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. hector_bcn98
    Aug 23, 2023
    8
    Más largo, más difícil, más puzzles, más djinns y más pesado que el original. La historia no me la puede traer más al pairo.
  2. Ap616
    Aug 10, 2023
    10
    Golden Sun + Golden Sun: The Lost Age are probably my favorite games of all-time, and I love a 'lot' of games... This 2nd game builds upon the 1st & has even more content + extra superbosses. It's longer though & not as succinct. I actually prefer it to the 1st game because it is so fleshed out & expansive.

    There is so much content packed in this journey throughout the 2-game joint    Golden Sun + Golden Sun: The Lost Age are probably my favorite games of all-time, and I love a 'lot' of games... This 2nd game builds upon the 1st & has even more content + extra superbosses. It's longer though & not as succinct. I actually prefer it to the 1st game because it is so fleshed out & expansive.

    There is so much content packed in this journey throughout the 2-game joint story. There's a lot of dialogue with an interesting story. It's not Final Fantasy or maybe Dragon Quest length, but not short either if you do a lot of optional things. The battles are quick-paced with little-to-no wasted time at the beginning or ends of them which is nice compared to some other RPGs, and also has some definite strategy involved for optional super bosses. The weapons, equipment, unleashes, psynergy, summons, Djinn, puzzles are all quite cool aspects of the game. The great puzzles & psynergy used outside of battles are fun & varied too! The sprites & visuals are phenomenal for the Game Boy Advance, a standout game for the graphical capabilities of the system. Also, the OST is a particular highlight; the person who made the music put their soul into the game, developing the different tracks. All the tracks are very nostalgic for me & quite good, like Final Fantasy IX's OST. Check out Coaltergeist's YouTube channel for remastered Golden Sun tracks if you want a taste.

    This game is definitely up there with some of the bests from the GBA system for sure(if not besting them all in my humble opinion)... great games such as: Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Advance, Mario & Luigi: Super Star Saga, Advance Wars, Metroid, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, and Fire Emblem.

    If you like JRPGs, lots of extra content, & want to play one of the absolute best to grace the GBA, definitely check out both Golden Sun & Golden Sun: The Lost Age.

    Thanks for reading, and have a great day!    … Expand
  3. TheXxchaKing
    Jul 7, 2023
    10
    + Gorgeous art style and graphics for the GBA
    + Enthralling combat system
    + Epic and evocative soundtrack
    + Memorable world, story and villains
    + Puzzle-laden dungeon design
  4. GensuiSakazuki
    Jun 24, 2023
    10
    The best JRPG I have ever played.
    I just love the world of Weyard and its characters, the fact that it is a flat world, the fact that the game is based on our real world in term of geography and you can find references to various places and cultures.
    The second game improves on everything the first game did right, a bigger world, with more places, a ship to navigate all that, puzzles    The best JRPG I have ever played.
    I just love the world of Weyard and its characters, the fact that it is a flat world, the fact that the game is based on our real world in term of geography and you can find references to various places and cultures.

