Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Posted by Michael Brown on June 30, 2010 · 1 Comment

Seven years after the last installment, Golden Sun finally returns. With the original two entries on the GameBoy Advance, Golden Sun: Dark Dawn makes a leap onto a new platform that allows players a new way to play the game.

Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Last Age featured some of the best sprite work on the GBA, although now that the series is being brought over to the DS everything is being made 3D. When I first saw screenshots of the Summon abilities, I found them to be a little lack-luster compared to the originals (weird, huh?). Although, once I had the game in my hands it was clear that the move to 3D graphics actually makes the series more visually stunning than ever.

The game is controlled entirely on the touch screen, although Dark Dawn still allows players to use the D-Pad whenever they feel like it. This means that all psynergy moves can be performed with the stylus, or with the controls from the original two entries. In fact, the stylus-heavy controls are reminiscent of the DS Zelda games (Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks). While this is a great new option, as a fan of the GBA controls I found it best to stick to what I already knew.

During my demo, there were moments when using the stylus to control psynergy moves became cumbersome, as the game didn’t understand direction I was pointing to. Overall, the gameplay still feels very familiar and strikes a nice balance between implementing new controls and letting fans of the series stick with what feels comfortable.

Nintendo has been quite tight-lipped about the story, but I’ve included a few tidbits below that help to provide a basis for Golden Sun: Dark Dawn when it launches this Holiday season.

Story takes place 30 years after Golden Sun: The Lost Age
Main characters are the children of the previous game’s heroes
Although the Golden Sun was restored it is now changing everything: continents have shifted, as well as new countries and species emerging
Psynergy Vortexes, which suck Psynergy from the land and Adepts, are spreading across the world

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