, there are literally dozens of videos that do just that. At least this is different. But hey, if it wasn't your cup of tea, I understand. Maybe I'm not a good fit for you if you didn't like this. I'd recommend Nintendo Life, Retro Rebound, or Super Derek RPGs if you want a straight review on this game. I don't run my videos through anyone, so you can blame me. ✌️ And for the record - I love DQ, FE, and FF.
Golden Sun has really bad writing - None of the character motivations make any sense whatsoever, the battle system is repetitive and the "puzzles" are just slow: the class, "Move a block 10 spaces so you can jump 1 space" solution, and they're pretty much just all recycled. All your party members have barely any personality, and dialogue is just awful, clunky exposition.
That's a fair take. I did catch myself questioning sometimes why I was doing certain things. I personally enjoyed the battles and puzzles, but I did also sometimes get annoyed that I had to have pixel perfect footing to get Move to work properly. Personalities are somewhat one-note, but this is something common in a lot of JRPGs. I still enjoyed certain aspects, like Garet's hotheadedness making it hard for him to communicate, despite actually being right a lot of the time. Or Mia's occasional sarcasm.
But yeah, I'm not going to tell you you're wrong - you saw in my video I had some struggles. Opinions are opinions. I came out the other side feeling a lot better about it and overall enjoyed my time -- I understand & feel why it's a classic. But yeah, it's not a perfect game.