28 – Golden Sun
The first thing that I thought when I read about Golden Sun was that it was really beautiful. I remember seeing the screenshot of a battle scene in a magazine and being wowed by the possibility of a handheld with those graphics. Certainly, the artistic design of Golden Sun was nice and the effects that took place during the battle were impressive, but beyond its graphics the game is great.
Golden Sun development is that of a classic JRPG: turn-based battles, experience points, equipment that increase your attack or defense and classic items like curative herbs that can be found in chests or bought in towns, temples where the player can save and inns where the party can sleep and restore its health points… You’ve probably seen this many times in every JRPG since Dragon Quest I. But there’s an aspect where Golden Sun deviates from the standard JRPG, and it shines at it: dungeon design is closer to Zelda than to other JRPGs, being filled with puzzles that the player has to solve in order to advance. The use of magic (here called psinergy) outside the battles allows imaginative puzzles and the djinn system (special creatures that you can capture and allocate to each member of your team, modifying the magic techniques and attacks they can use) works really well, adding another layer of deep to the use of magic.
The only problem with this game is that it is seems too short and ends without closing the plot. Fortunately both points would be fixed in the sequel…