    The second game improves on everything the first game did right, a bigger world, with more places, a ship to navigate all that, puzzles are more complex, combat is deeper and more challenging and the story has many unpredictable twists    … Expand
  5. fuor22
    May 31, 2023
    10
    The best game i have ever seen to the gba, This is a must have for every rpg fan, who owns a Game Boy. Bautiful game
  6. Yojimbo2015
    May 6, 2023
    8
    Engaging sequel to an enjoyable RPG, The Lost Age improves on the original in pretty much every way. Not a huge leap forward but a treat for fans of the original.
  7. kwisi91
    Apr 8, 2023
    10
    Still UNDERRATED!
    Probably Golden Sun 1 (and 2) are the best RPG ever made in my opinion, and I played much.
    Lovely story, thrilling, and interesting graphics for GBA, the best Soundtrack I ever heard in a game (you should check orchestral remakes on youtube), atmospheric, great controls and. Well, the best game I ever played and I played probably a thousand games, well it's very    Still UNDERRATED!
    Probably Golden Sun 1 (and 2) are the best RPG ever made in my opinion, and I played much.
    Lovely story, thrilling, and interesting graphics for GBA, the best Soundtrack I ever heard in a game (you should check orchestral remakes on youtube), atmospheric, great controls and. Well, the best game I ever played and I played probably a thousand games, well it's very subjective and I also could find things I could cry about if I would but the story and the game altogether are just satisfying.    … Expand
  8. braebsch
    Mar 5, 2023
    10
    The amazing second part of one of the best games I’ve played in my life and it continiues with greatness exactly where the first part ended.
    The new story, the (new) characters, the (new) skills, the (new) game mechanics, turn based battles, the mystery, finding out more secrets and hidden functions/contents by yourself, the amazing soundtrack that creates the great unique atmosphere like    The amazing second part of one of the best games I’ve played in my life and it continiues with greatness exactly where the first part ended.
    The new story, the (new) characters, the (new) skills, the (new) game mechanics, turn based battles, the mystery, finding out more secrets and hidden functions/contents by yourself, the amazing soundtrack that creates the great unique atmosphere like the first part, etc.
    For me the combination of all these aspects was so good that it made me searching for a similar combo or similar games all the time. This game is the perfect second part, it is so good and I love it so much as well.    … Expand
  9. ReviewsAreBS
    Feb 17, 2023
    9
    As good as the previous game, though puzzles and combat are better. However, the final third was a little rushed. If both games were combined in one and allowed unrestricted access to the entire continent, this would’ve been a 10/10 game. Hopefully a future remake will do just that, but don’t get your hopes up.
  10. PabloEnver
    Aug 30, 2022
    10
    Igual que el anterior, un diez en todo, aunque en comparación a la primera parte tiene cosas mejores y peores. Mejores: poder transmitir datos de la partida anterior manteniendo tus djinss, armas, nivel, etc. Mundo enorme por recorrer, con un monton de secretos y jefes ocultos, armas, djinss, etc. Poder usar a todos los personajes de ambas entregas. Lo malo: sin una guía puede hacerse muyIgual que el anterior, un diez en todo, aunque en comparación a la primera parte tiene cosas mejores y peores. Mejores: poder transmitir datos de la partida anterior manteniendo tus djinss, armas, nivel, etc. Mundo enorme por recorrer, con un monton de secretos y jefes ocultos, armas, djinss, etc. Poder usar a todos los personajes de ambas entregas. Lo malo: sin una guía puede hacerse muy pesado, dada la vastedad del mundo y lo retiradas que estan algunas localizaciones y las pocas indicaciones que recibes de adonde ir.… Expand
  11. KaS36
    Aug 4, 2022
    10
    Golden Sun, but even better. Takes all the good parts of the first, while adding new, welcome features like the forging, and the boat.
  12. ABTonez
    Jun 27, 2022
    10
    Perfect in all sense. There's not comparison with this piece of art. I still can't believe why the first part has more votes than this one.
  13. TSNintendogamer
    Apr 2, 2022
    4
    ok, here's my first negetive review. I don't like the game too much because of the game design. It barley tells you what to do or where to go. I felt like they didn't really have a good tortorial. I bought the game wanting to try a new IP and I liked the combat but I just felt like if I'm not getting anywhere and that I have to look up a walkthrough every 5 minutes, theok, here's my first negetive review. I don't like the game too much because of the game design. It barley tells you what to do or where to go. I felt like they didn't really have a good tortorial. I bought the game wanting to try a new IP and I liked the combat but I just felt like if I'm not getting anywhere and that I have to look up a walkthrough every 5 minutes, the game isn't for me. I understand if other people liked it especially if they played final fantasy alot but for me, more pokemon please. It honestly represented everything I hated about gaming as a kid. Hard, little directions, and frustrations.… Expand
  14. Nikitosss95
    Feb 13, 2021
    10
    Golden sun 1 and Golden Sun TLA are hands down not only my favorite GBA games of all time, but also one of my favorite stories as well (which was unfortunately ruined by GS3 Dark Dawn)... I love the graphics, I love the RPG way of battles, solving puzzles, the tension of the story, the plot, the four elements, djinnis, summons, rare items, extremely likable main characters, antagonists,Golden sun 1 and Golden Sun TLA are hands down not only my favorite GBA games of all time, but also one of my favorite stories as well (which was unfortunately ruined by GS3 Dark Dawn)... I love the graphics, I love the RPG way of battles, solving puzzles, the tension of the story, the plot, the four elements, djinnis, summons, rare items, extremely likable main characters, antagonists, final bosses and most of all - the MUSIC!… Expand
  15. 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
  16. tukumalu
    Jan 22, 2020
    10
    The graphic, story and world building aspect of this RPG was ahead of its time on a mobile system.
