Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

1. Nathan53

   Jun 23, 2020

   10

   One of the best games on the DS system and definitely a golden entry of the series, I highly recommend playing.

   • 1 of 2 users found this helpful
2. SaintGabriel77

   Sep 24, 2014

   10

   This was the first Golden Sun game I played, and although I was a bit lost at first, I still loved it. I even went back and played the firstThis was the first Golden Sun game I played, and although I was a bit lost at first, I still loved it. I even went back and played the first two, then played through this one again. Definitely my favorite video game series, and I hope Camelot makes another.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
4. RyanA

   Dec 7, 2012

   9

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I have never played any of the other golden sun games, so I don't know if I'm being short-changed or not, but I LOVED this game, with 2 very minor flaws : Blocky graphics and the fact that the game is much too forgiving. I may not have beaten this game completely, but I fought a boss (Mountain Roc) and I thought for sure I was going to die, when I realized, I can summon, OMG. This game is way too forgiving in this sense, compared to Pokemon, which I died numerous times, which made me work hard to get a high enough level to try the gym battle again or whatever it was (Red in Heart Gold/Soul Silver would be one of these people). Overall, 8.8/10… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
5. twewyer

   Dec 27, 2010

   8

   Dark Dawn maintains throughout the adventure a fantastic puzzle element, but the overlong dialogue and stupidly easy combat prevent it fromDark Dawn maintains throughout the adventure a fantastic puzzle element, but the overlong dialogue and stupidly easy combat prevent it from being truly great.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
6. artificeprime

   Jul 15, 2017

   8

   While it isn't quite as good as the first two Golden Sun games, it is still excellent and faithfully continues the story. My biggest complaintWhile it isn't quite as good as the first two Golden Sun games, it is still excellent and faithfully continues the story. My biggest complaint with Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is that it wasn't long enough. I ended this game wanting desperately to experience more of the story. Yet while that can be seen as a negative it is also a positive because I enjoyed the game so much that I wanted more.. While there are some weak areas this is still a far better game experience than most other RPGs offer. The world building, story and puzzles are all exceptional. It's just a shame that this really feels like another chapter in a story that we will likely never see the rest of. The Golden Sun franchise is in my opinion one of the most overlooked game series of all time. If it came out at a different time on a different platform it would be on the same level as the best of Final Fantasy and the Legend of Zelda. It's one of the closest games I can think of to Chrono Trigger but it has its own identity. Nintendo committed a terrible sin by failing to invest more energy into developing this franchise further.
   
   One of the best aspects of Golden Sun is the way it blends its magic system into the gameplay outside of combat. Most RPGs, tend to limit the use of magic to combat, which really makes no sense. Golden Sun does an excellent job of giving magic a practical use. Magic isn't just a weapon, it's a tool. This makes learning new spells so much more satisfying because you can use them to progress through the world and solve problems. The puzzles are connected to the abilities of your characters and that makes gaining new skills more rewarding. Dark Dawn has some of the best puzzles in the series and has some pretty cool new Psynergy abilities as well. Combat is very similar to the first two games and while I liked that combat alright, it could have done with some upgrades considering this came out nearly 10 years after. They really should have added more diversity to the combat. The summonings are still awesome though and there are more in this game than the other two.
   
   The story and story telling in Golden Sun: Dark Dawn remain quite strong. it does a pretty good job of picking up a few decades after the first two games and one of the things I really liked is how the story gradually revealed what had become of the characters from the past games. There are a lot of mysteries and the game does a good job of slowly revealing answers in a satisfying way. Once again my biggest complaint is that the story is incomplete. While I really like the story, there are just way too many loose ends. This felt like a handful of chapters in a big novel. It's not that the content is bad, it just wasn't enough of the story.
   
   The characters in Dark Dawn are decent but I was a bit disappointed that most of them seem like clones of the characters from the first two games. While the cast does get a bit more diverse later in the game, the three main protagonists are far too similar to the one in the original Golden Sun. The villains are also far less interesting clones of the villains from the first game. On the plus side though, the game does a great job of evolving the characters and showing interesting new sides to them as the story progresses. One thing that the game does very well is connecting the characters of this game to the events of the past. Alex also returns in this game and is once again a great character with complex and hidden motives. Unfortunately we never really get to learn the specifics of what his motives really are. What I like so much more about Golden Sun over many other RPGs is that the world feels bigger than the heroes and villains. Alchemy and the ancient world are complex and the characters are just trying to understand and direct that power towards a meaningful purpose.
   
   To me, the World is the real star of the Golden Sun Series. Unlike so many RPGs were the environments just seem like they are basic backgrounds or only exist as obstacles, every location in Weyard tells a story. Temples aren't just barriers, they are factories or machines that once served a purpose. Every place you go teaches you something about the history of the world and how it works. One of my favorite locations in this game was a mountain town where you have to solve a puzzle to activate a machine that creates dense clouds that serve as a transportation device. The process of making it work tells a story about the ancient civilization of the past. Each location serves a practical purpose in the world and story, so when you solve the problems in those areas it has a meaningful impact. There are dozens of creative ideas. Most RPGs suffer from locations that might look cool but don't really serve a logical purpose within the context of the story. Dark Dawn makes every location meaningful and interactive.
   
   Despite some shortcomings, loved this game and recommend it to any fan of classic JRPGs.
   
   I give it 82%… Expand

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7. Nosebreaker

   Mar 2, 2011

   7

   The original Golden Sun games were two of the best made for the GBA, if you ask me. This game has a lot in common with those greats as far asThe original Golden Sun games were two of the best made for the GBA, if you ask me. This game has a lot in common with those greats as far as style is concerned but as much as I enjoyed playing it Dark Dawn feels more like a children's versions of the games than anything else. When even the optional boss fights are easy (and I didn't grind at all) you know there's a problem with the game. The other main problem is that the game doesn't seem to have a real strong grasp of the story and at the end, ultimately, nothing is accomplished. Overall a fun game to breeze through but nothing to sink your teeth into.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful
8. SocratesGoneMad

   Sep 10, 2022

   0

   One of the worst RPGs ever made. Awful characters, awful dialogue, awful plot, and a battle system so easy you can spam attack to beat nearlyOne of the worst RPGs ever made. Awful characters, awful dialogue, awful plot, and a battle system so easy you can spam attack to beat nearly every enemy in the game. A disgrace compared to the legendary original 2 Golden Sun games.… Expand

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