Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

 DS
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 63 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 51 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 63
  3. Negative: 0 out of 63
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  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 24, 2011
    70
    Golden Sun is one of the games you think you've already played... and more than once. If you are not familiar with JRPGs or you suffer from Alzheimer it may entertain you much more. [Issue#200]
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  2. Eurogamer Spain
    Feb 8, 2011
    70
    A good RPG, but visually it seems more a Gameboy Advance game than one published for the Nintendo DS.
  3. Gamereactor Sweden
    Jan 28, 2011
    70
    Way to simple and some boring dialogue, but awesome graphics and a smart leveling system makes up for it.
  5. Gamekult
    Jan 18, 2011
    70
    From the simple but colorful and dynamic polygons of this new Golden Sun DS, it's pretty much the Sega Saturn that stares at us. If only she knew how much we miss her.
  6. Gamer.nl
    Jan 6, 2011
    70
    Dark Dawn is a good RPG, mainly thanks to the refined combat system and the intelligent puzzles. The game lacks a bit of originality and challenge, though. The end also comes very unexpected.
  7. GamingExcellence
    Jan 3, 2011
    70
    There's not a whole lot to say about Dark Dawn. It's a polished, visually-appealing, cliché-filled, trope-ridden jRPG that is seemingly made exclusively for the fans of the previous games.
  8. Eurogamer Italy
    Dec 29, 2010
    70
    Golden Sun: Dark Dawn is a traditional RPG with a great technical value. The graphic is sharp and the soundtrack is perfect for every kind of situation on the screen. The lack of new ideas, anyway, is quite a problem for everyone who is looking for new emotions.
  9. Wired
    Dec 21, 2010
    70
    The obscure names and redundant dialog can reach levels of absurdity, and sometimes you'll want to yell at your characters to just shut up and get on with the adventuring, but the puzzles and presentation make the complex plot worth slogging through.
  10. GamePro
    Dec 13, 2010
    70
    Are you willing to put up with a particularly long opening that's nearly devoid of tactics, challenging puzzles, or meaningful plot developments? Because if you are, a pretty fantastic fantasy role-playing game awaits. If not, well, there are plenty of other RPG alternatives on the DS.
  11. GameCritics
    Jan 26, 2011
    65
    It may be handsomely made, but that doesn't save Golden Sun: Dark Dawn from being a disappointment.
  12. Metro GameCentral
    Dec 21, 2010
    60
    Series and genre fans are well provided for but it's a shame the technical achievements aren't in service of a more adventurous game.
  13. The Escapist
    Dec 21, 2010
    60
    Golden Sun: Dark Dawn has plenty of great spells, enjoyable environmental puzzles, and enemies whose heads desperately need caving in. The magical djinn are its only remarkable feature, but unfortunately turn the combat into child's play. Dark Dawn is a perfectly serviceable JRPG, and fans of the two previous Golden Sun titles will undoubtedly enjoy it. But it could be far, far better.

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Best DS Game of 2010
7
#7 Most Discussed DS Game of 2010
6
#6 Most Shared DS Game of 2010

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 113 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 83 out of 113
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 113
  3. Negative: 5 out of 113
  1. DemKin
    Dec 26, 2013
    5
    I'm a huge fan of the Golden Sun series. The GBA episodes are two of the best experiences I've had in a video game and I naturally was veryI'm a huge fan of the Golden Sun series. The GBA episodes are two of the best experiences I've had in a video game and I naturally was very excited to finally get this third episode. And what a disappointment my friends...

