Golden Sun: The Lost Age

 Game Boy Advance
User Score
9.0

Universal acclaim- based on 225 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 202 out of 225
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 225
  3. Negative: 16 out of 225
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  1. VonSeux
    Dec 17, 2013
    6
    Fairly inferior than the original (THE best rpg on GBA) I felt lost on my objectives and the story seemed too loose. Also, it didn't show noticeable improvement over the first game.
  2. MattX.
    Apr 20, 2003
    7
    This Game is Good it has a great plot to it and it always makes you want to keep playing...but it can get boring at times.
  3. ducksaws
    Sep 21, 2020
    6
    Golden Sun: The Lost Age is a frustratingly dissonant experience. Almost every mechanic is flawed.. All the same, years later, I still throw the soundtrack on to hear its unexpectedly epic sounding pan-flute synth rock and roll mixed with low, droning, tones. The oppressive KU-KRASHHH of the magical glowing blade of the Ragnarok spell smashing your enemies in an explosion of earth-elementGolden Sun: The Lost Age is a frustratingly dissonant experience. Almost every mechanic is flawed.. All the same, years later, I still throw the soundtrack on to hear its unexpectedly epic sounding pan-flute synth rock and roll mixed with low, droning, tones. The oppressive KU-KRASHHH of the magical glowing blade of the Ragnarok spell smashing your enemies in an explosion of earth-element particles followed by the sharp CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! as each monster contorts in damage is objectively the best sounding and best looking thing to ever appear on a Gameboy. It may actually carry the whole game - It's hard to find anything else deserving of the critical acclaim Lost Age boasts.

    Story/Characters: 2/5
    The story is... well. You are Felix and pals, on a quest to light two lightouses and awaken an ancient magic, without which the world will end. Officially, the cast from the first game are trying to stop you, but they do nothing show it. Amazingly, outside of a few contrived squabbles between these characters, the game goes without a primary antagonist.

    Except for a few tidbits of backstory that come up in dialogue once in a while, the protagonists are devoid of character. 90% of the dialogue delivered could come from any character - they are interchangeable.

    You may wonder how the game handles a final boss without a villain. One literally falls out of the sky.

    Combat: 4/5

    Character powers focus around elemental spirits called djinn that can be assigned to any character. There is an incredible amount of depth to the system - mixing and matching elemental djinn can lead you to thousands of class combinations across your four characters. In short, combine lots of elements in one character to create a tanky physical fighter who can wreak havoc with a sword. Concentrate a single element to create spellcasters. Or find yourself anywhere in the middle of the spectrum for more flexible characters.

    It's a neat system! Unfortunately, the dichotomy I just described is not explained anywhere in the game. Without a proper guide, you'll likely make your characters weaker any time you deviate from giving your earth-character all the earth-djinn.

    The single most inexcusable aspect of the battle system is that a handful of spells actually do damage calculated from your attack stat rather than your elemental power stat. Imagine the physical/special split in Pokemon attacks - just entirely undocumented.

    Dungeons/Exploration: 2/5

    The world is entirely open. Except, you cannot just explore wherever and expect to accomplish anything. Each dungeon revolves around puzzles solved with a utility spell gained in a previous dungeon. So, no, really, it's NOT open world. The path of dungeons you must solve is linear, but you the game won't tell you the correct path.

    Imagine Zelda if you could enter any dungeon at any time, but you get to explore the first few floors fighting past random encounters until you find out that you actually need the hookshot or boomerang to progress any further. Except, this is not Zelda. This is Golden Sun. The cues for when a puzzle requires psyenergy are not quite so obvious. Without a guide, all you can do is squint at a funny looking object, wonder if it's something you're supposed to do magic at, and then spend five minutes unloading every spell you've learned so far on it hoping that one of them is the key. Or hey, maybe it's not actually a lock. It's just a funny looking statue. Better go back into the overworld and find another dungeon to attempt.

    Did I mention there are 21 of these utility spells? And nearly every one is attached to an item that must clog up your limited inventory space for the rest of the game? Not to worry, the spells that aren't attached to items are made available with the djinn system... meaning you'll have to muck up your carefully tuned djinn-class system in order to get to them.
    Overall:

    For the time and the platform, this is a decent rpg. When you're in the right dungeon with the right spells with the right class setup, it's a great game. Just up until you leave that dungeon and have to drag your pack of teenaged, no-personality protagonists back into the overworld and click through a drawn out conversation with somebody who's not even a villain.    … Expand
  4. H.J.
    Apr 10, 2003
    7
    More of the same, but not like that's a bad thing. Still a drag to level up, and the same Psynergy based-solution dungeons. Easily the best RPG for GBA right now... until FF Tactics Advance is released. .... and FF8? What in god's name are you SMOKING?

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2003
5
#5 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2003
36
#36 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Cincinnati Enquirer
    90
    If you liked "Lord of the Rings," then you'll love Golden Sun: The Lost Age.
    Read full review
  2. GMR Magazine
    80
    Seriously, if you haven't finished the first installment of Camelot's sprawling GBA epic, it's likely you'll be baffled, at least initially, by this direct follow-up. [May 2003, p.73]
  3. Eurogamer
    80
    A thoroughly enjoyable game that matches its predecessor in every way. It's true that the plot never becomes as epic as Golden Sun hinted it might, and it's also true that the game will be a little too 'freeform' for some RPG fans, but it is basically the middle of a story - and thus plays as such.
    Read full review
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