| Introduction
Camelot Software Planning, home of the masterminds behind Sega's Shining Force
series and more recently the first-class Mario Golf and Tennis, has released an
unforgettable RPG adventure for the Game Boy Advance. Golden Sun is the system's
first traditional role playing game, and is by far one of the most spectacular
representatives of its genre in recent years. In the sleepy town of Vale, a magical force known as Psynergy is cultivated
in the minds of gifted individuals. This power is related to the long-sealed art
of alchemy, and has largely been confined to the citizens of Vale at the foot of
Mt Aleph. The mysterious Sol Sanctum lies atop the mountain, looming over the
village as wondrous, earth-shattering events begin to unfold and begin to
forever change not only the life of a young man named Isaac, but the entire
world…
GamePlay
Golden Sun is a marvel, a glittering gameplay gem in the GBA's already
impressive crown. It begins slowly, introducing the title's extensive plot on a
dark and stormy night, but after the first hour breaks into a runaway surge of
fun and fast-paced action that rarely slows. The plot, while perhaps a bit
sluggish to unfold, proves to be a deep and moving tale… and is only the
first chapter in a larger series. Not much more will be said here, as it
is something to discover for oneself. The game is forged in the fashion of a traditional RPG: travel the land,
recruit party members, slay beasts, and acquire items and loot. Golden Sun stays
close to the tried-and-true formula much of the time, and includes several
overtly hackneyed references to amuse veteran RPG players. This title resembles
many others in that it features some of the same elements, including
dungeon-crawling, traversing a Mode-7 map, and speaking to everyone in sight.
However, it utilizes certain tricks rarely seen, such as being able to read a
person's mind to determine whether they're lying or hiding vital information. Psynergy endows its bearers with fantastic abilities, and Camelot has
incorporated countless puzzles in which they must be used. The Grow power causes
the rapid expansion of scalable vines up a wall, while Freeze can craft a mighty
pillar of ice from a small puddle. One of the more interesting and useful
skills, Reveal, uncovers hidden passages, items, and enemies where they are
least expected. Later in the game, several powers must be used in conjunction to
solve tricky puzzles. Not only must one determine which skill to use, but he
must also learn how to simply obtain it to begin with. Each of the four
protagonists has his or her own host of abilities, which can be altered or
augmented with an increase in level or the attachment of a Djinn, discussed
later. Button shortcuts can be defined so that a technique is activated with a
single click, rather than navigating menus every time Mind Read is needed
(frequently). Psynergy runs on a point system, much like Magic Points in other
games. It is slowly replenished as the party walks through enemy-filled regions,
or can be quickly filled with items or even Psynergy skills! The battle system in Golden Sun is truly remarkable. It is evident that
Camelot consciously remedied many of the issues plaguing other games, the result
being a rapid, slick experience that is easy to learn but incredibly deep and
more difficult to master. The only real problem with battling is what appears to
be a curious oversight on the developer's part: when a character has been
assigned to attack a recently defeated enemy, he will simply defend instead of
striking the next in line. This can be frustrating at first, but gradually
incorporated as a tactical skill with practice.
One of the most delightful aspects of the game is the Djinn system. Djinni
are small beings rich in Psynergy, and represent one of the four elements in the
game: Venus (earth), Jupiter (wind), Mars (fire), and Mercury (water). There are
seven of each type hidden cleverly throughout the world, or in one case very
conspicuously. Djinni can be utilized in several fashions, in what has been
described as “Final Fantasy VIII's junction system done right.” On a very
basic level, these creatures must be assigned to party members in a fair ratio,
but can be either “set” or put on standby. Setting Djinni can dramatically
increase the stats of a character, magnifying his strength and health while
altering his repertoire of Psynergy skills. Using one in battle brings about the
effect of one of many Psynergy spells, unique to each individual Djinn, but at
the cost of zero PPoints. At this point, the Djinn is on standby and can either
be reset or, more impressively, used to summon an awe-inspiring mythical being
to smite enemies. Djinn can be put on standby in any number before a battle,
with each additional one increasing the power of the potential summon (up to a
ceiling of four). The only expense is the lack of stat-pumping and that after a
summon is cast, only one Djinn will be reset at each turn. With seven possible
Djinn of each element, it is possible to both use summons and keep large
physical bonuses simultaneously. This must in fact be done to truly succeed at
the game.
Controls
The controls in Golden Sun will be familiar to RPG veterans, and don't deviate
drastically from the classic scheme. Control is slick and responsive, and the
Psynergy shortcut keys are a blessing in that they save vast amounts of time
otherwise spent wading through the menu interface. No task is so complicated as
to cause the player to randomly press buttons, and everything is quite
intuitive.Graphics
Camelot's new masterpiece will undoubtedly draw many gamers through its
spectacular graphics alone. The towns, fields, and all other areas in the game
are immaculately drawn and boast one of the most breathtaking uses of color and
style ever seen on a handheld. Much of the game features a soft pastel look, but
gives way to more harsh schemes in the depths of caverns and labyrinths. The
characters are drawn well, with anime-style faces appearing when important
characters speak. Undoubtedly, any discussion on Golden Sun's graphics will quickly turn to the
battles. At the start, seamless wrap-around background textures can be seen
which rotate and scale smoothly. The true power of the Game Boy Advance is
revealed through the game's jaw-dropping particle effects, though. Certain
spells like Plasma shower the screen with a beautiful, ethereal rain of glowing
sparks while Fireball features a Matrix-style camera spin as dozens of embers
rise into the sky before striking a target. Even these simple Psynergy attacks
demonstrate the GBA's wonderful powers, and must be seen in action, not through
words or even screen shots. The summons are as impressive as many of the spells, but one stands head and
shoulders above the rest. SPOILER: The fourth-level Venus summon,
“Judgment”, is perhaps the coolest thing ever seen in a handheld RPG. A winged
warrior with a lion's head on one arm soars above a beautiful valley, then
nukes it with a brilliant burst of blue energy. The sphere rushes onward
in "Akira" fashion, eventually overtaking the enemy and dealing unbelievable
amounts of damage. END SPOILER The only lackluster aspect of the graphics department is the so-so scaling of
some of the enemies. When similar sprites are used for fiends of different
sizes, the larger ones can appear quite pixilated. This is especially noticeable
in some of the boss battles, where a less-than-stellar enemy model stands out
against otherwise immaculate effects. Sound & Music
Out of habit from playing handheld RPGs for so many years, the volume on Golden
Sun wasn't turned up until long into the adventure. It was a grievous loss. This
title features wonderful, soothing music with an occasional tune committing
itself to memory. Gone are the days of obnoxious bleeping, thanks to the GBA's
comparably talented sound processor. Throw on some headphones and the experience
is even better. The sound effects are a mixed bag. Battle noises and the such are the typical
RPG staple… they're practically identical from game to game. For reasons
unknown, Camelot implemented grating, monotonous beeping when a character
speaks, but this can be turned off. On the whole, the sound fx are unremarkable. Final Comments
Go buy Golden Sun. Right now. GO! This is without any doubt the grandest
handheld RPG in years, reminiscent of the 16-bit glory days before FMV or
Stalesoft's falling into a rut. The greatest flaw in this magnificent game? It
may be over too soon for some gamers, and the sequel does not have a concrete
launch date. The open-ended storyline is captivating, its graphics are without
peer, and even the sound is impeccable. With prices for this stellar game
reaching as low as a ridiculous $25, one will find that every last penny was
well spent on what may be the handheld game of 2001.
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