Golden Sun is an excellently made classical RPG that has some neat innovations, but is really only one half of a whole. Whats neat are the abilities characters use outside of combat to solve some decently complex puzzles. You get an ability to read peoples minds in order to gather clues or learn what NPCs are actually thinking, you can make a pillar of ice form from a puddle of water, or move, grab and lift objects for traversal, and if you see a little plant sprouting out of the ground, you can make it grow to climb it. When combined together in a dungeon, solutions will sometimes be obvious and sometimes not. There's a level of cleverness that I appreciated. I also like the Dijnn system of discovering unique equipable creatures along your journey. Depending on who equips which Dijnn, you can change the class of your characters, giving them improved stats or new spells. The story starts strong but can be a little confusing. Youll more or less understand the basics of whats happening, even if you don't necessarily understand why it's happening or what the motivation is. The longer the game goes, the more invested you'll become, and before you know it (about 30 hrs in) youll be boarding a ship ready to hit the open seas, anticipating what awaits next, when the credits abruptly start to roll. I was more than a little surprised by the cliffhanger the game ends on. My guess is that by playing through the second game, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the story will come into complete focus and the overall experience will be greater than each half by itself. Taken only in the context of the first game, however, it feels slightly disappointing, with it ending just when it should be taking off.

--- 4.5 STARS ---
Golden Sun is an excellently made classical RPG that has some neat innovations, but is really only one half of a whole. Whats neat are the abilities characters use outside of combat to solve some decently complex puzzles. You get an ability to read peoples minds in order to gather clues or learn what NPCs are actually thinking, you can make a pillar of ice form from a puddle of water, or move, grab and lift objects for traversal, and if you see a little plant sprouting out of the ground, you can make it grow to climb it. When combined together in a dungeon, solutions will sometimes be obvious and sometimes not. There's a level of cleverness that I appreciated. I also like the Dijnn system of discovering unique equipable creatures along your journey. Depending on who equips which Dijnn, you can change the class of your characters, giving them improved stats or new spells. The story starts strong but can be a little confusing. Youll more or less understand the basics of whats happening, even if you don't necessarily understand why it's happening or what the motivation is. The longer the game goes, the more invested you'll become, and before you know it (about 30 hrs in) youll be boarding a ship ready to hit the open seas, anticipating what awaits next, when the credits abruptly start to roll. I was more than a little surprised by the cliffhanger the game ends on. My guess is that by playing through the second game, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the story will come into complete focus and the overall experience will be greater than each half by itself. Taken only in the context of the first game, however, it feels slightly disappointing, with it ending just when it should be taking off. --- 4. 5 STARS ---