  17. Raphaell94
    May 2, 2019
    10
    Una de las mejores secuelas que puede haber. No solo le da la vuelta al primer juego, sino que lo mejora muchisimo. Más libertad de exploración y viaje, más Psinergías, más invocaciones y Djinns. Un viaje increíble a través del mundo de Weyard que, si jugaste al primero, te va a encantar. Tiene más historia y más duración, y creo sinceramente que es mejor que el primero por estosUna de las mejores secuelas que puede haber. No solo le da la vuelta al primer juego, sino que lo mejora muchisimo. Más libertad de exploración y viaje, más Psinergías, más invocaciones y Djinns. Un viaje increíble a través del mundo de Weyard que, si jugaste al primero, te va a encantar. Tiene más historia y más duración, y creo sinceramente que es mejor que el primero por estos elementos.… Expand
  18. BlakDak666
    Jun 7, 2017
    9
    Golden Sun: The Lost Age continues to not only leave where Golden Sun left off plot-wise, but also the sheer brilliance and scope of its mechanics and combat while further adding more and making the experience just as enjoyable. It definitely captures the feeling of adventure despite its limitations on being a handheld gaming device. The only issues that would crop up is similar to theGolden Sun: The Lost Age continues to not only leave where Golden Sun left off plot-wise, but also the sheer brilliance and scope of its mechanics and combat while further adding more and making the experience just as enjoyable. It definitely captures the feeling of adventure despite its limitations on being a handheld gaming device. The only issues that would crop up is similar to the first game: color-swap palette enemies, overuse of dialogue and such. Despite the issues the second part to the epic that is Golden Sun makes an all around great experience that makes slightly better than the original and the one the best handheld games of all time.… Expand
  19. revolution_mc
    Dec 17, 2014
    10
    Surprisingly underrated, The Lost Age is a brilliant sequel to the original game. The graphics are possibly the best on the system, the soundtrack is epic and the gameplay is a solid combination of exploration, puzzles and battles. The score is a 9.7, rounded up to 10.
  20. SaintGabriel77
    Sep 24, 2014
    10
    This game was great, and that's just plain fact. Great story, great villain, great characters, great music, great gameplay. I really can't find anything to complain about with this game. I highly recommend playing it if you haven't already.
  21. Amfibios
    Aug 18, 2014
    10
    a masterpiece just like golden sun 1, offering a bigger world, more exploration, more playable characters, a crafting system and so much more.
    this game was/is and will be one of the best games ever
  22. 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.
  23. wesker2012
    May 27, 2012
    10
    This game was freakin awesome.
  24. Marlfox
    Dec 13, 2011
    10
    The best game you will ever play(very possibly in your life). Great story, great animations(for the gba), great characters, great music, great replay value, and great NOSTALGIA!!!
  25. BlacksitePSU
    Oct 6, 2011
    10
    A surprisingly underrated yet deep JRPG that can give popular development studios like Square Enix and Atlus a run for their money. The strong story, visuals, music, and controls all come together to offer a truly unique gameplay experience. Hell, I would go as far as to say that Golden Sun: The Lost Age, sequel to Golden Sun, is the best role-playing game on a handheld to date.
  26. sadrans
    May 16, 2011
    10
    I am the kind of gamer who enjoys almost exclusively casual games. Anything Mario, anything that you can just pick up and play for 30 minutes without getting sucked into a story or involved strategy decisions. But I LOVE this game, as well as its predecessor. I don't know what it is about it, but I will play this game for hours and hours and do the kind of things that I usually hate inI am the kind of gamer who enjoys almost exclusively casual games. Anything Mario, anything that you can just pick up and play for 30 minutes without getting sucked into a story or involved strategy decisions. But I LOVE this game, as well as its predecessor. I don't know what it is about it, but I will play this game for hours and hours and do the kind of things that I usually hate in video games. It is so so good.… Expand
  27. ThomasN.
    Dec 21, 2007
    10
    The best game i have ever seen to the gba, This is a must have for every rpg fan, who owns a Game Boy.
  28. LeonV.
    Jun 23, 2007
    10
    Totally great. The best rpg ever. Period. GRaphics, awesome; summons, great; items, wicked; characters, absolutely awesome; psynergies, the best.
  29. JoshM.
    Aug 12, 2006
    9
    Excellent game, it has great graphics and a great storyline, the only reason i didnt give it a 10 was because im STUCK! and its tickin' me off!
  30. JoeP.
    Jul 25, 2006
    10
    This is by far the best handheld RPG I have ever had the privilege of playing. The story is expansive, you can easily play a good 40 to 50 hours playing through the game the first time, and you can even continue the story after to keep training your characters to defeat all the seceret bosses and unlock the summons. The only thing I have to say is wrong with the game, though idon't This is by far the best handheld RPG I have ever had the privilege of playing. The story is expansive, you can easily play a good 40 to 50 hours playing through the game the first time, and you can even continue the story after to keep training your characters to defeat all the seceret bosses and unlock the summons. The only thing I have to say is wrong with the game, though idon't mind, is the easy ability to get what you want. The RNG (random-number generator) in the game is poorly made, so once you figure out what enemies drop the best weapons and/or armor, you can get one from that enemy every time. THis is the ONLY problem with GS:TLA, but it is not something major that lowers my review. FOrget my previous statement of being the best handheld RPG out there- it just may be the best RPG period. I'm constantly praying for a GS3...let's hope Camelot can put one together =).… Expand
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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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