    It felt like this game had almost nothing from the old ones, except the combat system. The writings and dialogs were atrocious, the design was overall extremely poor and tainted with bad choices, the whole thing felt incredibly bland and tedious.
    Golden Sun 1 & 2 already had a gameplay we could consider as "very classic", but they had this perfect... everything, and captivated until the ending credits. Dark Dawn just simplified everything, made it feel very childish.
    The difficulty is not here anymore and you'll basically rush through the game and its poor-designed maps and villages in something like 20hrs. Coup de grâce the soundtrack from the genius Motoi Sakuraba, who amazed us with the OST of the first two Golden Sun and with many oher games, sounded uninspired and insipid !
    Overall, I got the feeling that the development team was forced to make this game it while they had no good ideas at all and after the first half-hour, I was already praying for the game to finish because of how much it hurt me to see such a fantastic series getting butchered like this. The fact that the ending was obviously rushed in such a way that everyone thought there would be a sequel when there would be none confirms my theory that this game was not finished and that its development probably went through a lot of troubles. I will try not to spoil anything, but none of the real questions were answered and you basically solved... nothing.

    If you have great memories of this fantastic series and if you expect something out of the games you play, make sure to stay far away from this episode. You'll thank me later.    … Full Review »
  2. jtg00001
    Dec 1, 2010
    9
    Golden Sun is as good as it ever was. That statement will mean one of two things for people: most fans will appreciate the details which areGolden Sun is as good as it ever was. That statement will mean one of two things for people: most fans will appreciate the details which are remeniscent of the original two GBA games and will smile at the similarities and embrace the nostalgia it brings; others, will likely find that the game is out-dated compared to today's standard of RPG. This should not be a deterrent however, embrace the finely crafted traditional J-RPG style of gaming, appreciate the effort that has went into providing a relatively seamless transition from the GBA to DS, and remember the fun that can be had with Camelot's Golden Sun series. Outstandingly familiar.… Full Review »
  3. Role
    Jan 28, 2011
    6
    After seven years, the Golden Sun franchise finally gets a much desired sequel. It doesn't disappoint, either, it's exactly what the fans hadAfter seven years, the Golden Sun franchise finally gets a much desired sequel. It doesn't disappoint, either, it's exactly what the fans had been wanting. Though there were pros and cons to the game, just as in the previous games, the cons were things that often times got in the way of the entertainment. I'll get to that later, though.

    First is the pros. In terms of storytelling and characterization, Dark Dawn does a much better job than its predecessors. While the game gets off to a slow and rocky start, the actual storytelling, especially starting about halfway through, really improves, and it begins to become enjoyable. Also unlike the first couple games, this game did a lot of characterization into the first six or so characters, especially Sveta. While the last two characters simply game too late to get a good feel for them, you got to know the first six, and in conversation even got a feel for the silent protagonist's personality.

    However, the game has a few major faults. First is the ease of the game - simply put, you get too powerful too fast, and the rest of the game winds up becoming a joke. While the final boss does a good job in terms of giving a challenging battle, the combination of surprisingly high experience rewards and rapid acquiring of djinn just keep anything else from coming close to being a threat.

    This leads to the second complaint - poor pacing. Some character just plain and simple should have joined up earlier - the last two you get join you in the last hour or so of the game, too late to make any sort of impact. Even worse, one is used as a deus ex machina of sorts, rather jarring considering how well told the story had been up until then.

    The biggest kicker, though, had to be that the game suffered from the exact same flaws as its predecessors, little if any attempt to fix this was made. In fact, it's almost like it got worse - while psynergy is decent early game, with both rapid class upgrades and level ups, it's quickly overpowered by the unleashes. Near the middle of the game, it just stops being worth it to cast anything other than buffs and healing - enemies aren't enough of a threat to need debuffs or ailments, and even mages wind up doing more damage with their physical strikes than with psynergy. To add insult to injury, the only real saving grace psynergy had in The Lost Age, the advantage that it can strike an area, is gone as well.

    However, the negatives, while it may seem in the review to be greater than the positives, really don't outweigh it. The game is still plenty of fun, and while not phenomenal, it definitely above average. It may be easier than some prefer, but you'll quickly find when doing self-imposed challenges that the game can get very difficult if you skip too many djinn, either on purpose or by mistake. All and all, it's very enjoyable.

    However, it should go without saying that the next installment will need to start addressing ome of the problems with the series, as without the 7 year break, fans will be much less forgiving.    … Full Review »
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